Wow! How painful! Yes folks I am soooooo out of shape. It has been too hot to go running out on the streets so I have been doing a bit of running on the treadmill in the gym. Now running on a treadmill is another story - how boring is it! Not even the TV makes it interesting.
I decided to start off with a small run (4 miles). I decided to run across to 12th avenue and then run up the cycle path to the Intrepid Museum (around 40th street - Hells Kitchen) and back. The one thing I have noticed about Manhattan is that it is flat, there is not even a whisper of a hill, so as you can imagine my legs got tired pretty fast! But over all it was still a pretty good run. I feel so much better for it, but my legs will need a few more runs before they are back to normal.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Class of 91
Last weekend we flew back to Cincinnati for Bryan's 20 year class reunion and it was a hoot. I met most of his classmates and they were all so lovely and friendly. We arrived on the Friday caught up with a couple of his close friends then on Saturday night it was party night. Bryan had a great time catching up with his long lost class mates and I think I made a few new friends too!
A Night in the Museum
If you've seen the movie with Ben Stiller you would be familiar with this museum. This museum is called the "Natural History Museum". They have dioramas of animals and peoples from all over the world. The dioramas are massive/life size and some date back to the early 1900's. They are simply breathtaking. I don't want to talk too much about it because I don't want to give the awe factor away. This is definitely one museum you have to see to believe.
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| These are real sea-lions that have been preserved |
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| A real skeleton of a T-Rex. |
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| T-Rex front on. |
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| Water buffalo. |
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| Zebras and dears. |
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| Real life size elephants. |
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
9/11
I'd decided not to go downtown for the 9/11 memorial. The Memorial site would only be open to family who had lost their loved ones and rightfully so. Bryan and I did go out into the city however we both felt that the mood of the city seemed very heavy and low.
We had been warned that there may be a possible terror attack somewhere in New York but we both felt that we just needed to be out in the city, to be with others.
At the moment, if you want to view the 9/11 memorial you need to make a booking. I definitely plan to go down to the site and pay my respects however I am going to wait for a while before I do. I will definitely let you know what the site is like.
Hot Dogs and a little piece of Paris
Ok, before I tell you about hot dog's you might be thinking eeewwwwww! Yuck! How can you eat them??? - But all i'm going to say is "don't go diss'ing the dog yet........... let me explain."
On Saturday night I really wanted to indulge in one of New York's gourmet delights, the "Hot Dog" and of course have a yummy dessert. As you know, earlier in my blog I talked about Nathan's at Coney Island and how they came up with the modern day "hot dog". Now, I didn't say that they were the nicest hot dogs, only that they invented them.....so I had heard that there were two places that did amazing hot dogs, "Gray's Papaya" and "Crif Dog". Gray's Papaya do not have seating and because we had a busy day running around Manhattan shopping Bryan and I decided to give "Crif Dog" a try.
Crif Dog is located in "The East Village". This part of town has a very similar feel to Newtown - lots of cool little pokey one-off shops, cheap restaurants and lots of uni students (NYU is located near by).
To get to the East Village from our place it takes about 20 minutes which includes walking and taking the subway a couple of stops.
As we had had a busy day, we decided to have a late dinner which was not a problem for Crif Dogs because they are open until 4am Sunday morning. So, Bryan and I headed out around 9pm in search of these famous dogs.
By the time we got to the East Village it was pumping. Lot's of people in bars, cafes, restaurants and music coming from all different directions. We eventually found a sign that consisted of a giant "wiener" that said "Eat Me" on it. We knew we had found the place. Directly below the sign were some grungy stairs leading down to this small space that had old tables and chairs and, arcade games (that people were using as tables). There would have been around 50 people crammed into this tiny place that should have really only had about 20 people in it. Bryan was nearly hitting his head off the ceiling. It was chaotic, loud and had an awesome vibe to it.
As an Australian I was not aware of how many different versions of a hot dog you could have until I saw the menu at Crif Dogs. They had dogs where the sausage is wrapped in bacon, served with avocado - basically anything you could come up with they could pretty much serve it to you on a hot dog. Oh yeah, the sausage they use in hot dogs here is very different to the hot dog sausages we use in Australia. For starters they are not fluro and they actually have flavour!
For my first Crif Dog I decided to go simple and plain, American cheddar, grilled onions, mustard and ketchup.
