City Bears

I forgot to mention this, but it's an important part of New York. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to city bears:

You won't find them in the wild, but you never know...they might scratch your eyes out.

Flying Solo in NYC

Unfortunately for me, I made two poor decisions the moment I walked out the door. 1) I immediately knew I was wearing the wrong shoes for the day, but was running late so didn't go back to change them. Bad idea. Very bad idea. 2) Though I stopped to take a picture of yesterday's breakfast joint, I did not stop and partake. I figured I'd just find something along the way. Bad idea. Very bad idea.

My plan for the day consisted of trying to track down a store where the über-cute hats were sold, swinging by the Empire State Building (but not going up, as that cost $45, sheesh!), and cruising through Times Square - and all before lunch. Why? Well, that's because at noon I was due to meet up with a contact of a contact that my dad set me up with to "show me the ropes" of New York. I was due to meet him in Chelsea for lunch.

So I set off on my agenda in uncomfortable shoes and an empty belly (I know Andi, you must just be shaking your head at me right now). Much to my dismay, I did not have any success finding the store with the cute hats (largely due to the fact that most of the stores were closed at 10am). Despite the expense, I was really, really looking forward to being trendy and having warm ears in NYC. (Awww) From there I successfully found the ESB, of which I dutifully took pictures and stood in awe of. But only for a minute, because it was dang cold out. So I got back on the subway and resurfaced at Times Square.

Who knew Times Square was so big? I had no idea. Apparently it's several blocks. I walked down a few and back up, stopping to pop in a few souvenier shops, but was too apathetic (read: enslaved by the hunger demon) to make any decisions and walked away with zero purchases. Terrible, I know. You'd think with all I learned about myself in Italy (especially the "need to be fed" part) that I'd be a pro at it by now. Apparently not.

So after being overwhelmed by bright lights of Times Square, I decided to head to Chelsea and await my lunch date. By the time I made it there, my feet were throbbing and I could hardly wait to eat. When I met my dad's contact, he told me he had a lunch date with a few of his guy friends and he figured I could tag along. I thought it was a wee bit strange, but was willing to go with the flow. So we headed to Grand Central Station to hit up The Oyster Bar.

The lunch went pretty well - the oysters were delicious (albeit, not very filling) and it was fun to talk to some real New Yorkers. However, this particular crowd were all self-dubbed foodies and most of their recommendations for me were (you guessed it) food. And seeing as I only had one more significant meal left in New York, the information was appreciated, but not particularly helpful.

Truthfully, the rest of my afternoon was not very exciting, so I won't bore you with the details. My feet hurt, I was still pretty hungry, and I didn't really have any specific destinations in mind, so I just wandered. Certainly nothing to brag about. My one success of the afternoon was that when I returned to where the hat shop was supposed to be, this time I found it! Yaaaaaaaaay! I am now the proud owner of a ridiculously expensive, reversible, and oh-so-trendy hat. And I couldn't be happier about it.

Soon after I made my way home (for what was something like my 8th subway ride of the day; definitely got my use out of that pass) and Mary, Dylan, and I shared our last meal of my adventure together at their favorite Thai joint near their house. It was a bring your own wine joint, so we did. It was delightful. And I can't exactly remember now what was so funny, but we laughed a lot. Fun times.

Even though my last day in New York was probably my least favorite, I'd have to say, I definitely heart NY. It's big, it's diverse, it's terribly interesting. The city just demands your attention, and you've gotta respect that. I've got big love for the big city.

The Big Apple - Day Two

After such a full Saturday, we planned a much more low-key day of exploration for Sunday. We began with breakfast at the local bagelry, Brownstone Bagel & Bread Co, a brief one block from the apartment. Unsurprisingly, I was initially overwhelmed with the multitude of delicious options, but eventually settled on a toasted garlic bagel with light cream cheese and lox. (Mary comments this was very Jewish of me. Oi-vey!)

Next on the list was a casual walk through "the Slope" - the name of Mary and Dylan's neighborhood - on our way to Barnes & Noble. (I had a coupon in my pocket due to expire today and a hankering for Obama's memoir Dreams From My Father.) Everything here is A for Adorable (in Brooklyn, not B&N). The buildings are not sky-scrapers, the blocks are short, the stores are appealing (and unintimidating) and there are the most precious brownstones everywhere. I now really, really want to live in a brownstone. I want to chat with people on my picturesque front stoop, call to my neighbors from my eye-catching windows, and jangle my keys in front of the most inviting front door. (*Sigh*) However, unlike the Cosby's, I do not rake in a doctor and a lawyer's salary, so I'm thinkin' I might not be able to afford it :( But I digress...

