When my Aussie friend, Chris, said part of his plans while in America this year was to visit New York city, I have to admit, I wasn’t really sold on the idea. It sounded kind of cool but, what I thought, does New York have to offer that I can’t get around the Mpls/St Paul area. It’s just another big city, I hear people are pushy and not very friendly, it’s huge so how much can I really see in 5 days plus I heard it can be sweltering in August. Lastly, air plane travel, once fun and exciting, now, possibly the worst way to travel ever devised by man. Don’t get me started on that topic!
As it turns out, New York was another fun adventure to add to the list of travels with “Bushy”. There was 6 of us, four Minnesotans and 2 Aussies. We all got there on a Saturday and left the next Thursday, enough time for a sampler tour, not enough time to really spend time doing or seeing anything. The six of us were the typical New York tourists. We camped out at the New Yorker Hotel on 34th and 8th, close to the center of town. We wandered around the city gawking at everything, looking up all the time at tall buildings, wondering out loud about all the activity in Times Square area and once in a while stealing some quiet time to spend alone on personal quests.
High lights of the trip you ask? Going to a Yankees game on the subway with thousands of others. The game was rain delayed by 2 hours but finally played to the end with the Yanks winning over the Rangers. “Sister Act” at the Broadway Theater, special guest in the audience Cedric the Entertainer. Bushy gets another autograph. A very touristy and geeky ride around town on a big open top bus with a crazy tour guide with a very dry almost morbid sense of humor. We could get on and off any time, amazingly got off and a few hours later got on another bus that had the same tour guide! Ferry ride around the southern end of the island with a follow-up ferry ride to Hoboken. Our attempt to get into the Cake Boss was a bust. Who knew there would be a 1.5 hour wait in line. Starving, we ate at a local pizza shop across the street before we found the train back into the city. Times Square at night with all the lights on and everyone else doing the same as us; Gawking, taking pictures, mouth open looking up, staring at other people and buying everything in sight, food, souvenirs, you name it. The public library. Found it walking around the first day. Bryant Park right next to it, gorgeous building inside and out. Who knew Madison Square Garden was a round building? Not me, I do now. Ok, airline related, my first ever upgrade to First Class on the way to New York. Little plane, short flight but still fun and unexpected to get.