Fearless Traveling

I'm a dancer, sorta.

2012-08-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to head to the Natural History Museum. I had never been but I wasn't to enthused about it to begin with. I'm not sure why but the idea of being stuffed in a museum today was not appealing to me. However, rain was in the forecast and since it was Monday most museums were closed so my pickings were slim.

I entered the museum through the subway entrance and there was a small line. I've heard that there are longer lines at the street entrance but I'm not sure about that. New York City is expensive and you do start running out of money when you're there for a month so I only paid $2. Sorry!! I kept getting pretty lost at first, it seemed that every hall I was going down led to the entrance. Eventually I found my way and I took in the stuffed mammal exhibit, the space exhibit, the forest exhibit, the underwater exhibit, and the bird exhibit before deciding that while everything was really cool, none of it was appealing to me. That's the best part about solo traveling, I was bored so I left. It was that simple. I didn't have to collect my friends and drop subtle hints that I was bored.

Outside of the museum, I realized that it hadn't even rained. I sat in the front courtyard and read a book on my Kindle for a little while. I really didn't have any plan today but I was getting somewhat hungry so I headed off to Central Park West. I caught the bus going downtown because it was pulling up as I walked by so I took it as a sign. I just figured I'd get off when the mood struck me. Of course, it started to rain. I got off at 65th and decided to walk over the Lincoln Center. I think Lincoln Center is a great example of beautiful city planning. All the buildings are different yet similar so they tie in together beautifully.

I headed into Century 21 which I usually avoid but this one was much calmer and manageable. They had a lot of accessories and less clothes than the downtown location but I liked the trade off because I could actually move around the store without bumping into 314532 people. From there I spotted Zara which I love. They have nice professional clothing for young women. I find it hard to find good clothes for working in an elementary school because I am so tall which makes business skirts and dresses too short. I found a lot of good options here.

Now it was starting to rain pretty hard so I headed over to Lincoln Center and sat under the awning with many other people. My hair was up in a tight bun and an Australian visitor asked if I was a dancer. I had a good laugh. In my dreams. I told her I was anyways because I was in a city alone and no one knew me. Who is there to say I'm not?! I thought maybe the Lincoln Center would have something going on during the day but a quick cruise of my phone said otherwise. I was getting pretty hungry anyways so I decided to head downtown.

I pulled up Yelp! on my phone and found a restaurant with good reviews in The Meatpacking, Barbuto. It didn't disappoint. All the servers were very kind and it wasn't too stuffy despite the fact that my hair was pulled up and I looked like a drowned rat. Definitely more of a relaxed vibe with good food. I would certainly go back if I was in the area. I decided to just walk around SoHo today so off I headed.

I took this from the NYMag website.

Once in SoHo I just walked around and popped in and out of stores. It's hard for me to walk into the higher end designer stores (Vivian Westwood, Hermes, etc.) because I'm terrified I will fall in love with a bag or a dress and I will have to get it. I am great at justifying almost anything with, "Well, I am going to be graduating school with no student loans so I have some wiggle room." I am a trip. I decided to take the leap and hope that a Birkin bag wouldn't catch my fall. As if. Luckily, I made it out with my credit card still in my wallet. It was fun browsing though. I found that it was easy to browse and not buy because I really have no where to wear dresses or shoes that fancy.

By now it was getting late so I decided to head home. I wanted to walk all the way home using the Williamsburg Bridge. I think New York City has officially made me crazy because I thought this would be fun. Looking back now,. I'm glad I did it but it was an adventure doing it. I did get to see a lot of Williamsburg. Enough to see that this really is the place to be if your a young trendy person. I'm young but I don't attempt to be trendy. ~~It just comes effortless to me.~~ That being said I was much more comfortable in Greenpoint. Anyways, Williamsburg had a lot of awesome restaurants with seating on the sidewalk and full of patrons. It was neat to see and I loved seeing all the local businesses thriving, something that seems to be changing in Manhattan as rent goes up.

I finally got home two hours after starting my trek. I vaguely planned my next day and then crashed.

The Frickin' Frick!!

2012-08-17T16:44:00.001-07:00

Sunday is always a tricky day in any big city vacation. Often times, attractions close early or not at all. Of course, a limited amount of attractions and options in New York City is still a ton of options. I checked my handy list of "free admissions" for Sunday and found that the Frick had pay as you wish admission from 11:00am- 1:00 pm. I got ready and headed out the door.

No photos in the Frick.
But they didn't seem to mind in the
indoor courtyard. Which happens
to look a lot like my indoor
courtyard....not.

The line wasn't as bad as the other museums I had visited during their free or suggested admission hours. I paid my dollar, got my audio tour, and started exploring. The house that the museum is housed in once belonged to Henry Clay Frick. Most of the art was from his own personal collection. The art was lovely but it isn't my favorite genre. Most of the art is 18th century European. However, the mansion that the museum is housed in is GORGEOUS. I tried to imagine myself living in that house, right by Central Park but even my imagination doesn't stretch that far. I enjoyed the Frick but I don't think I would want to pay full admission because it's just not my style of art. I really like the more contemporary stuff. However, if this interests you it is not to be missed. The audio tour was great and the layout was nice.

I saw on The Village Voice (I think) that there was going to be a free comedy show in Greeley Square. So I headed there. Which was an adventure in itself. I had 30 minutes to get there and there isn't great subway access from the Frick to Greeley Sq. I decided today was the day to get over my fear of the bus. Ok, I don't really have a fear of the bus but I just have never taken a public bus before. I pulled up a map on my phone and determined that the M1, M2, M3, M4 buses were going my way. I decided that there was no way I could screw that up. Wrong. I tried to board the wrong bus. The bus driver asked where I was going and I said to 32nd. He told me to wait for the next one. He was really nice about it especially because I didn't want ask. He could just tell I looked confused. The next bus rolled along and I got on. Success.

I really liked riding the bus. We went right down 5th Avenue and I almost felt like I was on a tour bus. My feet were resting, my sweat was drying up, and I was getting entertained by the bus window. What a nice ride! A gentleman two seats infront of my turned to an older lady one seat in front of my and asked if he would be able to walk across the Williamsburg Bridge. She didn't know but I did! I told him he could and we spent the rest of the short ride chatting about all the places he has visited with his bike. He was a bike enthusiast! The older lady also joined in every once in a while with a question. Nice people on the bus!

Koreatown

I got off on 33rd and Park and started heading east to Greeley Square. I walked through Korea Town and it looked delicious! I have been making it a point to try different cuisines so I decided I would eat there after the show. The comedy show as about 4 or 5 different acts. It was lovely. There were chairs out and a lot of people enjoying the show. I sat next to a lady who was eating a Popsicle and before long she offered me one. Suddenly every word my mom told me about taking food from a stranger ran through my head. But it was hot and I had watched her open the box so I thought "what the hell" and took the Popsicle. I didn't die. She even took my garbage from me and put it in her grocery bag to throw away later. And this whole interaction didn't include a word. She just thrust the Popsicle in my direction and then took the garbage out of my hand when I was done. Of course, I thanked her but she didn't respond to that! New Yorkers are a hoot!
http://www.nylaughs.org/online/home.html

I walked back over to Korea Town and looked at a few menus posted on the wall but I didn't find anything really appealing. I don't eat rice or pork so I was pretty limited. Next time, my friends! I decided to head to try my luck at the Wicked Lottery. This time I actually partnered up with someone. He was nice and said he had seen the show 5 times. Yikes! We didn't win but it's always really fun to see how excited the winners get. I get so happy for all of them.

It was Sunday and a lot of things were begining to close. I headed home to Brooklyn and went to C-Town Supermarket. I grabbed some groceries and cooked myself dinner of bagel bites and potato chips. Ok, so maybe it wasn't "cooking" but I'm in college I still haven't graduated to cooking actual dinners yet. I ate my dinner on the fire escape, watching the Polish wedding party arrive at the reception hall across from my apartment. It started to sprinkle so I called it a night early, planning to call it an early morning as well.

VIDEO: I took this in Times Square. Of course. I say of course because if this were to happen in any other station, I doubt they would have a huge crowd let alone a singing one. I thought it was cute. Sometimes it's nice to slow down and enjoy random people singing The Beatles together.

2012-08-16T01:44:00.002-07:00

My favorite spot on the Highline. I'm sure it's a lot of peoples favorites. :)

Hi, Highline!!

2012-08-16T01:42:00.000-07:00

My first day alone! Well, not my very first day. I was alone a few days earlier in the month but this was for a glorious week straight and I had been looking so forward to it! The day had so many possibilities... until I called my mom. I was telling her how I might try to get lottery tickets to Wicked that night. She reminded me that I was ushering for Avenue Q. Moms, that's what they're there for!

I still had a whole unscheduled day and I wanted to do some shopping so I headed to the Limelight Marketplace. This held many fascinations for me because since high school I have been a big fan of the Party Monster movie. It is based on the club kids and a murder that occurred in the NYC club land they inhabited. The club that the "club kids" frequented was the Limelight, which is now the marketplace with the very same name. It was crazy to think of the wild parties that were thrown there. I also was interested because I enjoy shopping!

On my way to Limelight, I had to walk through Union Square. I never seem to be able to get through Union Square without stopping. First, there was a protest on Guantanamo Bay. Then I somehow wound up in a sea of about one hundred skateboarders. Yikes! Right when I thought I was in the clear I spotted the farmers market and ended up browsing it for 30 minutes. I grabbed some plums and the guy washed them for me. It was a nice breakfast and it cost $1.

The Limelight wasn't quiet what I had in mind. I expected many smaller vendors but really it was just 3 or 4 large vendors. The whole first floor was new teenage style clothing. A lot of it was pretty cute and affordable but my luggage was already packed to the brim and my closets back home won't even shut properly. The second floor had a sun glass vendor, a jewelry vendor, and some hodge podge of clothing. The jewelry vendor had nice things but I had just bought my earrings so I had no need to buy another pricey jewelry item. I think it was mainly cubic. The prices were decent. I did manage to find two pair of long nike dri-fit sweatpants for myself for $10 each, a bargain. I tried them on downstairs since the upstairs didn't have a fitting room and the downstairs vendor acted like it was a ginormous deal. I just closed the curtain and tried them on anyways, there was no one there so it wasn't like there was a fitting room line. The set up was a tad confusing because I couldn't find out where to pay either.