We make it to B & N and after minimal browsing, I make my way to the counter to purchase my book. Now, in order to use the aforementioned coupon, I have to know my Dad's membership number (it's a members only coupon). Since I know his phone number, I'm thinkin': no sweat. Long story short, after several tries of guessing the incorrect phone number (and a few snide remarks), the clerk eventually has to look it up by city and state. He finally rings me up, does not gather my things for me, and delivers a little lecture about how I should keep the membership # with me. Then he stares at me and waits for me to leave. NY stereotype proved true: NYers can be rude. This guy was dishing it out and I got a full serving.

But whatever, it doesn't get to me. We continue in our pursuit to make full use of our subway passes and head back to the Upper West Side (where we left off bar hopping the previous night) to check out a local Farmer's Market. We had been happy to find they were open year round. We immediately buy hot apple cider and walk the strip. Too bad it was about 5 vendors long. Awww. We taste-tested a bunch of fabulously delicious honeys though and just as I was about to make a fatty purchase, I realized that since it's more than 3 oz I can't carry it on the plane, and thus I can't take it home with me. Boooo! That was a downer. But Mary and Dylan promised to come back (and Mary said she would ship me some for my birthday - yay!) After briefly conversing with a man who told us about the several layers of clothing he was wearing (and that he wasn't fat: it was all the layers of clothes) we set off in pursuit of the young designers market.

Apparently it's a venue for up-and-coming designers to show their stuff and crack the market. We'd been hoping this also meant that the prices would be affordable, but....it didn't exactly pan out that way. But we did discover some really, really cute and original stuff there. Our favorites included these adorable page-boy hats and one-of-a-kind purses (called pockets - LOVE it). After we left, both Mary and I had non-buyers regret. Perhaps I'll have to go back tomorrow....

As we wandered a bit looking for a warm place to purchase a yummy drink, we had another famous person sighting. We were again paused at a street corner (this time getting our bearings) when I did a double-take at Hilary Swank. She was right next to me, but harder to identify because a) she was walking past and not standing still b) wearing some kind of head-wrap so you couldn't see her hair and c) she was sans make-up. But I still put out the alert to Mary and Dylan for confirmation.

H.S. had a dude with her and they had walked a few feet beyond us into a shoe store. We decided to fake window shop to try and get some corroboration. Mary caught a full-face glance, but due to reasons b and c, was still a bit unsure. However, the guy accompanying H.S. was really eyeing us and watching our every move. Soon after Mary's sighting, he hustled her out of the store, they avoided eye contact with us, linked their arms and made haste in the opposite direction. The dude kept looking back at us, which of course only made us want to follow them more. So we did. But only for a bit, then we gave up. After some thought and discussion on the way home, Mary declared, "Definitely not hot*."

After the H.S. sighting we headed back to Brooklyn to Mary and Dylan's fav local Italian restaurant. Apparently it was all about the gnocci. Gnocci, gnocci, gnocci. Well, you know how I feel about that!

When we arrived, I was all prepared to order the gnocchi, but then a listing for black pasta caught my eye. Gasp! I didn't even know this was an option on US menus! Despite the strong recommendation and my love affair with gnocchi, I opted for the black stuff. It wasn't as magical as it had been in Venice, but it was still pretty dang tasty. (And for the record, I did get to try a few bites of the gnocchi and it was legendary - no exaggeration. Def delish.) After eating every morsel of our fabulous dinner, we decided to prolong our outstanding (and often hilarious) conversation with an order of banana and strawberry flambe (which we pronounced flambey, just for the fun of it) and cappuccinos. It was all very European. ;)

Eventually we sauntered home for an early night in with a movie. It was a slow-paced, but really fun day. (Our laughing quotient was particularly high.)

Tomorrow M & D have to work, so it's my first day alone in the Big Apple. I have a lunch "date" with a contact my dad set me up with and I intend to see Times Square. So far I have been able to just follow Mary and Dylan around, but tomorrow I'll finally have to tackle the subway system on my own. So we'll see how that goes...

I forgot this in the last post, but here's some more fun with NY stereotypes (as per my observation thus far):

True: the rats are huge, live in the garbage, and are not afraid of you; drivers have road-rage and will get out of the car to tell you (and the neighborhood) about it; there are famous people everywhere; the rude thing; cockroaches; the city really doesn't ever sleep;

False: the rude thing (I've also met several super-friendly/chatty people); all New Yorkers wear leather jackets; everyone here smokes;

*Hopefully you saw The Office this week.

