In New York freedom looks like too many choices - "New York", U2
U2 says it like nobody else. Here's a recap of my family's Wed-Sat odyssey in Manhattan...
WARNING: long post!
JetBlue
We flew on JetBlue. I just discovered The Sports Guy's thoughts on JetBlue, and they match my initial impressions. For those of you who haven't heard of this relatively new airline, they go for a couple of relatively new ideas in flight travel - there are no "classes", instead everyone gets relatively comfortable leather seats. They don't serve meals, instead they serve a couple rounds of snacks and drinks, and allow passengers to buy their own food and bring it onto the plane. Finally, they're probably most well-known for being the first airline to install mini-televisions into the back of each headrest, so each passenger has their own DirecTV with 24 channels. Most of the major ones - CNN, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, Travel, Food, Fox, ABC, NBC, Cartoon... 24 total. This could very well revolutionize air travel as we know it, as travelers who previously could only read, sleep, listen to music, or converse now have another familiar option. On the flight home on Saturday alone, I watched the Dallas-Sac game, the Minnesota-Denver game, and two episodes of "Iron Chef America."
The downside is that when you think it's about time to give your poor eyes a rest from all those glowing, moving images, it's just not possible. Even if you turn off your own screen, your neighbors will likely have theirs on, and if you stand up to stretch, the entire cabin is lit up with an eerie glow. If you actually want to read or have a conversation with a neighbor, you're probably not going to have much of an opportunity.
Incidentally, Iron Chef America was relatively entertaining in terms of the food/competition aspect, but all the little quirks that make dubbed Japanese shows fun to watch just weren't quite there. Plus, the judges seemed to be incapable of saying anything bad about anyone's cooking.
Wednesday
In hindsight, we should have taken a red-eye Tuesday night and arrived Wednesday morning so we'd have another full day; as it was, we boarded the plane at 1 pm on Wednesday and arrived at JFK around 9:30 PM Eastern time. We took a cab into Manhattan, and pulled up to our hotel (which was literally a block away from Times Square - one of these days I will get around to posting pictures!). Stepping out onto the curb, my nose was assailed by some of the city smells that I remembered from my missions trip 4 years ago - a miasma of automobile exhaust, the aroma from curbside trash bags, steam rising from the subway vents, and the smell of the mass of humanity. After years in the (relatively) clean-aired Bay Area, my sinuses had gotten soft, so sneezing became a fairly regular part of my visit.
Thursday - the Met, Serendipity, The Producers
In short, our NYC experience can be summed up thusly: walk, eat, walk some more, take pics, take the subway, come back to the hotel, watch some hoops, go to sleep. We woke up and walked around the corner to have breakfast at a quaint little Italian-style restaurant called Daniela Trattoria, and scarfed down a tasty sausage-onions-mushrooms-broccoli omelette with potatoes on the side to give energy for the day. We walked around and through a good portion of the lower half of Central Park, enjoying the scenery, asking questions like "Don't these people have to work? It's 11 in the morning!", and taking pictures of the newly blooming trees silhouetted against the skyline.
We eventually ended up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Aside from the Arms and Armor section (old school weapons always make me happy!), I greatly enjoyed the Monets and the "Byzantium: Faith and Culture" exhibit. There was also one memorable drawing with a tiger attacking an incredibly realistic horse, and I was even more impressed when reading the description - apparently the artist (circa 1800s) was able to draw the physiology of the horse so well because he went and dissected several of them to get a feel for the musculature. Now that's devotion to your art!
My bro and I also had fun mocking the Modern Art wing. Who gets modern art anyway? It doesn't look like anything! There's stuff like a black dot on a white canvas. You'd expect a piece in the Met like that to have a profound name of some sort, but nope, it's called "Black Circle on White Canvas." Why not something like, "Polar Bear Blinking in a Blizzard" (bonus points if you identify the reference)? At least let the viewer guess at some deeper meaning. Sheesh.
Afterwards, we took a break at the Serendipity 3 store (from the movie) where we had frozen hot chocolate - good stuff. We then walked back to Times Square and had dinner at a Szechuan restaurant my boss recommended, before changing into clean clothing and heading to the St. James Theater for "The Producers." Even though we didn't get the big name actors (Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Jason Alexander), it was still quite funny - basically a Mel Brooks movie set to music. Lots of puns, quick wit flying back and forth, wonderful set changes, and decent singing. Favorite understated quote - "Who knew that the accountant would be my Judas?"
