Dan and His Coveted Street Banner - November 30
Since we moved here, some of the streets have had these really cool banners hanging from the light posts – they all simply advertise “NYC Arts and Culture,” and each has a different painting design that incorporates musical instruments with NYC images (see cool pic). We love them, and Dan’s favorite (the piano-keyboard Brooklyn Bridge) happens to be on a post right outside our front door, so at some point a few weeks ago he inevitably expressed interest in the idea of acquiring said banner as a new addition to the Ellis Estate. We thought “hmmm, that would be cool, we should figure out how to get one before they take them down.” Then of course we promptly forgot about the idea as a serious thought until…
Sometime late on Julie’s last night, right before we would’ve went to sleep, Julie remembered that she never satisfied her Reuben-sandwich craving in NYC, so we decided “what the hey?” let’s give Big Nick’s a run for their money and try a new place, The Shining Star (no Chinese food served there believe it or not).
So on our way to this random late-night diner, we’re walking along in the rain and stumble upon a service crew of two that’s driving along replacing all of the arts/culture banners with new event banners. Someone said “hey! see if we can get one,” so Dan walked up to the guy on the ground and inquired about walking away with the bridge banner as his own, and the guy asked how much it’s worth to him because he’d have to “fudge some numbers” on his paperwork. After a little thought, Dan threw down $20 for their lunch and took what he thought to be the rolled-up piano-bridge banner. Yeah! After getting to the table, Dan unrolled it and saw that it was in fact a different banner (an apple guitar). He realized that he now had to go back out and NOT replace the guitar for the piano, but actually acquire the piano one IN ADDITION TO any remaining banners in the set (we were unsure of how many there were total). He ran back out, and had it been any later he would’ve missed them, because they just pulled the truck to a pole just past the restaurant and the next pole was quite a bit farther down the street. The guy was apologetic about the banner being the wrong one, and after he told Dan that there are only three in the set, he grabbed the other two for $10 each, and the guy and his eight teeth were apparently very pleased. We’re unsure if the crewman will ever tell his “buddy” in the basket about the $40 they made off of the dumb white guy that bought some street banners, but we don’t care because we still think we got something special from the NYC streets that looks great on our apartment walls.
Our First Visitor
Julie, Sara's sister, came to visit us for Thanksgiving week. We were very excited to have her and to show off our new home and city.
Monday and Tuesday she was spending with her friend that lives in Brooklyn, but we did get to see her Monday afternoon when we all went to the filming of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. For those details, see below.
Wednesday:
Julie arrived to our place late Wednesday morning. We spent the afternoon walking around the Financial District, starting with Ground Zero. Construction is under way and there are lots of very large cranes, but there is not much to see other than that. At least they have finally up to the street level.
From there we walked through Battery Park, which runs along the Hudson River close to the southern tip of Manhattan. Here they also have a sculpture that used to stand in the Twin Towers courtyard, and somehow was not too far damaged. There is also a constantly burning flame that was lit at the one year anniversary.
We continued on in to the Financial District and on to Wall Street. Ironically, most of Wall Street is blocked off, so no one can actually drive on the street. There wasn't much to see, but there were many tourists. After checking out the Museum of Sex in Midtown, we headed home. :)
Wednesday evening we detoured on our way to the grocery store (for last minute Thanksgiving meal purchases) and walked a few blocks up to where they were blowing up the Macy's Day Parade balloons. At some point we decided to turn back towards the grocery store because there were soooo many people, but it was too late. We were sucked in to the crowd going only one way...closer to the balloons. It was an interesting experience feeling driven like a herd of cows with fences on each side so that you cannot escape. Another example of the power of a crowd: there was a small Bobcat parked just off the sidewalk, but it was in the way of the line. Instead of going around the Bobcat, people were climbing in to the seat and down to the other side. After the first street, we were able to find an escape and continue on to the grocery store. See our pictures.
To finish off the evening we ordered Chinese delivery, and started some of our Thanksgiving meal preparations. We must have worn Julie out because she fell asleep in the chair shortly after.
(Sara's car sale was finally complete on Wednesday. Yea!! We can buy a couch now!)
Thursday:
See Thanksgiving below.
Friday:
Friday morning, Sara and Julie did some thrift store shopping. This may be the first time I (Sara) have ever been shopping the day after Thanksgiving.