My next stop was the Chelsea Marketplace. I had heard good things about this place and it didn't disappoint. It was mainly food so don't go on a full stomach. I stopped in Fat Witch Brownies first and tried a brownie. I didn't really like it, it was somewhat dry. I checked out the adorable cookies in the shop next door. The NYC cookies are a perfect gift for a host or friend in NYC (hint to my visiting friends in the future.) I only had a few bites of my brownie so I was still pretty hungry. I decided to give Lobster Place a go. I tried their 3 slider sampler. For $16 I got a crab, shrimp, and lobster slider and chips. Delicious! I'm craving it now. Also, Lobster Place is a neat place to have a peek at even if you're not eating. I was standing off to the side, waiting to pay and a movement caught my eye. It was a live crab! Surprised me!

I struck up a conversation with a lady sitting in the the market about all the things we still have left on our "want to see in NYC" list. A lot of ours were the same and we were both happy to cross Chelsea Marketplace off our list. I enjoyed Chelsea Marketplace but it was a little smaller than I expected. I wish there had been some things less dedicated towards food or cooking. Anthropologie is nice, but not really the local made items I was hoping for in a marketplace.

I decided to walk towards The Highline. I entered at the southernmost point of the park and right away was blown away. It was so cool! I didn't have a lot of expectations since I had heard lots of complaints about it being too crowded and boring. It did get crowded in some points but it's a park in New York City... I didn't think it detracted from anything. In fact, I thought it made it cooler because the people watching was great. All along the walk there were cool spots to just stop and chill. The plant life was neat and I loved how in some spots you could still see the rail road tracks. There was a little food area set up with food carts and booths but I was still full so I didn't partake. One of my favorite places was the "viewing square." It was a large glass panel directly over the street where one can sit on benches and just watch the cars zoom out from underneath them. I sat there a long time. (Video in this post) I bet the park is beautiful in the Fall and I am dying to see it in the Winter.

I decided to walk back to Union Square from the park because I had time and I never get to spend as much time with 9th Avenue as I want to. There were a lot of neat (and crowded) restaurants on 9th between 23rd and 14th. I wanted to check them all out but I had just ate. Usually it's a good sign if a restaurant is full so I made a note to go back another time.

Back at my apartment, I got ready for the show. ~~The subway made me late.~~ I should have left earlier and ended up being 3 minutes late. The E train wasn't showing up so I had to jump on the M which left me 3 avenues away. I had to really book it. They were nice and understanding. There was actually another volunteer with me this night. Maybe because Avenue Q is more popular or that it was Saturday but it was nice having a conversation with her about school and our homes. People really get a kick out of hearing that I am from Kentucky. I have initially believed that people assumed all Kentucky folks were hicks who don't wear shoes. I now know that they think of us as characters on Footloose. One of the first questions is if we drink at all. (Yes, we drink a lot). It's usually closely followed by asking if everyone goes to church all the time. The music guy (I'm sure they have a technical name) actually lived in only a few miles from me for a few years. That was pretty cool. It's a small world.

Avenue Q was HILARIOUS. One of the funniest shows I saw on this trip. I initially thought since it was puppets it was going to be REALLY lame but I had heard a lot of recommendations for it. I didn't have high hopes at all but this show had my sides hurting. I really don't laugh out loud at shows, movies, etc. but this one was great. One of the shows that I cannot wait to see again and get my hands on the cast recording. Again, seeing it free made it even better. I highly, highly recommend volunteering for New World Stages. Its REALLY easy, you get to see all the fun pre-stage tricks, you meet awesome people, and you get to see a free show. One of the best bargains in NYC. Upon leaving, I was very sad that I wouldn't get to be volunteering with them anymore this trip.

I decided to walk all the way though Times Square to catch the 7. The night just didn't feel done yet. I sat on the TKTS steps and took it all in. I now know why locals avoid Times Square but I figured "When in Rome..." Secretly, I'd give anything to be in the hustle and bustle in Times Square right now. "Sure Mike from Minnesota, stop dead in your tracks to snap a shot of the NYE ball." I honestly wouldn't care a bit. I miss it so. :/

If I do or if I don't end up living in NYC (I will) I will always be a tourist at heart. Even if I have to take the circle line to bring me back down to Earth, I won't end up jaded or bored with this city. And as a teacher, I'll have all summer to spend with it.

2012-08-14T01:41:00.003-07:00

Daily Travel Inspiration for Solo Travelers :

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t....

and there's 8 million people to meet here.

Last day of DC!

2012-08-13T11:29:00.003-07:00

K.I.S.S

Conserve your legs by riding the bus around Arlington. The cemetery is very beautiful but also very hilly.
Currently a lot of DC attractions are closed due to renovations or earthquake repair. Don't let it slow you down.
Don't miss Union Station. It's gorgeous and a good place to eat with a group because they have a food court.
If you are catching a train, get there early!!

We woke up at 8:00 and all started getting ready. Right as we were walking out the door we hear a loud nail gun on the floor above us. Good thing we didn't want to sleep in. The hotel was undergoing renovations and I was somewhat put off that the front desk staff didn't at least tell us that during check in. We booked the hotel for a mere $99 dollars and it was in a great location, close to the metro and White House. Despite the renovations, I still feel that the hotel was worth what we paid. All the other hotels in that price range were chain hotels in Arlington or Alexandria.

We decided to head to Arlington. We hoped on the subway and we were there in no time. It really was a short effortless ride. We exited the train station and walked to the visitor center to buy passes to the tour bus. We opted to do the tour bus instead of walk because New York City really did a number on my friends legs (I'm used to it by now), Arlington was very hilly, and we had limited time. We got our passes for $8.75 and jumped on the bus. It was a full load and we were off. I liked riding the bus and we heard a few informative things on it but we were mainly using it for transportation. If I had expected actual interesting facts, I might have been disappointed.

First stop was the Kennedy grave sight with the eternal flame. I am too young to really mourn the Kennedy lose. I mean, of course its tragic but it wasn't "the moment of my generation" like it is for my parents generation. Next stop was the Tomb of the Unknown. We walked around the beautiful amphitheater until it was time for the changing of the guard. It was a cool thing to see and the view of D.C was nice.

The last stop was The Arlington House which had an amazing view of D.C and was my favorite stop on the tour. Unfortunately, they were going through renovations and the recent earthquake had caused some damage. We couldn't go on the second floor at all. The bus dropped us back off at the visitor center and we decided to grab some food and then head the National Museum of American History. We grabbed some McDonalds because it was easy, cheap, and fast.

Chelsea and I made these potato heads!

I only had 2 hours to take in the American History Museum and I thought that it might be possible. I had previously been to the Natural History Museum in DC and got through it somewhat quickly. However, the American History Museum was much more interesting to me so we spent a long time here. I really enjoyed this. Highlights for me were playing in the room with pop culture icon toys like potato heads and etch-a-sketch, seeing the star spangled banner flag, the pop culture type room with Babe Ruths baseball, Dorthys shoes, and a part of Plymoth Rock. Very cool!

Union Station is actually my favorite building
in DC! Everyone's coming and going to all
over the country! Not to mention the
architecture...

We left and I grabbed my bags at the hotel and headed to the train. The line at the train station was long. I got there 20 minutes early and was about 20th in line but by boarding time it was a loooonng line of about 150 people. Glad I wasn't in the back because I wanted a window seat. I was actually looking forward to some alone time on the train and I got it. It was nice and the ride was easy.

Arriving back in Penn Station, I actually got lost on the train platform. It was Friday night so I knew service would be a little screwy. I waited a long time and then finally a C train rolled through, but I needed an E. The C train was absolutely covered in graffiti and looked very old. I thought it was strange since usually MTA is very good about pulling graffiti trains off the tracks. Next train comes, and its a C too. I then see the E heading uptown on the next platform over. Shoot. I tried to find the stairs leading up to the E but I don't know if I was in such a hurry that I wasn't paying correct attention or if I was just so tired. I ended up taking a tour of every platform in the station, some twice. I finally ended up on the right platform and was home at 12:30. My train had arrived in Penn at 11:30. I told my mom I took a cab to make her feel better but I am way to cheap for that and I feel safer on the subway usually anyways. Sorry Mom!!

Tomorrow kicks off my week long solo time in New York City. Hands down my favorite time on the whole trip. Of course, I enjoyed the time with my friends but I was able to wake up each morning with no plans and unlimited possibilities. I loved it!!

DC!!

2012-08-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

K.I.S.S

I found the Amtrak train to Washington DC to be very comfortable. We didn't splurge for first class or Arcela but still had plenty of leg room, got there quickly, and we were very comfortable. It was a smooth and easy ride, a lot less hassle than an airline.
Enlist the help of a Red Cap service if you are traveling with a large group who wants to sit together, children, or you have a lot of luggage, especially at Penn Station. They work on tips but they can get you to the platform before it is announced which means you have pick of the seats and you can get situated before the big rush begins. They work on tips so please make sure you tip them.
If you plan on visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, make sure you either get their early for passes or reserve online. They were out of passes when we arrived around 2:00. Try to get an early time because it gets crowded as the day goes on. http://www.ushmm.org/
If you can, take in the monuments by night. They are much more beautiful (in my opinion) all light up and less crowded. There are still a lot of people around though so you will not feel unsafe. This frees up valuable daytime hours so that you can take in the museums which will be closed at night anyways.
Don't store your DC metrocard near your cell phone.
Try not to end your tour of The Mall at the Lincoln Monument. There is very limited metro access there. Instead, start it at the Lincoln Monument when you still have energy and end it near the White House. There is nothing worse than walking the entire Mall only to find out you are going to have to walk it again to get back to the metro. It really is a hike.

We woke up really early this morning because we had to catch the train to DC at 8:10. We were successfully up and out the door at 7:10. Which, if you have to catch the G train isn't that successful at all. They warn you to arrive at the train station about 20 minutes before departure time. This was giving us only 40 minutes and on one of the most unpredictable trains in the MTA system. We ended up arriving at the front door of Penn Station at exactly 20 minutes until departure time. Sheer luck but we still had to find food, print tickets, and find the track. I sent my two compadres out for Dunkin' Doughnuts (there is one in the station) and I printed our tickets (it was very easy).