We struck gold in getting a table and as we were waiting for our names to be called out (to collect our order) we struck up a conversation with the two guys next to us. It turns out that one of the guys knew a colleague of Bryan's, how small of a world is that!
When the dog's arrived I was salivating........and it matched my expectations. Lip smacking yummy!
While we were having our dinner and talking to the guys next to us a lot of people would come into the cafe and head straight for this old telephone booth that was off to one side. They would pick up the old telephone and dial a specific number, then disappear. The guys told us that it was the entrance to a secret club. The door on the other side of the booth would open up, letting them in. Pretty cool.
But I did feel sorry for one young kid (looked like he was fresh off the farm - about to start his first year of uni (uni starts in September here)), he went into the booth to try to make an actual call. I was watching this poor kid becoming frustrated and after a few attempts he left the phone booth. Yeah, I know I should've said something to him, but it was kind'of cute watching him trying to make his call.
Anyway........Because Crif Dogs is so small, it's the kind of place where after you have finished eating you pretty leave, so Bryan and I said good night to our new friends and headed off to the other end of town, the "Upper West Side" to check out a cafe I had found online that had over 100 different cakes, tarts, slices, cheesecakes......Cafe Lalo.
We caught the subway up to 86th street and walked back to 83rd street, where Cafe Lalo was located. As we turned the corner onto 83rd street, I could hear jazz music as well as lots of people chattering away. As we walked toward the music what came into view was a place that you thought had been lifted from Paris. The cafe had beautiful old french windows with brass fittings and they were all open onto the street allowing the night air into the cafe. As I walked up the steps to enter the cafe I knew that this was going to be a very special place.
The interior consisted of old chandeliers (as well as modern lighting), exposed brickwork and lots of framed pictures decorating the wall. People were seated very close to each other just like in Paris. It was a fantastic crazy zoo of people looking into the cake cabinets getting excited about what desserts they were order.
I had a Belguim Chocolate Mousse Cake and Bryan had the Chocolate Strawberry and Banana cake which consisted of chocolate sponge cake filled with bananas and strawberries, iced with fresh whipped cream.
When I took my first bite of my cake, I could hear the heaven's open and the angels singing......it was unbelievable! Yes, I had found my heaven!
I stretched out eating my dessert for as long as possible soaking up both the flavours of the cake and the atmosphere of the cafe. We'd had the perfect evening and were ready for home so we took the subway back downtown floating on a cloud of sugary happiness.
On Saturday night I really wanted to indulge in one of New York's gourmet delights, the "Hot Dog" and of course have a yummy dessert. As you know, earlier in my blog I talked about Nathan's at Coney Island and how they came up with the modern day "hot dog". Now, I didn't say that they were the nicest hot dogs, only that they invented them.....so I had heard that there were two places that did amazing hot dogs, "Gray's Papaya" and "Crif Dog". Gray's Papaya do not have seating and because we had a busy day running around Manhattan shopping Bryan and I decided to give "Crif Dog" a try.
Crif Dog is located in "The East Village". This part of town has a very similar feel to Newtown - lots of cool little pokey one-off shops, cheap restaurants and lots of uni students (NYU is located near by).
To get to the East Village from our place it takes about 20 minutes which includes walking and taking the subway a couple of stops.
As we had had a busy day, we decided to have a late dinner which was not a problem for Crif Dogs because they are open until 4am Sunday morning. So, Bryan and I headed out around 9pm in search of these famous dogs.
By the time we got to the East Village it was pumping. Lot's of people in bars, cafes, restaurants and music coming from all different directions. We eventually found a sign that consisted of a giant "wiener" that said "Eat Me" on it. We knew we had found the place. Directly below the sign were some grungy stairs leading down to this small space that had old tables and chairs and, arcade games (that people were using as tables). There would have been around 50 people crammed into this tiny place that should have really only had about 20 people in it. Bryan was nearly hitting his head off the ceiling. It was chaotic, loud and had an awesome vibe to it.
As an Australian I was not aware of how many different versions of a hot dog you could have until I saw the menu at Crif Dogs. They had dogs where the sausage is wrapped in bacon, served with avocado - basically anything you could come up with they could pretty much serve it to you on a hot dog. Oh yeah, the sausage they use in hot dogs here is very different to the hot dog sausages we use in Australia. For starters they are not fluro and they actually have flavour!
For my first Crif Dog I decided to go simple and plain, American cheddar, grilled onions, mustard and ketchup.