The afternoon was a little more eventful. We took a leisurely walk through Central Park, starting at the entrance near us and heading to the south-east corner of the park in a very indirect route. There were a lot of people out with their shopping bags, the most horse and carriages we've seen yet, and plenty of musicians and entertainers as well. There was one man playing a flute, another playing the saxaphone (a frequent occurence), and a couple, the woman dancing while the man played some instrument while standing on a wood box that he could stomp on for the rythm, and bells on his ankles.
Our favorite was a group of kids, from five or years old, up in to the 20s, doing some old school breakdancing to Michael Jackson Thriller songs. They were all very impressive, each with their own strengths. There was one guy who was dressed up like Michael Jackson too. We took pictures, but its hard to capture the movement. We've put some on our Pictures page anyway. This was probably the first time we've given our money to street entertainers since we arrived.
After Central Park, we headed to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). The sidewalks were so crowded with people, that it often overflowed in to the streets. Cars were just creeping along, and everyone was carrying bags. Welcome to the city. Sara had read that the MOMA was free on Fridays from 4-8. When we arrived at about 4:15, there was a line out the door, and that line went down to the end of the street, turned the corner, and kept going around the next corner. There was much discussion on if it was worth it. But the line went really fast, and we were inside about twenty minutes later.
The MoMA is huge, and we only saw about half of it. The favorite for all of us was the special traveling exhibit for van Gogh, which focused on his nighttime studies and paintings. They also had letters that van Gogh had sent to his brother that included sketches/studies of the pictures before he painted them. They had some of his larger drawings that he sketched before working on the actual paintings. It was fascinating to see how much time passed and how much thought was put into each of his paintings.
Friday night we went out on the town, specifically to Greenwich Village for bar hopping. We started with Dinner at Rays, the one and only, a pizza joint that has been copied but not beaten. We all agreed that Patzeria's was still better.
Then we headed on our way to the bar strip. Our first bar we stopped in was very nice, lots of people but we could still hear each other. Then we moved on to the next one, MacDougal's on MacDougal Street (where the majority of bars are in that part of the Village). We played some pool on the only table they had, and made friends with a couple guys. One of them had just moved to NYC, and I (Sara) think that he was really glad to meet us too since we've only been here a month. I also think this because he confided that he was wondering if he had done the right thing, and he gave me a big hug when we left.
Next we stuck our heads in a couple of shops along the way (see picture of man slicing huge hunk of meat that we think was lamb), as well as some bars that had live bands. Somehow, we managed to get in all of these places without getting carded or a cover charge. Mysteriously the door man would start carding minutes after we arrived. Except for one. The first time we entered for free, but then found out that they only took cash. So we headed to the atm, and when we returned, he wanted to charge $10 each. We couldn't talk him out of it even though we had already been there earlier, so we moved on.
The last place we stopped was kind of a random choice, but turned out to be the most interesting. We accidentally stumbled in to a Hooka Bar. On top of the normal food and drinks, they serve these pipes of flavored items to smoke. Aparently they mix the flavor of your choice with tobacco, but it doesn't feel like you're smoking tobacco. Of course we had to try! We had apple, and that is exactly what it tasted like. The place is strangely smokeless, though, and we couldn't figure out how they could be licensed to do this when you can't smoke cigarettes in bars here. We have a picture of us with this contraption so that you can see.
Now that we have found the best place to bar-hop, we're hoping Josh and Stephanie will come visit us soon!!
Saturday:
After such a night of fun, we were all ready to sleep in. Overall it was a lazy afternoon, but an adventurous evening.
We started at "ice" skating rink at The Natural History Museum. It is a new rink this year, close by, cheaper than the others, and wasn't too busy. Unfortunately, after we bought our $10 tickets, we discovered that the "ice" is actually a plastic that does not require refridgeration, but it also acts differently. It was really hard to "skate" on, and we would not recommend it to anyone.
Next on the agenda, cut Sara's hair. As Julie traditionally cuts my hair when I make the big changes, it was only fitting to have her to do it while here (plus I have been wanting to do it for a while). We cut off 14 inches! But the crazier part is that my hair is curly now! I don't have to do anything to it and it looks good, but with a tiny bit of mousse and I look awesome!
