Thursday, April 09, 2009

New York

















So there's good news and bad news . . . the good news is that I'm blogging about my New York trip (finally). The bad news (well, some may view it as bad, some may not) is that I still haven't really figured out the direction I want to take this blog, so after I tell you all about New York, I probably won't be blogging too often for a while.

I absolutely adored the whole trip. I can't even begin to describe how excited I was to board an airplane and go someone that I've been dreaming about visiting for what feels like a million years! Finally being able to visit such an amazing city, full of amazing landmarks, cultural centres, cool architecture, and incredible shopping experiences, coupled with the fact that it was my first vacation in YEARS, made it a trip I'm not likely to ever forget. Even now, weeks after returning home, I yearn to go back.

We arrived in New York very, very early on Monday (March 16th) morning. We caught a cab from JFK to our hotel, the Affinia 50. Knowing that there was a flat $45 rate from the airport into Manhattan was very helpful. I felt confident that Jennifer and I didn't have to worry about getting ripped off or anything. I've taken cabs in and around the Vancouver area before, but a New York cab is a totally new experience. There is a clear barrier between the front and back seat (which I knew). There is a mini interactive tv, complete with news stories, an introduction from Regis and Kelly of tv fame, and a map that shows you your progress through the city (which I didn't know about). The driver was very nice. He was obviously an immigrant (Eastern European, perhaps?), but spoke English well. He sped us to our hotel (there wasn't much traffic at that time of night) at a speed that made me glad I was too tired to really get a good look at the speedometer! The hotel staff was friendly and helpful, and we were soon in our room getting ready for some much-needed sleep.

After sleeping in to 10:30am, Jennifer and I set off for our first New York adventure. We had breakfast at a real New York bagel place (huge, delicious bagels with any sort of topping imagineable available!). Then we headed off to a subway station in order to get to a large electronics store that Jennifer had read about. She wanted to buy a camcorder to help capture all the amazing experiences we were about to have. The store, for being so large, was really efficiently run. There were a lot of Jewish employees and customers, and I later surmised that the area we were in was a Jewish neighbourhood. The store had conveyor belts running all around it to deliver packages from the counters to the cashiers. It was really interesting to watch. Anyway, after making the purchase, we headed out and went to the Empire State Building.

Waiting in line to enjoy our first New York tourist stop was surreal. The line that we had to stand and wait in (for at least 30 minutes) was the security line! Just like being at the airport, we had to put our bags in a bin to pass through an x-ray machine while we walked through metal detectors. New Yorkers are very concerned (justifiably so, I suppose) with the security of their tourist attractions and monuments! Anyway, after going up through a series of elevators, we arrived at the 86th floor observation deck and were treated to amazing views and picture opportunities!
This is the Flatiron Building, one of the many really cool buildings around the city. This is definitely one of my all-time favourite pictures from the trip.

After we exhausted our picture-taking desires, we passed through the gift shop, where I bought a souvenir shot glass for my friend Frank, and then headed back down the elevator to leave. That's when I experienced the only bad part of the trip. I had been keeping my camera in my jacket pocket so I could easily pull it out for pictures. When we got off the elevator, I automatically put my hand in pocket to feel for my camera and realized that my pocket was unzipped and my camera was gone. I was shaken up to think that after only a half a day in New York, I had lost my camera and all my pictures! I immediately went to talk to an employee to see if there was any way it had been turned in already (after only 2 minutes, yeah, sure!). We were promptly whisked back upstairs in the elevator to check at the gift shop (nope, wasn't there!) and then we were taken downstairs through the bowels of the building to the security office. The man we talked to there was sympathetic, but hadn't seen it. He gave me the security office number to call later in the week in case it turned up. He urged me to call as he believed in the "honesty of New Yorkers." At no time did I think my camera had been stolen out of my pocket, so I guess I believed in the honesty of New Yorkers as well. Anyway, as we were leaving the building, I checked my purse for the umpteenth time and discovered my camera in a pocket I wouldn't normally have put it in. Thank goodness!

Later that evening, we met up with Jane, a friend of our stepmom's who lives in New York. She had graciously agreed to take us around Greenwich Village and take us out for dinner. We had a lot of fun walking around and seeing the sights! Dinner was at a lovely Italian restaurant with delicious food and a warm atmosphere.
Jennifer and Jane. Notice their complementary outfits!

The evening was pleasant for walking, and I was able to snap a picture of this famous New York sight, The Arch at Washington Square Park!

