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Published: January 29th 2012
NYC
One of my most favorite NYC pictures we have taken so far.New York - New York!
Debatable, but we do consider NEW YORK CITY the greatest city on earth. We've come to the city once before for a short couple days and barely scratched the surface of what this place has to offer. Well, we now actually live less than an hour drive from the city so we have been frequent visitors – so this will cover all our expeditions over the past year and a half or so. Where to start???
I guess let’s start with just the general touristy things. TIME SQUARE – the centre of the universe. No matter where you live – you have heard of this place. Electric, colorful, busy, funky, fun, never-ending and a cosmos of people that you will probably not find anywhere else in the world. Nothing can prepare you for this. If you speak a language other than English I think you are more likely to hear your native tongue here than you are to hear English. It just seems like there a magnet underneath the surface that draw people from every corner of the planet. Shops, lights, restaurants, shows, people, $20 Rolex’s, $30 Gucci bags, pencil sketches of yourself, etc –
Central Park
Fish eye view of lower Manhattan skyline you name it and it is here.
Walk a couple blocks east and you will find GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL - the CHRSYLER BUILDING right next to it makes for some pretty incredible pictures at certain angles (Empire is more known but Chrysler is so much prettier). The grand dame of train stations in the US at least. Just an amazing place to walk around in... and out. The building itself from the outside is beautiful and has all these different STATUES (eagles and gargoyles) that just make it stand out a little bit more above all the other train stations. Inside you will again find a mini-Time Square. People of all races, colors and languages. The station has too many food places to count – don’t miss the bakeries for the freshly baked muffins, bagels, cupcakes, cheesecakes and the little markets are always a highlight with meats and cheeses just overloading the senses. But then again all these things are fine and dandy, but the ultimate Grand Central experiences is standing in the centre of the main terminal next to the golden CLOCK and just take in the entire terminal around you. People scurrying around trying to catch trains
Russ & Daughters
Love the lox and cheese!! and just for a split second it seems that the world is standing still and you feel like you are in a movie. During your moment of pure joy don’t forget to look up and say hi to all the CONSTELLATIONS painted on the ceiling of one of the greatest train stations around.
Walk back to Time Square and a couple blocks up you’ll hit CENTRAL PARK. This is a little tree city by itself stretching for blocks and blocks. Running, biking, playing, walking, sitting or just laying in the sun on THE GREAT LAWN are all just a few of the activities offered by the park. We’ve only done a couple strolls through small parts of the park, but it is quite amazing how within a couple minutes of entering the park you feel completely cut-off from the hustle-and-bustle of the city. We’re definitely going to try and spend some more time in Central Park so look out for more in the next blog on NYC.
Walk back to Time Square and a couple blocks down and you’ll run into EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. You’ve probably seen it already walking around since it is almost impossible to miss.
Brooklyn Bridge
Fish-eye view from ground level Spend the couple bucks and take the ride to the top. The views are spectacular – especially at night.
Hop on a subway or experience one of New York’s finest yellow taxi cabs and head down to the tip of the island for the STATUE OF LIBERTY. Well she’s the grand ol’ madame of New York City harbor. There are several ways to see her I guess. Since the 9/11 attacks it has been harder and harder to get to the island she is on and even harder to take the elevator ride up. Some people do a boat ride that circles the island and give them a close-up. Then there is the cheap and fairly close way of seeing her. Every 30 minutes the STATEN ISLAND FERRY leaves for Staten Island. It goes practically right next to the statue and it is all free. Once you get on the ferry try and get a standing spot at either the front or back of the ferry for the best view. Some of the ferries have open sides so if that is the case it is all the same, but some of the newer ferries have glass windows so picture
NYC
Spices - love food in NYC!! taking is not as easy. While you’re at it look forward or backward – depending which way you are going and steal a glimpse of one of the most beautiful skylines around.
