New York City Babbyyyyy!

Okay, so I never had too much interest in NYC.  I watched that episode of The Simpsons when Homer goes and has a terrible time and I sort of expected my trip to be like that.  It probably would have been several years ago but from what I hear, NYC has changed significantly.  They really cleaned up.  I literally saw two homeless people the entire time I was there.  In San Francisco, you can't avoid them.  And in San Diego, they are more concentrated in certain areas, but I see them frequently. 

Our trip started out with a red eye flight to Newark, NJ.  We took the Super Shuttle for $31 (total for both of us) to Manhatten.  The driver dropped us off last and gave us an amazing free tour of the island that really helped me check a few things off my list.  He drove like a crazy man almost repeatedly running people over, but I just relaxed knowing it wasn't my problem if we hit something. 

We called our friend in Brooklyn and he took us to his place to drop our bags, then started our busy day.  We took a subway to the Wallstreet area to check out the big bull I always see in pictures and walked around. We checked out a cool church and old cemetary and went to the big hole in the ground called ground zero.  I wanted to pay my respects to the place that had a profound effect on me and it was surreal seeing it in person.  Although there wasn't much to see. 

We carryed on to China Town, little Italy, and got some pizza at Lombardi's.  The pizza was great but everyone knows that.  I loved my strawberry italian soda.  We were so full from pizza that we had to run over to a bar that we were calling the Shark Bar, but I'm not entirely sure that was the actual name.  We waited out most of the rain then caught a cab back to Brooklyn for another bar.  After several games of pool and a few cocktails, someone had the stupid idea to play basketball in a near by court.  I seriously was so tired I had to get coffee just to keep my eyes open so I don't know why I agreed to participate in this horrible idea.  I am not one to play the game and neither were my opponets, but we all made the huge mistake of playing a came of two on two.  There may or may not have been some spitting on the person I was blocking because he was too tall for me to actually have an impact by playing fairly.  This is not a confession.  Anyways, my team won, with little help from me.  I sat it out and tried to find a place to sit that wasn't on the icky ground.  A part of the chain link fence was too long and gave my hiney an nice metal hammock to rest...until I got up and ripped a hole in my pants.  As if my horrible sports skills weren't embarrassing enough, I then had a hold in the butt of my pants. 

We went back for showers then had to get dinner at Patsy's in Harlem.  Oh boy!  Okay, so you can get the pizza by the slice from on side of the restaurant or you can sit down and order a pie on the other side.  We arrived and immediately got a slice.  They were cheap and delicious.  During our pizza pie consuming, our table was arguing over whether the slices outside were better than the ones inside.  We had to take into account the amount of hunger you have when you arrive, the temperature of the slice, whether it was being reheated or not, and the ambiance.  After almost finishing an entire pizza, I went outside and bought a slice to bring to our table so we could compare fairly.  The one from outside was better according to three out of four of us.  I had to ask the waitress how the slices were different outstide and she said they were the exact same.  Even came out of the oven right before being served.  This led us to believe that it was better than our table pie for two reasons.  One: the ambiance of getting a slice from a slice counter.  Two: The table pie had gotten cold and the one from outside was fresh and hot.  I let the slice from outside cool down and tasted them together and they were pretty much the same thing.  But this won't stop me from getting a slice and eating it on the sidewalk next time I go.  It really makes the difference.  By the way, the white chocolate creme brulee was amazing and I recommend it to all.  :)

We drove by time square and got to enjoy some sight seeing before we headed home.  Passing out never felt so wonderful.  Did I mention that the forecast was stormy weather so I wore rain boots all gosh darn day and even played basketball in them like an idiot?  That was the last I wore those on that vacation.

Day one of vacation stomped on my feet and pushed me in the dirt.  We were so sore from the first day that day two seemed to be a challenge and I was not going to let NYC defeat me. We had some bagels  at The Bagel Store in Brooklyn.  Let me tell you soemthing.  They have some really fun flavors there and I somehow managed to discover what is called the french toast bagel with cannoli cream cheese.  Holy Mackeral, it makes me day dream.

We went to Manhatten to stay in a  fancy apartment for the night and managed to fit in the Natural History Museum, Nick's pizza, Central Park for castle time with waffle ice cream treats, sandwiches, and then back to the apartment.  We had to rest our feet for a bit and relax because we were going to die...I had my cell phone in hand to speed dial the coroner, it was that close.  We then ordered some Sushi from a takeout place and dined to our hearts content.  The men went to sleep and us women for some stupid reason stayed up to 4am even though one of us had to wak up at 7am to repark the car. 

