Other Observations about New York City
-Did I say that NYC was a foodie town? I had a weekend 'bootcamp' class at Murray's Cheese Shop where all we did was talk about cheese for three straight days. Think I'm cheesed out after testing two pounds of different cheeses (cow, sheep, goat, even buffalo) a day? The simple answer is no.
-You will find some of the most skillful hockey players ever playing street hockey in NYC, especially in Soho. Great hands, awesome skaters, these guys are fun to watch. Eat your heart out, Rangers and Islanders.
-The new Freedom Tower is really not much to look at, as I've discovered, and something tells me that the prospects for the building to look any better are minimal to ziltsch. This is remarkable, considering that the tower might even be an upgrade over its predecessor, the ill-fated but hideously ugly WTC twin towers.
-I can kick myself for missing the Magritte exhibit at the Metropolitan. Ceci n'est pas une pomme, mais je suis un idiot.
-The place where my kids spent the most time in NYC? The Children's Museum of Art? No. Central Park? Guess again. How about the Toys R' Us located at Times Square?
-Luckily for us, there was a supermarket located next to the apartment we rented. That quite possibly saved us from breaking the bank entirely. That said, it's surprising to see how the same identical item will cost twice as much in NYC as it will in DC. Consumers of the world (or of NYC) unite.
-Did I say New Yorkers rock? A cabbie stopped for us right in front of Madison Square Garden. He never had to leave the cab: no big fuss, he even had the trunk popped open for the 50 pound suitcase a block in advance. The four of us were in that cab in no time.
-Getting in and out of NYC is fun only to those who like root canal operations and enjoy passing kidney stones...and the latter analogy is not too far fetched. In essence, you're trying to pass a lemon through a funnel…or passing a kidney stone through a urinary tract, which I have done.
-Of course, the kids in NYC didn't go unnoticed. Two Japanese photographers working for a fashion designer took their pictures and gave each of the boys a winter hat for their efforts. If we ever move to Japan, I have no doubt the kids will make us millionaires, that's how much the Japanese adore them.
-I faithfully saluted the Franciscan Friars' church on West 31st Street, right around the corner from Madison Square Garden. The friars were the only ones willing to help my friend and me out the first time around in NYC, back in the 80's. Bless their hearts. I will always have a soft spot for Franciscans.
-One evening, I decided to count the number of languages spoken on my way home from Bleeker Street to the Upper East Side. I came up with eight: English, French, Portugese, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Swedish, and an unidentified oriental language, although this was most likely Vietnamese. I'm pretty certain most of these people weren't tourists, either.
-I am still amazed at how many cars are in Manhattan, especially those from people living in the city. It seems to me that a person will discover Superman and Spiderman on the same block before sighting a vacant parking lot when it's needed.
-On our way out of town, we decided to forego a 25$ crosstown cab ride that saw me schlepping a 50 pound suitcase through the subway system, including numerous stairs and several narrow escalators. It worked like a charm. I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again: being in shape does pay off.
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