Inside of the train

Luck was really on our side this morning because right as we met at the area in the center of the terminal that lists tracks, they posted the track which our train would be leaving on. Chaos. Utter chaos. Everyone seemed to run to the platform so we just followed them. There was no structured line and people were coming and going from the loose line that actually was formed. I can certainly see why large families choose to use a Red Cap. Since I wasn't going to be heartbroken if we didn't sit together (there were 3 of us anyways) we didn't use this service. We actually ended up in the Quiet Car on accident, which was nice.

I got an isle seat and my married friends found seats together further up in the coach. I laid my head down for a minute on the seat table, thinking that since we just go to the platform and we were somewhat far up in line it would be a while. I raised my head up about 10 minutes later and was surprised to see the open, green space of New Jersey. The train boarded so FAST, people really hustled to their seats. Also, the ride was a lot smoother than I thought! I imagined the click-clack of train wheels, maybe a whistle or two, and the shaking of the train as it moved. None of these happened. I got to move to the window seat about half way there and spent the rest of the trip staring out the window. I love looking at new places. It was pretty cool. I enjoyed taking the train much more than an airplane. I recommend it, regardless of rate or deals airlines offer. So much less hassle.

Choose wisely

We pulled into Penn Station, which I am pretty familiar with from previous trips to D.C. We jumped on their Metro system and headed to the hotel. Their Metro is much nicer than ~~ours~~ New York Cities. The cars are more comfortable and more spacious. The stations are usually air conditioned and gorgeous, although I love the old tiles in the NYC subway stations. The subway isn't as conveniently located though and one should expect to walk a lot to get to the next station, especially down by The Mall. Furthermore, one day passes are a whooping $14, where in NYC for only $13 more you can get a whole week. Lastly, the Metro in DC charges you by distance, which is somewhat hard to figure out on the fly and requires some time and frustration.

Train Scenery

We arrived at the Hamilton Crown Plaza and tried to check in but there were no rooms. We walked across the street and got some subway. I checked to see if it was ready yet, and it was. The front desk staff was very nice. Our room was good and the bathroom was huge compared to my two tiny NYC bathrooms. Best shower pressure ever, as well. We dropped out bags and headed to our Holocaust museum reservations. To see the permanent exhibit you have to either get there at open and wait for a timed ticket or reserve online and pay $1 each. Since I knew we wouldn't be able to get there at open, I got a timed ticket. It took us a long time to find it because Google Maps lists it in the wrong place. >.<

I think I had gotten myself overly excited for this. I heard it was haunting and a well put together museum. Unfortunately, I found it all a little disappointing. It was VERY crowded. So crowded that I couldn't really read any of the exhibits. There was one exhibit called David's Story which I thought was very well put together. It was not part of the permanent exhibit and I think it was geared more towards children. It starts out in his house and shows how he lived as a happy child before the holocaust. Then it goes through him seeing whats going on around him and getting more and more worried. Eventually he tries to gets deported to the ghetto and then a concentration camp. Eventually, it shows how David's life turned out after the liberation. Each room in the exhibit is decorated to look like what David would have seen and the rooms he would have encountered. It helped me to really connect what I knew to how it must have been.

We headed out to grab some lunch at Shake Shack. There is really limited food options by The Mall and Shake Shack was something fast, cheap, and familiar. Nothing to write home about though. On the way we discovered that our metrocards had been deactivated by our cell phones. The agent said it happens all the time with those type of passes and wrote his name on the pass and told us to just show the attendants out passes and use the emergency exit from now on. After this, I noticed tons of people flashing their passes as the entered and exited. It must be a big problem.

Afterward dinner headed to The Mall to take in the monuments by night. We started at the Lincoln Memorial. I chose this as a starting point because there is really limited Metro access there so its not a good place to end the night after walking a lot. It's much better to end the trip more towards the White House, where a Metro is very close. The Lincoln Memorial was very neat. There was a tour guide nearby so we overheard a lot of cool facts such as Lincoln has a face in the curl of his hair near the back of the statue. Lincoln Memorial is my second favorite Memorial in DC.

*Not my photo
WWII Memorial

The sidewalk for The Mall was closed so we had to use the southern most sidewalk. We walked by the Tidal Pool and the MLK Memorial. Very pretty and I had never seen them before. We then headed back into The Mall and to the WWII Memorial which is my favorite! It's so peaceful but powerful at the same time! There are a lot of cool components and fountains in this one to check out. We continued east but decided we didn't want to get right up close to the Washington Monument so we headed north to the White House. We wanted to take a tour but we didn't get one. :/ I think it would have been cancelled anyways because earlier in the morning the senseless Colorado shooting had occurred and they might not have wanted visitors in the White House that day.

We decided to walk back to the hotel since we were just a few blocks away. Compared to NYC, DC was a lot cleaner but had a much much larger homeless population. I certainly never felt unsafe but I saw them a lot. Once back in the hotel, we set our alarms for 8:00, pretty ambitious. I found that I got homesick for New York City very quickly. I could hear a phantom subway squeaking in the station in my head. I could hear the horns honking. I was already homesick.

Yikes!

2012-08-12T17:05:00.001-07:00

Teaser! This happens towards the end of my trip. So what happens next? Do we stay stuck in the elevator for hours? Do I eventually run out of oxygen?! Will I ever learn the difference between an escalator and an elevator?! I guess you will have to stay tuned. ;)

Park Avenue Summer

2012-08-10T10:05:00.002-07:00

K.I.S.S:
I know my blogs are long so I figured I would start posting theses K.I.S.S tips (Keep It Simple, Stupid) for those who don't want to read the entire thing.

The best seats for the Cyclone are the first one and the second to last one. The last one is good but it will really give you whiplash.
A lot dog at Nathans tastes nothing like a Nathans brand hot dog from anywhere else.
Coney Island is worth the long train ride but if your heart is set on swimming, think twice. The water is usually ice cold.
Park Avenue Summer is a nice medium between super fancy and casual. I really enjoyed it and recommend it.
Take advantage of Restaurant Week! They are usually in July-August and January- February.

It was my friends last day in the city so we all got ready for the beach and headed to Coney Island. Coney Island is one of my favorite spots in New York City. It's so perfectly old school and totally fun! A lot of the stores and boardwalk shops have new makeovers but they are still great and still exude that old New York feel. I know a lot of people debate on going to Coney Island when they plan their trips to the New York City. It is far. It is a long train ride. But for me, it is worth it. You just really haven't lived until you've gulped down a Nathans hot dog and then try to hold it back while you ride the Cyclone. I'm getting off track.

We arrived around noon and headed over to Nathans. We all stocked up on hot dogs and cheese fries with bacon (as traditional as the hot dog to me). Shaynas girlfriend showed up, having driven from visiting friends from upstate. Since it was our last day, Shayna would be renting a hotel in Jersey as they continue on home. We all chowed down on our dogs. One thing is for sure, the dogs you get at the ballpark and movies may say Nathans but they are not even in the same league.

Beach time! I grew up visiting a small North Carolina Island with about 800 year round residents and no one as far as the eye can see, so visiting the Coney Island beach is an experience in itself for me. Gelato sellers walk along the shore, bright umbrellas litter the beach, it's all just so novel to me. We laid out for a while and tried to get as hot as possible because the water was COLD. We made one attempt and got our ankles in. On the second attempt I got waist deep while they watched from the shore. What a bunch of sissies. Unfortunately, it looked like it was going to start raining so the police started pulling everyone out of the water. I thought it was kind of weird they were pulling people out since a little rain never hurt anyone and back home we wait until we actually see lightning.

We tried to hurry to the Wonder Wheel but they were closed due to the storm. I was gutted. I adore the Wonder Wheel and I want all my friends to experience it (and I wanted to ride again). We pondered what to do now. We didn't want to head home because no one was sure the storm was actually coming and we had rode a long way out to give up now. Just then we noticed the Cyclone was opened so onto that we went. The best seats for the Cyclone are the first one and the second to last one. The last one is good but it will really give you whiplash.

Salmon

Dessert

After the Cyclone, it became apparent that the storm was going to show up eventually so we started heading back. Since Shaynas girlfriend drove, everyone wanted to ride back to the apartment in luxury. I guess a car is luxurious after being on the subway. I told them I was going to go ahead and take the subway and meet them there. They protested so to the car I went. Of course, it started pouring rain, no one knew where we were, and one person was somewhat car sick. It wasn't a fun ride and it took an hour and a half, unlike the subway which takes an hour from my apartment.

We all headed back to the apartment and got ready for our big fancy dinner at Park Avenue Summer. It was Restaurant Week so we could afford it. A lot of restaurants participate by crafting a $35 Prix Fix menu. We couldn't get reservations for 5, only 4 so we called the restaurant to inquire if they could seat 5. They said they would love to have us so they would

Classy girls take bathroom pictures

accommodate. Very sweet employees and great customer service. We got there and we had a lovely large table in the corner. I think they sat us at a 8 person table, which was nice because space is really an issue in a lot of restaurants in Manhattan and I know they would have preferred to give that table to a larger party. It was very sweet of them. Cool fact about this restaurant: They change the menu and decor every season change. So in Fall, the restaurant becomes Park Avenue Fall and the decor is done to exude a fall feeling.

The chef sent out complimentary watermelon cubes served in a bed of grass. It was very cool. We ordered all of our courses and they began to arrive. They were beautiful! It wasn't overly done but again, the perfect balance of fancy and edible. I never know what to do with those dishes that are stacked sky high and have sauce artfully squirted on the plate. I hope I'm not letting my Kentucky show. These were just right. Everything was delicious and actually filling. We had previously joked about going to McDonald afterward but that wasn't necessarily. We also all had drinks as they had a few drinks for only 7$ with the Prix Fix menu. Our bill for all 5 of us was $250, which was really reasonable.

We heard the accent of two boisterous women beside us and recognized it as our own. We leaned over and quietly asked where they were from. Of course, we were right. Louisville, KY. She told us her name and we were surprised to discover she was married to one of the most affluent man in our city. He owns the art museum, has a wing at our university, and has a very prestigious scholarship named after him as well as many libraries. Wow, what a small (fancy) world. We were pretty sure we were in the wrong restaurant after that!

Side Note: I don't think anything bad ever happens on Park Avenue. I can see why its such a sought after address. It's almost magical walking along it.