Friday - Greenwich Village, Ground Zero, Chinatown, French food
Friday morning, we woke up rather early (8 am, so 5 am by our CA clock) and rode the subway to 8th Street in the southern part of Manhattan, where NYU is. Here we dropped off my bro for his admit day, while my parents and I walked off and had breakfast at a quaint pastry shop called Veniero's.
We then subway'ed to Ground Zero. It's quite sobering to be walking out of the station in between buildings, then reaching a two-block radius of empty space in the skyline. The entire section is fenced off, with pictures and text on placards describing the events of 9/11, plus unforgettable lists of those who died in the buildings and the rescue workers who tried to save them. Particularly memorable was the tattered flag that was shown in countless photos in the days following the 2001 events, as well as a cross that someone constructed out of steel girders. Brought back memories.
From there, we walked up alongside the south side of Manhattan up the east side, walking through Battery Park (where we caught a glimpse of the Queen Mary 2 on its way back to England) and to a street fair near South Street Seaport. Ate lunch (italian sausage w/ onions & peppers), then walked through Little Italy and Chinatown. Amusingly, once we got to Chinatown, my mom glanced around, exclaimed excitedly and ushered us into Dim Sum Go Go, a dim sum restaurant she saw on the Food Network... so we had a second lunch. Or "twosies", as the hobbits might call it.
We continued the walking and eating theme by heading to Les Pommes Frites, a gourmet fry place I saw on the Food Network... apparently they're known for their sauces, which they provide accompanying fresh fries. We got the most popular - mango chutney. It was surprisingly tasty... the fries melted in your mouth, and the sauce added unexpected sweetness.
In the evening, we waited for my bro to get out of his law school day, then headed to a late dinner at L'Ecole, a restaurant run by the French Culinary Institute that serves as a training ground for their student chefs. So, for $30 a person, we got soup, a fish entree, meat entree, salad, and dessert. I had an asparagus soup, onion-encrusted salmon filet, roast filet of beef, and an apple tart. Needless to say, after this day we were quite stuffed.
On the way back to the hotel, we passed by Bloomingdale's, where there was a line several blocks long (even at 9 pm!) of people wanting to get in to buy something, but we couldn't figure out what it was. They needed tickets! They had security people directing traffic by blocking off the sidewalk to let people in! The things people will do for fashion. I felt sorry for the unhappy-looking guys who were in line with their girlfriends. Well, I guess sometimes sacrifices have to be made.
Saturday - Grand Central Station, Madison Square Garden
We had the morning to sightsee again, so walked to Grand Central Station, and also took pictures of the Empire State Building, New York Public Library, and other landmarks. We also walked by the legendary Madison Square Garden while the 2004 NFL draft was taking place. We didn't hear any cheering after Eli Manning got traded to the Giants, though.
Had lunch at John's Pizzeria off of Times Square (good stuff - very light), then flew home.
Random impressions
- I'm not typically a city boy... I don't go for bright lights, high fashion, happening nightlife, etc. My favorite thing about New York is the diversity. There are just so many people, everywhere you look and wherever you are. Whereas in the past, my private self would get the better of me and I'd recoil at the thought of having no "peace and quiet", now I feel a deep sense of wonder and appreciation being able to take in a part of NYC at a glance and see people from all walks of life - white, black, Asian, Latino, Jewish, Middle Eastern; rich or poor, young or old...
There's something profound about being able to ride in a subway car and just for those few minutes, to have the opportunity to be a very very small part of someone else's life. To look at each person and know that they have a past, an upbringing, some series of events and people and life experience that has brought them to the place they are now at in their lives... that's just so rich to me. Everyone's so unique.
Maybe that's a little like how God sees the world.
- At the NBA store on 5th Ave, there's a statue of Allan Houston made entirely of Legoes!
- There's something nice about walking and public transportation. It makes for a different feel to society, like people are more immediate to you... they are there, they are present, and it's harder to act like they don't exist to you. There's something earthy and natural about walking to get where you want to go. I noticed that the vast majority of people in Manhattan (that I saw, at least) were pretty physically fit. In Berkeley, I know I was more fit than I am now because you have to walk everywhere. In the Silicon Valley, it's very easy for your "worlds" to consist of: your house, your car, and your cube. That's awfully lonely, in my opinion.
