A Brooklyn Bridge Moment

{taken by yours truly}

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Rockerfeller & that guy…

If you've ever been to Rockerfeller Plaza, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about…

Starting late October, the Rockerfeller Center opens up it's popular outdoor skating rink to the public. What a spectacle! People lineup for hours waiting for their turn to skate circles around this New York treasure. There is always great music blaring on the rink so people can dance to.. It’s a wonderful spot to sit and people watch as well.

There is always a great mix of people skating around.. You have your locals, tourists (a given), kids and adults of all ages, the amateurs and the beginner skaters…

And then there's THAT guy..

The guy who dances to his own beat (literally.. He brought his own tunes with him)
The guy who does the pirouettes to make sure EVERYONE has his attention
The guy who serenades the young ladies who gawk at him in disbelief
The guy who brings a whole new meaning to casual chic…

This guy… {This isn't my video.. But this is the guy I'm talking about}

When we first spotted him, it was around 11:30pm on the 13th after seeing Avenue Q. We were in stitches the entire time we were there. We ended up chatting with a few locals which was pretty awesome. They said they'd been living in NYC for while and they'd never seen anything this outrageous before. Good times had by all.

{The gang with our new friend}

As far as Rockerfeller Ice Skating goes, the cost isn't great, but it's definitely worth a walk through. There is fantastic shopping on the complex and a Magnolia's on site (this alone is worth a trip)

You can check out the costs during peak season here..

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I (heart) Avenue Q ...

I really didn't give a decent explanation as to why I thought Avenue Q was amazing.

Well, here's why…

The wiki summary doesn't do any justice to the show. Honest to god, this show brought Dame Edna to shame.

Charming and Absolutely vulgar in every possible way, you will not have a dull moment and won't be disappointed with this spectacle.

The set isn't very intricate, (the special effects are pretty wicked) but the characters really do a great job keeping you into the story so the back drop really doesn't matter. Keep in mind, the John Golden isn't a brand new high tech facility. The seats are old and the place is run down. That said, there isn't a bad seat in the house (viewing wize) and the ceiling and stage's ornate antique décor add to it's charm. It's a smaller theater and the intimate setting really worked in the show's favor. You want to be able to see the actors facial expressions and see their characters come to life. (it's an art to watch them…). We sat in the balcony (second tier) and saw EVERYTHING.

If I were to recommend one thing, skip the booze at intermission.The bartender was a little too liberal when she made our drinks.. (I'll take it easy on her.. she probably had an off night) $20 for 2 very small/boozy drinks.. I only wanted a refresher!! If you're really thirsty go for the pop and grab a drink after the show. There are tons of restaurants and cafés in the area, you'll have a good mix of choices available to you.

Alrighty, back to the show..

The cast is absolutely amazing. They really know how to make their puppets feel emotions and keep us captivated. Carey Anderson, an ABSOLUTE Stand out, charmed the pants right off of us as Kate Monster & Lucy the Slut. She alone is worth seeing this show. It is an ensemble cast, however the petite blonde is all we could think about after the show. She made quite the impression on us. You also can't forget Treckie (a cookie monster/ Oscar the grouch cross), he will leave you in stitches.

My top 3 numbers from the show:
-What do you do with a BA in English (great show opener!!)
-The internet is for porn
-My girlfriend who lives in Canada
-There is life outside your apartment (I know I said top 3, but there is a moment in this song that cracks me up all the time)

I tried getting familiar with the music before seeing the show. I really didn't get into it because I didn't know in what context the characters emotions were coming from. I'm a very visual person so I had a hard time associating with the different characters and a feel of where the story was going. I suggest you wait to listen to the soundtrack before you see the show. Now every time I listen to this soundtrack, I LOVE it.

In conclusion, I totally recommend this for adults & teens around the age of 16-17. You can bring your entire family, but be WARNED. Be prepared to explain curses, sexual references and explicit puppet fornication (sex) to your 13 year old. I'll leave it at that.

After the show, head on outside to have a photo op with Treckie (in billboard form). We couldn't help but hog the poster for about 15 minutes. You want to remember the good times right??

On a last note, DO NOT BUY TICKETS AT FULL PRICE. Not right now anyways. Look online for LEGITIMATE ticketing companies who offer discount codes for the show. They are trying to get tourists back in the city, due to the crappy economy, so take advantage of these special codes. You can also head down to Time Square the day of the show at the TICKTS booth for good discounts; anticipate for a huge line-up. I signed up to get e-mails from Playbill.com for discount codes. VERY WELL WORTH IT!!

Ratings: A++++++

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From the Lincoln Tunnel to Avenue Q..