On the way home, as we waited for the 7 train a strange train with garbage bins in the back pulled in. What was that? It was only there for a little bit but based on the amount of strap hangers bolting from the station, I assumed we would be there a long time. The next train came a few minutes later so I'm glad we didn't follow their lead. That was it for Manhattan for my friends. We were all on to DC in the morning and only I would be coming back to spend a glorious week solo! I have so been looking forward to spending time with MY city alone.

Famous Ladies

2012-08-08T10:30:00.002-07:00

I wish I could give you guys another post full of fun activities to do and ideas for your New York trips but honestly, we didn't do much today. We sat in the apartment until about noon until I couldn't handle it anymore. New York City was calling to me from across the East River and through my apartment window. I forced Shayna out the door to grab a mani/pedi. Mani/Pedis can run you from $40 to $100 dollars in Manhattan!! In Greenpoint, they will cost you a whooping $20. This is even cheaper than back home! Of course, the places are no frills. You don't have a chic 20-something receptionist taking your name and all that jazz but I just don't feel comfortable in those places. The two salons I tried in Greenpoint were Black Pearl and the one on Manhattan Av and Kent St. Both were good.

After we got our manicures, we headed back to the apartment. We had a good friend coming into town to shoot our photos today. This might sound a little ridiculous to some but I can't take a photo to save my life. Too many times I have got home to upload my photos and found them all fuzzy or blurry. I have known this photographer since I was 17, he has shot many photos of me and done my best friends wedding so we were already comfortable with him and he gave us an excellent price. Unfortunately, he doesn't live in NYC so he had to commute from New Hampshire. He was excited to have a chance to come to New York City. We were meeting him at 4:00 at Pulitzer Fountain (SE corner of Central Park).

We got ready and fretted over ourselves for a while. Three girls getting ready for pictures in the city- not a pretty picture. But we were finally ready! Only 30 minutes from go time, we boarded the G. I knew we would be about 10 minutes late but it was fashionably late so it was admissible. What I DIDN'T know was that the 7 train was going to take 20 minutes, then pull 1/3 into the station and just SIT there. At this point, I could see the train was full and the platform was dangerously full. So we headed down and caught the E. This required walking 10 extra blocks down 5th. Did I mention it was 100 degrees that day? All of our earlier primping had been sweated off. I'm kind of glad because I think everyone just said "oh well" at this point and we let our hair down more.

We are FAMOUS!!

We were an hour late. I was kind of bummer and I felt bad for keeping a good friend waiting but he was understanding. We headed into the park and started shooting, just walking around and stumbling on beautiful locations. I love the park. I have used that entrance tons of times and I find new things each one. We came across a beautiful wedding of two guys down by the pond so we watched them for a while. It was just the two of them and an officiant but they had quiet a crowd forming on the bridge. We all cheered and wished them happiness when they sealed the deal.

We kept shooting in the park, climbing over rocks, watching the baseball game, anything we could find. Then we grabbed the 1 at Columbus Circle down to Times Square. Well, of course we get the train with a broken air conditioner. It;s a good thing we had already given up on not looking like a sweaty mess. We just laughed it off. It was really unbearable in there though. We got off on the next stop, I felt bad for those continuing on.

Very excited about the Flatiron Building
apparently

We shot some photos around Times Square. There was one specific shot that I wanted to get. It was our photo on the American Eagle big screen with us all in front of it. We headed in AE and to the 4th floor. You had to buy something and show your receipt to get your photo on the big screen. I quickly grabbed something for about $4 and bought it. I turned around to get everyone over to the photo area and Shayna was shopping! That girl! Eventually, Shayna gathered her purchases and we got our picture snapped. Unfortunately, while we were waiting a family approached our photographer and asked them to snap a picture of them on their iPhone. Right when he said yes our photo came up and we missed it! We did get a picture of the screen (as you can see) but not in front of it. It was still really cool though!!

We then headed to Central Park and got some photos of us standing still in the center of the station, while the rest of the people blur past. That concluded our pictures so we bid our ado. We were starving so we grabbed some Wendy's. Yes, fast food. Bleh. We just didn't want to search for something because we were so hungry.

Me and Shayna

We took the train down to a bar that I enjoyed on my last trip called No Idea. They have any drink you could ask for in a 16 oz drink for $8. Bargain prices in NYC bars when drinks can cost you up for $16. There was about 20 people in there so we had a good time! We made friends with the bartender and tipped him well. Soon some of our drinks became free. :) We were there until about midnight and then headed to 230 Fifth. I just wanted them to see the roof. It's definitely not my favorite roof top bar in NYC. I prefer Hudson Terrance or Mad46 but it WAS the closest so that's where we went. Short walk and we saw the Flatiron on the way.

We only hung out long enough to walk around and make a few drunk memories that I won't share here. ;) We headed down to the subway but unfortunately, the 7 wasn't running and the E wasn't coming into the station we were in. Too drunk to decide an alternate route, we hoped in a cab. It ended up being about $10 +tip so it wasn't bad! I love riding in cabs in NYC! So exciting! This was my first cab ride of the whole trip so I think I deserve a pat on the back.

I'll get the photos from Chris on here as soon as I can but he's doing edits and such so who knows if anyone will still be following along.

Chicken Feet!

2012-08-05T21:13:00.002-07:00

Sorry I disappeared for a bit! As the end of my trip drew near I didn't want to spend time updating my blog and I just wanted to spend every moment with the City I could. My trip is now over and I am now adjusting to my life back home. I am still going to tell you guys what I did and any interesting things that happened on my trip, so no worries!

My friends had passes to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island today. I slept in and met them there. After they departed the boat (finally), we started to head up Broadway. Before we got out of the park, we stopped and watched a group of fellows do some flips and jump over tourists. They were funny but they passed around a collection bucket and then after they collected the money, they did one jump. They were hyping it up like it was an entire show and it ended up being one jump. Some people were giving $10 and $20! I always give money to the street performers who I think are amazing and deserve it or if I stay and watch a while but that was a lot of dough for one jump.

On a side note, I think it's so bizarre to see tourist in Times Square run up to Spiderman, Mickey Mouse, etc. and be shocked when they ask for money after their photo. Do they really think these people are in costumes in 100 degree temperatures in July so they can get cool photos? I don't like them too much and I don't get photos with them but if you're going to use them, pay them.

We headed up Broadway to the WTC memorial taking a mini tour led by yours truly on the way. We stopped at where George Washington was inaugurated, the stock exchange, and the wall street bull. We were actually very late for our 1:00 WTC memorial passes. We went to the counter and the lady said she would take care of it. I'm not sure if she did us a favor or if they do that for everyone who is late. Either way, we appreciated it. I had gone previously in the trip and this time was much smoother. Due to this, I recommend going later in the day... or at least not the first time available. We walked right in, whereas last time I went (at 11:00) we had a line. It shocked me how many people were just not accustom to airport style security. I watched one fellow go through the metal detector 3 times, each time pulling more and more items out of his bottomless pockets. It was strange.

I didn't see as many people smiling for the camera this trip. In fact, everyone was much more somber. It was not as crowded and we found a spot on the side of a fountain and all talked about horrific it must have been that day. We were only in 8th grade so we didn't really understand how serious the situation was at the time. It was nice to talk about it but different because we usually don't talk about that kind of stuff.

We were starving and I wanted to give them a unique experience that they couldn't get back home so we headed to Jing Fong in Chinatown. I had eaten their previously but I knew it would be a cool experience for them and I enjoyed it last time. Very affordable too, which at this point of the trip was becoming a deciding factor. We showed up around 2:00 and there was not as many people as before nor as many carts. We thought we spotted burbon chicken so I pointed at it and said we wanted it. Turns out it was chicken feet. The server sort of tried to discourage us from trying it, but it was only like $3 and we came for the experience so we tried it. Next thing we know, there are 3 waiters waiting for us to try the chicken feet. I didn't realize it had bones in it and we all had a good laugh. It wasn't too bad, the seasoning was good but it just had the texture of skin and no meat. Not something I would choose to snack on during a movie. We tried about 6 or 7 different things, the total came for about $24 for all four of us.

We were refreshed so we headed to go shopping. We had a photographer friend joining us the next day so one girl wanted to get some new clothes. We shopped along Broadway and Lafayette. We eventually found what we were looking for and decided to head back to the apartment and relax for a little bit around 6. We decided to just grab dinner at LuLus, the bar down the street from me who gives free pizza with every drink. We didn't mean to get drunk but we sort of did! We walked to the pier and took in the beautiful skyline. I was starting to feel like the pier was my backyard and now that I am home, it's one of the things I miss the most.

2012-07-26T21:51:00.001-07:00

Since the last post had no photos I will post this video. An awesome bag pipe/drum due I came across in Union Square.

Flea Market Screw Up

2012-07-26T21:29:00.002-07:00

We got a late start this morning. Chelsea and Chris were due in Times Square at 2 for their Harvey showing. Me and Shayna were set on going to the Flea Market in Brooklyn. I decided we would accompany Chelsea and Chris to their show just so everyone could get the hang of using the subway and so everyone could get their Times Square sight seeing out of the way. Right when we got off the train everyone decided they were hungry. I suggested Carmines because I thought it had been recommended on the Trip Adviser forum. At least, it sounded familiar. It was cheap too since we were all splitting one large dish. Everyone ordered a salad to split (not me) and we had the ziti, I think it came to about $14 a person with tip which was not bad at all for four people. The food was nothing to write home about. I didn't care for it too much but it was dining in Times Square so I didn't get my hopes up.

Chelsea and Chris went off to the show. Me and Shayna caught the subway down to Fort Green. We walked around a bit and then realized that we were looking at the Flea Market lot but it was empty because... it was SUNDAY. On Sundays the flea market is on the East River Waterfront. Shoot. Although, we did get to see a beautiful section of Fort Green with very nice brownstones. It was very much like The Cosby Show brownstone. One day, one day. (Yea, right.)

We showed up right as it started to sprinkle. No matter. Things were out of my price range. As I stated earlier, I do a lot of thrift shopping back home and a lot of it was thrift shop finds with a mark up. Some of the booths were awesome with hand crafted items which I would not have minded dropping some dough on but for the most part it I felt it was over priced. Still a cool experience. It was raining so we decided to head back. We could walk to the apartment from there so we did. We stopped in Peter Pans on the way and also in C-Town. Once home, we took a nap. We were worn out from the rain.