U2 says it like nobody else. Here's a recap of my family's Wed-Sat odyssey in Manhattan...
WARNING: long post!
JetBlue
We flew on JetBlue. I just discovered The Sports Guy's thoughts on JetBlue, and they match my initial impressions. For those of you who haven't heard of this relatively new airline, they go for a couple of relatively new ideas in flight travel - there are no "classes", instead everyone gets relatively comfortable leather seats. They don't serve meals, instead they serve a couple rounds of snacks and drinks, and allow passengers to buy their own food and bring it onto the plane. Finally, they're probably most well-known for being the first airline to install mini-televisions into the back of each headrest, so each passenger has their own DirecTV with 24 channels. Most of the major ones - CNN, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, Travel, Food, Fox, ABC, NBC, Cartoon... 24 total. This could very well revolutionize air travel as we know it, as travelers who previously could only read, sleep, listen to music, or converse now have another familiar option. On the flight home on Saturday alone, I watched the Dallas-Sac game, the Minnesota-Denver game, and two episodes of "Iron Chef America."
The downside is that when you think it's about time to give your poor eyes a rest from all those glowing, moving images, it's just not possible. Even if you turn off your own screen, your neighbors will likely have theirs on, and if you stand up to stretch, the entire cabin is lit up with an eerie glow. If you actually want to read or have a conversation with a neighbor, you're probably not going to have much of an opportunity.
Incidentally, Iron Chef America was relatively entertaining in terms of the food/competition aspect, but all the little quirks that make dubbed Japanese shows fun to watch just weren't quite there. Plus, the judges seemed to be incapable of saying anything bad about anyone's cooking.
Wednesday
In hindsight, we should have taken a red-eye Tuesday night and arrived Wednesday morning so we'd have another full day; as it was, we boarded the plane at 1 pm on Wednesday and arrived at JFK around 9:30 PM Eastern time. We took a cab into Manhattan, and pulled up to our hotel (which was literally a block away from Times Square - one of these days I will get around to posting pictures!). Stepping out onto the curb, my nose was assailed by some of the city smells that I remembered from my missions trip 4 years ago - a miasma of automobile exhaust, the aroma from curbside trash bags, steam rising from the subway vents, and the smell of the mass of humanity. After years in the (relatively) clean-aired Bay Area, my sinuses had gotten soft, so sneezing became a fairly regular part of my visit.
Thursday - the Met, Serendipity, The Producers
In short, our NYC experience can be summed up thusly: walk, eat, walk some more, take pics, take the subway, come back to the hotel, watch some hoops, go to sleep. We woke up and walked around the corner to have breakfast at a quaint little Italian-style restaurant called Daniela Trattoria, and scarfed down a tasty sausage-onions-mushrooms-broccoli omelette with potatoes on the side to give energy for the day. We walked around and through a good portion of the lower half of Central Park, enjoying the scenery, asking questions like "Don't these people have to work? It's 11 in the morning!", and taking pictures of the newly blooming trees silhouetted against the skyline.
We eventually ended up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Aside from the Arms and Armor section (old school weapons always make me happy!), I greatly enjoyed the Monets and the "Byzantium: Faith and Culture" exhibit. There was also one memorable drawing with a tiger attacking an incredibly realistic horse, and I was even more impressed when reading the description - apparently the artist (circa 1800s) was able to draw the physiology of the horse so well because he went and dissected several of them to get a feel for the musculature. Now that's devotion to your art!
My bro and I also had fun mocking the Modern Art wing. Who gets modern art anyway? It doesn't look like anything! There's stuff like a black dot on a white canvas. You'd expect a piece in the Met like that to have a profound name of some sort, but nope, it's called "Black Circle on White Canvas." Why not something like, "Polar Bear Blinking in a Blizzard" (bonus points if you identify the reference)? At least let the viewer guess at some deeper meaning. Sheesh.
Afterwards, we took a break at the Serendipity 3 store (from the movie) where we had frozen hot chocolate - good stuff. We then walked back to Times Square and had dinner at a Szechuan restaurant my boss recommended, before changing into clean clothing and heading to the St. James Theater for "The Producers." Even though we didn't get the big name actors (Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Jason Alexander), it was still quite funny - basically a Mel Brooks movie set to music. Lots of puns, quick wit flying back and forth, wonderful set changes, and decent singing. Favorite understated quote - "Who knew that the accountant would be my Judas?"