The morning felt horrible and I wanted to die at that point but no one would help me.  Breakfast burritos were made for us and felt like the heavens shining on my stomach. We treked off to find The Russian Tea room after walking down 5th Ave for awhile.  I bought some magical drink called the Cosmonaut that was $18.  Worth every penny.  It looked like a cosmo all pooled in a large martini glass and tasted so wonderful that I drank the entire thing in minutes.  That's never really happened to me without forcing myself to do it.  It made me feel fuzzy. 

Here is the description of the drink:A wild bilberry and cranberry blast of Jewel of Russia Wild Berry accented
with lime and cranberry. Sweet aligns with tart for a lift-off on your palate.

There was only one place we could go after such a wonderful morning breakfast.  FAO Shwartz.  It was better than I had imagined.  All the workers there were smiley, happy, and either loved their job or were great pretenders.  I was fooled if they were faking.  The place has so many cool toys that you didn't know existed.  It felt so good to be introduced to things that were completely different.  My husband stopped at one station where a woman was trying to show a product that was small balls of styrofoam that you could shape like clay.  My husband formed a piece of poop and told the woman that's what it was which made me giggle uncontrollably and her laugh like I don't think she was expecting.  We ran off quickly to the next thing, then the next thing, then the next.  As an adult, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had the best time there.  We left without spending a dime, which wasn't easy.

Next we went to Time Square to witness it in the day time and my legs were starting to give out on me.  We had a chance to rest on the subway on the way back to Brooklyn.  There was a place when we got off the subway right in front of us that called to us like a beacon.  We called out friend to pick us up and waited inside.  Come to find out, some say it's the best cheesecake in New York so of course I bought a piece of cherry cheescake and sat at the bar gulping water to rehydrate and eat my nutritious meal.  The bartender, customers, and servers all painted this amazing picture that made us finally feel like we were in the center of New York.  I can't explain it, but it was almost like we had gone back in time or something.  It all felt so authentic and wonderful. As I was enjoying our environment, my body started to reject my plans to move forward.  It hated me and I hated it for not being more enduring.  So we gave up on waiting for our friend and went across the street a block up for some pizza and a smoothie.  That smoothie helped me make a truce with my angry body.  It was so good, it tasted perfect.  We got picked up to go to queens and continued with my truce and went to sleep for the ride.  I really wanted to look out the window but a deal is a deal.  When we arrived there, I was so disoriented and grouchy that I think I was zombie walking.  Which is like sleep walking but if someone gets too close you end up clawing their abdomen until their guts fall out.  It's a really attractive phase to be in as you mumble cuss words and stumble across parking lots.  We got some pizza and I got a coke so I could absorb some caffeine.  We all felt a little better so on to the beach we went to fly a kite.  Someone demanded that we touch the ocean so we went down to the beach to walk a bit and take a little nap in the sand. Finally my battery started to rejuninate and we were off to the next pizza place.

  De Fara's is the name and everyone speaks about the line out front.  They werent' kidding, we showed up before it even opened and there was a line.  We continued to wait in line and they didn't open the doors almost an hour after they said they were going to.  But they were inside so there was lots of confusion.  My brilliant and kind husband went to the Rite Aid across the street and bought us some lawn chairs to chill out in.  The other line waiters were so jealous that they started zombie walking.  I drank my Dunken Donuts iced coffee and enjoyed the view of many different kinds of Hasidic jews.  I couldn't get enough of this neighborhood.  I had so much to learn.  I took a Judaism class in college, but I didn't learn about all the matching outfits and stuff like that.  It was fascinating and led to some pretty fantastic people watching.  After 2.5 hours of waiting we finally got our pizza as they were closing their doors.  No, I'm not exaggerating.  We gently layed the box down on the filthy ground and let that pizza make sweet sweet love to our mouths.  It tasted great, but unfortunately it was too salty.  WAY TOO MUCH pamesian cheese.  You see, the man that makes the pizzas doesn't let anyone else touch them.  He has very precise steps.  I read this, but I also watched him as we waited for ours to be made.  He knows exactly what to do and how long it will take him.  It's amazing to watch.  When he made our pizza, someone interrupted him and he forgot the last step after cutting the fresh basil onto it!  He forgot to put a hand full of parmesian on the top.  When my husband pointed out this error, the guy at the front desk grabbed a handful and tossed it on top.  Who knows if he put too much.  It kills me that he may have screwed up our pizza after we watched dozens being made.  That guy is a jerk!  Anyways, great pizza, too much salt.  I didn't really notice too much until my belly ache afterwards. 

