New York City - Part I

Now we know this is an entry about New York City, but our trip would not have happened if it weren't for the generosity of Aunt Susan and Uncle Marshall in South Glastonbury, Connecticut. They brought us to the train station (we took the Amtrak into NYC), and they housed Sally the Subaru while we were on our "big city" adventure, so many, many, many thanks to Aunt Susan and Uncle Marshall!


So our biggest fear about NYC was navigating the subway system, but that was a cinch, if we might say so ourselves. We've heard that many New Yorkers get upset at the subway, particularly the erratic schedule, but the layout and signage are simple and in the right spots. It is hard to get lost – you just have to get used to the idea of being underground with no real landmarks. You are either going "Uptown" or "Downtown." Whew - we can now say we successfully navigated the NYC subway!

Mosaic tile work in the NYC subway

We arrived at the NYC hostel early, and decided to lock-up our backpacks and tour the nearby area. The hostel (at 103rd Street) is located one block from Central Park. It was a lovely day, and everyone was out taking advantage of the sunshine. We watched parents and children kick soccer balls back and forth, there were tennis players grunting on the span of tennis courts, and more runners than we've seen, ever!


We arrived at the Guggenheim Museum, an impressive circular building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It took Wright 15 years to design the building, and it opened in October 1959, marking 2009 as the 50th anniversary of its opening. It was Wright's last major project, and neither Guggenheim nor Wright lived to see it open. It is a classic NYC stop - especially if you are interested in seeing original works by Pablo Picasso, Kandinsky, and a handful of contemporary artists. But we must admit that the building overshadows the artwork - and it is worth a stop just for the structure itself. So if you aren't that interested in the artwork, just walk into the Guggenheim and experience the grandness of the building, then head out.


On our way "home" to the hostel, we stopped at the most interesting Whole Foods. We are used to seeing box stores like this in just that way - as a big box. Well, this store was a two-story box with an escalator specifically for your grocery cart! You can tell we don't get out much, right? It gets better... We get to the checkout line and there are four TV monitors in the following order: tan, blue, tan, blue. Numbers, representing the cashier, flash across the screen, and a pleasant female voice says "Check stand 24," plus a Whole Foods employee is there to direct you just in case you don't hear or understand the process. Very efficient!

We got to "Check stand 24" and were greeted by a smiling young lady. She instantly knew that we were not from the city (I'm still not sure what gave us away... maybe it was our enthusiastic "Hello!" or the "Yes, ma'am."), and asked us where we were from. We told her we were from Louisiana, it was our first day in NYC, and so far we really enjoyed it! She replied "People think NYC is so bad and New Yorkers are mean, but 99% of us love it here and are really kind." We think that sums it up nicely. NYC is great and the people are kind!


We loved the NYC hostel (Hostelling International), and we couldn't find a better deal for our week in the city. It was spacious, clean, and the location was ideal. We were one block away from the subway, one block away from Central Park, and surrounded by fun restaurants and grocery stores.

But hostels have their quirks, and our first night at the hostel was interesting. We shared a dorm room with 10 other folks (667 beds total for the hostel). Most were getting ready for the Saturday night jaunt to the local bars, but we just wanted to sleep. Plus, we didn't want to be targets of the night. Freaky things happen at night in NYC – or so we are told. heehee. Nah - we just wanted to play it safe our first night in the city.

Around 2am, I heard a guy down the hall screaming in a different language and banging stuff. I could see blue and red flashing lights, and I stayed up to watch the commotion. An NYPD cruiser and ambulance were sitting just outside of our dorm room window, so I had front row seats. They handcuffed the guy, and he continued to shout as they put him in the ambulance. I could see the EMT’s checking the guys passport through the ambulance – yes, they were THAT close. I'm still not sure what happened, but we haven’t seen that guy back at the hostel.


The next morning, we took the subway "downtown" to Greenwich Village. I don't understand how it is spelled "green" and "wich," but everyone pronounces it "gren-itch." Oh well.

It was a quiet Sunday morning, and we were the first ones at Rocco's Pastry Shop (opened in 1974). The pastry cases were full of biscotti, pignioli cookies, eclairs, cream puffs, and candy-covered almonds. And two young ladies were putting Chocolate Raspberry Torte, Chocolate Layer Loaf, Brownie Nutella Fluff, and Italian Cheesecakes in the window to lure people in. We ordered a cannoli, a muffin, and an Americano - the breakfast of champions! The Italian waiter brought us napkins - and I smiled and said “What, you think we are messy eaters or something?” I think we caught him off guard, but he laughed, put his hands out and said “It comes with the territory, eh.”


It seems New Yorkers are great folks, but you must be the first one to say "Hello" or flash a smile - otherwise, they won’t budge.

We walked off our cannoli (as much as you can walk off a connoli), and landed on a bench in Washington Square Park to people watch.


It is in the center of NYU's campus, and the university uses the park for their graduation ceremonies. The large arch (which is modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris) is called Washington's Arch. It was originally built of wood and plaster, and erected in 1889 to commemorate Washington's inauguration. A more permanent structure was built in 1892, this time made of marble. The fountains were closed in preparation for winter, but the park was dominated by dogs and baby strollers.

Yes, these guys are spray-painting the side of the building.
They were fast!

Pigeons feasting on crumbs outside of the Sea Thai Restaurant

After lunch at the Sea Thai Restaurant (thanks for the suggestion, Cynthia!), we headed to the Astor Theater to watch the Blue Man Group.

IT WAS SPECTACULAR!

I’ve never been so inspired and awed by drums, lights, and blue faces. It was a wonderfully creative show – and funny, too! There were grown men cracking up laughing and strobe lights and loud music and toilet paper.

Astor Theater

I don't want to give too much away, but at the very beginning of the show, there is an LED screen that acknowledged audience members and their accomplishments, which weren't really their accomplishments. For example:

"Tonya McKnight is in the audience tonight. Tonya, please stand up and be recognized. She won the 1986 Olympic Gold Medal in Curling. Everyone say hello to Tonya McKnight." And the audience would say "Hi Tonya McKnight." Another one was "Charles Smith is in the audience tonight. Charles, please stand. He worked on the human genome project. Everyone say hello to Charles Smith."

The next one was the best, though...

"Richard Muffoletto is in the audience tonight. Richard, please stand and be recognized. Richard is just an average guy who hasn't done anything significant. Everyone say hello to Richard Muffoletto." Surprisingly, the audience did a wonderful job pronouncing Muffoletto! Then the screen scrolled "Ok, Richard, you can sit down now. No, really, please sit down." The lady sitting next to us was so excited that Richie's name was called! Of course, the producers chose the most complicated name in the audience. Wise guys. Go see the Blue Man Group!