New York Nature

One last chance to cram in more New York moments! After all, we had return bus tickets that needed to be used up, and a whole morning to waste away in the city, so why not make the most of it? Bags packed, we checked out of the Quality Inn Lyndhurst and boarded the 191 into New York City one last time. During the ride, we browsed through the tour book, looking for ideas, when I remembered a suggestion Lesley had made regarding the American Museum of Natural History. Though we only had a few hours, why NOT use them to explore one of the more fantastic museums in the city(and for all you movie buffs out there, this is where they filmed "Night at the Museum", with Ben Stiller).

One thing I've never understood is museums that have a "suggested donation" entry fee. What brave person is going to approach the ticketing agent with a 5-dollar bill and ask to enter the museum? And we were never really given the option pay anything else BUT the suggested ticket amount, plus the 5-dollar extra fee to see the planetarium, of course. But how could we miss out on a show narrator by Neil DeGrasse Tyson?! We couldn't - the star of the Cosmos series reboot makes learning about the origins of the universe so fun. Plus, the planetarium here is an actual planet, complete with nearby solar system!

We followed up the trip to the stars with a quick tour of some of the other galleries, passing by scenes of North American Mammals, a giant Indian war canoe, precious stones and the meteorite room. We learned about the origins of the human race and gawked at dinosaur skeletons and moon rocks. We passed through many a gift shop filled with all sorts of strange and wonderful things. Once lunchtime rolled around, we decided we had seen a fair share of the museum and needed to leave some for the next trip, so we crossed the street into Central Park for a picnic.

Past Strawberry Fields and the Mall is a great expanse of grass called the Sheep Meadow. Here, we purchased a couple of sandwiches and drinks from Au Pain Quotidien, a cafe in the park, and plunked down onto the grass for lunch. We watched New York families picnicking on blankets, tossing frisbees, people sunbathing out in the field, or strolling under the trees. On such a beautiful Sunday, the people of New York were getting out of their cramped apartments and enjoying nature in the centre of the their city. What a great place to be.

Noting the time, we gathered our things and began the trek back to the bus station. On the way, we wandered through a street market, lined with stalls selling everything from the same I *heart* NY souvenirs we've seen all over to the city, to unique fashion items, by way of BBQ ribs grills and lemonade stands. What an eclectic mix of things to peruse! At this point we realized that our bus was coming soon, and if we missed it, we would be stuck in the city another full hour, so we hurried along. Dodging smoking grills and comedy club performers, we weaved through the crowds of Times Square, past the lines of the Cake Boss' bakery, and into the bus station, where we made it with 1 minute to spare. We counted our lucky stars that, this trip, timing had been on our side, took our seats and enjoyed the ride.

Back on the road, this time in our own car, Mario and I reflected on all that we had seen and done over the last 72 hours, making note of the things we missed, and planned to see again next time around. It had been several very busy, packed days, that seemed to stretch into weeks, and we were surprised to realize that this had only been a weekend in the big city. Imagine what we could have done with a whole week's worth of time?! With so many places to visit, so many restaurants to try, and so many corners of Central Park yet to explore, we would definitely be back.


Until next time.

Enjoying "FREE"dom

After a day of rain, what a treat it is to see the sun peek out and melt away the clouds. With the day promising to be brighter and warmer than yesterday, we decided to explore Central Park, New York's green middle. First though, adventures in the NY subway, because how can you not use it when in the city? Confusing? Yes. Impossible to use? Not really, just takes a little bit of patience and a lot of understanding. In New York, several lines can use the same track, but end in different places, same as some trains are local, while other are express and skip some stations. There are letter lines, and number lines, and different colour lines, but don't ask why - I haven't figured that part out yet. Suffice it to say, with a combination of information screens, in-station maps, and a handy little off-line app Mario sourced, we managed to get lost only once, not wait too long, and in the end, always arrived at our desired station. This trip, that desired station was the uptown corner of Central Park.

Central Park is huge, and criss-crossed with a maze of paths and archways, ponds and pools, reservoirs and oh so many joggers and cyclists. Yikes. Granted, we found out that the New York triathlon was happening this very weekend, but still - too many joggers. We followed small paths through what felt like an isolated forest, only catching a glimpse of the city once in a while. It really felt like another place altogether. I can understand why people the people of New York love their park so much, it is a way to get out of the city without really getting out the city.