Day two dawned bright and early. We headed out fairly early, dressed in our St. Patrick's Day finest, to be in place for the famous St. Patrick's Day parade. We managed to snag a great spot near St. Patrick's Cathedral and had "front row" views for all the great paraders. Sorry, no parade pictures here as it would have been way to hard to choose just one picture! One cool thing was that the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, walked right past us as part of the parade! I know what he looks like from different articles and things I've read. He was surrounded by bodyguards so I didn't get a good picture. Jennifer doesn't know what he looks like, so we're not sure it she lucked into getting a picture of him or not.

After we watched our fill of the parade, we headed to the American Museum of Natural History. It was huge! It would have been impossible to fully appreciate all the exhibits and collections they had to offer, so we passed through a lot of rooms quite quickly and skipped a few of the rooms altogether. The animal and early man dioramas were just as I had imagined them to be.

After leaving the museum, we walked through Central Park for a few hours. The park is truly a wonder. It's such a beautiful greenspace in the middle of a concrete jungle. For anyone reading this who is familiar with Vancouver's Stanley Park, believe me when I say that I think Central Park is even more amazing! It just feels more natural and more of an oasis in the city.

One of the lakes in the park. I was awed by the late winter/early Spring park views. I can barely even imagine how gorgeous this park must be in the full bloom of Spring and Summer!

Wednesday took us to the Statue of Liberty. We had to line up again in a long security line-up before we could board the boat to Liberty Island. But, compared to the lines we saw when we got back from the trip, we were smart to arrive early! Seeing the statue in person was a mind-blowing experience. This is arguably one of the most recognized and well known statues in the world, and Jennifer and I were standing right in front of it. As you can imagine, a lot of pictures were snapped! I will say this: it really does look smaller in person than they make it appear in tvs and movies!

Definitely smaller in person! That could have been a disappointing revelation, but it honestly wasn't. We took a lot of fun pictures that make it look like we're holding the statue up on our thumbs and pinching her head between our fingers.

On Wednesday night we had tickets to go see the Broadway musical "Wicked." I was really looking forward to the show as I had heard some great reviews from lots of sources. The reviews you may have read do not do this show justice. We had great seats four rows from the stage, and the show was truly mind-blowing! The characters, the humour, the songs . . . I hope the show comes to Vancouver one day so I can enjoy it all over again!

On Thursday we spent the morning shopping while it rained. We didn't really buy much of anything because we didn't really find anything we fell in love with. The rain cleared up and we headed out to see Times Square and go to M&M World. Times Square was like being in the middle of a living, breathing neon billboard. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, at least for me. It was a riot of bright, flashing colours and what felt like millions of people.

Friday morning we headed out bright and early once again to take a Circle Line cruise around Manhattan. The cruise was 3 hours long and took us all the way around the whole island of Manhattan. There was a guide on board who pointed out all the major sites and gave us some interesting historical information. The cruise was definitely one of my all-time favourite parts of the trip! It was a really informative and relaxing way to see the city and I got a ton of great pictures! We passed under nineteen - yes nineteen! - bridges! The famous Brooklyn Bridge. I was really glad I got some good shots of it since it's such an iconic New York image.

After the boat ride, we decided to walk across the island of Manhattan from end to end, west to east. It was a nice walk and we got to see the U.N. Buildings. Halfway through the walk we stopped at the Times Square Visitor's Center. Jennifer lined up to check her e-mail at one of the free internet stations. I lined up at a Broadway ticket booth to see if we could get tickets for a show that evening since we didn't have any other plans. Both of us succeeded in our missions, and that evening Jennifer and I saw Mary Poppins! It was really neat to see how different it was from the movie. Watching the characters sing and dance was really impressive. I particularly liked the "Step in Time" number. The only thing I kinda didn't like was that our seats were way up high in the "nose bleed" section. Given the last-minute nature of our ticket purchase, that wasn't surprising. Normally being that far back wouldn't be a big deal, but the stairs up to our seats were really steep and totally freaked me, with my fear of heights, right out. Needless to say, I didn't budge from our seats until it was time to leave!

Saturday was our last full day in New York. We went to Bloomingdales in the morning. It was HUGE! They had some really beautiful stuff, but it was all way out of our budget! I really did like the first perfume sample I tried though. Too bad it isn't available in Canada! After Bloomies, we checked out F.A.O Schwartz, the famous toy store. It was really neat! They had some huge lego statues (the one of batman only costs $27,000!) and a really good puzzle section. We didn't buy any toys, but did get some candy!

