Quick Note

James and I have been very neglectful and have not written our final blog posts for our trip to New York. He is supposed to write one for the Museum of Natural History, whereas I would like to regale you with recollections of "The Lion King".
This will happen eventually. Maybe it will be a special "One Month Later" update.
Until then, take a gander at the photographs I edited of our trip, on my website.
Click here.

Crowds Crowds Crowds

Alright, let's talk about the Empire State Building.

The expectation:



The reality:



Granted, there were some spectacular nighttime views:

...but even though we got up there at midnight, the crowds were still pretty intense. If you're accustomed to that sort of thing, not a big deal. If you're not, bring a lot of patience. You can pay a paltry $20 (per person) extra to skip the main line (which we did not pay) and another $20 (per person, again) to go to the upper observation deck. We had no idea if the upper deck was worth it, or if it was just as crowded up there, so we just enjoyed the view from where we were.

All in all, I'm glad we went because it was a part of the City Pass, but although the view was really great, I don't know if it lived up to all the hype from the movies. If you have to choose one, I'd recommend the harbour tour for a view of the city. It's more relaxing, you get anecdotes about New York from a friendly captain/tour guide, and everyone gets their own seat from which to enjoy the view (so long as everyone on the boat obeys the sit down so everyone can enjoy the view rule).

Hint: not everyone obeyed the rule.

Tomorrow, my review of the American Museum of Natural History promises to be lengthier and more positive.

--James

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

...and yes, they did play that song between a couple of innings. The Yankees have a lot of history, and although we weren't at the original stadium (which closed in 2008), we still considered going to a Yankees game to be an essential part of the New York experience.

We both grew up loving baseball. I used to go to Calgary Cannons games all the time (until they were traded to Albuquerque). Kim has a more intimate relationship with the game, citing A League of their Own as her favourite movie of all time. Plus she actually used to play competitive ball. So it was a no-brainer that we would make this game a part of the trip.

It really is America's pastime, as evidenced by the wealth of conversations around us which had nothing at all to do with the game. That's not to say that there weren't hardcore fans who boo-ed every call the umpires made in the Astros' favour, but in contrast to faster-paced sports, the action is sporadic, providing for a greater social aspect to being at the ball game. There weren't any runs until the 4th inning anyway, so a lot of people got to chatting. We got down to business.

The business of hot dogs. Hebrew National hot dogs, that is...something that I've never seen in Canada. The dogs are kosher, catering to the very large Jewish community of New York, but more than that, they were delicious. The entire meal together (just two hot dogs plus beer; we didn't even get fries) came to $30, so bring deep pockets if you're going to a game...but that's good advice for any sporting event, really.

Kim's
-Hot dog: Hebrew National
-Ketchup: Yes
-Mustard: Regular type
-Toppings: No
-Rating: 8

James'
-Hot dog: Hebrew National
-Ketchup: No
-Mustard: Brown spicy
-Toppings: Frank's Red Hot Sauce
-Rating: 8

Kim had chosen to pair hers with a malty Guinness Black Lager, while I opted for a refreshing Yuengling Traditional Lager. We both agreed after a single bite that the dogs were damn good. I would recommend them to anyone who can find them in the States. There were even more expensive Italian sausages available, and I was really tempted to try one ($8.50 ea.) but I will wait until next time.

There were some entertaining moments during the game despite the Yankees' loss to the Astros (to be fair though, the Jays are my team so I wasn't that let down) and all in all it was a great evening. If you have the money and the time, I have to say that even up in the 4th level we had a clear, unobstructed view of the action. The packed subway was a little intense on the way back, but those trains are deceptively long and hold a lot of people, so it wasn't as bad as it first appeared.

Coming up tomorrow: The Museum of Modern Art and the Empire State Building, a.k.a. Crowds, Crowds and more Crowds.

--James

CAN YOU DIG IT? or Coney Island Part Two: In Which We Finally Talk About Hot Dogs

This cult classic was my first introduction to Coney Island. The Warriors was filmed at a time when Coney Island was at its lowest, the amusement parks torn down, the land caught up in endless court battles over development. Only the lonely 'Wonder Wheel' remains.

That was not, of course, the Coney Island that we witnessed. It was very much alive, and I'm sure that the crowds would have been maddening if we'd gone on the weekend. The long story short is that it was worth the lengthy train ride, hangover or no hangover.

If you want the even longer history of Coney Island, I won't bore you with it here if it's not your bag. Cliffnotes version.

We started our adventure with a slew of roller coasters, most notably the brand-new Thunderbolt:

Fastest I've ever experienced

We avoided the Cyclone because, although it is iconic and one of the last wooden roller-coasters out there, it can also be very painful (there have been some accidental deaths) and well, four other rides didn't do great things for my hangover.

We did, however, ride the Wonder Wheel, a piece of American history. Unlike most traditional Ferris wheels, the Wonder Wheel has cabins that slide back and forth on a track as you go up and down, making the wheel feel a bit more thrilling. Good view from up there.

We blew the last of our tickets on skee ball. Because skee ball.

Then finally, FINALLY, we got our first New York hot dogs from the original Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, the birthplace of the hot dog.

