Blogging New York...Day Three...

First of all, let me assure you that my stealth mode still works in New York. I thought maybe that was just a California thing but no. People don't see me here either. Yeah. It's cool.

After getting home last night I ended up staying awake until somewhere around 2am - ugh, but only 11pm Cali time, so not horrible. What was horrible was waking up at 6am - yeah, that's 3am in California. That was not yay. And I was wide awake. So, I played online for a while, watched some TV and then fell back asleep around 8 for a couple of hours. I find nothing wrong with the morning nap.

Once I rolled out of bed for good, I hopped on the subway, you know, because I'm the master of it, and went uptown to Lincoln Center to meet my friend Mary at her office in The Sesame Workshop. No tour of the studio since that's elsewhere in town, but it's always fun to see where friends work. And I got a cool free t-shirt! Woo-hoo!!

Mary and I took a cab to the Shake Shack near Central Park and had a tasty lunch, peppered with entertainment. I'm not a wine drinker, but even I found it a little strange that this place that serves burger and fries and shakes also serves wine. We were talking about it in line and being a bit snarky - I know you find that hard to believe, and Mary even asked the guy taking our order if people actually order it because we didn't get it. He said a lot of people order it, and I believe there was another snarky comment made, as we both rolled our eyes. We stepped away and someone right behind us ordered half a bottle of white wine and we almost fell over. We then saw said wine in tiny little plastic wine cups. They were, well, they were something...

The place was packed so we joined a couple of others at a larger table - very New York I'm told, and enjoyed a tasty feast of burgers and fries. It was really rather tasty. Across the street they were filming an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and we popped over when we finished eating and took a couple of snaps of Larry David. I've never watched the show, but still, kinda cool.

From there we wandered toward Central Park and then parted ways, as unfortunately, she had to return to work. I spent an hour or so just wandering through the park, and while I certainly didn't see all of it, it was really fun to just wander around, sit on a few benches and watch New Yorkers in motion. I have to say, there are more benches in that park than in every other park I've ever seen. Combined.

I ended up on 5th Avenue on the other side of the park and began walking back from whence I came earlier in the morning. I came upon the very cool Apple sign in the glass building, F.A.O. Schwartz and the big piano - which I was highly annoyed by due to the 457 kids and parents playing on it causing all sorts of ruckus. I also have to say, the bathroom in F.A.O Schwartz was seriously nasty. I was less than impressed. The toys though, were very cool. And yes, I'm twelve. Maybe eight. That's the only place I went into on 5th Avenue - believe it!

I made my way to the subway and came back to the hotel and crashed for a while before embarking on my evening at the theatre. And yeah, I spelled it "re" not "er". Deal with it. On my way to the theatre from the subway, I walked by a couple of folks selling the Obama Condom. I did not stop to find out what that scary thing might be. Let me just say, yikes.

Finally I made it to The Cort Theatre where I waited in line with everyone else for about 15 minutes before the doors opened. My first Broadway experience was good and annoying. The play, Fences, was fan-freaking-tastic!! Goodness. I really didn't know what it was about, but it was so good. Denzel Washington has always been one of my favorite actors, and he proved to me why. He was just great. And Viola Davis? Please. The woman is just awesome! All the actors were amazing. I laughed and I cried, and just loved it.

What I didn't love were the staff members I came in contact with at the theatre. Can you say rude? Man. We know you have rules, we get it, but come on. You don't have to yell at people or have a tone. There was a lot of tone!! And as we were exiting, they were basically pushing us out of the building, and as I was about to step through the door, the snippy woman outside literally closed it in my face. She almost got a slap, but I was too high from the experience of the play to actually take her on. Seriously though. RUDE!!

I debated taking the subway home, but thought better of it. Then I was going to take a cab, but it seemed involved so I started to walk. And it was much cooler than it had been during the day, so I figured I'd just head down the road and grab one somewhere between 48th and 29th. But after a while, I decided it was silly to get a cab so I kept walking. And walking. But several blisters later, I made it in and soaked my tootsies in a nice tub of foot scrub I'd procured from Lush on Sunday. 

All in all, another great day here in the city that never sleeps. Tomorrow? American Idiot.

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!

Oh Chick-fil-A, I really couldn't love you more!

Check out my I Need Chick-fil-A! blog to see what's happening...sometimes, it really IS all about the chicken!

I can't imagine 70 days, much less 70 years...

Tomorrow, June 7, 2010, my grandparents, Earl and Wilma McWilliams, will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. SEVENTY YEARS!!! Seriously. I can't imagine being married for 70 days, much less 70 years. It's truly amazing.

They both turned 90 in the last year, and while they have had some health scares and we've had a few moments where we thought we'd lose one or both of them, they're still here. And for the most part, they are very much alive and kicking.

It was amazing to have them fly to California from Texas and celebrate Christmas with me and my mom and her husband last year. I'm so unbelievably blessed to still have them in my life and just wanted to share my joy with all of you. Check the pictures to the right to see them with their stockings - in addition to a couple of others over the last few years with me and my mom. When they visited at Christmas, my grandfather was 90 and my grandmother was 89, just a little more than a month before she turned 90. Hey, if I I'm that happy and having that much fun with a Christmas stocking when I'm that age? More power to me!

Due to their health, they've recently moved from their house and for a little while, as my grandmother recovers from a couple of hospital stays, they have been staying with my grandfather's niece and nephew, but in a short time, they will be moving into the one-bedroom apartment that sits on the same property. As my mom said, after 70 years of marriage, they're back in a one-bedroom apartment with independence we weren't sure they'd still have. They are a true testament to making it work no matter what.

Since they got married in 1940, they raised two daughters - one of whom they lost far too early and one of whom is my mom. My grandfather served in the war and then served the city of Houston as a firefighter, becoming Chief and being beloved by his men. A number of years ago I visited a firefighter's museum with him in Houston and while we were there, another gentleman came in, also a retired firefighter, and he remembered him and still called him Chief McWilliams. That spoke volumes to me. My grandmother worked at East End State Bank when I was little and retired right on time. I remember visits to both the bank and the fire station when I was little and still lived in Texas. The bank was cool, and I think I even got to go in the vault once, but going to the fire station was awesome. I've always had a special place in my heart for the men and women that serve our cities in that capacity, and I know that's all because of my grandfather. 

They have devoted much of their time to helping others as they've served in various capacities at a number of churches. Until very recently, my grandfather was always the first one to show up on Sunday morning, and many times the last to leave. Their example is one I continue to admire.

Imagine how different life is now than it was when they got married. In 1940 a new house was around $3900 and a gallon of gas was 11 cents. You could buy a bottle of aspirin for 76 cents and a new refrigerator for $240. They have seen a lot of change in their lives, and I hope they live to see even more.

Happy Anniversary Grandmommie and Papa!!!

I love you so much!!!