Chelsea and Chris were exploring Times Square while we napped. I decided Bianca would be a good dinner choice since it was very budget friendly and delicious. Usually I try to not eat at the same place twice but I loved the New York experience of it. The tables are so close together and its so loud and dark in there. It's just exactly how I picture a trendy New York dinner being. We met there and had a 45 minute wait. We waited in the bar next door and had a drink. Our table was ready quickly and we all had a great dinner. I had the seafood pasta and it was one of the best seafood pastas I have ever had. I am craving it right now. Chelsea got some spagetti dish. I think it was just spaghetti and meat sauce and Chris got the salmon. We all enjoyed it.

We decided to just call it a night after this since they had to get up early in the morning for the visit to Lady Liberty. Also, it was raining and no one brought an umbrella. We had a good time visiting back at the apartment.

Sorry, no pictures for this post.

Guggenheim

2012-07-24T19:21:00.003-07:00

$1 tote Strand bag :)

I knew waiting so long to update would catch up to me. This day is a little bit fuzzy. I wanted to shop and I had to exchange something to Bloomingdales. I made it my first stop so I wouldn't forget. I had also gone home the night before and did research on diamond earrings. I picked out several on Macys.com that I felt were in my price range and a good value. Therefore, Macys way my next stop.

It was such a nice day out I decided to just wander up Broadway instead of taking the train. I'm glad I did because I happened upon the Stand and NYU bookstore which I really wanted to check out. I am considering NYU for grad school so I thought about purchasing a sweatshirt. They were upwards of $40 though so I gave it a pass I did buy some tote bags at The Strand since they were only $1 and I thought they would be better souvenirs than the junk in Times Square. It was a nice shop but I rent all of my books at the library since they're free so I didn't really look at the books much. I am cheap. :)

I also came across Eatly and went inside. I was starving but it was so crowded I didn't even know how to approach the situation. I wanted to sit at the bar and have some seafood but all the bar spots were full. I had no idea if I could sit in the dining area and order from the individual stands. There were people everywhere. I just left. I sat a spell in the Flatiron park and then ended up in some sort of hair district? There were stores with tons of hair extensions and wigs. Of course, they had problems matching my red hair to any extensions in their shop. I guess I'll just stick with my old extensions. I just wanted longer ones. I grabbed a $1 hot dog at a street cart and continued on to Macy's.

1 carat fine diamonds

Garment Worker

I showed up at Macy's and purchased my new diamond earrings. I love them! It took a while to get someone to wait on me which got pretty annoying. However, it was a sale day and the diamonds are right by the entrance/exit so everyone was stopping in the area even if they didn't intend on purchasing. Which is how I ended up buying earrings myself. Darn.

I decided to walk up to Times Square since I was so close and I wanted to see the Garment District. I don't really know what I wanted to see but I did see the statue of the garment worker. I caught the subway at Times Square. Next stop: Guggenheim for pay as you wish on Saturday 5:45-7:45

Line at the Guggenheim

I got there at about 5:15. I planned on just checking out the line and then maybe sitting in Central Park. WRONG. The line was already around the building so I decided to just wait it out. It wasn't too bad and totally worth it. I paid $5. A lot of other people were paying $1 and some were paying full price. I thought that was nice of them to pay full price anyways. I took advantage of the audio tour. This was the first audio tour I have done of anything. It was AWESOME! I must admit when I'm in museums I usually just glance over everything. I don't read plaques. I don't look for details in art. I just glance and move on. The audio tour provided so much more background and information. It also wasn't too long or drawn out. It was free at the Guggenheim.

Interior

Through the Guggenheim I also found a new favorite artist, Rineke Dijstr. She is a photographer who takes marvelous photos and the stores behind them are very interesting. She is on exhibit until October 8th. I'd love to see more of her work. I estimated about an hour for the Guggenheim but I was one of the last ones out. It was one of my favorite museums.

I decided to head home after this since I had some friends coming to visit and their plane was landing at 10. I had to pick up my laundry by 10 or I wouldn't have sheets, towels, or clothes until Monday. It was nice to have time to clean and get the apartment together. My friends arrived and said the cab ride cost them $30. I warned them that it would be about $18. They said the cab driver told them it would be $30 before they even got in. It frustrated me they didn't challenge him on that. Especially after I warned them!

Ushering at New World Stages

2012-07-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

I woke up early this morning so I could try to get to Macy's before it got too hectic. It was "Extra Associate Discount Day" and a sale day. I wanted to have a little bit of time in the store to really look at everything there is to see. I ended up getting a skirt and a laptop cover (which doesn't fit my laptop.) I really was hoping to find more since Macy's is my favorite store but I really felt like they didn't have much which is absurd because their store takes up a whole city block. Everything I really liked I couldn't justify spending the money on. On the way out, the diamond case caught my eye. I ended up looking around at the diamonds and pondering buying myself a nice pair of diamond studs that I can hang on to forever and use it as a souvenir. I'd rather have earrings to remember this trip rather than a snow globe.

I headed up to Bloomingdales because I promised my mom I would pick up a David Yurman ring that she had her eye on. I also exchanged a blazer I bought previously for a smaller size. It was a quick affair because I was starting to get hungry. I'm starting to realize that I didn't plan out enough places to eat on this trip. I had no idea where I wanted to go. I wanted breakfast but it was almost 2pm. I ended up stopping in a diner and ordering breakfast. My first venture at eating alone went pretty smoothly. No one looked at me like I had 5 eyes or 14 fingers. I don't recall the name of the restaurant but the waiters were really nice and old school New Yorkers. The food was nothing to write home about.

I decided to try my hand at thrift shopping in the city. YIKES! The prices were unreal. At first I reasoned that I was probably in a high end thrift shop. They did have a sign offering a sale of 50% (but only 20% on Chanel.) However, I didn't see any Chanel. The clothes I did see were American Eagle, H&M, Target brand, etc. These pieces would usually be about $2-4 at my local thrift back home. Here, they were about $20 average! Isn't that how much they cost BRAND NEW?! I went to the next store and it was much the same. It was weird because no matter which way you look at it these are still used and several seasons out clothing which were not designer brand! I gave up after a few stores.

I just decided that since it was such a lovely day outside and I had no where else to be that I would walk back to 59th Street. I believe I was around 82nd or so. I just wondered down, mainly along Madison Avenue. It was a nice walk and I got to window shop on the way. I decided to head back to the apartment from there as it was close to 5 and I was ushering for Rent at New World Stages tonight and I had to change, eat, etc.

I headed for the theater at about 6 and arrived at 6:30. Of course, when I leave early the subways are reliable, psht. I struck up a conversation with the other usher outside and we talked about recent shows that we had seen and which ones we liked. She was a theater major which left me wondering why I didn't think about that because it sounds like a ton of fun managing shows and working backstage.

At 7:00 we headed in and checked in at the reception desk. We left all of our items in a back room and waited for the head usher of the shows we were destined for to come get us. I was first to go and was taken to the stock room where I grabbed some bundles of playbills and fillers. We had to stuff the playbills with fillers because there was an understudy going on tonight and it gave information about them. We headed down to the stage and sat in the audience stuffing the papers in the playbills. It was really easy and all of the people on stage were checking lights and equipment. I quickly realized that anything ones says on stage sounds very dramatic and philosophical. It was neat to see how everyone prepared for the show.

After the playbills were stuffed, the head usher explained my job as an usher. Basically anyone who walked through my door was supposed to get a playbill. I would then look at their ticket and just point them towards their seats by saying "(Insert seat number) You are straight ahead to the left." The layout of the theater was really easy to work with. All two digit numbers were on the right and all three digits were in the middle so I didn't have to memorize much. The doors opened and it was pretty easy. Admittedly I was a little shaky with my lefts and rights. I am going to be such an great elementary school teacher. >.<

I got to find a seat near the back for the first act. I enjoyed the show. I enjoyed it even more that it was free. This was my first Off-Broadway show and I didn't see much difference between Off-Broadway and Broadway. The theater was smaller and there were a lot of cheers and "You Go Girl"s when Angel, the drag queen came out. However, I think that's just the crowd that comes to see Rent. It would probably be the same laid back feel if it was in a Broadway house.

My next duty as an usher was during intermission. I was to guard a exit door that's on the side of the theater. Sometimes patrons think its an exit door for the bathrooms so I had to make sure they didn't. No one got lost thankfully. I did get asked how long the show was which I was able to answer. 2 points! A girl came up to me near the end of intermission and asked "Why is everyone still here?" She spoke broken English so I was sort of confused by her question. I started explaining to her that if they didn't have to go to the bathroom of get a drink they probably wanted to stay in the theater? She says, "So there is more to the show?" OH! She didn't realize there was a second part! I told her there was and this was just intermission. She seemed relieved. Back to my seat.

After the show ended I had to stand at the stray exit door again. Once the theater was cleared out, I picked up playbills and tossed them in the garbage. A lot of people leave their playbills! I didn't have to pick up any garbage or leftover drinks since I'm a volunteer I don't think they wanted that liability. I was done at 10:45 exactly and out the door. It was a very awesome experience and I got to do it again a few days ago for Avenue Q (post coming soon!) I hoped on the subway and was home in no time. If you are interested in ushering you should email the theater 2 months out. I emailed about 3 1/2 months out but they wrote be back and said to ask again when I was two months away. I asked for two dates and gave the shows I wanted to see. Friday and Saturday are the days the theater needs people. I really recommend Avenue Q. Rent will be closing in September. The volunteer request email is : volunteer@newworldstages.com Make sure to include a few different dates in case yours are full! You have to wear black slacks and a long sleeve collar shirt in either white or black.

BTW: I would LOVE some good dinner or lunch recommendations! Preferably around $10-$16 an entree. I will try any type of cuisine but if you recommend something a little different please let me know your favorite dishes there!! I'm trying to branch out but admittedly I only eat Italian and American back home.

Broadway in the Park

2012-07-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in an update. Some friends were in town and I was playing tour guide. More on that later, of course. Picking up where I left off:

Totally!

I read on Gothamist this morning (7/12) that Kristen Chenoweth was injured in Brooklyn during the filming of Mad Men. That got me wondering if any other cool shows were filming near me. Turns out that Girls (one of my new favorite shows) was filming not too far away. I don't really get excited about seeing or meeting celebrities. In fact, I don't think I'd go out of my way to say something if I saw them out and about. They just aren't that exciting to me. However, I did want to see how shows managed to film in such a buy city and to see what a set would look like. Well, it was just a bunch of trailers really. There wasn't much filming going on so I didn't hang around long. Turns out, I screwed up swiping my metro card and got the "Just used" message. No attendant so I just headed over to the next stop. It was a good excuse to see more of Brooklyn. I wondered along the neighborhood and over to Atlantic Avenue. I saw the new Nets stadium being built. That's my excuse to make a return trip very soon! I am so excited for Brooklyn to have a basketball team. Parking and traffic look like they would be tricky though for anyone not using the subway to the stadium..

