Quick Tips

-Don't worry about looking like a stupid tourist. Use a map, it is better than getting lost. 

-The subway isn't scary, it is convenient. Use it. When I thought about it I was nervous because I imagined the subway I had seen in some 80's movies (notably, Ghost) but everyone uses it.

-Be nice to the people serving you food, they are very friendly (maybe because they want your money, but whatever) and they can give you insiders tips. 

-Tip, a lot. Just do it. 

-Use a travel guide. James gave me a Lonely Planet travel guide when we first started dating. We have used it a lot, to the point where we feel naked without it. 

-You can eat cheap in NYC, even in Midtown. Use your travel guide or the internet. James and I have eaten at a bunch of really delicious places (Columian, Cuban, Chinese...Soon Italian) for little money.

-Learn to cross the street, even if the hand is telling you not to. Just be careful. Look both ways!

-See Times Square, but don't make it your hang out. There are better, less crazy busy, places. 

-I'm going to talk about the Met Museum later tonight, but quick tip: start on the second floor if you are more interested in paintings.

-Wear FANTASTIC walking shoes. I have blisters on my blisters and I'm a comfortable shoe wearing kind of girl. 

Okay, that is it for the quick tips section, now I'm going to talk about a restaurant James forgot to mention. 

El Margon is a tiny Cuban diner that was recommended by our Loney Planet Guide. We are kind of working our way through the one dollar sign eateries (as opposed to $$$) due to my monetary restrictions. This has turned out great though, as we get to find places like Nice Green Bo. El Margon is a diner, one side with a counter the other with tables. It is very long and thin and packed with people. We were a bit overwhelmed with the craziness of it all so we decided to go with the Lonely Planet's recommendation of a sandwich called the "Cubano". Pickles, meat, cheese. So yummy. We shared one, and thank goodness because it was enough (it came with rice and beans too) and we were very full by the end of it all. 

The staff was friendly in a genuine way. I'm pretty sure they were laughing at us genially, simply because we look so touristy. They were all bilingual. It seems like most people in this city speak two languages. 

I know this picture doesn't really appear to have appetizing food, but that sandwich was DELICIOUS. 

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

Always Look Up

New York is a city that teaches you to look up. And I'm not just saying that because it is famous for its skyscrapers. 

Whether it is the library, a cathedral, or Grand Central Station, New York knows how to make a good looking ceiling. 

I will be sharing most of my pictures (of ceilings and other things) after I get home and am able to upload and edit the hundreds of photographs. I'm not exaggerating this; I will probably have over 1000 pictures when I'm through. 

James is going to blog later, likely recapping our adventure today. My highlights were:

-Feeling nostalgic towards my time in SE Asia as we explored China Town

-Chatting with a nice Italian man who sold us gelato

-Eating very cheap, delicious Chinese food for lunch (see below)

-People watching on the subway

-Seeing the Statue of Liberty at sunset

There were many special moments today. James will regale you with his version once he returns from his quest for dinner. 

OH YES! You may wonder why we haven't eaten a hot dog yet. Don't worry, faithful readers. Tomorrow we head to Coney Island, the birthplace of the hot dog.

-Kim

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

On the metaphorical road

So! Here we go. On our way. First leg of the race. 

James has already written about his feelings towards airports. I agree with him on some aspects, and have found if you develop a positive somewhat laissez-faire attitude, it can be a relatively painless. I tend to smile as much as possible, even when I don't feel like it. Another method of keeping positive is to imagine how much more difficult everything would be if I was trying to do it all with a small child. I don't envy mothers in airports. 

What I don't like about travel is packing. I can never shrug the feeling that I've forgotten something. No matter how many lists I make or how many times I repack, I still feel like I'm going to get to my destination, walk through the door and realize I forgot my deodorant. 

But as long as I have my passport and my credit card I should be fine. 

This is the first time both James and I are leaving Chewie for a week with other people. Granted, our dog will be perfectly well taken care of by my brother and his girlfriend, but it is still difficult for me. I love the furry butthead, even though he sometimes tries to hump my leg or eat my cereal off the counter. 

Alright, I suppose that is a sufficient enough check in for now, unless something insanely exciting happens on our journey. 

The biggest dilemma in my life currently is whether or not to buy a neck pillow for 20.00. 

Come Fly With Me

I love airports.

Now, don't get me wrong...

Any seasoned tourist can attest to the tribulations of airline travel. The lines, crappy food (usually), heavy post-9/11 security, scrambling to catch a connecting flight after a delayed one (contrasted with hours of sitting and waiting), turbulence, rude passengers, etc. The list goes on.

I'm a big fan, however, of finding diamonds in the rough, and I don't just love airports because I used to dream about becoming a pilot. No, I'm talking about three of my other favourite pastimes: writing, chatting and people watching.



There is a thrum and pulse to an airport, and at any given time you can find a cross-section of cultures. Airports have also become (at least for North Americans) the predominant means of international travel (this is both good and bad; while they have helped make the world very small, they could also assist in our doom).



Ok, I'll stop digressing. My first point is that I've always seen long bouts of waiting as an opportunity to get writing done. A good deal of the war letters from Crystal Promise were written at SeaTac on my way to visit my friend AJ.

It's also a great way to meet people. Sure, there are plenty of grumpy don't-even-look-at-me-I-just-got-strip-searched individuals out there, but I've met some interesting people at airport bars and on flights, enriching what would otherwise have been an hour or two of silence.

Ok, not everyone's an extrovert. For those of you of the opposite persuasion, there's people watching.



I'm sure there are a plethora of reasons why we people-watch. I like to make up stories about people's lives (this may not come as a surprise to most of you). I don't mean made-up names and outlandish stories of their adventures kind of thing...I mean trying to guess what their life is actually like. Invasive, or inventive? YOU, THE READERS DECIDE.

So take it from a silver-lining kind of guy. Airports can be frustrating...but there are ways to make the best of them.

--James