Blogging New York...Day Six...

Home sweet home...that's where I am now, after a long afternoon and evening and night of travel after another half day in The Big Apple. I had an amazing week and can't wait to go back!

I met an old friend for breakfast this morning at the famous Carnegie Deli. It definitely lived up to the hype, from the old school waitresses to the fact that they only took cash - good thing we had some! But the highlight for me, no doubt, was the "side" of bacon. Seriously. SIDE. 

My friend and I wandered around a bit and had a good time catching up, but then I took my last subway ride back to the hotel and got on the Not-So-Super Shuttle to the airport. 

I knew the traffic would be bad since it was Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend, but I didn't realize I'd barely make it to my flight. When I flew in, it took about an hour to get from JFK to my hotel. Going back it took more than 2 1/2 hours. I was less than pleased and was very thankful the Jet Blue terminal was not busy or I would have been hosed. The driver pulled up to Terminal 5 at approximately 5:01pm - less than an hour before my flight was supposed to take off. For those of you that have traveled with me or know me at all, you know my head was about to explode. I got to the gate about 5 minutes before they started boarding - barely had time to visit the little girl's room and get a snack. The best I could do was a pack of Lunchables.

The flight left right on time and, hallelujah, the seat next to me was empty. That was most yay, as it appeared to be the only empty seat on the plane. I was on the last row, so I got to hear a lot of the flight attendant chatter, which was a real treat. Jeremy is apparently based in New York, but he only moved there because of his boyfriend who he just broke up with so now he's stuck, and he's staying with a friend, but you know, it's not the same, and blah blah blah...female flight attendant whose name I didn't ever see seemed sympathetic but she definitely had a 'tude when she walked the aisles. She definitely thought she was cooler than the rest of the world, and I did not approve. I kinda wanted to trip her, but I refrained. 

My Lunchables were actually quite tasty, and I felt pretty satisfied with them...until I went to put the plastic container back in its box and spilled all the turkey water/juice/fluid on my pants. Yeah. That was awesome. And wet. I was forced to get up and visit the bathroom to see if I could at least dry it a little with some paper towels. It was a special highlight.

Some other notes from the flight:

1. bags of snacks may explode during flight and spread cheese-flavored snacks all over the floor; just ask the woman in the row in front of me
2. someone could sell cheap headphones in the gate area for $1 and make some money since they sell for $2 on the plane and they don't take cash
3. the announcement about getting off the cell phones is clearly useless; multiple people were still talking on them when we were backing away from the gate; they are much firmer about this on Southwest

I was psyched when the plane landed 35 minutes early, thinking I'd get home earlier than originally planned. But the problem with landing early? They have no gate for you. And you know what happens then? You wait. On the plane. And when they finally get you a gate? Yeah. It's about the time you were supposed to arrive in the first place. And also, that gate is the farthest one from the baggage claim. But, I'm now, and clearly more awake than I thought I was. Of course, the Coke and popcorn I just inhaled might be part of the problem.

Anyway, here ends the New York blogging...a great week was had and now I'm looking forward to a long weekend before heading back to the work world...Happy 4th of July everyone! Celebrate safely.

Blogging New York...Day Five...

Today was my last full day in New York, and it was a good one. For the Yankee haters out there, you may want to stop reading now...because really, that's all today was about. I get why you don't like them. I'm okay with it. But I've loved them pretty much my whole life, and it was awesome to finally get to see them play in New York. 

I took my subway-mastery with me and actually transferred from one train to another - both ways!! YES!! I rule. I loved hearing the announcement that we'd arrived at Yankee Stadium. I stepped out into the station, saw the sign and pretty much couldn't stop smiling until I got home.

I really don't have any crazy stories to share from today...it was just all too good and too fun. The Yankees, wearing their trademark pinstripes, won and Mariano Rivera - my all-time favorite Yankee - saved the game. Hearing Enter Sandman by Metallica when they opened the bullpen doors for him to enter the game in the bottom of the 9th was awesome, and I must admit, I was a little bit giddy.