Insert here a brief intermission from the park, where we dipped back into the city to pick up picnic supplies at Zabar's, once a kosher deli that has become so much more of a gourmet food store. We chose house-smoked Nova salmon, cream cheese with lox, and some real New York bagels, attempting to answer the age-old question of which one is better, theirs or ours. If you ask me, both, when fresh, are excellent in their own right. With a bag full of snacks, we returned to the lush green of the park, and found a spot to sit and enjoy our lunch.

Bellies full(so much cream cheese...), we toured some of the grand installation in Central Park. We walked around Bethesda fountain and down the Mall, both of which you might have seen in any number of Hollywood films. We laughed as we watched couples try to paddle their way around the Lake in row boats, crashing into trees, the shore, and each other as they went. So romantic. We marveled at the acoustics of the Bethesda Arcade, listening to an acapella group serenading their audience, while a busker blew long, squiggly bubbles in the background.

As we neared the end of the park and inevitable exit into Midtown, the crowds got fuller and fuller. It is obvious that most day-trippers and "fast-pass" tourists come into the Park via this end, check out the must-see stops, including the fountain, Mall, and Central Park zoo, then head on their merry way. This end of the park boasts some of the best city-vs-green juxtapositions, too, which are great for photos, and therefore great for the quintessential snapshot of the park. We re-entered the city and continued on.

Here again, we chose to walk past some more of the great buildings of the city. In fact, we made it into a sort of game, trying to find the best street angle from which to capture the skyscrapers at their most photogenic angle. Mario wonders if someone has already created an algorithm for this, which would be tricky because you would have to take into account surrounding buildings, the angle of the sun, etc. Sounds like a fun projects, but for now, we content ourselves with capturing the beauty of both the Empire State building and the Chrysler building with a gorgeous glowing sun, blue sky and perfect puffy clouds to anchor the shot. We pop into Grand Central Terminal for a coffee break and to admire the grand marble hall with its ceiling full of constellation. Sadly, no lying on the floor permitted, so we craned our necks and simply looked up.

Another trip on the subway led us to South Ferry and the World Trade Centre, where we contemplated the immense fountains at the 9/11 Memorial. We learned the story of the survivor tree, found in the rubble of the towers with new growth. It was sent to a nursery in NJ to be brought back to health, and finally returned to the same spot where it was found, 9 years later. Unfortunately, this memorial does not have the same air of melancholic contemplation about it that I was expecting, like I experienced in Hiroshima. Families pose their children in groups for selfies. People ignore the signs and toss coins into the void at the centre of the fountain. Small carts are parked here and there, selling 9/11 memorabilia, like bags, books and DVDs. Sure, the proceeds probably go towards something important, but it seems too commercial for such a hallowed place. Made me sad.

A quick slice of pizza at one of the many, many cheap joints in town, and we headed to the Staten Island Ferry. Not only does the ferry offer some great views of the city from afar include a fantastic drive-by(float-by?) of the Statue of Liberty, it's FREE! There's plenty of room for everyone, the ride is about 20 minutes, then you get off one boat, board another, and cross back into the city! As luck would have it, our return trip coincided with a gorgeous sunset, which created such glorious silhouettes to be captured on film(or SD card). Plus, did I mention it was FREE?! We contemplated just riding the ferry back and forth across the water all night, as the service runs 24 hours, to watch the lights of the city get brighter as the sky grew dark.

A final subway ride back to Midtown brought us to Totto Ramen, a tiny basement restaurant, big enough for about 20 or so people to sit and one of the best ramen places in the city. They served up the most delicious bowls of fresh noodles and rich pork broth, and it made us feel like we had traveled back to Kyoto for a meal. You really can't beat a good bowl of ramen. Bellies full(again), we tottered back through Times Square and the hot dog carts, back to the bus and the ride though Lincoln Tunnel to the hotel and bed.