We had been talking about going out for a nice dinner one night while Julie was in town, so we tried a nearby sushi restaurant Sunday night. And it was fabulous. Dan cannot stop talking about it, and we have already been back for lunch. Anyone who is willing to try it when visiting must go here!
We spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other's company, played some dominos, and had a few drinks. And as is now a routine for us, we went to Big Nick's after midnight. Now at least one person can vouch for whether we are crazy or not about that place.
Sunday:
Sunday it rained all day. Julie went to the local market in, but there were hardly any vendors.
We spent the afternoon in the Natural History Museum. We officially have an annual pass now so that we can visit as often as we would like to. There is so much to see there that you have to go more than once. We barely scraped the surface and were worn out for the day. This is an excellent place for all of our visitors, and it is only about 5 blocks away. Julie and Sara also toured a special exhibit on climate change, which fits right in with Julie's career.
For dinner, we went to a local, organic hummus restaurant. It was a new experience for Dan and I, we'd only had hummus for a snack or on a sandwich. The bread that they served with our hummus was amazing. But we'd still prefer it as a snack. We like meat!
Then we headed to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater to see Asssscats. We wanted to send Julie off right, and Dan had been able to get tickets for us. This time there wasn't any big names there, but the comedy was so much better! And why wouldn't you love a theater that sells Natural Light?! At $2 each, it's a steal!
Back at the apartment, we played some more dominos. Julie had the brilliant idea of going out for a late bite, a novel idea since we'd done that just the night before! But we were hungry (remember the hummus dinner). So we tried a restaurant similar to Big Nicks. It was ok, but what is with this city not ever having ranch dressing?!?! We did have one side adventure on the way, which involve some street banners, but for that you'll have to read about it above in Dan and His Coveted Street Banner.
Sadly, Julie left us early Monday morning. We miss her already.
Thanksgiving - November 27
We spent Thanksgiving in NYC this year. It was the first year for us to cook the entire feast as well. We tried to be a little bit unconditional for fun. Dan spent a lot of time coming up with some fun recipes that we would all enjoy as well as accommodating our desires for some normal dishes.
Instead of turkey, we had orange/tangerine-stuffed duck, which was absolutely fabulous. Dan made it with a honey orange glaze, and a side of orange marmalade w/ jalepeno. The tasty gravy was roasted garlic and vegetable-stock based in lieu of duck gravy. He also made a green bean casserole w/ bacon and a roux instead cream of mushroom soup (no dis on the traditionalists).
Julie made the butternut squash soup, wild mushroom and spinash stuffing, and mashed potatoes (the potatoes were "normal"—gotta have those mashed with gravy!), as well as the best brussel sprouts ever, which has made Dan and I new fans of the brussel sprouts. Sara made the cornbread, a delicious recipe from Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill, and the apple pie.
The cooking took a good day and half with just one tiny oven, and limited stove top. Fortunately, we had just purchased the sideboard (see that story below). The day passed by very quickly (probably because we had also not woken up until close to noon). We were all pretty hungry when we finally sat down to eat, which was about 9. As you can see in the picture, we had already polished off a bottle of wine (maybe half of another? And yes, they are normal drinking glasses—we have not purchased real wine glasses yet). But we had saved our best wine (none other than Silver Oak) to have with dinner, a present from Dan’s grandparents at our going-away party.
Dinner was d-e-l-I-c-I-o-u-s! We had quite the spread for just three people, but there were no complaints about yummy leftovers. No pie was consumed as we all fell asleep not too long after dinner, but it was just as good when we finally did eat it a couple days later.
(Sara did wake up early enough to go to the Macy's Day Parade. See pictures.)
How does one move furniture in NYC? - November 25
While searching for furniture on Craig’s List, Sara found a sideboard that we had seen at Ikea, which we really liked. It is more like a long, narrow kitchen cart or floating island (previously we had about 18 inches of countertop, and with the sideboard we now have an additional 5 feet!). It was practically brand new, and a great price.
Getting that to our apartment was actually quite the adventure. It was about 20 blocks north of us, and we don’t have a car. So…….we paid for it the night we saw it, and took the drawers and one shelf home with us that night, via the subway. Then we went back the next day, with Julie (just arrived to our apartment and we already put her to work). We took it all apart, and each of us had a part to carry. Keep in mind that this is five feet long, and good solid structure, over 100 pounds when assembled. I’m sure we looked like quite the group (we had many looks from other passengers on the train), but we were not about to walk the whole way to the apartment, and we didn’t think it would fit in a taxi, if a taxi would be willing to even take us.
