Day 334/365 - Monday in Manhattan

For the final day of my Labor Day weekend in New York I got up, checked out of my hotel, left my bag, and headed to Brooklyn. There is a park in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn that borders the East River and sits between the spans of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. There are great views from there I'd wanted to visit it the first time I went to Brooklyn back in 2001, but I couldn't find it then. As I discovered repeatedly on this trip, navigating New York City is much easier when you have an iPhone.

After finding the park, I walked back into Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge and went to get breakfast at the Empire Diner. It's such a cool little restaurant. It looks the way all diners should, and the food is not bad either. I believe it was one of Bette Davis' favorite places to eat in the city. With a bellyfull of french toast and bacon, I set off for Central Park. This was the first time I'd been to the uppermost portion of the park. There is a wilderness section there called the North Woods that was landscaped to resemble the forests of upstate New York. I even found a waterfall there. It's amazing to me that Central Park was built from scratch with truckload after truckload of rocks and dirt. I originally thought it was just a part of the city they'd preserved in its natural state, but it's not. It's entirely manmade.

When I'd finished meandering through the park, I went to the Museum of the City of New York. They had a really cool historical photography exhibit there, along with waterfront dioramas and recreations of old home interiors. I picked up a nice book full of photos taken in New York between 1920 and 1945. I've wished for some time I could have visited the city during that period, and now I guess I sort of can. After the museum, it was time for me to dash back to my hotel, pick up my bag, and head to Penn Station to catch my train back to DC.

So ended the final day of my weekend getaway, and what a whirlwind trip it was.

(Taken with my Nikon D90)

Twice on Sunday Bonus Photo - New York Vignette

For this week's extra photo from my archives, we have this shot I took last Thanksgiving of a pair of passersby framed in the opening of a Central Park bridge in New York City.

(Taken with my Nikon D80)

Day 333/365 - So Long to Summer

I think I rode the subway more today than I ever have on any one day. I started out the morning by following Duke Ellington's advice and taking the "A" train up to 125th Street. 125th is the heart and historic main street of Harlem. I walked along 125th and saw both the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater. It's not the original Cotton Club, but still. It's the Cotton Club. Then it was back on the subway to Fort Tryon Park at the very northern tip of Manhattan to go to the Cloisters.

The Cloisters is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and houses a collection of medieval art and architecture. In addition to the art it contains, the building itself is also very interesting. It's composed of the scavenged remains of several old French monasteries and it's at the top of a hill in a forested park that overlooks the river. I'd been wanting to visit there, but given that it is so far away from the main part of Manhattan I'd never made the time until today. Glad I did.

After the Cloisters, I got back on the train for a verrrrrry long subway ride from the northernmost part of Manhattan to the southernmost part of Brooklyn, Coney Island to be exact. I was determined to go to the beach at least once this summer. It was late afternoon when I finally got there and the beach was largely empty. It was a bit chilly and the wind was kicking up and sand was filling the air so much that it looked smoggy or hazy out. I didn't care. I was in Coney Island.

My first stop was at Nathan's famous hot dog stand to grab a hot dog with sauerkraut and a corn dog. Then I walked along the beach, waded in the ocean (brrrr!), and wandered down the boardwalk to Brighton Beach before hopping back on the subway and heading to the west side of Manhattan to see the High Line. The High Line is a set of old elevated railroad tracks that have been converted into an urban park. The tracks used to take freight trains directly into the old warehouses that used to populate the lower west side of the city. It's an interesting little park and it gives you a view of Manhattan that you don't normally get -- above the street but below the rooftops.

No rest for the weary, it was time to go back to my hotel, change clothes, grab dinner at the Bridge Cafe, and then dash off to Birdland to hear some jazz. I got there 15 minutes late but it worked out fine because the band started playing seconds after I arrived. First time I've ever made a dramatic entrance. It was Andy Farber's Big Band. I'd never heard of them before, but they were quite good. They played a mix of their own compositions, along with big band and bebop jazz. It was Birdland, it was New York, and it was jazz. I was in heaven.

When the gig ended, the night still wasn't over yet for me. On the way back downtown I stopped off at McSorley's Old Ale House for a beer (or two, actually). McSorley's is another place I'd been meaning to visit but had never done so. It's sort of cool. They serve one thing there -- beer -- and it comes in two varieties, light and dark. I went with the dark. It's probably the most unhygenic bar I've ever been in, but it was fun to go.

After finishing my beers, it was one last subway ride back to my hotel and the second day of my weekend getaway finally came to a close.

(Taken with my Nikon D90)

Day 332/365 - I Cover the Waterfront

Caught the 9:30 train up to New York today, checked into my hotel, swung by TKTS to get a discount seat for "The 39 Steps," and then headed over to the South Street Seaport to tour some old ships, check out the Seaport Museum, and wander along the riverbank for a while.

Then it was back to the hotel to change and off to dinner at Wolfgang's Steakhouse. I hadn't been out for steak in a while so I figured I'd go get a good one while I was in New York and I did. I ordered the filet mignon and it was several inches thick and as soft as butter. Damn, it was good. After dinner, it was time for the show. "The 39 Steps" is a comic adaptation of the old Hitchcock movie about spies and murder. The cast of four plays dozens of parts in a hammy, over-the-top style and there are lots of quick costume changes. It's even got shadow puppets. It's a funny, imaginative play.

When the play ended, I stopped by the Junior's in Time Square for my post-theatre cheesecake and coffee and then headed back to my hotel to listen to an episode of the old Damon Runyon Theater radio program on my iPod before falling into bed.

Thus went the first day of my weekend getaway.

