N.Y.C.

The world won't wait, and I watched you shake. But, honey, I don't blame you, hell, I still love you, New York. - Ryan AdamsDid you know that the Empire State Building once hosted a festival for Pastry Makers of Ohio? It did not. Were you aware that the Lincoln Tunnel was designed by the great Frank Ghery? Also false. These are the just the kind of misconceptions a person can have about the Big Apple before actually traveling there. Being a seasoned visitor (of one visit), I will now clarify things for those of you who have never visited the City That Never Sleeps. This post will also serve as a refresher for those of you who know of the city's ways.

First of all, if you plan on entering the city via bus, Megabus is a fine option. The 7am bus was full of business people on their phones and cat ladies on my nerves. Arriving on schedule at 11am, the bus dropped us off in the filthy Penn Station. What you hear about NY is true, at least when it comes to this area of town. A quick stop in the bathroom left me wondering why it was we had chosen to spend time in NY. Broken A/C, no running water, and a gaggle of gritty street people finding refuge in the filthy, lawless 10'x10' room. (Picture of Geoff dry-heaving omitted.)

No worries though. Minutes later we were in Times Square. Ah, this was the kind of thing I wanted to experience. Like Pixie Stix for the eyes, the endless array of colors and light made me feel like a kid. From there we moved on up to Rockefeller Plaza, NBC Studios, Radio City Music Hall, the Apple store, and checked something off of my "To Do in My Life" list. Morgan took me to play the Big piano at FAO Schwartz. While a bunch of 7 year old kids kept me from doing a full knee slide down the length of the keys, I still found it pretty satisfying.We found some hot dogs in Central Park, and relaxed by the boathouse for quite a while. The perfect temperature (70's to lower 80's) made this easy. It did sprinkle here and there during the trip, but this was nothing an umbrella couldn't fix.After the park, we picked up some Broadway tickets and headed down to the Brooklyn Bridge. This was a definite highlight of the trip. The bridge is one of the prettiest things we have ever seen. The surrounding views are unlike anything else, and walking across the bridge is awe-inspiring.

Before heading back to the play, we stopped by Wall Street. The Trinity Church, Federal Hall, and NYSE were all fun to see in person. We didn't spend much time here, but hope to spend more next time.Since it was my first time going to a play on Broadway, I got to pick the play... Young Frankenstein. The Mel Brooks classic translated flawlessly to the stage. We had great seats, and the production left us both in tears. The special FX are incredible, and the Puttin' on the Ritz number is crazy. If you are looking for a good time you should go check this play out.


That is pretty much it. We had a blast, and cannot wait to get back and explore more of the city.