Finished here head along the tip of the island to the east side and you’ll find the BROOKLYN BRIDGE. Another NYC landmark almost impossible to miss. We have never actually walked the entire length of the bridge, but we have made it about halfway a couple times. It is just spectacular to stand under one of the arches and look up and admire what I consider an architectural marvel. It is just a beautiful bridge. Once again don’t forget that unbelievable NYC skyline. It’s hard to miss and even harder to forget.
Well that’s kind of the highlights, but there is so much more to explore and see here. We try different areas and things every time we come to the city and that is the fun part about it. There is so much to do that every time is a completely new experience. CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK is a magical experience. We have been able to experience it twice now and it is phenomenal. Again
Yankees
First game at new Yankee stadium way too much to do and see. It all starts with MACY's THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE. Every year on the last Thursday in November the Macy’s department store has their parade to kick-off the Christmas season. The parade starts up around 60th street at around 8 in the morning or so and winds all the way down until it reaches the Macy’s department store on 34th street. People line the streets 10 or 15 deep (sidewalk only alloes for 7 - 8 deep in most places) to get a glimpse of their favorite balloon character or celebrity riding one of the floats. We were late comers to the parade and just wrestled our way to the front – just in time to see Santa pass and ring in the holiday (and shopping) season. All in all a great event for young and old, but beware it can be really cold so be prepared. For the next 5 weeks SAKS FIFTH AVENUE and MACY'S have elaborate CHRISTMAS WINDOW DISPLAY’S. Walk uptown to the ROCKEFELLER BUILDING for the CHRISTMAS TREE, skating and Christmas spirit. The ROCKEFELLER TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY the TUESDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING is another one of those New York things that is
US Open
Someone gotta shoulder the weight of the world just a true pain-in-the-ass event, because thousands and thousands of people show up for it, but it is worth the experience if you have the time, energy and patience for it. We always start laughing when we are crammed in like sardines at these things, because this to us is the true experience of a city - everyone is pushing and cussing and overall it just makes for a lot of laughs.
Walk a couple blocks down to 42nd street to BRYANT PARK FOR LITTLE STALLS and don’t miss the ice-rink. CELSIUS restaurant erects a temporary structure right there overlooking the skating rink with heaters to keep the cold away (okay food at high prices, but you pay for the view and the Christmas spirit and not the food). Head back a couple blocks back uptown to RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL FOR THE CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR. An amazing show that we both saw for the first time last year. Walk a couple blocks west to the Lincoln Centre and enjoy HANDEL'S MESSIAH AT AVERY FISCHER HALL. In between do some shopping, watch people and stick around for NEW YEAR'S IN TIME SQUARE. Last year was my second time doing this.
US Open
Waiting for it to stop raining The first time it was cold and we had no idea what were in for or what we were supposed to do or where we were supposed to be. This time we were not much better prepared. We got there around 3:30 and bought some snacks and drinks (buy more when you think you have enough, because it won’t be enough – but this also is a catch-22 since there are no restrooms so go to the restroom before starting this madness and don’t drink too many liquids). We both wore the warmest coats/ jackets we could find. We were lucky – it never got below 40 degrees fahrenheit. My first time it was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and it was absolutely freezing. Anyway – next you have to find an “entry point”. There in essence is 2 avenues that they use to line people up for the “falling of the ball” to ring in the New Year – Broadway and 7th avenue. Unless you get front row seats don’t go to Broadway. You can’t really see the ball drop from Broadway – go to 7th avenue. They line people up on the side streets and let them in to
US Open
Finally getting some play in for the men's final these “pods”. Once you are in a pod you are stuck there for the night. We were in our pod for about 7 and a half hours on Broadway and 51st street. Not close enough to see any of the entertainment, but close enough to see the ball drop and all the countdowns. They have massive big screens where you can follow all the entertainment. It’s best to try and find a spot at the front of the pod because this will give you the best view, but be prepared to stand for the entire time because people push and push. The other option is to just stay towards the back and you will have plenty of room to move about. The entertainment is pretty good and people find a way to entertain themselves. The wait itself seems like forever. It’s fun to walk around afterwards after all the confetti has dropped. It is one of those things that you have to do once in your life just to say that you have done it, but I doubt if we will do it again.
