New York has definitely been the highlight of our trip. I'll break it down into a day-by-day synopsis to even attempt to capture what's happened.
Day 1 (9/14/12)
It was a pretty spectacular moment driving down the 95, coming around a bend, to see the horizon give birth to the New York skyline. This was definitely the biggest city we'd been in since we left LA. Once we got into it, we faced one of the biggest problems in New York: parking.
It took us about two hours to find an overnight parking spot for a "reasonable" $35 a night. Overall, I'd say it wasn't too brutal, especially since we were staying with my old buddy, Stephen Mackey, for free. This really alleviated the financial burden that is staying in New York.
Anyhow, once we settled in, Stephen took me and Raffi on a little tour towards Time's Square. It was a completely different world, with street performers and lights everywhere you looked. Among the highlights were sampling M&M's at the M&M store, reaching a restaurant at the top of the Marriott in Time's Square, taking the gondola to Roosevelt Island to check out an old abandoned small pox hospital, and trying the famous frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3.
9/15/12
Stephen had lots of reading to do, so Raffi and I decided to venture out as a duo on this day. We walked down through part of Chinatown, towards the World Trade Center. At the site, a small memorial marked where the twin towers had fallen eleven years and four days prior. Next to it stands the ongoing construction of the Freedom Tower, a skyscraper serving almost as a mirror to the sky. After paying our respects, we decided to head east towards the famous Brooklyn Bridge. I managed to slip into a music store and get a little piano jam sesh in with a shopkeeper before we hit the bridge, which was cool.
We crossed the bridge so many construction workers had lost their lives raising, and met Stephen at the Alma's Restaurant in Brooklyn Heights. The sun set as we ate our dinner, then Raffi left to meet up with his friend, another NYU student, Jason Boxer.
Stephen and I headed over the Barge Music to listen to a classical quintet play some Mozart. Rocking on the barge on the East River with a view of downtown Manhattan, the music really topped off the elegance of the moment. However the night only took off from there.
To keep things brief, (if you wanna know details, ask me in person) we walked back across the bridge, had a couple run-ins with Occupiers, the NYPD, and an NBC news van. We checked out the fanciest McDonald's, and had a beer in a small Irish sports bar then took a detour home. We walked along the Hudson, with a view of Hoboken, and into a huge turf soccer field. After taking some pictures and seeing some rats, we headed home. However, some house music distracted us on the way so we checked it out. Turns out we had walked into a gay club on Christopher Street. We stood awkwardly inside for a couple minutes until Stephen, noticing how dead the scene was, came up with the idea to start dancing like idiots and get the party going. We did. (Ask in person for more details. No worries, it's G rated..) Exhausted from our day's adventures, we finally made it home at around three in the morning.
9/16
With aching legs, Raffi and I wandered up north to hit up the famous Carnegie Deli to have ourselves a full blown New York pastrami sandwich. And what we asked for is what we got. The equivalent of about two steak's worth of corned beef and pastrami stacked on our plate with two measly slices of rye bread on each end. Along with some smack talking from a New Yorker sitting next us (I had apparently knocked a little bit of his coffee on his shirt), I'd say this ranks up there as one of the manliest meals I've ever had.
After the lunch, we took a pleasant stroll through Central Park, where performers of all sorts were pedalling for money. Although we stopped every couple minutes to watch, we eventually made it to the subway that would take us downtown.
Unfortunately, the Statue of Liberty tours were closed down, so we ended up just taking the Staten Island Ferry past the statue. But what a view it was! The sun set pretty much right behind the statue, accentuating Lady Liberty's crown and torch. The round trip took about an hour, so when we came back it was dark.
Walking back up, through Greenwich Village, we passed by Washington Square, where we heard the ringing of intricate piano playing. Surely enough, we ran across a man sitting on a Steinway grand piano under the arch, playing what were the most technically challenging pieces I've ever heard in person. He was just about finished, when he asked, "Anyone else wanna play something?" Realizing this opportunity may not strike again, I decided to play my original jazz ballad, "Maika," under the lit-up Washington Square Arch. Later, I clanked through the Rondo a la Turk, for which I earned ten dollars. Naturally, I gave the ten dollars to the player, who gave me a signed CD in return. The music had really built up an appetite, so we started food hunting.
We had passed so many Halal food stands in NYC, we decided it was time we grub. We ordered some gyros from a small falafel joint and had crepes for dessert. A successful day.
9/17
Since our friends were in class on this Monday, we thought it would be a good idea to check out the American Museum of Natural History. Raffi left the museum around three because he wanted to check out the Met across Central Park so we parted ways. I was in the museum until it closed at 5:45.
After my sunset stroll through Central Park, I headed to Chinatown with Stephen, while Raffi met up with Jason. We picked up some lemon pastry, ate a whopping three dollar dinner (from which we were stuffed), and had some boba. For once, we didn't pay a fortune for a full dinner in New York.
Stephen's roommate, Kevin is an intense swing dancer, so after dinner he was able to take me, Stephen, and Stephen's other roommate, Leef, to a swing concert. (In the meantime, Raffi took the famous ascent to the observatory of the Empire State Building.) I watched people dance as the band played classic Basie and Ellington swing tunes. It was a hip place to be. We ended the night on a long, political discussion at the apartment; another day well spent, and a fine way to end our stay in New York City.
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