It was a gorgeous day out, and the fans were great. A couple of people were kind enough to take my picture so I could have photos of myself in the stadium. Really, everyone was so nice. I will say that the grilled hot dog didn't even come close to the grilled home run dog at AT&T Park in San Francisco, but it was still tasty. The other bummer was their choice in soda: PEPSI. Yuck. I had water. Other than that, everything was good. 

Entering and wandering around Yankee Stadium is sort of like being at Disneyland. There are people everywhere - literally like every 3 feet - holding signs asking how they can help you. There are also people sweeping up the hallways to keep the Disney, er, Yankee magic in tact. There's a lot that I didn't see just because there simply wasn't time, but it's pretty cool. I still like AT&T better overall because it's the old style ball park, and let's face it, the view is unbeatable, but it was awesome to finally see The Bronx Bombers play in their home land.

By the way, that's Derek Jeter on the left and Nick Swisher on the right. Nick is absolutely one of the funniest men in baseball and Derek is, well, he's Derek Jeter. And that's enough.

It was also very cool to hear New York, New York played at the end of the game, and I sat and listened to several choruses. I left the stadium after a while and found that everyone was taking the subway out of The Bronx, so I stepped into the nearby McDonald's to wait. And to get a Coke, because by that time, I needed one! And really, I think we all know McDonald's has the best Coke.

I managed to waste enough time and had a very empty train to take back to the hotel. My feet were never so happy to get back and stop moving. I've really given them a beating this week and may give them a nice soak later this evening. 

Tomorrow's my last day in the city that never sleeps, and I'm meeting another old friend for breakfast at the very famous Carnegie Deli. Many folks told me I needed to check this place out, but it didn't really interest me because I'm not a big sandwich fan...but breakfast? Well, that's a whole new game. I mean, as long as there's bacon, how could it be bad?

Oh good...just got a case of the hiccups...

Anyway...it's been an amazing week, and I'll wrap it all up when I get home tomorrow night. I will definitely be back New York. You've totally won me over.

Blogging New York...Day Four...

Today started with rock and roll, had a lot of mellow thrown in the middle and finished with a kick - a spicy Thai kick that is.

I knew I needed to take it easy today. The blisters on my feet told me so. I hadn't really anticipated blisters, but thankfully my hotel is right around the corner from a convenience store and they had some lovely bandages for me. Ahhh...

Now, back to today's adventures...

Yes, it's cliché, but I went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch today. I love the Hard Rock Cafe, and I'd been to the original New York one the only other day I was ever here - like 2002 maybe? Anyway, that one's gone and now there's a swanky new gigantic one in Times Square. Yes. I'm a tourist. Sue me. I love the Hard Rock because you never know what sort of tunes you're going to hear in there. Usually there are some I love, some I loathe and some that just make me laugh. Today I almost laughed out loud at my table when Pass the Dutchie by Musical Youth came on. That was 100 kinds of awesome! And since you weren't there to enjoy it with me, I found the video on YouTube. You're welcome.

I toured around and saw some memorabilia, and that's always cool even if it's from people you don't like. It's even cooler when it's from someone you do like. It still doesn't compare to the first time I went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Vegas where I was blessed by the presence of Ice T and his cool blue eyes. That will always be my favorite Hard Rock experience. But, the food was good, and it was a good start to my rock and roll day.

From there, I walked two blocks to the St. James Theatre for the American Idiot show. For those of you that read this blog or know me at all, you know I saw the show in Berkeley when it premiered. It was extra fun to see it again on Broadway. It was just as good and even had a surprise at the end that wasn't there in Berkeley. Some of the staging was different, and there was even a tiny change in one of the songs, but it worked. And I loved it!

I don't think I need to tell you that there was some entertainment for me while waiting for the show to start. A couple of girls were sitting in the row behind me, and when I glanced, I guessed they were in the tween age group. Here's just a sample of what I heard:

"John Gallagher, Jr - I love you. Tony Vincent - I love you."

"Yeah, I wrote on Tony Vincent's wall...I'm not allowed to talk to him because she's in love with him and I can't talk to him...he gets up and drinks wine every morning. Yeah, he drinks a lot of wine...oh, I'm going to talk to him..."

