The Big Apple

I’ve been back in Wisconsin for about a week. So, I thought I’d catch up on documenting my travels. My last, semi-impromptu adventure led me to New York City to see an extremely talented ballroom couple compete. I got into the city Thursday afternoon and began my first city bus experience. The bus got me to the subway, which took me to Times Square, and from there I walked a quick two blocks to the hotel. A little past its heyday, Hotel Carter was the perfect place for someone intending to spend less than 10 hours in their hotel room. About a step up from a hostel, the slightly dodgy room was the perfect place to keep my luggage while I explored the city and a safe place (complete with three deadbolt locks) to rest my head for a few hours a night.

Before the competition I scoped out Times Square, found a delicious vegetarian restaurant for lunch, ordered to go and enjoyed my falafel salad at the red tables in the middle of Times Square across from the NASDAQ. From there I shopped at Forever 21, each of the three levels making me feel forever older than 21, and checked out Sephora to I reapply my makeup, test two nail polishes (blue and light purple), and realize the only thing that could make this Sephora experience complete was if Anna Stanley was with me. I grabbed a slice of New York Style slice pizza, and then it was off to watch my favorite ballroom couple compete in Brooklyn. They stole the show, winning second place, although I think they should have gotten first. Watching the competitors gracefully glide across the floor I couldn’t help by think how lucky I was to have been introduced to the world of ballroom dance. It was also a great motivator to get working on my dances for Dance-a-Thon in August.

My second and last full day in New York was a tourists’ typical day. It began with a highly caffeinated beverage (to kick start my day despite only having four hours of sleep) in Bryant Park, which led to few hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Despite the temptation to spend the entire day at the Museum, in my limited time there I made it to the Picasso special exhibit, which was at last three rooms with works that spanned his long career including early drawings and famous paintings. To be in the presence of such great art, spawned from great turmoil and great love honed by classic schooling, was inspiring and breathtaking. I also was able to see Hipsters, Hustlers, and Handball Players: Leon Levinstein's New York Photographs, 1950–1980. Levinstein took the kind of photos I am enamored with that capture everyday moments of everyday people (including quirky up-close and personal shots). American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity was surprisingly fantastic, and possibly my favorite exhibit that day. In addition to tugging at my fondness for fashion, color and texture, it also reignited my desire to have lived as a flapper in the 20s.

Central Park was next. A different part of the park than the last time I visiting NYC, an area with a man-made pond for people to sail remote control boats and enjoy pierogi. Excited to see potato pierogi on the menu, I anxiously awaited my lunch and was super excited to try them. Unfortunately they weren’t potato, but ground beef. I hate being the kind of person to bring back food, and never do it unless my vegetarian dish is no longer vegetarian, but this was a happy accident for someone in line because since they said they would just toss them, I asked if anyone in line would care for some free pierogi for lunch. An eager New Yorker jumped at the opportunity, and for him, that day, there was such a thing as a free lunch.

I’d been seeing rickshaws all over town, and couldn’t help but want to go for a ride. Next time you’re in New York, and want to experience the pedicab, be sure to ask your driver how long he’s been biking in New York. I made the mistake of getting in a rickshaw with a first-day-on-the-job driver. Luckily we were just in Central Park with no real traffic because we went the wrong way on a one-way and took a while to figure out exactly how to get to where I wanted to go. He kept asking me if I knew where to turn, which, having only been to New York twice, I didn’t. A unique, heart-rate increasing, carbon footprint reducing experience for sure, one that I’d definitely try again, but maybe with a more experienced driver next time.

Fifth Avenue was calling my name. It is fun to play rich. My favorite necklace in Tiffany’s was more than the cost of my car. Needless to say, I made it back to the hotel empty handed and ready to go to a show. I got tickets with a friend to see Come Fly Away, a fabulously choreographed musical of all Frank Sinatra music. I could listen to Frank all day, and paired with talented dancers, it made for a remarkable Broadway experience. From there we walked down restaurant row and tried our hand at some Thai. Yum Yum was exactly as you may have guessed, yummy. I would have been content to end my New York experience with the Basil Noodles and edamame, but my friend, a bit obsessed with the Twilight series, was anxious to see Eclipse. There was a 12:30 a.m. showing in Times Square, and after dinner we made our way to the theater. I have yet to see the first two movies in the series, and probably never will, but the crowd was fun, and the movie entertaining in a ridiculous high school drama sort of way. The mindless movie was a great way to end the trip, and the beautiful landscapes made me long for another escape to the Pacific Northwest.