Kim's on the left.

Hot dog: Original

Ketchup: Yes

Mustard: Honey mustard. Medium grain.

Toppings: Fried onions.

Rating: 7/10

James' on the right.

Hot dog: Original

Ketchup: Yes

Mustard: Regular type.

Toppings: None

Rating: 6/10...shoulda had the onions.

Nathan's Famous are tasty. They have salty exteriors. These sloppy dogs were probably as close to the 'classic' Frank-in-a-bun experience as you could get...but the hot dog has come a long way since then, and we have been spoiled by a plethora of smokies, premium Italian sausage, etc. Having a Nathan's, the original, was an essential part of our New York experience, but it didn't exceed any expectations.

Coming up tomorrow: Kim blogs about the Met (not the Mets) and baseball (also not the Mets)

--James

Sodom by the Sea and Little Italy

...well, that's what it was called before the amusement park showed up, at any rate. Although the 'Steeplechase' mentioned in my favourite Dire Straits song no longer exists, an iteration of its famous horse-racing style roller-coaster does. More on that later; I'd better do this in chronological order.

Sunday morning we started with Chinatown.

There are parts to any big city that are designed around tourism; most specifically, making money off of tourists. This is a part of the lifeblood of many big cities, but...

...not to say that Chinatown was a trap. But the rows upon rows of souvenir stores all hawking the same t-shirts and key-chains, plus street vendors trying to sell you cheap designer knock-off watches and handbags...are a trap. I've seen it elsewhere though, so it's not shocking, but they do prey upon the unwary. So if you're going to a touristy part of New York such as Times Square...

Which segues perfectly into this paragraph, because we decided to go see The Lion King as our second show.

Short paragraph.

Chinatown was great. Highlights were the Buddhist temple:

And the $20 (for two, including tip) lunch at Nice Green Bo, which Kim has shared pics of. But heck, here they are again because damn, those dumplings and spicy beef noodles were delicious:

Why yes, that is the warm filter

We also visited Little Italy which, as locals told us, has been reduced to essentially a single street (Mulberry) downtown. Here I unlocked the 'haggler' achievement by successfully (accidentally) lying about the price of a t-shirt that I saw in another store across the street. This is a great area to go see if you like cute old brick apartments and authentic Italian waiters shouting out the $9 lunch specials for their authentic Italian restaurants, complete with authentic Italian accents.

Our evening was reserved for the harbour tour, which offered an incredible view of Manhattan, New Jersey and Brooklyn from the water. Definitely worth the $ if you get the tour with the 'City Pass'. The boat goes right around the Statue of Liberty. Although I wasn't crazy keen on doing the actual statue tour, I'm glad I got to see it up close...it is quite possibly the most iconic thing to see in New York, which is a city full of iconic buildings.

Highlights of the boat tour included: meeting the retired G.I. who told me about the U.S.S. Intrepid Air and Space Museum (which we may or may not have time to see but ohmygodihopesobecausejetplanes), the Statue of Liberty, and having 95% of the tourists disregard the 'don't stand up it spoils everyone's view' instructions from the staff.

Stock photo

Well this is getting a bit tl;dr so I'm going to finish it off here and tell you all about the wonders of the Wonder Wheel (and our first actual hot dogs of the trip!) tomorrow.

--James

On Broadway

Well, I can cross seeing a Broadway musical off my bucket list, and I'm glad that Kim was agreeable to seeing Hedwig and the Angry Inch with me. I've been in love with this musical ever since seeing its movie iteration a few years ago.

(This might turn into a slight/short review of Hedwig)

Somewhat different from the style of the movie, the musical is structured as part rock concert, part "one-woman-show" (plus band). Neil Patrick Harris is not only one of the funniest people I've ever seen on a stage, he's ridiculously energetic (and ripped - I was mucho jealous of his abs!). I've always been a big fan of rock music, and at times the show feels like a lesson in rock music history (without the actual history, but the style of songs spans the genre, from ballads to punk to grunge).

Broadway is certainly an experience that I would recommend. While you can get the same level of theatricality from a travelling Broadway show (as I have many times in the past), many of the theatre spaces here are surprisingly intimate:

Ours had a gorgeous ceiling, to boot

Just be prepared to shell out major $$$ if you want to have a beer at the show. Plus side, the sippy cups double as souvenirs:

I don't know why, but staring at Kim intensely seemed preferable to staring at the camera

Further observations on NYC thus far:

-I have decided that it is impossible to get a good night's rest during a turbulent flight
-I would never want to own a car here. Driving is scary, and requires a lot of patience (including reaching a destination in a reasonable amount of time. It's a huge, densely packed city)
-The cemeteries here are the size of small towns
-"Checking in early" is a concept and not a reality
-That thing where in every movie set in New York cars are honking at each other constantly? Totally true to life.
-Nintendo World should be called Nintendo Two Storeys

Kim has some great first-day pics of some other places we saw, including free exhibits at the Public Library by Bryant Park and St. Patrick's Cathedral (currently under restoration but still quite majestic) but I am signing off for today to go hunt for a late dinner.

Coming up tomorrow: Little Italy, Chinatown and the Circle Line cruise.

--James