We struck gold in getting a table and as we were waiting for our names to be called out (to collect our order) we struck up a conversation with the two guys next to us. It turns out that one of the guys knew a colleague of Bryan's, how small of a world is that!
When the dog's arrived I was salivating........and it matched my expectations. Lip smacking yummy!
While we were having our dinner and talking to the guys next to us a lot of people would come into the cafe and head straight for this old telephone booth that was off to one side. They would pick up the old telephone and dial a specific number, then disappear. The guys told us that it was the entrance to a secret club. The door on the other side of the booth would open up, letting them in. Pretty cool.
But I did feel sorry for one young kid (looked like he was fresh off the farm - about to start his first year of uni (uni starts in September here)), he went into the booth to try to make an actual call. I was watching this poor kid becoming frustrated and after a few attempts he left the phone booth. Yeah, I know I should've said something to him, but it was kind'of cute watching him trying to make his call.
Anyway........Because Crif Dogs is so small, it's the kind of place where after you have finished eating you pretty leave, so Bryan and I said good night to our new friends and headed off to the other end of town, the "Upper West Side" to check out a cafe I had found online that had over 100 different cakes, tarts, slices, cheesecakes......Cafe Lalo.
We caught the subway up to 86th street and walked back to 83rd street, where Cafe Lalo was located. As we turned the corner onto 83rd street, I could hear jazz music as well as lots of people chattering away. As we walked toward the music what came into view was a place that you thought had been lifted from Paris. The cafe had beautiful old french windows with brass fittings and they were all open onto the street allowing the night air into the cafe. As I walked up the steps to enter the cafe I knew that this was going to be a very special place.
The interior consisted of old chandeliers (as well as modern lighting), exposed brickwork and lots of framed pictures decorating the wall. People were seated very close to each other just like in Paris. It was a fantastic crazy zoo of people looking into the cake cabinets getting excited about what desserts they were order.
I had a Belguim Chocolate Mousse Cake and Bryan had the Chocolate Strawberry and Banana cake which consisted of chocolate sponge cake filled with bananas and strawberries, iced with fresh whipped cream.
When I took my first bite of my cake, I could hear the heaven's open and the angels singing......it was unbelievable! Yes, I had found my heaven!
I stretched out eating my dessert for as long as possible soaking up both the flavours of the cake and the atmosphere of the cafe. We'd had the perfect evening and were ready for home so we took the subway back downtown floating on a cloud of sugary happiness.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Maria, Maria, Maria
Bryan had bought these tickets to see the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lincoln Centre (New York's version of the Sydney Opera House) and it had something to do with West Side Story. He did tell me all about it a while ago, but with all the different things I was doing I had forgotten what it was all about.
So when we rocked up to the Lincoln Centre to listen to the score to West Side Story Bryan reminded me what tonight was all about. "West Side Story" the movie had been digitally remastered in Hi-def and what was going to happen was they were going to run the Hi-def version of the movie (on a massive screen) and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra were going to play all the music live.
What made the night even more special was, in the audience were three special guests:
* Robert Wise - the producer of the original movie
* Russ Tamblyn - who played "Riff" in the movie (the lead actor from the "Jets" gang)
* George Chakiris - who played "Bernardo" in the movie (the lead actor from the "Sharks" gang).
It was amazing watching a classic movie musical with the music being played live.
At the end of each song the theatre would erupt in applause. The atmosphere in the concert hall was of happy nostalgia and after the movie was over when everyone was leaving people were humming their favourite tunes from "West Side Story" - myself included.
Thanks Sweetie for organising the tickets, it was a really fun night. Even thinking back on it now, it brings a smile to my face.
So when we rocked up to the Lincoln Centre to listen to the score to West Side Story Bryan reminded me what tonight was all about. "West Side Story" the movie had been digitally remastered in Hi-def and what was going to happen was they were going to run the Hi-def version of the movie (on a massive screen) and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra were going to play all the music live.
What made the night even more special was, in the audience were three special guests:
* Robert Wise - the producer of the original movie
* Russ Tamblyn - who played "Riff" in the movie (the lead actor from the "Jets" gang)
* George Chakiris - who played "Bernardo" in the movie (the lead actor from the "Sharks" gang).
It was amazing watching a classic movie musical with the music being played live.
At the end of each song the theatre would erupt in applause. The atmosphere in the concert hall was of happy nostalgia and after the movie was over when everyone was leaving people were humming their favourite tunes from "West Side Story" - myself included.