"How much are those seats? Like a million dollars? I'd work my whole life if I could have those seats."

"If I made $1000 a month, I'd come to this every night."

I almost laughed out loud at that, as did the guy next to me who was there with his family. We laughed about the tweens and were equally amused by the pre-show entertainment. I learned he and his family were in from Los Angeles and are also going to the Yankee game tomorrow. Small world. 

Upon exiting the theatre, there was this great wall you could write on, and thousands before had done so, but I found a couple of blank spots and made myself known.

 

It was kinda fun to wait around for some of the cast after the show. Not everyone came out, but a few did and I got a few good pics...enjoy... 

As I wandered to the subway, I actually thought about going to see Twilight, but decided it might be a little lame since I could easily see that at home. So, I came back and kicked up my feet and perused the Internet and watched TV. Yeah. All things I could do at home too. Whatever.

I thought about going to dinner when I was reminded that anything and everything could be delivered to me in New York. This made my day since I can't get anything but pizza delivered at home. There were so many choices that I almost gave up, but finally settled on Thai. You can't go wrong with Thai. Ever. But then came the first big FAIL of my trip. I transposed the hotel's address and didn't realize it until the delivery guy called and I wasn't where he was. He didn't speak English, and try as I might, I couldn't get him to understand where I was, so I called the delivery company and they were nice enough to call the restaurant and send the driver to the right place. I felt like an idiot - an American Idiot? - but the company was very nice and about 20 minutes later, my delivery arrived. As you can see, I ordered way too much food, and there's no way I'm eating it all, but it was totally worth the wait. Now I'm just cranky that I can't order Thai anytime I want in San Jose. Lame. 

Finally, I'll leave you with two observations from my TV viewing this evening...

1 - As much as I love bacon, and cheese, this is just not appetizing.

2 - How could the original Ice Age be so good and the second (and wasn't there even a third?) be so bad? 

Blogging New York...Day Two...

First of all, let me point out that it's hot. And I don't mean, waaaah, it's hot. No, it's HOT. And HUMID. I think between yesterday and today I may have sweated off 4 pounds, which is not really a bad thing. I forgot how much I loathe real humidity. Most days I think it's humid in the Bay Area. Yeah. It isn't. It's just more humid there than Wyoming and Arizona. New York is HUMID. It was 92 degrees today with a heat index of 97. HOT.

But also, AWESOME.

I didn't wake up until about 9 this morning (still 6 according to my body) and lounged in the hotel until about 10:15 or so. Today's adventures included the subway, of which I am now a master. As I was plotting my course before I left, I seriously couldn't get that old song, "My baby takes the morning train" out of my head. That's right. Good morning Sheena Easton. Feel free to step down memory lane with me...

Anyway...got on the F train and got off in the vicinity of NYU. I love college campuses. I blame my parents for that. They love them too. That must be why I work on one. NYU is near Washington Square Park, so I wandered around and saw several sights I'd seen in movies, took a tour through the bookstore and had some real New York pizza. From there, I took the 6 train to City Hall. 

And that's when the Subway entertainment took place.

First, there was a quartet of older men singing in barbership harmony, and it was actually really good. They had a paper bag and also a bucket and people tipped them, they thanked them and said God Bless to everyone. At the next stop, a trio of younger guys got on with their boombox and proceeded to break dance as we rode. One did a back flip between two poles and also had some pretty good arm strength as he hoisted himself sideways on a pole and held himself up for a few minutes. They strolled around with their Yankee baseball hats and gathered tips, thanked everyone and got off at the City Hall station, which was my stop too.

I wandered through City Hall Park - man, New York has a LOT of parks! Very awesome. Looked across the park at City Hall and across the street to Pace University and the Brooklyn Bridge, which I did not walk across.

From there, I took the 4 train to Wall Street. Subway mastery in progress.

Now, I don't do anything that involves Wall Street, but my dad does, and I have to admit, it was rather cool to see the actual New York Stock Exchange. It was even cooler to see the Tiffany store. And yes, there was a purchase made.