I found New York to be an amazing city! I loved the culture and the pace of the city. Walking around the city was really easy. New Yorkers do not wait for the walk signal to cross the street! It didn't take us long at all to adapt to the pace of the city. Taking the subway was quite convenient, though it was a little confusing at times.

A 'V' train pulling into the subway station. You could catch multiple trains from a single station, but the station signage was often confusing. As long as you know whether you are traveling uptown (north) or downtown (south), you can usually figure it out. I will say this - many of the stations stink of urine!

I found the New Yorkers to be very friendly and helpful. They totally defied all the preconceived notions I had of rude New Yorkers! I absolutely want to back to the city again one day soon as a single week definitely was not enough to see it all!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Change is in the air

I am thinking about shutting this blog down. Just so you know. I'm tired of writing about the mundane stuff, and it's all pretty mundane! Right now I'm just planning on taking a blogging break (at least a month if not more) to see if I can think about a more creative direction to take this blog. Who knows? Maybe I'll shut this blog down permanently! Ciao for now, readers!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Congratulations Dianne and Family!

I want to send out a huge congratulations today to my good friend Dianne and her family. Dianne has been on a journey to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia. Today Dianne and her husband found out that their court date in Ethiopia was a success! They are now the parents of a beautiful baby girl :-) Congratulations Dianne and Chris! I am so happy for you! I know you are going to be amazing parents and your baby girl is lucky to have you!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Movie Review

I just watched a great movie called "Slumdog Millionaire." It was sublime. I'd heard of it when it first came out, but I didn't think I'd ever watch it just because I knew it wasn't going to be in wide release and I couldn't really be bothered to hunt down a theatre that was playing it. I ended up watching it online (yeah, I feel a little guilty about that actually), so I missed about five minutes of it due to really bad streaming last night. Oh well. Anyway, the movie was very moving and beautifully shot. The story was sweet and very engaging. I'm glad I got to see it!

In other news . . . tomorrow is my last teaching day this year! I booked Friday off (I wanted the whole week off because after five and a half years of only get a one week break at Christmas, I felt like I deserved two weeks off, but I was told I needed to work this week to provide "leadership" as the director had already booked his two week vacation to Mexico. In case you can't read between the lines, I'm a little bitter about this. Oh, and "leadership" pretty much translates to "someone with keys who can open the door in the morning.") and I am so looking forward to my four-day weekend! I don't have plans for this time off yet, but that's okay. It will depend on what the weather's doing, and since I just looked outside and saw that it is snowing lightly, I guess the weather will play a fairly large factor!

Monday, December 29, 2008

St. Patrick's Day

So I just wanted to make sure I wished y'all an early happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm sorry if you wanted to make plans with me to celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2009, but unfortunately, I won't be in town. I'M GOING TO BE IN NEW YORK CITY!!!!!! That's right, New York is now booked! Jennifer and I are leaving on Sunday, March 15th and coming home Sunday, March 22nd.

I am so insanely excited about this trip! First of all, it'll be my first time on a plane in almost 13 years! It'll be my first official, "this isn't a long weekend or short drive across the border" vacation without my parents. Plus, I have been wanting to go to New York forever. Possibly even longer than forever.

We still have to book our entertainment (we want to see "Wicked" and book tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty, etc.), but the hotel and flight has been booked. Stay tuned for further details as they become available!

Damages

Okay, I've become hooked on a new TV show. It's called Damages. It airs on a US channel and Showtime in Canada (I've heard, I don't have Showtime, so I can't say for sure). I downloaded a couple of episodes and got hooked. I think Glenn Close is just totally fabulous in anything, and she does not disappoint in this role! Usually I don't get hooked on dramas like this where you have to watch each episode to follow the story properly, but I just couldn't resist the characters and layers of the story here. I bought the first season on DVD. The second season begins airing in January, and since I can't watch it on tv, I guess I'll just download each episode every week.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Book Review (and two movies too!)

I just finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Housseini. It. Was. Fantastic! I read and loved "The Kite Runner" but this was, as the critics said, even better. Interestingly, a couple of days before I started reading the book, I watched the movie "Charlie Wilson's War" which talks about some of the same time periods covered in the book. I enjoyed being able to compare the American and Afghan perspective on the Soviets. And then the Afghan perspective on the Taliban, and 9/11. Totally worth the read, and I would recommend this book highly.