Friday - Greenwich Village, Ground Zero, Chinatown, French food
Friday morning, we woke up rather early (8 am, so 5 am by our CA clock) and rode the subway to 8th Street in the southern part of Manhattan, where NYU is. Here we dropped off my bro for his admit day, while my parents and I walked off and had breakfast at a quaint pastry shop called Veniero's.
We then subway'ed to Ground Zero. It's quite sobering to be walking out of the station in between buildings, then reaching a two-block radius of empty space in the skyline. The entire section is fenced off, with pictures and text on placards describing the events of 9/11, plus unforgettable lists of those who died in the buildings and the rescue workers who tried to save them. Particularly memorable was the tattered flag that was shown in countless photos in the days following the 2001 events, as well as a cross that someone constructed out of steel girders. Brought back memories.
From there, we walked up alongside the south side of Manhattan up the east side, walking through Battery Park (where we caught a glimpse of the Queen Mary 2 on its way back to England) and to a street fair near South Street Seaport. Ate lunch (italian sausage w/ onions & peppers), then walked through Little Italy and Chinatown. Amusingly, once we got to Chinatown, my mom glanced around, exclaimed excitedly and ushered us into Dim Sum Go Go, a dim sum restaurant she saw on the Food Network... so we had a second lunch. Or "twosies", as the hobbits might call it.
We continued the walking and eating theme by heading to Les Pommes Frites, a gourmet fry place I saw on the Food Network... apparently they're known for their sauces, which they provide accompanying fresh fries. We got the most popular - mango chutney. It was surprisingly tasty... the fries melted in your mouth, and the sauce added unexpected sweetness.
In the evening, we waited for my bro to get out of his law school day, then headed to a late dinner at L'Ecole, a restaurant run by the French Culinary Institute that serves as a training ground for their student chefs. So, for $30 a person, we got soup, a fish entree, meat entree, salad, and dessert. I had an asparagus soup, onion-encrusted salmon filet, roast filet of beef, and an apple tart. Needless to say, after this day we were quite stuffed.
On the way back to the hotel, we passed by Bloomingdale's, where there was a line several blocks long (even at 9 pm!) of people wanting to get in to buy something, but we couldn't figure out what it was. They needed tickets! They had security people directing traffic by blocking off the sidewalk to let people in! The things people will do for fashion. I felt sorry for the unhappy-looking guys who were in line with their girlfriends. Well, I guess sometimes sacrifices have to be made.
Saturday - Grand Central Station, Madison Square Garden
We had the morning to sightsee again, so walked to Grand Central Station, and also took pictures of the Empire State Building, New York Public Library, and other landmarks. We also walked by the legendary Madison Square Garden while the 2004 NFL draft was taking place. We didn't hear any cheering after Eli Manning got traded to the Giants, though.
Had lunch at John's Pizzeria off of Times Square (good stuff - very light), then flew home.
Random impressions
- I'm not typically a city boy... I don't go for bright lights, high fashion, happening nightlife, etc. My favorite thing about New York is the diversity. There are just so many people, everywhere you look and wherever you are. Whereas in the past, my private self would get the better of me and I'd recoil at the thought of having no "peace and quiet", now I feel a deep sense of wonder and appreciation being able to take in a part of NYC at a glance and see people from all walks of life - white, black, Asian, Latino, Jewish, Middle Eastern; rich or poor, young or old...
There's something profound about being able to ride in a subway car and just for those few minutes, to have the opportunity to be a very very small part of someone else's life. To look at each person and know that they have a past, an upbringing, some series of events and people and life experience that has brought them to the place they are now at in their lives... that's just so rich to me. Everyone's so unique.
Maybe that's a little like how God sees the world.
- At the NBA store on 5th Ave, there's a statue of Allan Houston made entirely of Legoes!
- There's something nice about walking and public transportation. It makes for a different feel to society, like people are more immediate to you... they are there, they are present, and it's harder to act like they don't exist to you. There's something earthy and natural about walking to get where you want to go. I noticed that the vast majority of people in Manhattan (that I saw, at least) were pretty physically fit. In Berkeley, I know I was more fit than I am now because you have to walk everywhere. In the Silicon Valley, it's very easy for your "worlds" to consist of: your house, your car, and your cube. That's awfully lonely, in my opinion.
posted by Bob at
1:28 AM
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