Our drive from the airport was great.. if you like gasoline emission... in an unventilated tunnel..
That's right, it's all fun when you see the Men in Black tunnel.. right up until you start driving through it in rush hour traffic at 5pm in the afternoon. Good times..

Got to our digs on the Upper West Side, settled in, had a quick bite to eat (fantastic dindin) and ran for a cab. New York is great for it's cabs.. but just make sure you know where you are going because the drivers thrive on tourists like us for a couple extra bucks.. (do you blame em'?) And make sure to have the address on you in case they have no clue where you want to go.. (our situation for example!! John Golden theater apparently didn't ring a bell)

If you got tickets and plan on going to see a show, try to get there a little earlier than curtain call. Sometimes traffic is unpredicable. Ours? back to back through Time Square.. but that's mostly our fault for waving a cab on Central Park. There will always be a huge lineup outside the theater.. not to worry, you will get in (provided you have your tickets in hand and are at least 5 minutes early)

Avenue Q was AMAZING..

here is a quick description lifted from wikipedia:

The show is largely inspired by (and is in the style of) Sesame
Street: Most of the characters in the show are puppets (operated
by actors onstage), the set depicts several tenements on a rundown street in an Outer Borough of New York City, both the live characters and puppet characters sing, and short animated video clips are played as part of the story."

The characters use profanity, and the songs concern adult themes. A recurring theme is the central character's search for a "purpose." Since the musical soundtrack for it was released, the song "The Internet Is for Porn" has become particularly popular on websites such as YouTube and can be downloaded for free from the official website. According to the official site, the musical
is appropriate for both adults and mature teenagers.

more to come...

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Leading up to day 1

The week of the trip was indeed a busy one. On the Monday we had made this little schedual and by Thursday night the house was supposed to be clean, our bags were supposed to be packed and I had to finish an assignment for my photog class due.. like that day! Nothing was done.. nada… not even the laundry load waiting on us in the basement…

Thursday overall was an interesting day.. I don’t know about you, but I always get anxious for Thursdays to end, I seem to want to get things done and finished before the end of the day so I won’t have anything to do but surf the internet all day Friday (the life of a public servant right?). We were schedualed to leave at 7am and drive to Syracuse to catch our flight to the big apple the next day. By 11:30pm Thursday night, panic mode stepped in. not anywhere near ready..

The trip didn’t exactly start off on the right foot.
I got home from my late night photog class and quickly swept things up to bring with us on the trip and started a laundry load. Everything seemed under control, we had a system going. I even had a couple spare minutes (unheard of!!) to check what was going on in Perez’s world. I now wish I hadn’t…





What the heck do you think went through my mind when this happened??
Switched it to CNN to make sure this wasn’t a joke… Perfect. Not only was it Friday 13th, but we were schedueled to fly with Continental (operated by Colgen Air) and flown on the exact plane that had it’s fiery demise in Buffalo.

(side note, my heart goes out to the families who have lost a loved one in this terrible accident)

We called our travel mates (which probably wasn’t the best idea because a- it was 12:30am and b- well, Friday the 13th… if you are superticious, really not a good day to get this type of news)

We re-grouped and decided to leave at 6am instead of 7am.(seemed like a great idea at the time…) We had a plan.

Day 1: 6am

Breakfast was the first thing on the agenda, but since we were so VERY early, it was hard to hook an open McDonald’s serving breakfast to satisfy the cravings.. (can’t start a trip without the sausage and Egg goodness friends!!) we eventually found one on the road so it worked out.

After running out of window juice and almost being run off the road by some black ice, we finally made it to the airport in Syracuse in record time. 9:30am… when did our flight actually depart you ask? Not until 2pm… we should have known!! We were flying to Newark, and this airport is prone for lengthy delays.. we had tons of time to kill. So much so we did what any good traveler would do, hit up the bar. Nothing like a good drink to calm your nerves right?

Wayyyy wrong..

Things started out ok on the flight.. the snack service was in full force and things were going good.. that’s until the flight attendant said we got to our destination mighty early and started picking up our half finished drinks and snacks 10 minutes in… for those of you who haven’t been on a flight, a service usually lasts 15-20 minutes. To add another notch of scary to the mix, the flight attendant ran up and down the isles picking up trash at the speed of light. He was nowhere near the calmest he should have been...

We hit so much turbulence… When your boyfriend, (who is mostly calm during all flights you’ve ever been on together), gives you that Holy shit look… something is deff way off the charts. We landed… after a very sketchy side skid (very scary feeling).

Even though this was a brand spanking new aircraft… I felt 100% safer in an older crappier aircraft.. Is that strange to you??