New York, New York

(I was too pooped to try and summarize/post this on Saturday, so here it is a day late. It's a wee bit long, but jam-packed with fun adventures and pics, so persevere!!)

Twelve hours. We had twelve hours of New York today. And it. Was. Awesome. Are you ready?

We started out the day with bottomless mimosas and french toast covered in Nutella (Nutella!!) with bananas on top. Needless to say, this was a fantastic beginning to my first Saturday in New York. We left the restaurant satiated and the teensiest bit tipsy (it's not everyday I have bottomless mimosas with breakfast). From there we took the subway to Court Street so we could walk the Brooklyn Bridge.

For those of you who are un-NY savvy like myself, this bridge takes you from Brooklyn (which is more affordable, less NY-esque, and has adorable shops and brownstones like the Cosby's lived in everywhere) to Manhattan (which is an actual island, savvier, very New York-y, and full of recognizable NY sites). Coo-ul. The pedestrian walkway is a wide, wooden boardwalk elevated above the traffic. This in turn makes the fantastic views even more accessible to the walking (or biking) commuter. I caught my very first (ever) live and in person glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. It wasn't like seeing The David or anything, but I did have that similar tingle of familiarity - ohhh, I know you!!

Aside from the views, the bridge itself is pretty awe-inspiring (and made me wish I wasn't such a lazy photographer; but with the wind, it was so cold. I really wasn't into having my hands out in "the elements" any longer than necessary). These pics clearly don't do it justice, but you get the idea.

After the long and numbing walk over the bridge, we hopped back on the subway toward the Upper East Side to check out Central Park a bit. When we exited the subway, I finally started to feel like this is New York. The buildings were getting taller, the crowds were getting denser, and despite seeing everything for the first time, things started to look a little more familiar. As I was busy gawking at all the enormous and magnificent stores, I spotted FAO Swartz. Normally this wouldn't merit a second glance, but it suddenly occurred to me, "Isn't this where the huge piano from Big is??" I say as much to Mary and Dylan and without another word, in silent agreement and wide-eyed frenzy, we collectively make a bee-line for the entrance.

As we walk in, we are momentarily stunned by the sheer volume of toys and activity happening around us. But I quickly snap out of it, ignore the sudden surge of sheepishness I feel at asking what I know must be the most frequently asked question to every employee in the store and say, "Uhh, this is kind of silly but, is the Big piano here? And where is it?" to the first employee I can snag. "On the second floor, past the cash registers on the left." Aaaand, we're off!! A few moments, a million toys, and one life-sized Lego Batman later, we are standing directly in front of THE piano. It's almost too much to take in: There it is...and we are totally going to dance on it. Mary and I are immediately about 7 years old and giddy. We hand Dylan all our crap, rip off our shoes, and shove some little kids out of the way so we can have our turn.

Yes. It was as awesome as you are right now imagining it to be. After about 10 minutes of play time we were informed there was going to be a show. A show!? This is our lucky day!! We collect our things and watch the two store employees perform (of course) Chopsticks and Heart and Soul, followed by New York, New York and that song by Bach that is commonly referred to as the Organist Duel. Those peeps earn their keep - they did a fantastic job. Wondering what it would take to own one of those puppies? A mere $250,000. That's right: the Big piano costs more than my house. Yikes.

From here we actually did head to Central Park. I had my eyes peeled for Law & Order film crews, or dead bodies among the bushes, but I'm sad/relieved to tell you we didn't see either. But we did discover an ice-skating rink. Seeing as we didn't come prepare with skates, we settled for observing from a rock perch above the rink. But my Spidey-senses were working their mojo and I realized it is the skating rink from Serendipity.

By this time we were getting hungry (and were pretty frozen), so we got back on the subway and headed for Little Italy (which, if memory serves, is near/in Soho - yet another trendy area in Manhattan, which in itself, is a trendy area...really.) Our destination? Lombardy's - the nation's first pizzaria. As in, the first one in the US...ever. Yeah, no joke. If anyplace was going to have true-to-Italy pizza, it would be this joint. (I've been hesitant to have pizza in the US since being home, but this sounded like a safe risk.) I don't really think you need the play-by-play of our meal, but let it suffice to say, the pizza was definitely up to snuff: legitimatly authentic. (And I'm told quite similar to Tutta Bella in Seattle, so if you're interested, check it out.)

From here we headed to a bar called McSorley's (which if you watch How I Met Your Mother, the pronunciation sounds much like "Swarley" and had me snickering to myself all night.) This was the destination I couldn't remember in the previous blog. (While Mary was doing laundry at a laundromat last week, she overheard some people talking about how this was a super cool bar.) We decided to take the unsolicited, eavesdropping recommendation and give it a shot.