Museums are big in New York. Too many to count and name, but we have
US open
Rafa in action been able to cross off a couple. MUSEUM MILE is where all the “action” is. We kind of keep to the outdoor activity for the summer and then in the winter we hit-up the museums. The MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA) was our first major New York museum. We’ve come to appreciate art more and more and we actually make a genuine effort to become more knowledgeable. At the MOMA we got to see the following pieces: VAN GOGH'S "STARRY NIGHT", PICASSO'S "LES DEMOISELLES D'AVIGNON", MATISSE'S "DANCE", JACKSON POLLOCK'S "ONE" and also an excellent PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION. These were just a couple of the highlights. We really enjoyed the MOMA and off course we had our “how is this considered art” moments, but we still had a really great time. The MOMA also has the ABBY ALDRICH ROCKEFELLER SCULPTURE GARDEN, but unfortunately this was closed due to the snow on the ground.
Next we figured that a day would be enough for the AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (AMNH). One day is not enough!!!!! We just skimmed the last floor and we were exhausted for the next couple days. There is so much to see. A couple highlights include: the
US Open
Rafa completing his Grand Slam world’s biggest BRAZILIAN TOPAZ, a T-REX FOSSIL, the HALL OF BIODIVERSITY, a SIMULATION of all the PLANTETS, a FULL SCALE BLUE WHALE (this was cool since you can walk right underneath it), a PIECE OF the CAPE YORK METEORITE and the STAR OF INDIA SAPPHIRE. Of course there were thousands and thousands of fossils, cultural exhibitions, rocks, etc. We really enjoyed it though. We also took a second and visited the JEWISH MUSEUM. It was interesting to see all the exhibits.
Besides the museums and all the other things mentioned above we’ve been able to fit in a couple other events/ things. Parades are always a highlight in New York. Besides the Macy’s parade we’ve also been able to go to the GAY PRIDE MARCH (a couple days earlier they legalized gay marriage in the state so this parade was a little extra special) and HALLOWEEN IN NEW YORK CITY. The Gay Pride parade is a good one to go to (keep the kids away) since it is in the middle of the day and the middle of the summer so the weather is great. People are pretty worked up for this parade and there is a lot of
NYC
Halloween parade participant nudity. This is also the parade where you probably have the biggest possibility of seeing your manly/womanly co-worker walk around in a little g-string (yeah it happens probably more times than we want it to). The Halloween parade was a blast. At the end of October and very cold - so be warned. There is a central gathering point a couple hours before the parade where everyone comes and gets their costumes ready and make-up on. This is where you want to be. You may not see everyone, but you will see a big part of the people that will walk in the parade. Definitely a highly recommended parade (my favorite) since there is some really funny and original people out there.
Other than the parades we have done WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK (probably one of the more popular New York City parks) where there is always something going on and you have an awesome view of the ARCH with the Empire State Building in the background (a good photo-op) and GREEK REVIVAL MANSIONS ON NORTH SIDE OF WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK. A few blocks south of Washington Square Park are MESKEREM (one of our favorite Ethiopian restaurants in the city).
Radio City Music Hall
Masterpiece by the Rockettes!! The GENERAL POST OFFICE building is also an incredible structure that is great for pictures. The CHRYSLER BUILDING is a favorite of mine even though you can't really go inside it (I have not found a way yet), but it is a beautiful building for pictures at day and night. THE LOWER EAST SIDE has the MUNICIPAL BUILDING and the ARCH AT the MUNICIPAL BUILDING which are also worth a visit if you have a spare second through all the madness. As far as sport goes we have done a couple things. Everyone should do a GAME AT YANKEE STADIUM. Overpriced (but very modern and nice I guess) it is just a cool experience to see them in action (especially when they play the Red Sox - our team). Besides that the US OPEN TENNIS tournament is a hot ticket in town in September. Tickets to the finals are an experience (be ready to fork out plenty of money though), but I recommend a general admission ticket during one of the first days since you get to walk around the courts while everyone is still playing and once in a while you get lucky and see a star on one
Rockefeller Centre
People skating away under the tree of the outer courts.