It didn’t matter anymore. We were going to be in beautiful SUNNY AND WARM NYC for 10 fantastic days and nothing was going to take that away from us… not even a crappy plane.

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After shocks and after thoughts

So after a very long and interesting journey on the road we are back home safe and sound from the big city. It is my 3rd full day back at work and I’m finding it very hard to concentrate after such an adventure. When you go from beautiful +10c weather and come home to a snow storm (blizzard and all) it’s hard to be optimistic about things.

So how was the trip you ask? To sum it up in one word… NYC was amazing. We did almost everything we wanted to get done and saw so many more sites we’ve never really seen or heard of before. This being my 5th trip to the big apple (I know over kill) I was pleased to see old favorites and enjoyed getting lost amongst the skyscrapers and shops.

Here is a quick summary of things we've learned along the way while in the city..

1. Chinatown, Canal st, is always open no matter the holiday so please, don’t freak out. There will always be bags in the backrooms waiting for you to take them home.


2. The express line on the subway is nothing like the local line. Be careful, you might end up in Harlem if you aren’t paying attention!


3. When you see a dog in Central Park, don’t rush to pet it. If they don’t see you coming, you might get a very unexpected surprise coming your way!


4. It is very cold and windy on the Brooklyn bridge.


5. Broadway and West Broadway are 2 very different streets. Please make sure you don’t confuse the pair.


6. Never EVER buy electronics in Time Square. (consider yourself warned)


7. Use the Subway, it’s much cheaper to get from one end of the city to the other rather than taking a cab.


8. Movie Mike has the best bootleg DVD collection in town, at $5 a pop, you won’t be disappointed.


9. Always cross at an intersection in Time Square. Cabbies may see you, but they will never stop if the light is green. Be very careful or a trip to the hospital might be needed.
   
10. Wear sensible shoes people... unlike Nancy Sinatra, my boots were made for walking shorter distances.. Keep your daisy boots at home and wear sneakers...

Stay tuned for more…

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The traveller in me..

Every time we go on a trip I always go to the local Book place to find travel guides about the cities we visit.. Before you stop me and call me crazy for spending money on things you can find over the internet.. please hear me out. I have found online guides to be incomplete and tend to always be written by visitors (Like me) and not locals who know the nooks and crannies and untold stories of the big apple. I tend to learn more from travel guides (like Lonely Planet and Fodor's) rather then the usual travel websites. I've been to New York 4 times.. it's about time I saw other things other than the empire state building (twice) and the statue of Liberty (Three times and counting).

I always like to plan ahead, map out the city and disect a timeline. It's the planner in me.. Honnestly, I can't help it!


A good way to visit an unknown city is finding activities that cost next to nothing to do. This time around, we're making this our quest.

Here are a couple frebbies I found online and in my guide.

• Federal Reserve Bank (daily tours from 9:30am to 3:30pm) If this is your bag of tricks, make sure to call ahead and reserve your spot. Also allow some time to clear security when walking in for your tour. This could take up to a half hour if not longer.


• Time Square Tour (daily at 11am) Discover where the neighboorhood of bright billboards started.


• Grand Central Station tour (Fridays 12:30pm - 2:30pm) If you check the GCS website, there is an information number you can call to book a private or a public tour. Call in advance to book. Maybe pop in to have a quick lunch at the Deli.. yummy!!


• Walk along the Brooklin bridge to catch breath taking views of the New York skyline..
  

You can also take your own walking tour and look at the historic architecture NYC has to offer. Modern and classic styles, trust me you won't be bored!

I've also checked around for paying tours of the city. Please make sure you don't get had with certain tours. Some charge outrageous amounts for sitting on a bus and peaking out the window once in a while. Here are a few interresting "pay tours" that seem interresting enough to take.

• Madame Tussaud's wax museum (If you want to rub shoulders with Brangelina & Madonna this is the place for you) While admission is pricy, It's a great group activity on a rainy day or just to wind down and have a laugh. (tourist trap.. I know.. but still very entertaining!!)


• NBC studios tour- Ever wanted to stand on the set of Saturday Night Live? Now's your chance! Visit the sets of Conan, SNL, Dateline and more if you're lucky.. you might even get to bump into one of the guest hosts or sit in on an SNL rehersal!


• Food of New York tour: eat your heart out my friends, the best of NYC is coming at ya!! It's a walking/eating tour designed for an eat and learning experience. Pick between Chelsea/meatpacking district, Chinatown (for dimsum), sushi tour... Check it out for yourself!! For more information on reservations and descriptions of the tours, visit http://www.foodsofny.com/
  

I'm taking my own little tour. Listen to this. NYC toy store tour... How's that for fun? Actually this is really happening.. lol The child in me is coming out!!

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