It was a little tricky getting through the entry gates at the train station, but it worked! And without it, we probably could not have made Thanksgiving happen. And we finally have a drawer for our silverware!! We couldn’t be more excited. We’ve already done a lot of organizing, etc., to get everything to fit in our “pantry” closet, but this is sooooo much better. Julie suggested that we add a bar or hook to the end to hang our kitchen towels, which will eliminate one more challenge we’ve had.
Late Night with Conan O'Brien - November 24
A few weeks ago, Dan was able to acquire tickets to Conan O’Brien for us. We thought it would be great fun to take Julie to such a show when she visited. She was supposed to be spending a couple days with her friend, Terrence, but he was kind enough to be flexible so that we could all attend.
We met up at Rockefeller Center. Once we checked in, we walked around inside and out so that Julie could see the skating rink, etc. They have been working on the Christmas tree, so it was fun to see that in progress too.
We lucked out again, and were seated in the front row, very near the band. This also happens to be right in front of the area that Conan does his opening monologue. Hugh Jackman was the guest that night. Jackman was recently named the sexiest man of the year by People Magazine, and he looks even better in person!
The studio is so much smaller in person. I know we’ve said that before about The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, but this was even more pronounced. Conan O’Brien is a very tall man, and his desk is extremely small—it’s no wonder he never looks like he is sitting with his legs actually under the desk.
The warm-up comedian was the same guy that plays one of Dan’s favorite characters on Conan’s show, Preparation H Raymond. He was much funnier in person. The band also came out and played for a little bit before the filming started. The band also plays all through the breaks, which is longer than the actual commercial breaks shown. The band probably did the most work in the time that we were in the studio. (As a side note, Julie and Terrence saw Max Weinberg, the drummer and lead of the band, walking down the street in Times Square later that evening.)
You can see all four of us in the audience when Conan first comes out to do his monologue (minute 1:08). You can see Dan and Sara (and Julie's left arm) again after the commercial break mid-way through the interview with Hugh Jackman (minute 29:14).
Want to Watch?
http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O'Brien/video/episodes/#vid=850921
Overall, it was a great experience, and one that we would probably recommend as a first choice for visitors wanting to see a show taped. We were excited to get to see it because Conan will be taking over Jay Leno’s spot next fall, but he has been doing this particular show for 15 years now.
After Conan, we walked over to Times Square on our quest for some New York style Pizza. We ended up at Patzeria Pizza. It is a tiny little locale, with only about a 10’ x 5’ area for the consumers, and that includes the one wall with a counter and stools for those that dine-in. It is exactly as you imagine it, with the middle-aged gentleman who is clearly from a deeply Italian family; he talks loud and constantly, but was super friendly and very concerned about his clientele’s opinion. He insisted that we stay and eat there, but it was just a little bit claustrophobic. Fortunately for us, there is one table outside too that we could stand at. He seemed almost disappointed that we chose to eat outside instead of inside. He had a little window that he could open and talk to us through, and that he passed the brown bag through for Julie to put her beer in.
We have decided that this is our favorite pizza joint in NYC so far. They have an awesome cripy crust, and delicious combinations of toppings. In case you have never been to NYC, it is very challenging to find pizza like we are used to in KC. For example, a cheese pizza might include white sauce and ricotta cheese, or basil and tomatoes. We have loved trying these combos, but have been disappointed with the crusts until now. It is well worth going the extra distance for a better pizza.
The Colbert Report - November 19
We finally got to see the Colbert Report!! (our favorite from the news satire arena). The scene outside before the show was much the same as the Daily Show, with the exception of the much-appreciated tent covering the people in line. We overheard that the guest that night was going to be Paul Simon, but there was mixed excitement from everybody because nobody knew if it was the legendary folk singer/songwriter, or the more likely Paul Simon, the douche economist.
We met a couple in line behind us who helped us pass the time during our one-hour wait to enter the building. He’s lived in Brooklyn since childhood, she lives in Jersey, and they usually meet in between (in Manhattan) when they get together. What a funny arrangement…only in New York. He gave us some tips on places to go in Manhattan and we got to expose him to some of the Colbert character traits (“flaws”) since he had never seen the show before. (We saw them after the show and he’s definitely a convert now.)