Thanks Sweetie for organising the tickets, it was a really fun night. Even thinking back on it now, it brings a smile to my face.
Lady Liberty and Ellis Island
I woke to a beautiful morning, so I turned on the weather channel and it said that it was going to be a fantastic day, I took that as a sign and decided I needed an adventure. I had been putting off going to the Statue of Liberty for a sunny day like today so I thought I would go for it.
Ok, for the bad news.........
If you want to go up into the crown of the statue you need to book 4 months in advance. Yes folks! You read right, 4 months. If you want to go up to the pedestal (which is just below her feet) you need to book at least 1 week in advance. But what you can do without any pre-booking is walk around her, which is what I did!
Now for the next lot of bad news.......
If you are really dying to get up into the crown or pedestal, as of 1 November 2011, you will not be able to do so. They are renovating her to make her more accessible for the disabled. So these two options will not be available until November 2012. But you will still be able walk around her and the island.
When you purchase your ticket for the Statue of Liberty you also get access to Ellis Island. A lot of people think that the statue is on Ellis Island but she is not. The statue is on Liberty Island. Ellis Island is the island that all new immigrants went to when they first arrived in America (up until 1924).
I totally loved the day, and if you want to get the most out of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island experience, it takes the best part of a day, so make sure you factor this in.
You buy your ticket from within Clinton Castle (an old fort), which is in Battery Park, at the bottom of Manhattan. Once I purchased my ticket I then needed to go through a security check. After that I boarded a special boat and the first stop is Liberty Island. From waiting in line to setting foot on Liberty Island it took over and hour and a half!
When I purchased my ticket I bought the audio tour option and I highly recommend that you do that. You will get so much more out of the day. The audio is not long and arduous, it tells you all the necessary information that you need to know to appreciate the statue, or to learn about the history of Ellis Island. For example, when De Laboulaye and Batholdi came up with the idea to give the Statue of Liberty to America, they were basically saying to Napoleon "America has the one thing that we in France want - liberty and freedom" "Napoleon - You do not give us that!".
As I walked around the statue I fell more and more in love with her. The colour and the detail up close were amazing. Periodically I would pause the audio, sit under a tree, let the sea breeze cool me down and just watch the tourists from all over the world admire and take photos of her.
Ok, for the bad news.........
If you want to go up into the crown of the statue you need to book 4 months in advance. Yes folks! You read right, 4 months. If you want to go up to the pedestal (which is just below her feet) you need to book at least 1 week in advance. But what you can do without any pre-booking is walk around her, which is what I did!
Now for the next lot of bad news.......
If you are really dying to get up into the crown or pedestal, as of 1 November 2011, you will not be able to do so. They are renovating her to make her more accessible for the disabled. So these two options will not be available until November 2012. But you will still be able walk around her and the island.
When you purchase your ticket for the Statue of Liberty you also get access to Ellis Island. A lot of people think that the statue is on Ellis Island but she is not. The statue is on Liberty Island. Ellis Island is the island that all new immigrants went to when they first arrived in America (up until 1924).
I totally loved the day, and if you want to get the most out of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island experience, it takes the best part of a day, so make sure you factor this in.
You buy your ticket from within Clinton Castle (an old fort), which is in Battery Park, at the bottom of Manhattan. Once I purchased my ticket I then needed to go through a security check. After that I boarded a special boat and the first stop is Liberty Island. From waiting in line to setting foot on Liberty Island it took over and hour and a half!
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| Clinton Castle and the line for Statue of Liberty tickets going around the castle. |
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| Before going through a security check you pass this statue. It is dedicated to all those service personnel that have lost their lives overseas fighting in wars. What I found moving about this statue is the arm rising out of the water. |
When I purchased my ticket I bought the audio tour option and I highly recommend that you do that. You will get so much more out of the day. The audio is not long and arduous, it tells you all the necessary information that you need to know to appreciate the statue, or to learn about the history of Ellis Island. For example, when De Laboulaye and Batholdi came up with the idea to give the Statue of Liberty to America, they were basically saying to Napoleon "America has the one thing that we in France want - liberty and freedom" "Napoleon - You do not give us that!".
As I walked around the statue I fell more and more in love with her. The colour and the detail up close were amazing. Periodically I would pause the audio, sit under a tree, let the sea breeze cool me down and just watch the tourists from all over the world admire and take photos of her.