(Taken with my Nikon D90)

Day 254/365 - Stranded in New York

So to resume from yesterday's entry, I missed the last train back to DC due to a rain delay at the Nationals-Yankees game and the next one wasn't until 3 a.m. That left me plenty of time to kill in New York City in the wee hours of this morning. I wandered around Time Square for a bit and spotted a couple of movie theaters. One was closed, but the other still had one show playing at midnight -- "Year One" with Jack Black and Michael Cera. I had been hoping to catch a screening of "The Hangover," but figured 'what the hell, it's a way to pass a couple hours.' Ugh.

DO NOT go and see this movie. Not to be unduly flippant, but it's the cinematic equivalent of waterboarding. If someone you know mentions the possibility of going and seeing this movie, beat them about the head with a rolled up magazine until they come to their senses. Based on the previews, I figured "Year One" would be about 25 percent funny. However, even my lowered expectations overshot the mark by at least 15 percent. It's dreadful.

It did successfully throttle a couple of hours to death, though, so I guess I got what I wanted from it. After that, I ambled back over to Penn Station to wait for my train. I was expecting the station to be full of freaks and derelicts at that time of day, but it wasn't. It was largely empty except for a cluster of weary travelers waiting for their trains to come.

Mine finally came and after fidgeting and squirming in my seat for about an hour, I was able to doze off for the rest of the trip. We pulled into Union Station at 7 a.m. this morning, 23 1/2 hours after I'd caught the train up to NYC the previous day. I metroed back to my apartment, brushed my teeth, and collapsed into my bed.

Home at last.

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)

Twice on Sunday Bonus Photo - Seattle Cityscape

This week's extra photo from my archives is another shot I took of Seattle from the top of the Space Needle today. Can't believe how great the weather was. The visibility from up there was amazing.

(Taken with my Nikon D90)

Twice on Sunday Bonus Photo - Edward Hopper Window

This week's bonus photo from my archives is a shot I took on my weekend trip to NYC last week. This view from the window of my hotel reminded me of the sort of scene you'd see in an Edward Hopper painting.

(Taken with my Nikon D80)

Twice on Sunday Bonus Photo - Frozen Motion

For this week's added photo from my archives, we have this extended exposure shot I took of the crowd inside Grand Central Terminal in New York this weekend. I liked the way some of the people appear solidly rooted in place while others stream through like passing ghosts.

(Taken with my Nikon D80)

Day 200/365 - Give My Regards to Broadway

I took this shot this morning as I was walking toward Penn Station after checking out of my hotel. I could've taken the subway, but I decided I'd rather walk. I definitely fall into the "great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there" camp when it comes to New York. The museums and shows and eating places and other sights and attractions are nearly limitless, but so are the crowds, noise, grime, and stench. Like Vegas, it's a place I don't think I'd want to spend more than 2-3 days at a time. For those 2-3 days though, it's pretty damn awesome.

This weekend I saw the tableau of the city from the Top of the Rock, explored Grand Central Terminal, went to a ball game at Citi Field, toured the USS Intrepid, wandered around Central Park, soaked up the sights and sounds of Time Square, saw a Broadway show, and had breakfast at a diner, dinner at a little Italian restaurant, and cheesecake and a chocolate egg cream at Lindy's. I couldn't have done all of that in any other city on Earth.

Only in New York.

(Taken with my Nikon D80)

Day 199/365 - In the Heights

When I decided to make a weekend trip up to New York, I checked to see what shows were playing on Broadway. The pickings were pretty slim. It was mostly just shows I'd already seen and more rehashes of Disney movies. The only show I really wanted to see was the musical "In the Heights." Instead of buying my ticket in advance over the internet, I thought I'd wait and see if I could get a discounted, day of performance ticket from the TKTS booth in Time Square. No such luck, unfortunately. I wound up having to pay full price at the theater box office, but it was money well spent.

"In the Heights" is something pretty rare on Broadway these days -- an original show rather than one based on a movie. The play is set in Washington Heights, a section of upper Manhattan that is home to many Latin immigrants from many lands and islands. The story focuses on a wide cast of characters who are all either trying to follow their dreams or figure out what their dreams actually are. It's a bit of a cross between "La Boheme" and "Romeo and Juliet," with a New York Latin flair. The story is engrossing and keeps you engaged as you wait to see how it all turns out in the end. It's a bit unusual though in that there is no antagonist in the play, apart from the vicissitudes of life and circumstance. The presence of a heavy might have been a good idea and could have tempered or counterbalanced the overall sweetness of the play.

The characters are likeable and well fleshed out for the most part, although some of the minor characters are largely stereotypes. The performers are generally good, especially the male lead Usnavi. The dancers are appropriately energetic and limber and the singers are passable. The set design is good and eschews the trend toward mechanically spectacular staging in favor of a fixed set that conveys the claustrophobic coziness of the neighborhood. The music and songs are good and "In the Heights" is the first musical I've seen that successfully blends singing and rapping without making a mess of either.

It's easy to see why "In the Heights" won the Tony Award for Best Musical. It's just a shame that there aren't more original shows like this being staged on Broadway. It's disappointing that the creeping 'Disneyfication' of Time Square has now extended to the productions in the theaters as well. If this keeps up, Time Square will be little more than a urban strip mall full of chain restaurants and chain plays.

(Taken with my Nikon D80)

Twice on Sunday Bonus Photo - Shadow Over Venice

For this week's bonus photo from my archives we have a shot I took on my recent trip to Venice. This was taken from the campanile, or bell tower, in the Piazza San Marco and shows a broad view of the city and the shadow of the tower itself.

(Taken with my Nikon D80)