Well all this activity will definitely make you hungry and New York is the one place where you will never ever go hungry. My philosophy on New York is that if your restaurant is open it serves decent food because if your food is crappy there are 100 other similar places that people would rather go to (does not always hold true, but it holds true most of the time). The BEN ASH DELICATESSEN in midtown has good sandwiches and GENESIS BAR is right around the corner for a drink. The Playwright Celtic Pub (lamb stew, fish and chips) is very, very Irish, but the food was so-so. The HEARTLAND BREWERY (good Fish & Chips) has a bunch of locations all over Manhattan with some good local brews. VIRGIL's is another restaurant in the Time Square area (the pig-out is awesome) for some good BBQ (still not the same as Memphis and Texas BBQ though, but still pretty decent).
Moving down the island you have SALA RESTAURANT (a Spanish restaurant that serves something between tapas and full meals - just enough to fill you up with a good glass of sangria). BOOM RESTAURANT is
Chrysler building
Awesome picture with that most famous of buildings in the background good Italian with some live Flamenco music on weekends (the Cozze al guscio - mussels, Linguine frutti - seafood linguine and spaghetti vongol - clam spaghetti are all good choices). RUSS & DAUGHTERS are an almost too famous place for cream cheese and lox bagels (a must). Don't be afraid - just wiggle your way in there and find a space at the counter and shout out your order - this is half the fun feeling lost and being yelled at by the guy at the counter. PRUNE is a very eccentric little breakfast/brunch spot in the same area (the Dutch pancake was excellent, but be prepared to wait a while for a seat). Also don't miss out on LOMBARDI'S (world famous for their pizza and been around since forever - the pizza was decent). HAVELI RESTAURANT on Indian row was one of the better Indian food places we have been too (Banana pakora, rogan josh, tikka masala - Nikkie's favorite and chutney - I love, love chutney). LA CREPE PARISIENNE in Soho has really good crepes (sweet and savory). Moving over to the western side of the island we went to Ivy's Bistro for Sunday brunch (Bagel and smoked
salmon, omelete, bloody mary was really good and spicy).
Moving back up the island into the 60's we went to JG MELON - an old, old burger joint and got to say that it was one of the better burgers I have had. There is usually a wait and the burgers are not very big, but they are also pretty cheap so get 2 if you are hungry. SAPPHIRE INDIAN by the Lincoln Centre was very, very good Indian food. And last but not least the Columbus Tavern (lamb burger, cavatelli, oysters). The great thing about New York is that there is always a place to eat at and always a place open. We find ourselves driving through the city seeing streets/ areas where have never been just lined with restaurants. There are also a couple "chain" restaurants. We try and avoid these but there is a couple that you have to try. At the top of the list is MAGNOLIA BAKERY serving cupcakes, deserts and all kinds of sweet sin that is not good for you. Next up is PINK BERRY. We love frozen yogurt. You just walk in pick your flavor and stack it with as many
Rockefeller Centre
Posing in front of the tree toppings as your heart desires. And last but not least is DEAN & DELUCA. This is more a grocery store, but Nikkie absolutely loves this place. It is a little more upper-class I would say. As with the previously mentioned 2 places they too have an excellent pastry area that always draws you closer whether you want to or not. Well that is New York City for you. Too much to do and eat and too little time and space.
Over the last year and a half we have been able to cross off 12 things in the city that were in our books including: the Brooklyn Bridge, Museum Mile, The Lower East Side, the Quintessential Snack in America's Food Capital, Yankee Stadium, Halloween in New York City, Christmas in New York, Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade, MoMA, Empire State Building and Time Square.
So 115 things down and 5,210 left.
From the Big Apple (or onion as it use to be)
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