On a similar note, I recently watched two good movies that I would like to recommend (especially as I know my friend Amy values my movie opinions). I typed some reviews of these movies earlier, but there was a glitch and that post never made it online. Anyway . . . the first movie I want to recommend is "The Tale of Despereaux". I hadn't actually heard much about this movie until I saw some commercials for it on tv, so I didn't really know what to expect going into the theatre. It was really cute, and has a good message! I enjoyed hearing Emma Watson's voice in a role other than Hermione Granger (Harry Potter movies). The plot of the movie does meander a bit, but otherwise it was a nice, light, fun show.

The second movie I want to recommend, which I did enjoy more than "The Tale of Despereaux", is "Bolt." I saw this one in 3D (very fun! The 3D effects are much more sophisticated now compared to when I was younger) and the movie left me actually wanting a puppy, even though I'm a total cat person and don't really have a lifestyle that would be fair to a pet. When I got home, I downloaded a couple of songs from the movie. I really liked the humour and message of this movie. For as much as I don't like Miley Cyrus, I liked her character in the movie. And as an added bonus, I now fully recognize the power of styrofoam (you have to see the movie to get it).

I'm hoping to see another movie this weekend, if the weather clears up. There are a few really good shows that I want to check out like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" because I like Brad Pitt, love Cate Blanchett, and the story intrigues me; "The Spirit" (I don't know why, and it would probably be my last choice on the list); "Marley and Me" even though I can't stand Jennifer Aniston, I do find that one scene from the commercials where the dog is "escaping" from the car rather funny; and "Revolutionary Road" because hello! it reunites Jack and Rose (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) after 11 years. I DON'T want to see "Valkyrie" because it really irritates me that Tom Cruise doesn't speak with a German accent! The only reason I would see that movie is for this guy. He intrigues me.

Anyway, it's time to go eat some turkey leftovers!

Merry Christmas

This is my obligatory Merry Christmas (yes, I know it's now Boxing Day) post. I can't really say I had the best Christmas on record. Truly, I find holidays to be quite depressing when you're alone. It was extremely hard and tiring to put on a cheerful face for everyone when they all got to celebrate the way they wanted and I didn't. The magic of Christmas was pretty much taken away this year . . . it's a long story and I don't want to get into it. I think from now on I'll just rely on myself and screw the rest of the world. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't completely terrible. I did get to see some family and I had a nice breakfast of french toast this morning, and a ride all the way home from Burnaby.

I did get some Boxing Day shopping done - I got a new iPod. It wasn't on sale, but hey, it's practically the only gift I got this year, and I had to buy it myself. Future Shop was a zoo, but people were pretty helpful and the check-out line wasn't the worst I've ever stood in. I'm pretty much totally ready for this freaking holiday season to be over. I'm also totally ready for the snow to be gone.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Stuff I've done

I've seen this list on a couple of other blogs (Dianne's and Jennifer's) and thought I'd post it here too :-) If you want to give it a try, copy this list and highlight all the things you've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band - high school - clarinet
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland /world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris - Totally on my list of things to do in my lifetime
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning - Don't care to repeat this particular experience!
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - One day, hopefully!
20. Slept on an overnight train - This was on a band trip to California
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill - Okay, in all honesty, I've never taken the whole day, but I've gone home early a couple of times when I probably couldn't have stuck out the entire day
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse - Pretty sure I saw one when I was younger
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise - This was a Caribbean cruise one Christmas
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - I think when I go see Paris, I'll include a visit to Italy!
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David - See my comment on #38
41. Sung karaoke - This totally seems like something I should have done by now, but I actually haven't!
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa - This is also something I've always wanted to do!
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - With a patient, not AS a patient
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - See my comment on #38
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - Will definitely do this when I got to Paris!
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - Went snorkeling with my Dad while we were on that Caribbean cruise
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie. - Only if amateur Youtube movies count ;-)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - I've always had the idea in the back of my mind to open a store that sells left-handed items. I would call this store "Left is Right"
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia - I would love to visit Russia one day!
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Guide Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - Got the blood donor card to prove it!
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter - I think this would be a really cool thing to do!
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square - Will totally be doing this in March when Jennifer and I go to New York!!
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - Thankfully, no. But I've busted up my knee and had stitches before!
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - Can't say my memory of this is too clear, but it was during the same trip that I saw Old Faithful at Yellowstone
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire BibleOnly the children's Bible that we had when I was younger
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one dayActually, it's been a while since I've done this one!