Took A Week-long Bite Out Of The Big Apple

It is so hard to come back to reality after six days of vacation! It's not like we even lounged around and relaxed. B and I were on the go for four days straight in Manhattan and two days in Rochester. Ah, I love Manhattan. Whenever I'm walking up and down the tree-lined streets peppered with Carrie Bradshaw-style walk up apartment buildings, I picture myself frolicking home. Even when I navigate and weave through crowds in Times Square (this is because I refuse to look like a tourist), I exude this confidence that makes me feel like I own the city, let alone the theater district. I don't know what it is, but I find Manhattan to be romantic, exciting, comfortable and fast all at the same time. With each neighborhood claiming its own identity, it's difficult for me to pick my favorite. When I'm walking through the Upper West Side to do some buying and eating at Zabar's, I tell myself "this is where I would live." But when I'm browsing the shop windows in The Village and I see trendy, delicious restaurants and beautiful people everywhere, I think, "no no, I want to live here." What can I say? I have NYC ADD. A summary of our trip:

• Four Shows! All seats purchased through TKTS. How I heart the Theater Development Foundation! We saw: Spamalot (with Clay Aiken! He was good, too!), Mary Poppins (Disneyfied, saccharine-sweet fun), Is He Dead? (knee-slapping funny comedy play starring Norbert Leo Butz and a slew of other talents), and Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening (spoofed some of my favorite current and old time Broadway shows and the best of all, Rude Awakening spoofed my least favorite, Spring Awakening)
• Pizza!! Yumminess was had at Ben's Pizzeria on McDougal in The Village, Famous Ray's on 8th and 51st and ANOTHER Ray's that also claims to be famous, Famous Rays of Greenwich Village. I don't know what it is about New York pizza but it beats any pizza anywhere.
• Museums!! We took a the ferry to Ellis Island, and even though we'd both been there before, having just come out of Ragtime a few months ago, we could appreciate it even more. Mad props to our great grandparents. We also went to the Jewish Museum on 5th and 92nd. Some neat culture and pieces. Didn't learn anything too new, but it was a nice museum and I would go back if they had an interesting exhibit. I brought B to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and it rocked for many reasons. It was free -- yes yes, 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday nights, Target sponsors free admission. I heart Target. Also, I got to see Van Gogh's Starry Night and it moved me to tears the first time I saw it. This time, I felt similar emotions but it was crowded and I couldn't get as close as I would have liked. Monet's huge Water Lillies was also on display and all I can ever think about when I see Monets is the line from "Clueless"

Cher: Oh, she's a full on Monet.
Tai: What's that?
Cher: You see, it's like the painting. See, from far away it's okay, but up close it's a big ol' mess.

• Various food!! Pizza gets its own bullet point because it's just that near and dear to my heart. However, we actually did eat other items. A good, cheap post-show meal was at The Galaxy Diner on 8th and 47th. We also finally tried Serendipity after not making it there on our last trip. Ya know, the place was cute and I definitely tried to breathe any leftover John Cusack carbon dioxide into my system, but the food was ya know, food. Serendipity has a huge menu and everything is described deliciously, but their real money maker is their desserts. Our entrees were fine, but nothing glorious (given the price and the name). Bryan had challah French toast with fruit and I had fried-then-baked chicken and fries. We both enjoyed, but couldn't finish, the Forbidden Broadway dessert -- blackout cake with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and hot fudge. It was amazing, but huge and virtually impossible to finish after lunch. I had a fleeting thought about becoming a bulimic after I left Serendipity. And of course we had to eat deli, so we went to the usual, Carnegie Deli, and we were both very disappointed. The matzoh ball soup was nothing with nothing and the pastrami lacked flavor. Our server was this young Asian guy, probably making extra cash to put himself through NYU med school or something, which is awesome. But when I go to eat deli in NY, I went an ancient, cranky, purple-haired, wretched, food-throwing, little old Jewish lady. I do. It's part of the experience for me. So, all in all, this Carnegie experience was not my favorite of all my Carnegie experiences. Perhaps we'll find a new deli next time (not to be confused with New Delhi, the metropolis of India. We have no plans of going there in the near future).
• The weather!! It could not have been better. I came back with my ass fully in tact. It did not freeze off. Sure, it was cold, but we walked briskly and were indoors a lot so it didn't feel any colder in The City than it normally does when I'm there in the winter. A few times I carried my jacket because I was warm enough in a sweater and bottom layer!! We heard it rained and rained and rained in L.A. the whole time we were gone. Glad we missed it so we could enjoy the gorgeous New York climate!

Our time in Manhattan came to a close on Saturday afternoon and we flew up to Rochester to visit Same Name. We saw a rehearsal for the show she'll be covering for a short time and we also saw a show that she might get to be in over the next few months. We also took a little day trip to Niagara Falls and saw the amazing natural phenomenon from the Canadian side (which I hear is better) and it was truly breathtaking.
I now I understand why people leave awestruck and inspired. It is very cool. Literally and figuratively. The falls mist like crazy, so we got drenched when we stood in its central location and the temperature -- a measly 27 degrees -- made it quite uncomfortable for a short time after. I'm surprised I didn't leave with icicles in my hair.

We drove around to try to find a lunch place that wasn't touristy, so we went into the little town and everything was closed on Sundays except for Bassel's Diner and Tavern. I love these local, hole-in-the-wall type places. The woman who served us at the counter looked at me like I was a movie star when I told her I was from Los Angeles. I think she almost asked for my autograph. The SPECIAL of the day on the menu was chicken fingers and fries for $9.99. B and Same Name ordered them and they were pretty good. A level above the Costco DinoNuggets for sure. I found it funny that chicken fingers is considered a special. On the Sides section, three out of the six options were various types of gravy. I tell ya, this place was great in a funny way. Totally beat eating at a tourist trip like Rainforest Cafe across the street from the Falls where it looks like a little Citywalk or Downtown Disney.

So, after a quick two days of hanging out with Same Name and meeting all her new (and very nice) friends, we jetted back to JFK and got on a standby flight back to LA.

And now, almost a week after returning to the homeland, I am already salivating over the next vacation we take. This one, though, will only require flip flops and bathing suits. We already have the aloha spirit for our Hawaiian honeymoon that begins May 26th! Woo hoo!!