Turns out to be an Irish pub founded in 1854. They didn't even allow women inside until 1870. It's still a very manly place. All the furniture is oak-y and heavy and burly. Every inch of wall space is covered with framed, old (1800s) pics/articles/nudie pictures of women. We manage to squeeze our way to a table and a man comes to take our order, "All we got is light or dark, so what'll it be?" The three of us are like deer in headlights, so we quickly rattle off our answers: Dark! Light! Dark! In what feels like about 5 seconds, he comes back and slams SIX mugs of beer on the table. Apparently when you order one, you get two. We shrug our shoulders and dig in.

In the mean time, an argument about the Jets seems to have broken out to our left, the table of frat boys to our right is singing a number of different oldies (from My Girl to that song Tom Cruise sings in Top Gun - I can't think of it at the moment), and a table of professorly looking old dudes are deep in discussion. For fun we start "naming" the people around us: the really, really drunk girl, the fat guy, the guy who seems to be partying with every table in the room, and (our favorite) the self-absorbed New Yorker. This guy was at our table and had numerous memorable quotes including (insert NY accent here): "I rode the subway all by myself today for the first time*," and "Both of us is wearin' a shirt with diamonds**, one of us has to change. I tink it should be you." Eventually we get the feeling this is the kind of place that, if you aren't drinking, you aren't welcome. So after two rounds, we head out.

As we head to the next bar, we're waiting to cross the street, and I happen to look up and make eye-contact with a guy a couple of people away. I immediately gasp and elbow Mary, "I think that guy is Paul Giamatti" I say. Mary replies, "Who is Paul Giamatti?" I tssk her dismissively and then say, "Dylan!! I think that guy is Paul Giamatti!!" He scopes it out and absolutely confirms it. By this time we have to cross the street and I am walking away from Paul Giamatti. But it was totally him. I wish I had shook his hand and said, "Hey man, I just watched Lady in the Water and you were wonderful and I cried. Absolutely amazing. You rock. Thanks man." But I didn't. (It was thrilling nonetheless though!)

I won't bore you with our second and third bars, but I will tell you that between those two stops we went to a Belgian fry place. Yes, this place only sells fries. And they are incredible. They're thicker than McD's fries, but smaller than jo-jos. They're salty and delicious and are served in paper cones with a choice of at least 30 different dipping sauces. Roasted garlic mayo, lemon dill mayo, pomegranate teriyaki, BBQ, ketchup, parmasean peppercorn mayo....and on and on and on. It was fatty deliciousness at it's absolute best.

After bar number three, we were dead on our feet and finally headed home (at about 12:30am, in case you were wondering). It had been a very successful first day in NY.

(I bet you thought that list of stuff we were going to do today was mostly rubbish, right? (Especially the meeting someone famous part.) Ha! Little did you know...)

*Dude, I have been in New York one day, and even I have done this.
**This means argyle.

Will I Heart NY?

I have officially begun my East Coast Tour and safely arrived in New York. I will be here for the next four days and in that time, New York City has got to show me what its made of, baby! Since its inception, it has pretty much been the talk of the town; thus, I'm ready to see what's so great about the big bad city. Everyone seems to love the Big Apple, but the question of the weekend is: Will I heart NY?

I spent my first hour on the plane on the ground. Some computer issue kept us grounded on the west side (and behind schedule). Once we finally touched down, it was only an airtrain, subway, and bus ride until I made it to my cousin's apartment (for the record, this took me two hours....largely because I spent about 40 minutes getting OUT of the dang airport). But I am proud to say I figured out how to pay for all those things, boarded all the correct routes, and only had a minor detour when searching for the bus stop (and all with no map!) Not bad for a newbie.

After catching up in the kitchen over a Brooklyn Brewery beer, we had mojitos and fish tacos at a Colombian joint a few blocks away (with cilantro mashed potatoes on the side - I had no idea there was such a thing! They were light green colored and de-licious!!). First meal in The City gets two thumbs up.

NY stereotypes I have already witnessed to be true: graffiti on the subway, sirens, garbage on the street (perhaps it was garbage day?), easy-to-use public transit, sirens, aggressive pedestrians, crazy drivers, and sirens.

NY stereotypes I have already witnessed to be false: people are mean/rude (I met several extremely helpful/friendly people on my trek to Mary's apartment.)

Tomorrow we may try and hit up a farmer's market, little Italy, Empire State Building, talk to someone famous, check out Central Park for possible dead bodies, and something else...but I can't remember what right now. Stay tuned!!