Once we got in the building, the audience-prep process was essentially the same as the Daily Show, with another staging area where they brief and brief and brief the audience some more. It was at this point that we were told that THE Paul Simon was the guest that day and he had already agreed to do “something special” for us after the show. Yes!
After a half hour, we were herded into the studio in the order that we were originally in line outside. The studio only holds a little over 100 in the audience, so the seating section was much smaller than the Daily Show, but the set itself is bigger in comparison. Somehow we lucked out and got a choice between a few rows up with a good view, or the front row but at the end farthest from Stephen’s desk. We took the front row seats, which was clearly the right choice.
A comedian came out before to warm up the audience and finally introduced Stephen Colbert, the person. As in he was out of character for that rare moment, and the audience could pry into the man behind the mask, or so it seemed. Nothing too scandalous was revealed during those couple minutes, but we did learn about the slight humor he found in a couple of his favorite Bible passages (he’s a devout Catholic), and that he doesn’t really read all the books of his guests. At least Sara got the final Colbert high five of our row when he was introduced!!!! (she’s never washing that hand again)
The show was great, of course. We happened to be sitting on the end where the guest enters the set, so when they were putting Paul’s mic on as he waited, he was standing a foot away from Sara. It was hilarious because she literally could’ve nudged elbows with him as she sat and he stood (he stood only about 3 inches above her sitting height). They did the interview, Paul sang a tune, and then after the official airing, Paul and Stephen did a duet of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence,” which was really cool to say the least. Stephen can actually sing too—they sounded great together once Stephen had Paul lower the song an octave because he couldn’t hit Garfunkel’s high spots in the harmony. He’s done duets now with Tony Bennett, Neil Young, Barry Manilow, John Legend, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, John Hall (Hall & Oats), and Paul Simon.
There’s a spot where you can see us in the crowd. Right after Stephen introduces Paul, there’s a camera shot from behind Paul that shows us on the end of the front row. We’re onscreen from about 12:08-12:15 into the episode, so check out the link below if you care. Unfortunately, the haven't released the duet to the public yet...
http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=210700
Good times!!
The Daily Show - November 12
We arrived at the Daily Show really early because they give out more tickets than there is actually room for. As you can see from this pic, there are only two people earlier than us. After a couple of hours they handed out passes that are numbered so that we will get seats in that same order, and then we were shuffled through security (they check through bags and purses and you walk through a metal detector) and in to a waiting room.
Here they told us what to expect and the rules. Absolutely no pictures (if you get caught they take your camera away and delete the photo--you get it back after the show), no food, drinks, or gum, cell phones off, etc. They told us that they would direct us to where we were to be seated and that Jon Stewart would come out beforehand to answer questions. They then proceeded to tell us what we could not ask--for his autograh, for a picture with him, what his political affilliation was, etc. And we waited some more, for at least another 30 minutes. All this waiting for 25 minutes of actual filming.
Finally they let us in the studio. The studio was a little bit smaller than we expected, but Jon's desk is TINY! How does he not hit his knees under the desk?! He is short.....
They don't seat you in an order you'd expect (we expected first people in line get front row), instead they put the VIP people on the side section, and then they fill in starting a couple rows back in the main section and work there way up and out each side. Handicap and older people get the front row, and then the last people let in get the front row leftovers. They are so lucky! They didn't stand in line, they just barely made the cut to get in the studio, and then they get front row! (I think Dan or I will bring crutches next time so we get front and center!)
We ended up in the fourth row on that small side section. At first we were disappointed because we didn't have a direct view of the set. We were really closer to Jon Stewart's desk by being on the side, but then we would be looking at the backside of his guest. In the end we did have a good seat because we didn't have as many cameras moving around in front of us, and the guest turned toward the audience frequently, plus there were flat screens above our heads so that we could see the TV audience's view.
Jon Stewart did come out to talk to the audience (about 200 people). He was extremely quick-witted with his answers. He was possibly more entertaining in that capacity than for the actual show. He's also pretty smart; for example, one of the questions was when was he going to come to Austin (sometimes they take the show on the road to places like Minneapolis). Not only did he say that no, they would probably never go to Texas, but he knew the geography of the state really well when he was talking about the other Texas cities in relation to Austin.