After that, I got on the R train and came back to my hotel where I finally got cooled off - thank you hotel shower and air conditioner! I lounged for a bit and tried to evict the heat-induced headache and rest up for dinner, which was definitely the highlight of the day.

I got on the 1 train, went 2 stops south - subway, totally mastered! - and then walked to 355 W 14th Street for a divine dinner at Scarpetta with a friend from WVU that I hadn't seen in 17 or 18 years. Crazy, right? It was so much fun to catch up over a delicious feast by Chef Scott Conant, whom I met as we were leaving since my friend Mary actually knows him. He was very nice and the spaghetti with tomato and basil was without question the best spaghetti I've ever eaten in my life. I'd eat that every day if I could. Seriously. There's just really nothing wrong with good food. NOTHING.

So now I'm back in the hotel, thinking about tomorrow's adventures. Tomorrow night you can find me at the theatre seeing Fences with Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, and I'm definitely excited about that!

Oh New York...I just may be falling in love with you...

Blogging New York...Day One...

My first day in New York started at 6:49am when my flight landed at JFK 8 minutes early. Arriving early is always a good thing, so I knew the day was going to be a good one. I made my way through the terminal, got my bag and waited for my shuttle. That took a bit of time, but finally I got loaded into the big blue van and headed into Manhattan. I think there was a bridge and a tunnel that caused me to hyperventilate slightly, but I've moved on. 

Side note: Honking? Awesome. Honking in a tunnel when the traffic's not moving due to an accident? Soooo much MORE awesome!!

Arrived at my hotel in Chelsea around 9, and valeted my luggage so I could begin my roaming. 

Stop one was the Bagel Maven Cafe where I had my very first New York bagel - an everything, toasted with cream cheese. It was perfection.

From there, I headed toward the NHL store, which is just off Times Square. I was detoured slightly by the evilness of the Swatch store and the NYC watch they forced me to buy. I have no will power. You own me Swatch.

Overheard as I wandered: "It's a bit of a scene here." Really? Times Square? A scene?

Found the NHL store and after avoiding vomiting on all the red jerseys and the celebration of their shiny new toy, I enjoyed chatting with a fellow Shark fan that worked there and added a few more treats to my shopping bag.

I started wandering back to the hotel and found Bryant Park where I stopped and took in the neighborhood while sipping a nice cool iced tea. It was terribly relaxing, and highly entertaining. 

As I was looking at my map to see exactly where I'd been, a lady came up and asked if I needed any help finding something, and I politely said no. She then informed me that she was a reader and a shaman and wanted to tell me three things.

First, she told me that my colors were red, green and gold. She then informed me that someone near me suffered from a thyroid condition - she wasn't sure exactly what it was, but assured me it wasn't serious. Finally she told me that change was going to come my way on August 29 and that it was going to be for the good. You can be sure I'll be noting that date on my calendar and counting the hours to see what it means.

When I told her I was visiting from California she said, and I kid you not, "Oh my galoshes." Awesome. She then said, "Take off your glasses fancy face," and asked if I'd ever had a reading done. I told her I didn't really believe in that, and she said okay and walked away.

Thank you for that New York. Really. Thank you.

After wandering around the gorgeous park and taking numerous photos, I headed back down 6th Avenue and found The Hater Building. Okay, it was the really The Haier Building, but at first glance, I really thought it said Hater and had to take a photo.

After I laughed at myself and enjoyed the thought that there could actually be a building called The Hater Building, I made my way to Macy's. You know, the Macy's from Miracle on 34th Street? Yeah. That's the one. And it did not disappoint. Just a gorgeous, historic building that included wooden escalators to and from The Cellar. That was seriously cool. It's possible I made a purchase there as well. 

I stopped in a few more shops on the way back to the hotel and was about to drop from the humidity and lack of sleep on the redeye, but my room wasn't quite ready yet. I waited another 45 minutes to check in and then totally crashed after a nice long shower. 

I just returned from dinner and am looking forward to the pie sitting in its to-go bag across the room. All in all, it's been a great day, and I look forward to tomorrow...no firm plans during the day, just more wandering, but really excited to see a friend from grad school for dinner. Haven't seen her since then so it should be a fun evening!