When you have a bad belly ache the best place to go is Coney Island.  We rode an insane ride where they strap you in so that you are in super man position through the entire roller coaster.  You go upside down several times and is completely unpredictable which makes it terrifying.  I couldn't stop laughing which made me cry, which made me drool because your face if wide open facing the ground.  It was embarrassing. 

Before we went home, we stopped to get a t-shirt with our faces on it that said Double Trouble...even though there was four of us.  I haven't worn it yet, but I am glad it's in my wardrobe.  Oh and we stopped at Spumani's for more pizza.  I was so sick from over eating and riding a roller coaster that I could only take one bite of each pizza because I was drinking ginger ale to not throw up on the table.  I really wanted a milkshake and it makes me a little sad that I didn't.  I know I made the right choice, but I have to go back now. 

The next morning we watch some sweet parade on the street in front of the apartment we were staying at.  I'm not sure what the parade was celebrating but i can tell you it was exciting....for 2 minutes...then it fizzled out.  We finally got moving and went to see the Pride Parade.  It was a big deal because the marriage law had just passed and all the proud people, including us went out and celebrated on the streets of New York.  It was inspiring and really really happy.  Smiles everywhere.  We walked along the parade route to a place we heard there was going to be a street game of stick ball.  They were playing off cars and buildings and anyone could sign up a team.  There was FREE BEER!  I still don't understand why were allowed to drink beer on the sidewalk but no one seemed to mind.  The game was being played by a bunch of bro douche bags.  Here are some things I heard being screamed in the most blatant New York/Jersey accent and each commend ended in really proud smile and a big high five from one of their buddies:

"Hey yo Joey!  Why don't you quit the game and go down to the parade where you belong!"

"Why is your whole team wearing mesh shorts?!  You guys can't afford khakis?! ?

I wish I could remember more.  No joke though, it went on and on and on.  I video recorded some of it.  The game was going on on a blocked off road and when the Pride parade ended people started to walk to the gay bar at the far end of the street.   The guys playing the game were booing the people walking by not realizing that the people felt like they were being booed for being gay and not being booed for pausing the game.  The dudes playing were so ignorant and stupid, they didn't even take this into consideration.  It was interesting to watch, but very very rude. A huge gay guy walked past and I was really hoping they would boo him so he would knock one of them out, but they knew better than to provoke that large man.  

After the bar we walked what seemed like miles to another pizza place that was really darn tootin' good.  The guys working there were really nice to not kick me out while I napped in my chair.  I appreciate their kindness.   We then stopped at a bar, a cafe for coffee, then the Beauty Bar.  Manicures for $10 and a free martini included. Yes, please.  I got a lovely manicure and had a really nice conversation with the girl doing my nails and went on my way to the Archers of Loaf show.  We saw the same show at the Troubador in LA and we happen to find tickets to the NYC one off craigslist when we found out it was going to happen.  The place was packed and way over sold.  I couldn't see anything for the first three songs and finally we weasled our way to a spot on the balcony railing.  New Yorkers are boring when it comes to shows.  Hardly anyone was moving or singing when they played Web In Front.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  I can't help but sing along and jump around when I hear that song.  Unbelieveable.  Show was great and they came back for two encores.  In LA, they came back for three.  Those New York punks give up way too easy!  We took the subway to Williamsburg and got some extra large 32 ounce beers in a styrofoam cup (weird) and then grabbed some pizza at the near by pizza shop called Anna Maria pizza.  Holy good god, this place has amazing pizza.  The fresh mozz has pesto on it and is truly to die for...especially if you are giving up on life anyways like we were at that moment.  I was so not hungry because right before I got a lovely strawberry ice cream cone from the truck parked out front and the pizza was still perfect.  That says something. After a beer run, we were homebound.
The next morning we walked the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoyed the nice day.  We couldn't find a parking spot to go to Grimaldi's so we took off to NJ so that we didn't hit traffic before our flight.  We went to the one in Hoboken so our hunger was satisfied.  We made one more stop at Benny Tudino's Pizzeria. They may have the biggest, but it's definitly not the best.  It's a little doughy for my tastes. 

We had more time to kill so we went to the mall in NJ.  What an experience.  It was like being in another country.  Who buys that crap?

Introduction

This blog is my travel journal for all the places I end up.  Frequently, I travel for music and tend to take loads of pictures along the way.  Often, I come across cool things to do in each location so this blog gives me a chance to tell others about those things.  I do the touristy and non-unique stuff as well but like to give an honest opinion about if they are worth your time or not. Thanks for reading!