New Nets Stadium

Library

I left for the free tours of the New York Public Library (Fifth Avenue). I thought I had plenty of time but of course I got held up by train traffic. Every time I have somewhere to be I get held up! I had to really book it to make it there and I showed up about 3 minutes in. I'm glad I made it because it was really cool and informative. I had already briefly visited with my mom but we really just went in the Rose Reading Room and to see the Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals. This was much more in depth and discussed a lot of the libraries more rare and prized books. The guide also told us about how the library works with the librarians putting in requests to those working in the "stacks." They then pull the books out of 40 miles (?) of books and send it up the the waiting patron. She showed us a cool window where you can see down into the stacks. We also learned a lot about the building itself. For example, I thought the ceilings were carved wood but they are plaster! They look so ornate and pretty! She said they weren't trying to cut corners but used plaster to prove how talented the artists really were. It was a nice free tour and I'm glad I took it. It began at 11:00 and was scheduled to end at 12:00 but it lasted until 12:20 because we had questions. I believe they offer another one at 2:00.

There was a free concert happening in Bryant Park at 12:30. It was Broadway in the Park so I was really excited about it. I didn't know much about it except that a few Broadway performers were coming and singing a couple songs from each show. I grabbed a folding chair from the sidewalk and started to walk to the stage. Much to my surprise I turn and see Joey from War Horse galloping towards me across the field. It was awesome to see the puppet out in a field fully running! I dropped my chair and reached for my cell phone to snap some pictures. Not a moment too soon either because he was quickly swarmed by the children who had been running behind in. For a moment, I forgot he was a puppet!

I found a spot where I could watch the show. Todays acts were Stomp, War Horse, Spiderman, Phantom of the Opera, and Porgy and Bess. I really enjoyed seeing Phantom because they sang two of their most popular songs. They did a great job. Stomp was also good but definitely not something I would want to see in a theater or pay too much for. Spiderman began to sing and I decided it was time to head out. It was like watching a pop act (and a bad one) instead of a Broadway performance. Of course, these are just my opinions based on 1 or 2 songs done with no dancing or frills. The real thing on the stage may be amazing! It was scorching and I had on no sunscreen so I went to find food.

I wound up at 2 Bros pizza again. I enjoyed their $1 pizza last time and I was too hungry to take a risk on something so I went with something I knew was good. I found a hair in my pizza. :( I was really enjoying it too. I'm sure it was a fluke and I wouldn't try and persuade anyone from eating it. I decided to just head back to the apartment. I was tired and planning to try out the Wicked lottery tonight and I wanted to shower and get cleaned up in case I won.

I headed back out and got in line for the lottery at about 5:30. There were about 100 people there but no dice for me. It was neat seeing the winners get very excited though. :) I have another week left to win hopefully. I wasn't very bummed because I was exhausted and would rather enjoy the show than struggle to stay awake through it.

I had heard the New Museum had free admission from 7-9. I headed there and joined the line at about 6:45. It wasn't really long and I don't think lining up was that necessary. Turns out the museum only opens up a few exhibits for the free showing and not the whole museum. It probably took me 30 minutes to work my way through the 3 exhibits. I believe there were only 4 or 5 available during regular hours so I don't think I would recommend this museum to anyone. It was cool but there just wasn't enough to warrant the admission price.

I decided to walk up to Union Square and catch the L from there. Union Square was crowded with performers and other interesting things. I saw a group sharing a joint which was strange to see in a public park. I saw an awesome bagpipe and drum duo. I watched them for a while and actually enjoyed it so much I threw a couple bucks in their buckets. Manhattan-edge was due to start in 30 minutes. Manhattan-edge is when the sunset lines up perfectly with the street grid. It was very neat to see and very pretty!! Many others were standing in the street to capture the view but I just watched for a little bit and hopped on the subway home.

Promise more frequent posts from now on!!

Ballet

2012-07-14T19:44:00.001-07:00

It was Kelseys last day so we decided to get up early and take advantage of the members only hours at the MOMA. Members only hours start at 9:30 and the museum opens to the public at 10:30. We got there at 10:20. Success. I actually forgot my membership card but they were able to look it up and in no time we were browsing the art. We didn't have much time so we just saw the main highlights.

Mid Summer Night Swing

Kelsey left around noon and I was alone in the City again. I had tickets to the ballet tonight so I was going to head back into the City until about 5, then come back to Brooklyn and get ready. I decided to stick close to home and catch a nap. I figured that the ballet was going to be... boring. I needed a manicure/pedicure and had walked by Black Pearl Nails and noticed the prices were great. It was $8 for a manicure $13 for a pedicure or $20 for both. WHAT?! Back home its about $20 for a manicure alone. It was no frills but it was exactly what I wanted. The lady doing my nails was really nice and took her time with me, despite the growing line at the door. I walked in wearing Toms and she let me borrow her own flip flops to bring back later. It was a really sweet gesture since she didn't know me at all!

I headed back and took my nap. After two hours, I woke up and got ready for the ballet. I had no idea what to wear. I knew it was the opening night and it was also the first time the Paris Ballet had preformed in NYC in 15 years. I chose a white floral dress and I am glad I didn't go anymore casual as everyone was dressed very nice. There was a gala going on but that was only for those who bought tickets or were donors. As I waited to be seated, I walked around the beautiful Lincoln Center which is quickly becoming one of my favorite spaces in Manhattan. I stumbled across Mid Summer Night Swing. It appeared to be people who had bought a ticket and were given some swing lessons, then danced the night away. It looked to be a lot of fun!

I know no photography is allowed
but I really couldn't resist.

Gala seating

Finally, they began letting patrons in. I found my seats and was pleasantly surprised that they were pretty good. I only paid $30 for it but I don't recall if I had a promo code or a student price. I think I just stumbled across a decent deal. It actually ended up being a sold out show, with people outside trying to buy tickets from other patrons. The theater was gorgeous but not in a typical Broadway theater sort of way, more in a simple way. The show was also fabulous. I know nothing about dance except for the ballet lessons I took when I was very very young. The performance I saw was French Masters of the 20th Century and I was blown away and not bored a bit.

I decided to go ahead and head home. I got back around 11:00 because I just barely missed all of my trains. >.< I hate when I get to the platform to see the train pulling away. I REALLY hate when it happens 3 times in a row.

Russian :)

2012-07-14T08:02:00.001-07:00

Another bananas day with Kelsey! We woke up relatively early and we were at Coney Island by 11:00! We went and laid by the beach for a while, taking in the sights and debating on getting in the water. The water was like ICE! We tried once but only got about knee deep. We kept seeing older local folks doing back strokes and such so we much have just been wimps. It was about 89 degrees though! At one point, I just ran in and got about waist deep. Still freezing! We gave up and thankfully it was time for the rides to open.

We rode the WonderWheel first. This is my third ride but its still terrifying to me! The swinging cars are by far the best there is! They don't make them like that anymore. Next we headed over to the Cyclone. I debated on my sanity as I stood in line but I knew after I bought a ticket I wouldn't turn back! Maybe I'm stingy but... $8!?!?! So before I knew it, we were on! The bag check fellow suggested the second to last seat to us. What. A. Ride. Me and Kelsey were so wedged in the seat that we couldn't possibly have fit a piece of paper in between us. Still, at every dip we would almost come out of the seat! They mean it when they say hang on to the bar! It was truly one of the most terrifying rides I have ever been on! Also, where did all those hills come from?! When you're looking at the ride from the street you can see 2 or 3 hills. When you're on the ride its about 5-6 dips! So scary!

We consulted Yelp! and Urbanspoon and found a Russian place that wasn't too far. The place was awesome! Our waitress didn't really speak English and I think we were the only English speakers in there. Kelsey ordered some sort of chicken noodle dumpling thing and I ordered Lamb Rib kebab. We both decided my Lamb Rib was the best! It was delicious. They had a Russian music awards show blasting. We kept looking at each other wondering if we were really here! The area around the restaurant was mainly Russian so we enjoyed the walk to the subway by stopping in a few shops.

We got back to the apartment and showered. We had dinner reservations at Tony Di Napolis for pre-theater dinner at 6. We got to Times Square around 4 and just wondered in and out of the tourist shops. We went to the top of the Barbie house in Toys R' Us and sat in the window making faces like we were trapped while tourist unknowingly snapped away. Well, it was hilarious to us. Eventually, it was dinner time and we both split a Baked Ziti. It isn't the most amazing food but it is a cheap dinner for 2.

We headed to Harvey at Studio 54 theater. It was neat to be in Studio 54! I wonder how much renovation they did. We both enjoyed Harvey. I heard that Jim Parsons plays a lot like Sheldon but I didn't see it at all. It was a good play but I think I would be upset if I had paid face value. Luckily we got tickets for $20 so it was great for that price! The show was sold out, which surprised me.

We strolled around Times Square for a minute but decided to just head back home so we could get an early start on Kelsey last day.

Dim Sum!

2012-07-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

They ONLY give you chopsticks by the way! We had
so much trouble with this!

Kelsey arrived at 11:00 after some flight delays on Monday. We were both starving so we set off to Chinatown to try out Jing Fong Dim Sum. The place was INSANE! We kept looking at each other, baffled that we were even in the restaurant. You first walk into a small foyer with two large escalators. We looked around and saw no hostess so we jumped on the escalator. Once at the top you arrive in a HUGE room with a LOT of people in there. There was probably 150+ people dining there at noon and most of them were Asian. This place HAD to be good.

The servers push around a cart with different kinds of Dim Sum on them and you just point out the ones you want. We began selecting our Dim Sum and ended up with Vegetable Soup dumplings, Seafood dumplings, Pork Buns, and Shrimp wrapped in bacon (I think). We sampled each and got full very quickly. We had a hard time getting water but eventually got the attention of a waiter. It was all tasty. I preferred the seafood dumplings and Kelsey liked the pork buns. We both loved the bacon concoction.