The process of the filming was very interesting, particularly the camera work. There were three cameras that rolled, and one on a boom. They all had very smooth, fluid movements. I wonder how they keep all the wheels from squeeking....
T. Boone Pickens was the guest of the evening. He was absolutely fascinating. For those who have never heard of him, he is a billionaire who is currently pushing for alternative means of energy. During the election, you probably saw his ads for wind power. You probably wondered what office he was running for, but he wasn't running for anything. He would probably never say that he is an environmentalist, but he is fighting for many of the same things but for different reasons. He is currently pushing for natural gas to be used in the trucking industry. He talks about how it is financially responsible, which is probably what we need to get the upper class on board with the environmentalist. At one point in the interview, Jon Stewart stood up and said something to the effect of how convincing Pickens is, and that if he said let's go, Jon and most of the audience would have followed him out of the studio. And I totally would have!! (Sara, that is.) But enough of my opinions.
The actual episode was not necessarily the best, but we enjoyed observing the behind the scenes activities. Sadly, none of the "correspondents" were on that episode (we wanted to see Samantha Bee). Unfortunately, they never actually show the audience during the show, so there isn't much to see, but the link is below in case you care to watch the interview portion with Pickens. The interview starts at about minute 9:00 in case you want to skip ahead.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=210170
Our tip from this experience: Arrive approximately 30 minutes before the web site recommends for that particular show--any earlier is a waste of your time. (Applies only to those shows that have tickets.)
On the way home from The Daily Show
It is 25 blocks between our apartment and The Daily Show, but we were feeling energized. You can't see much when you take the train, and you never know what you might see walking. And aparently we made the right choice to walk.
As we entered Columbus Circle, we saw police EVERYWHERE, and they had blocked off some of the streets. Pedestrians could still enter, but vehicles were prohibited. Half-way through the circle and we could see and hear why. There were people chanting and holding signs in a quickly organized parade protesting California overturning the marriage law. Unfortunately this is the best picture we took.
We continued to walk towards our apartment, following the route of the parade but going the opposite direction. We were extremely impressed by the number of people who showed up, and by the organization of the police as well.
The Upright Citizens Brigade - November 9
We finally got to see a show at The Upright Citizens Brigade (co-founded by Amy Poehler of SNL). We had tried to see a show, Asssscat 3000 which they perform weekly on Sundays, when were here in February, but after standing in line forever, we were just a few people too far back in line. This time we went to an earlier show and had front row seats. Don't get too excited, it's a small theater and every seat is good.
Asssscat 3000 is an improv comedy show. Bobby Moynihan (in pic), new to SNL this year, was one of the comics, and definitely the best comics of the evening.
Central Park in the Fall & Remembering John Lennon - November 9
We decided to take a walk in Central Park since it was sunny, and try to take some pictures of the beautiful fall foliage. On our way, we saw Fred Armisen again, still on our street, but the other direction where 73rd intersects with Central Park. So now we know for sure that he lives in the area.
A few steps in to Central Park found us in an area called Strawberry Fields, and there was a tribute band of about 6 playing Beatle tunes. This is also the entrance to the park closest to the building where Lennon lived and was shot. The picture above is a mosaic with "Imagine" written in the center.
See Pictures link for a selection of our pictures in the park.
Big Nick's - November 8
The great thing about being unemployed is that we can do anything we want, whenever we want, and we can stay up really late every night and sleep in every day. Saturday night we decided to see what the after-bars-close crowd was up to, and get "dinner" (meals get pushed back too when you sleep in regularly). We decided to check out Big Nick's, open 23 hours (closed from 5 am to 6 am for cleaning). Dan had also read good reviews on Big Nick's, which happens to be very close to our apartment.
We arrived about 3 am, and it just grew more crowded as we sat there. The place could almost be considered a greasy dive with the most extensive menu you've ever seen.
Big Nick's gets an entry, not because of the drunk girl passed out on the table drooling, and not because of the guy dressed like he's going to work and reading the paper while drinking a beer, but because they have THE BEST french toast EVER. There was a hint of apple cider, and a crispy outside texture, without it being burned. Everyone who visits us must try it!