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| Coming up to Liberty Island. |
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| Walking around the Statue of Liberty. |
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| Front on view of the Statue. |
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| My favourite view of the statue - looking powerful and strong. |
I stood at the above view of the statue for a long time. My brain found it hard to process that this was a statue made of copper and not a statue that had delicate material draped on her. The folds in her dress are just so real that it was hard for me to comprehend. The sheer artistry of her is amazing.
Whilst on Liberty Island I stopped and had lunch. What amazed me what that the prices for food were around the same price you would get on Manhattan. It's nice to know that the National Parks and Wildlife services are not gouging the public of their money!
After lunch I boarded the boat to Ellis Island.
Basically the boat goes from Manhattan to Liberty Island then onto Ellis Island.
The moment I got off the boat at Ellis Island and headed into the Immigration Hall I could feel the nervousness that still lingered over from the hundreds of thousands of immigrants had to wait and go through the various medical checks before being given residency.
What is amazing about this audio tour is that it is designed so that you follow the process that a newly arrived immigrant would go through. You walk down the main processing hall, go through the different medical rooms, where physical and psychiatric tests were done and check out the dormitories that people would need to stay in until a family member arrived to pick them up. It is an amazing audio tour.
Now, there is a lot to see beyond the audio tour. For example there was one display on how slaves were transported around the southern states of the US once they had arrived from Africa and Jamaica. But by the time I had finished the audio tour I did not have much steam left to see all the other smaller exhibits.
By the time I got back on the boat for Manhattan I was exhausted - a good exhausted. I really felt like I had had an adventure. This was probably the best thing that I have done to date in Manhattan. So, if you really want to learn about the history of America whilst on your stay in New York - this is one option I would not miss.
Whilst on Liberty Island I stopped and had lunch. What amazed me what that the prices for food were around the same price you would get on Manhattan. It's nice to know that the National Parks and Wildlife services are not gouging the public of their money!
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| Whilst on Liberty Island, some guy proposed to his girlfriend. This plane kept circling the island with the message "I love you Bunnies - Marry me please!" |
After lunch I boarded the boat to Ellis Island.
Basically the boat goes from Manhattan to Liberty Island then onto Ellis Island.
The moment I got off the boat at Ellis Island and headed into the Immigration Hall I could feel the nervousness that still lingered over from the hundreds of thousands of immigrants had to wait and go through the various medical checks before being given residency.
What is amazing about this audio tour is that it is designed so that you follow the process that a newly arrived immigrant would go through. You walk down the main processing hall, go through the different medical rooms, where physical and psychiatric tests were done and check out the dormitories that people would need to stay in until a family member arrived to pick them up. It is an amazing audio tour.
Now, there is a lot to see beyond the audio tour. For example there was one display on how slaves were transported around the southern states of the US once they had arrived from Africa and Jamaica. But by the time I had finished the audio tour I did not have much steam left to see all the other smaller exhibits.
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| Entrance to the Immigration Hall. |
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| An example of the type of trunks people would arrive with. |
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| The second floor of the immigration Hall. This is where you would stand in line for hours before you would get your name and basic details cross checked from the list that would arrive with the captain of the ship that you arrived on. Once your were checked off here you would go into a small doorway at the far end of the hall to start the medical checks. |
By the time I got back on the boat for Manhattan I was exhausted - a good exhausted. I really felt like I had had an adventure. This was probably the best thing that I have done to date in Manhattan. So, if you really want to learn about the history of America whilst on your stay in New York - this is one option I would not miss.
The Naked Cowboy
I finally tracked down the Naked Cowboy in Times Square. Yes! there is a guy who walks around Times Square with nothing on except some cowboy boots, cowboy hat and pair of tighty whitey's playing his guitar (even in winter!).
He has been a renowned figure in Manhattan for quite some time.
I can't say the same for the Naked Cowgirl.......wow! that old lady needs to retire. She is over 60 and her wrinkly, saggy boobs are down to her waist - not a pretty picture! Hence why there is no picture. Thought I would save you the pain!!!
He has been a renowned figure in Manhattan for quite some time.
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| Naked Cowboy - sorry it's a bit blurry ladies! |
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| Rear view of the Naked Cowboy |
I can't say the same for the Naked Cowgirl.......wow! that old lady needs to retire. She is over 60 and her wrinkly, saggy boobs are down to her waist - not a pretty picture! Hence why there is no picture. Thought I would save you the pain!!!
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