It was time to pay and we had NO idea how much we owed. We had 4 different dishes so we just called the waiter over and he took the card. Each time you get Dim Sum off a cart they stamp it. It ended up being $11!! Bargain! One thing I wish I had noticed but didn't was the tray of noodles near the back. If you take your card up there, they stamp that you got noodles and give you some. It was a very cool authentic experience. I recommend it to everyone who's looking to eat in Chinatown!

We continued to walk and browse the shops up and down canal and then over to Broadway. We stopped in Pearl River Mart, Daffys, H&M, etc. We also stopped in Bloomingdales for a while, where I bought a blazer. Walking along Broadway, two girls were handing out fliers for a sample sale. I had heard of these and wanted to check it out. We walked in the address listed on the flyer and asked the security guard if we were in the right spot. He said, "I suppose." Reassuring. He told us to take the elevator to the 10th floor and find room 1007. Um ok. We get up there and it was offices! With people running around making copies and taking meetings. We thought we were definitely in the wrong place! Right then, we found the room and sure enough there was a sample sale going on! I liked a lot of the items but I don't think they would have translated very well back home. It was very strange but a fun and different experience! We were getting hungry again! So we decided to head to Crumbs to get a cupcake. I got a s'more and K got a Crumbcicle.

We headed down to Washington Square Park and sat a spell on the steps in the fountain. We then decided to head to Central Park because Kelsey missed it last time. We just wondered around and sat by the pond. It was a short jaunt, maybe only 45 minutes. We decided to head back to Brooklyn and get cleaned up and grab dinner. We wanted to try our luck at the Wicked Lottery today but it was Monday so there was no show! : /

We decided to head to Endis tonight. Its a spot in Greenpoint on the corner of McCarren park. On the way, I noticed PeterPan had doughnuts in their window so I insisted we stop and grab some before they were gone! I got an eclair and K got coconut. We saved them for the next morning. At Endis we both had the burger which totaled 12$ and sat on the patio. It was a lovely day and many people were out walking their pets. It was like a puppy parade! The food was great and it was a nice relaxing environment. Everyday I fall more in love with Brooklyn. Manhattan who?

We headed to LuLus and had a drink each. We opted not to get the pizza. One day I will remember not to eat before I go there! We headed to the pier next. I think its a perfect spot for a first time visitor to Greenpoint. The city is all light up and its a great view!

Once in a Lifetime

2012-07-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and ran. I am happy and relieved to say that I hadn't regressed in running. I hadn't run in a full week so I was a little worried that I would be behind. There are a lot of runners out here every morning and they are good! I felt like I was dying after 15 minutes but I saw one girl running for about 10 minutes doing high knees. Is that even possible?! It was a nice way to see the neighborhood though.

I headed home and called a car service for my mom. We then headed to get some brunch at Lobster Place. I had clam chowder and my mom had lobster bisque. They were OK but we agreed we've had better. We headed back to the apartment and waited for the car service. It was right on time and my mom was off. I sat at the apartment for an hour feeling a little depressed. I missed my mom already.

I had tickets to Once today at 3:00. I headed into the city at 1:00 and on a whim got off the subway at Grand Central Station. I enjoy walking around Grand Central very much so I just wondered around it and came across another street fair. It skimmed through the stalls but it was all the same as the fair the day before. Still, I don't think I will ever tire of running into these. I continued to aimlessly wonder down the street on the way to the show.

Once was FABULOUS! I booked tickets about 10 minutes after they won the Tony. I had waivered between them and Peter and the Starcatchers but when they both did well at the Tony's I figured my chances of getting rush or lottery tickets was slim. I hurriedly purchased before the discount code got pulled. Not even 30 minutes later the price for both shows had been raised and the discount code taken down. Phew! I got second level mezzanine tickets on the second row. I had a great view! The show was beautiful and funny. It might have been my favorite so far but they have all be so great, it is hard to pick just one!

Don't worry, I didn't take this DURING this show.
This is what it looks like before the show.

A tip for anyone who may see this show: You can walk on the stage before the show. The musicians who preform in the show come out and have a jam session and you are allowed to go on the stage and watch them. The music is hard not to dance to! The bar is also on the stage. You can go up during intermission but the band does not play. That is how I walked across my first (and last) Broadway stage. I sang Happy Birthday under my breath so I could say I've sang on a Broadway stage. I guess I'm a little strange.

After the show I was craving a Papa Johns pizza. I was in the City and I knew there had to be a better option! I used my Yelp! app and found 2 Bros pizza. They supposedly had the best 1$ slice so I had to try it. For $2 I got a slice of cheese and a bottle of water. I carried it over to a public plaza and ate it sitting outside. It was pretty good, better than Papa Johns!

My moms flight had been delayed and then cancelled. They were flying her into DC and she was catching a plane to Cincinnati. I figured I'd head home early so I was one less thing she had top worry about. I arrived back at the apartment around 7:00. I monitored my moms flight carefully online and her first flight to DC was delayed that I was worried she was going to miss her connecting but I believe they held it. My dad had to drive to Cincinnati to pick her up but eventually she was home. I couldn't sleep until I knew she was on the ground. BOOOO US AIRWAYS.

As I type this, I'm waiting on Kelsey to show up. She's supposed to be here at 10:30. Guess what?! Her flights delayed!! UGH!

Street Fair

2012-07-09T06:22:00.002-07:00

Today was my mommas last full day so we headed down to do some shopping. We really hadn't spent any money on anything other than food and since we weren't eating in Times Square like last time, we hadn't spent that much. We went down to Broadway where we heard that they were having a street fair. I love these. Most vendors sell junk but they sell it cheap so who cares if it falls apart after you wear it twice. Also, my mother loves the smoothies here.

We shopped along the stalls. I bought a pair of drama mask earrings to wear at the shows I am going to. Unfortunately, I left them in my moms purse and she took them home. Oh well. They were 2$. ;) We then ducked into a few of the shops on Broadway. I think Broadway is a great street for shopping. It has many different price ranges. We went in Bloomingdales, where I get an employee discount. My mom set her sights on a David Yurman ring but I left my card at home. I figure once I get my card I'll go back and get it for her. 20% on a fine jewelry piece really adds up so she can wait!

We were at Canal Street so we decided to grab some dim-sum. This is not something I would usually try at home. We found a place a little ways off Canal Street. I didn't want an overly tourist restaurant. We had Shrimp Ragoon and Shrimp Dumplings. They were pretty good but I don't think we were in the authentic type restaurant. The prices were about $8 for dim sum which seems high compared to the more authentic Chinese place I had seen on Yelp.

We began to just wonder around Soho and The Village window shopping. We wound up in Washington Square Park and had a sit. We watched the hacky sack players and saw an Occupy Wall street meeting. Next we wondered into The Market which was down on Bleeker (I think.) It was a fun little market with reasonable priced jewelry. Some of the "vintage" items were a little overpriced but there are certainly people who would pay that much for it so to each their own. It was 100 degree out today so any place with air conditioning was awesome.

We stopped in a bar on Perry and grabbed a drink. I had a margarita and my mom had a beer. My margarita was VERY strong. We had dinner reservations at Pastis so we started heading that way. We strolled by Carrie Bradshaws apartment though first. It's on such a lovely street. I am jealous of the residents of those brownstones. I would say that maybe one day it will be me but... I know it won't. ;)

We headed to Pastis and arrive 10 minutes early for our 6:00 reservations. They sent us to the bar but we headed out into the street seating to look around the Meatpacking district. We came back in and the place was nearly full! I figured it didn't get crowded until 7:00 or 8:00 because New Yorkers eat dinner late. We were seated and by 6:10 every single table in the dining room was full. We had a lovely dinner with cosmopolitans. My mom got the salmon and I got the linguine with some sort of clam. I was trying to try new things! It was very good. It was a nice final dinner in the city with my mom.

We headed back home via the L but we were sitting on the train a while. I went up to check with the conductor with a lot of other riders. The conductor said it was going to be a while. We headed upstairs and grabbed the E to the G and we were home. Easy peasy. I must say, I am getting pretty good at this subway thing.

The night was still young so we had planned to head to a Brooklyn bar, LuLus. We had good drinks here a few nights before. However, the place was hoping with 20 something hipsters. Greenpoint gets down on the weekends! I didn't feel like fighting my way to the front so we headed to a Mexican restaurant down the street and had margaritas. We then walked down to the pier to see the city at night one more time. The Empire State Building was all white and very pretty.

Peter and the Starcatchers

2012-07-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

I finally dragged myself out of the apartment relatively early and headed down to Peter Pan Bakery. My mom requested a chocolate doughnut and a bagel with lox and cream cheese. They were out of chocolate so I grabbed a marble curler, bagel with lox, and classic glaze. We both loved the doughnuts! They were very good. I will definitely be going back. Neither of us really liked the bagel with lox. One step further away from being a New Yorker. ;)

Once we got a move on we decided to head to Brooklyn. We got off at the Hoyt and Schermerhorn stop and wondered in and out of the shops. It was a pretty cool section of Brooklyn. We walked down to the bridges from there and stopped into ReBar. I had eaten here previously and enjoyed it. They have an 8$ lunch special with gets you a pretty nice sandwich (pulled pork, grilled cheese, hamburger, etc.), fries, and a drink. All that for 8$ is a pretty good bargain. We left the restaurant and walked through the Brooklyn Bridge Park. It was lovely! I thought there was more green space based on photos but I think I might have missed some of it. We stopped off at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and each had a scoop. It was pretty good! It melted very fast though, given that it was 100 degrees outside.

We walked back up to the G and headed back to the apartment. We rested for a while and then headed out to grab some dinner before Peter and the Starcatchers. We decided to eat at Don Giovannis. My mom had gotten a recommendation from someone at work about it. It was pretty good. My baked ziti was nothing but cheese. I don't think I will try to eat here again.

We had time before Peter and the Starcatchers so we went into Times Square and walked around a little bit. We sat on the red steps for a while and people watched. It sort of gives you a place away from the chaos to watch the chaos. After a while we noticed the Times Square visitor center and headed in. They had some fun exhibits such as a large ball like the kind that drops on New Years and confetti where you can write your wish for the new year down. Your wish will drop down on Times Square on NYE. I was reading the wishes and noticed that about 20% of them wished for a Dick Clark 2013. RIP Dick

We headed to Peter and the Starcatchers and got our seats. We had seats on the second level of the mezzanine but it was front row of the second level. They were pretty good seats! I always read a lot about the theatres before I go and everyone complains about seat size at Broadway theatres. This is the only theatre where leg space was a problem for me. I'm 5'10 and I couldn't cross (or move) my legs really. Thankfully we were on the first row so I just stuck my legs through the rope. I saw one guy who was in the level below us who was literally 20% in his seat 80% in the isle. Peter and the Starcatchers was a great show but those who are thinking of going show try and grab isle seats.