Adventure in the rain

For a day that threatened to rain hard on our parade, we managed to turn it into quite adventure, squeezing in art, culture, and a size-able amount of tasty junk food! It involved a fair bit of shelter-taking, umbrella-balancing and rain jacket-wearing, but we really did make the most of it, though we ended a bit more damp than we began. After hopping on the NJ Transit bus that took us from the hotel right into town, we did what any other self-respecting tourist of this great city would do - we headed straight for Times Square. On such a rainy, overcast day, the lights of the billboards glowed so bright that they were blinding. We weaved around groups of people standing and staring, popping umbrellas and snapping pictures. We watched the lights flash and the sewers puff steam out of tall orange cones. We tried our luck at the tkts booth for a discounted Broadway show, only to discover that the Times Square location didn't open until 3pm. The helpful attendant directed us to the Lincoln Center location instead. After walking several blocks in the wrong direction, we still managed to snag half-priced seats for the evening's performance of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.

Next came a bullet-point list of great architecture in the city: We walked past the Flatiron building during our misdirected walk, then discovered our proximity to the Empire State building upon turning a corner in Midtown. We stopped at the Time Warner building looking for the Bouchon bakery, and scoffed at Trump Tower across the street. We popped over to Shake Shack(recommended by Anthony Bourdain!) for excellent burgers, fries and shakes, smushed into a back corner of the restaurant, crowded by people who obviously got the same recommendation. And rightfully so - the double cheese burger and crispy portobello burger were soooo good, and the malted vanilla milkshake was heavenly.

Refueled and recharged, though still damp, we continued our walk past important buildings. We found Rockefeller center, with its statues and fountains, LEGO store and giant ballerina Mylar balloon. The sculpture of Altas was still holding his big Globe, out front. Across the street, St. Patrick's Cathedral provided some peace from the rain, but no quiet. In fact, I think it was the noisiest church I have ever visited! The interior still proves to be beautiful and bright, stained glass lighting up the walls with a blue and purple glow. To one side, a family celebrates a baptism - everyone was dressed to the nines, the little girls wore white dresses with bows in their hair. Tourists took snapshots
and moved on.

Our timing proved to be impeccable this trip, as we found ourselves perfectly placed to attend the free Friday evening at the Museum of Modern Art. Van Gogh, Warhol, and Pollock beckon, with their splatters and their swirls and their cans of soup. The place filled up fast, being FREE and all, and we found ourselves competing with crowds a la Mona Lisa in the Louvre, though only for the big draws. We discovered the art of architecture with Frank Lloyd Wright, and realized the beauty in his floor plans and ar-deco stained glass. We didn't stay too late, though, as Broadway called...

Knowing nothing about the show prior to buying the tickets, I have to say we picked the perfect performance to attend. The theatre had been transformed to look like an old jazz club, full of red velour curtains and sepia drawing, glowing chandeliers and lamps on glass tables. The stage was more of a loopy track, running all over the place, up into the audience, back down into the middle of the floor, between tables and back again. The performers, playing a wonderful mix of Russian elite and gypsies, interacted so seamlessly with the audience members, you almost forgot you were watching a show! There was joyful singing, violin and accordion playing, lots of "vodka" drinking, and even pierogies passed around. We even got passed a basket of shakers to join in the fun! It was wonderful and lively and sad and beautiful and then the comet came crashing down, and the audience stood up and cheered. I've never experienced anything like it, and would gladly go back again
tomorrow.

Walking back to the bus lead us back through Times Square, and since the rain had stopped, the crowds were picking up again, even though it was close to midnight. In the glow of the movie billboards and product advertisements, we ate hot dogs from a street vendor and took it all in. THIS is New York.

Hello New York.

I remember being young, sitting with my sister in the back of my parents' van, singing to the radio at the top of my lungs, as we booted down the east coast of the United States. My childhood is filled with similar roadtrip memories, sometimes changing to a motorhome, sometimes changing routes. One sure thing was that time passed so quickly in the back of that van, lying on sleeping bags, listening to music, wind blowing through my hair, and already we had arrived at our destination. Today, driving down the I-87 through New York State to New Jersey dredged up a lot of those memories, with picnics at rest areas and photos at mountain viewpoints. I skipped through a whole mess of old CDs, stopping on classics(!) like REM and Linkin Park, singing along to the Presidents of the United States of America's "Peaches", while Mario cringed at my music choices. We stopped for a break at a service centre for coffee and gas, where sadly, there were no viewpoints to be had. We made it all the way to the hotel without a map, without GPS, and without getting lost once. And once we dropped our bags in the room, we headed back out for a midnight ride to the waterfront for some awesome views of the Manhattan skyline, glowing brightly through a low fog.




Hello New York.