Star Struck Already - November 5
On our way back to our apartment from a late lunch, we were on our street, but closer to the other end, when we noticed someone very familiar. I did a double take, and saw that he was looking back at us. By then I realized who it was, and wanted to somehow make sure Dan saw him when out of Dan's mouth comes a perfectly natural, "Hey--how's it going?" And Fred Armisan responded "Hey man, what's up?" as though it was perfectly natural for them to acknowledge each other. Freaking Fred Armisan from SNL!! Just a few buildings down from us!! We couldn't tell if he actually lived there, or was just visiting, but you better believe we'll have our eye out for him now!
Just 30 minutes later
Shortly after getting back, I decided to go out searching for a Duane Reade (like CVS or Walgreens) because I wanted a pocket size notebook that I could always have on me to make notes of the things I don't want to forget. I found one a few blocks down, and they had exactly what I wanted.
Due to the lack of space in the Duane Read, the line extended down one of the aisles. As I neared the end of the line, this guy started coming down the aisle from the other direction. It was one of those moments where he probably should have gotten in line behind me, but it could have gone either way and he got in line in front of me. But it's a good thing he got in line in front of me because otherwise I probably wouldn't have noticed that he was Kevin Kline--yes, KEVIN KLINE!! What made me look at him was that he had on this slightly large jacket with oversized pockets, and in his pocket he had what looked like a script and a notepad. I couldn't read the title of the script, but I could see his face plain and clear as he was standing sideways a bit looking at the stuff on the shelf next to us, and looking back, etc.
I so wanted to ask for his autograph--here I was with a little notebook in my hand (not yet paid for, but I was in line to do that), and a pen in my pocket. Nobody else was bothering him for his autograph (a strange phenomenom about NY is that actors are treated like normal people), and all of a sudden I blanked out on his name (how could my brain stop functioning at that exact moment!). I decided that if I could not remember his name, it wasn't right to ask for his autograph. Of course, as soon as I got out the door, I remembered it again. I didn't know I could be "star-struck."
Election Night at Rockefeller Center - November 4
Last night we went to Rockefeller Center for the election results. If you were watching NBC, they were showing the US map on the ice and filling in the states with color after each candidate won their electoral votes. There was one time you might have seen our hands waving at the camera, but we were never close enough to the camera to be seen--always three or four people back. The crowd where we stood most of the time was filled with young people, mostly in their 20s and 30s. After a while we walked around the whole area to see the rest of the crowd. Towards the back there were more families and mixed ages. Somehow we happened to take the stop from the subway that led us up in to the NBC tower, and then when we got out the door, we were basically right near the front of the crowd--not sure how we pulled that off.
NYC Marathon - Sunday, November 2
We’d noticed on Saturday that the street next to us prepped to be blocked of for the NYC Marathon. With it being so close, how could we not go?! We actually walked a little farther in to Central Park near the finish line. You had to buy tickets in advance to be in the stands at the finish line, and we were just about 300 yards down the path, close enough to hear the announcer as the winners started coming in. We only stuck around for a little while, to see the elite groups of people that get the head start outside of the pack. The rest were far enough away to not make it worth waiting on them. It was quite a unique experience as everyone cheers for each runner that passes, and main road next to the park is shut down and lined with policemen. Seemed like there was one policeman for every ten people.
Halloween - October 31
It was interesting to see so many trick-or-treaters—I really didn’t expect there to be so many kids. The twist on it is that the kids go from store to store instead of house to house. Occasionally we would see people sitting on the steps of their Brownstones passing out candy, but the majority was coming from the local businesses. The parents also really got in to it. Their costumes were sometimes even better than the kids. And everyone had on good costumes—no ghosts or other easy costumes. If a small child was a lion, you better believe his face was painted to go with the costume.
A few blocks down they had two streets blocked off, and there was tons of people. The houses were mostly decorated, most people were on their stoops handing out candy, the local church had something (maybe a small haunted house setup?), and there was one house that even had really good live entertainment. They must have been theater people because they had this rig from the roof, holding up a lady dressed in a cat woman suit walking on the side of the building and doing stunts. The other characters at the house were Batman and Robin, as well as others that I couldn’t see very well (tons of people all around!).
For dinner we tried an organic soup place on the next block over. The chili was fantastic, but the broccoli cheese was a letdown. At least we know it’s doable for Julie when she visits. One thing to note is that the soup places here serve delicious, thick, wheat bread with their soups—no crackers.