Anyways, the show was great. The way they told the story and used minimal props was awesome. I saw a lot of children in the audience and I'm not sure thats such a good idea. I think they would be better suited for Lion King. The story moved very quickly and for a child, I think it would be hard to follow.

We called it a night after this and headed home. We ate our cheesecake from Juniors the night before and I can't say I'm a cheesecake fan. Something about the texture was just not for me. But I tried it!

Super Linda

2012-07-06T07:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I woke up rather early and still couldn't get up! I had a tour at the Federal Reserve at 11:15 and I wanted to get there 20 minutes early to get through security and check out the other exhibits they have in the waiting room. I love walking around New York City alone. It really feel that it gives me a better feel of the city. Plus, I walk fast. I passed this cute cafe and sent this picture to my mom. He name is Linda. I always feel like I discover cool things when I am walking by myself. I can pay attention to small details and I always uncover hidden gems.

I got off on the wrong station and ended up having to walk pretty far but I didn't mind because the city was busy and I loved walking around like I had somewhere to be. I finally found my way to the tour and got through security. The security fellows were very nice and they asked me about my solo adventures. I told them they didn't start until next week!

The inside of the building was beautiful. The cast iron was just amazing. There were not photos allowed so I will have to pull a photo off the internet to show you. I looked around the exhibits a little which included things such as old foreign currency and educational things about how money works and the future of money (debit card, chips, checks, etc). After a while, we checked into our tour and it began. It wasn't really a "tour." It was mainly the guide talking about what the Fed does for the economy and the difference between them and the Treasury. We stood in one spot during these talks. Regardless, it was very interesting and the tour guide was very good at her job. About half way down we went down to the GOLD VAULT! It was so awesome to see that much gold at once. I considered going all Die Hard on the guide and making out with at least 5 bricks. My common sense won out but I did have visions of a beautiful brownstone on Perry St. for a minute.

After the tour I decided to head up to a building that I had only heard about, The Chelsea Hotel. I read online about its colorful history and the problems it is now facing with contractors kicking out tenants and making their lives hell. It is a beautiful building. In case you are not familiar with it, many great artists have stayed here when Bohemia was popular. To name a few celebrities: Bob Dylan, Virgil Thompson, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen (who wrote a song about his stay), Iggy Pop, and of course Sid Vicious and Nancy, who was famously slayed here. More Info

There is a Doughnut Planet downstairs and I had heard great things about. I tried a triple chocolate and it was great. I sat in the shop and ate. I had no idea where to go next so I decided to head to Modells. My brother wants a certain shirt (jersey t-shirt with Anderson on the back). I hiked 5 blocks downtown and they didn't have the shirt. He might have to order it online! I had passed TJ Maxx on the way down so I decided to pop in. I usually don't shop at discount stores but I heart NYC's discount shops carried actual name brands. First thing I saw when I walked in way a beautiful brown and orange Celine canvas tote. Unfortunately, the $1400 price tag was a little to high for me. They had a lot of name brands from Kate Spade to Fendi. I was pretty impressed!

My mom had taken the ferry into midtown at this point and was texting me to meet her at Macys. She likes to take the Ferry because its a good alternative to the subway which is about 100 degrees on the platform. I hiked up to Macys and found her no problem. There were people streaming in by the hundreds but don't let that put you off if you go. They mainly stay on the ground floor. Find where you want to go and head there! The tourist thin out! She ended up getting two items which were going to be nice and cool. She packed a lot of clothes that aren't great for warm weather.

Next we headed over to J&M Deli on 15th (I think). We grabbed two sandwiches and mac and cheese and headed to Union Square park. The food was pretty good but a little pricey for a deli I think. Maybe I am just getting used to Brooklyn prices. While we were sitting there a lady came out and started feeding the pigeons. Ugh, they were everywhere. Someone beside us remarked, "Right on schedule." Looks like she does this every day. We were hot by then and we had a show at 7:00 so we decided to grab the L to the G. I didn't even have to consult a map this time. I almost have the system down! One step closer to being a New Yorker. ;)

Once back home we rested and got ready to go to Book of Mormon. My mother had partial view on stage right in the front row. I was second row from the back but I could still see. The lady in front of me moved a LOT. Unfortunately, that's what happens when your mom tells you she wants to go to Book of Mormon 2 months before your trip. We are lucky we had seats at all! I bought mine about 6 days before we left! I checked back every day for 2 months and finally found a few single seats. The show was fabulous and the dance numbers were fun. I decided I prefer musicals to plays. I can see how some would be offended though. Don't go if you're one of those people!

Next we headed to Virgils because I wanted some Trainwreck fries, which are like cheese fries. We had to walk through Times Square. No matter how annoyed I get at the slow walking, I can't help but be amazed by the lights of Times Square. I can't find myself getting mad at tourist when they stop dead to take a picture because I remember when that was me. They are just there to have a good time and vacation. I like to stop and take pictures for people so they can have a group shot.

At Virgils, me and my mom split Trainwreck fries and a pulled chicken sandwich. They were both pretty good. This is one of the few places in Times Square I like to eat. Afterwards, we headed to Juniors and grabbed a cheesecake slice to go. We has debated getting a cab back to Greenpoint because the subway station is so hot but we decided not to. We only were going to have to transfer once anyways. I'm glad we didn't. I can't justify spending 15$ on cab fare when I can get there for free with my metro card. We were tired tonight so I went to sleep early!

Independence Day

2012-07-05T14:13:00.001-07:00

I just couldn't wake up yesterday. I finally dragged myself out of bed around 10:00am. We sat around till about 11:00am debating what to do. The heat is miserable and from now on I won't suggest to anyone they travel to the city in July. It really drains you and limits what you can do.

We decided to try and head down to Coney Island and catch the hot dog eating contest. I heard that it was starting at 3:00 this year because of another sporting event taking place at noon. Turns out, the contest was still taking place at noon. It just would not broadcast until 3:00. We showed up at 12:20 but they still had 10 minutes left until eating time. We didn't have the best view but we could still see the screen and the sides of the eaters. I'd rather only get a partial view than stand out in the heat for hours like some people did. It was also very hard to watch those guys stuff the hot dogs in their mouths in 100 degree heat.

We headed over to the beach and it was VERY crowded. It was neat to see all the people on the beach and the games filled with kids. I wish it was this popular every day. Coney Island is one of my favorite place to visit in New York City despite the daunting and long subway ride.

We didn't stay long after the hot dog eating contest and decided to head to Central Park. We took the subway directly there and grabbed a pizza pretzel and had a seat on the Mall and people watched. We then walked back to the subway and passed Strawberry Fields and the Dakota. We took the subway back to Greenpoint. We had reservations for Chart House Weehawken tonight to watch the fireworks. Upon arrival at the apartment we decided that we just weren't up to going all the way to Jersey. Not to mention, we had no idea how difficult it would be to get back to Greenpoint with the large fireworks crowds. We cancelled the reservations and took naps.

I didn't wake up till 7:00. Oops! We just decided to check out Greenpoint some more. We walked to Christina's which was recommended to us by the owner of the apartment. I wanted to try something new since back home I largely eat the same type of food. I opted for the polish sampler. It came with stuffed cabbage, sauerkraut with sausage, beets, polish sausage, mashed potatoes, and another thing I don't really remember which was sort of like a dumpling. It was only $9.00! Brooklyn is great for cheap food and you get a LOT. Unfortunately, I discovered I don't really like cabbage or beets. But hey, I tried it and I didn't eat in Times Square so give me some kudos!

Next we tried to make our way to Milk and Roses but I navigated us in the wrong direction so we just went with it and wondered over to Franklin Street. We ducked into Shayz lounge and had a drink and then headed across the street to LuLus bar. We were looking for the Pencil Factory and I think we just walked right by it. Another night! We had good drinks at LuLus and you get a free pizza with your drink but we were full from our polish food. We headed over to the Greenpoint pier around 9:45 and to my suprise we could see some of the fireworks from the pier. It was good enough for me! We could see one set very clearly and two sets sort of. It was good enough for us. It was very cool to see the fireworks in the background of the red, white, and blue Empire State Building. While we were watching the fireworks I could head 3 different languages being spoken. At least, I think I could. It was awesome to spend Independence day in New York City which is still a city full of opportunity for all different walks of life. One of the few melting pots left in our country.

We went home and went to sleep. I woke up with a hangover. I hadn't drank in forever and I guess my body noticed. Today I went to a Federal Reserve tour, walked a little by myself and shopped. In a little while, we are going to Book of Mormon. I will post a more detailed post about today later!

War Horse

2012-07-04T07:02:00.003-07:00

Last night we saw War Horse and had a pre theatre meal at Capitol Grill.

Blurry Theatre Goers

We were running late to the dinner and ended up about 20 minutes late! We told the waiter that we only had about 1 hour and 15 minutes to eat and get to the show. What wonderful service! He brought our food our VERY quickly. We both ordered the filet minion with mashed potatoes. I had the clam chowder and my mom had the chicken salad. She said it was the best salad she ever tasted. We got the desert wrapped up to go. We were at the theater with 20 minutes to spare! I feel terrible having to woof down a $100 meal but I really didn't want to miss the show! It would have been a highlight dinner if we weren't in such a hurry! It was my moms fault we were late by the way. ;)

I bought tickets as soon as they became available and got my mom Center Loge (Seat B 311). I got myself the LinxTix $30 tickets. My ticket was on the right side of the stage front row (B 101). I thought my mothers seat would be the best since I was very close to the stage. In fact, I was eye level with it! We ended up switching during intermission so we could get the best of both worlds, seeing the puppets up close and further away. My seats were much much better. What is it about the mezzanine and loge that makes patrons think its okay to talk, text, and just be horrible theater goers? Anyways, the show was wonderful. It got a scattered standing ovation. The way the puppeteers worked the puppets was awesome! I loved the show. And it was fun getting to see Lincoln Center!