New York Photos

New York Photo Albums
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Hotel

How not to be a middle aged woman from Phoenix

On our way into the city from Laguardia, we shared a Town Car with two ladies from Phoenix. They were very nice, and friendly. We talked about how it was my first time to New York and how they had been before. After we got dropped off at our hotel, I turned to Clare and said that I didn’t want to be anything like them during our trip to New York, and I’m not talking about the coordinating pastel Capri outfits that they were wearing, the gold jewelry they were sporting, or the fact that they looked like they would pass out after walking four blocks to get to the Sbarro’s on Times Square. (Sure, there’s probably a Sbarro’s a block away from their hotel, but this one is Mama Sbarro’s, so it has to be better.)

No, it was more about not wanting to be a tourist, or rather a bad tourist. You’ve seen them, the standing in the middle of the street, pointing in two different directions, holding a map and completely blocking the sidewalk for all the people trying to go about their daily routine. The people that get sucked into going on the observation deck tour, when they could have just as easily gone to the bar a couple of floors down for free (or the price of a drink). Well, I just didn’t want to go out like that and thankfully Clare would never have let me.

So it became our resolve, we want to look like we were from there, that we belonged. And it wasn’t solely due to the Phoenicians. When we thought about it, with the increased nationalization and globalization of restaurant and store chains, it’s becoming harder and harder to find the true character of city. When every block has a Starbucks, McDonald’s, a Chase and a Bank of America, how do you even know you’re in a different city?

To find out we, skipped most of the obvious things, i.e. tours, department store shopping areas, and to my relief I was able to glimpse, if even for a second, a truer version of New York than the manufactured, plastic wrapped version that so many tourists get.

So what did I gain from that glimpse? Well, I know why Clare loved it so much and why she compared everything her first few months in Chicago to New York. While it will never be my favorite city, a spot reserved for the Chi, I have new found respect for NYC. I can totally see myself living there, but only for a short time. I’m glad I went, and also glad we didn’t end up like those ladies from Phoenix, if only because I look horrible in pastels.

A Chicagoan’s Guide to a Weekend in New York

Now, for those that may be planning trips to New York, here is what I've learned in my first trip.

What you absolutely need:

• Comfortable shoes. The average Manhattanite walks five miles a day. If you can’t hack it, you’re going to spend a ton in cab fares.


• A good city map that shows the subway lines. Clare lived in New York for almost a year and she still needed to refer to a map. I don’t know how many maps I saw, but it seemed like everyone had one, even the locals. It‘s not that the system is that complicated, it‘s just that there are so many different lines and so many streets you’ll need it to keep it straight.
  
• The latest Zagat’s. I was never a big proponent of Zagat’s, mostly because it was a print publication and the way restaurants opened and closed, it didn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense when the internet was right there. Here’s the thing, New York doesn’t have a Metromix.com, so this becomes the defacto way to find restaurants in the city. Man, do they do a good job. Any type of category you could think up, from best view to hottest servers, is in there.


• A hotel on the island. Do not stay in any of the other boroughs or, heaven help you, New Jersey. You’re going to be walking around enough, doing enough, buying enough, that you’re going to want a home base close to everything. This is not up for discussion.

Other things that were nice to have:

• Hotel with internet access.
  
• Travel companion who’s lived there.
  
• Latest Time Out: New York

What’s going to get you

Size: Imagine if you took the Loop, Lincoln Park, the Gold Coast, Wrigleyville and Bucktown, threw them into a box, shook it up and let the pieces fall. Now double the number of buildings and any building under eight stories, double its height. You are now approximating Manhattan.
Garbage: They have no alleys, no dumpsters and no weekend service. All the garbage goes on the sidewalk after the store or restaurant closes. Walk around Korea town and you will experience what I can only imagine the trash compactor in Star Wars smelled like. It's no wonder the city is as dirty as it and they have as many rats as they do.

Central Park: Huge. This is the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Central Park. Luckily we had very good weather while we were out there and were able to walk about half the length of the park (it starts at 59th St. and goes to 110th, I think we made it to 80th). The juxtaposition of the office buildings to sprawling park was shocking. What really struck me was the fact that the way the trees, rolling hills, boulders, and paths were laid out made it seem as though the park had always been there and the city just grew up around it.

Clare Contemplating Pizza

Mmmmm...pizza.

ALO @ Martyrs 5/24/07

This was one of the best shows I've ever been to. If you're a Jack Johnson fan you probably already know of Zach Gill, the keyboardist and vocalist on the last couple albums Jack put out. In addition to performing with Jack, he is in the band Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) with friends from his college days at UCSB. They signed with Johnson's Brushfire Records and released Fly Between Falls, and their latest Roses & Clovers.

I'm not sure how to describe their music, but the best I can put it is that it's a cross between Stevie Ray Vaughn and Phish with a splash of P-Funk, Marley and mariachi music. I know that probably sounds weird, but to be honest I'm probably not doing a very good job of describing them. What I can say is that everyone that I've let listen to my copy of their last album has ended up loving it.

Awesome does not go far enough to describe how good this show was. I've never seen a group attack a set list the way that they did. Even though the bar was packed, the air conditioner was busted and the temp inside the bar had to be in the 90's, the band never let up. In fact they played two sets, with an intermission, and an encore. Inspite of the heat, the crowd, and the fact that it was a school night, Clare and I couldn't bear to leave such a good show. You could tell how much they enjoyed performing together and how much they loved the audience's enthusiasm for their music. The last time I saw anything like it was at the Jack Johnson concert I went to a couple of years ago.

Clare and I vowed to drag as many of our friends out to see them when they come back to town. I'm not sure when that will be, but we will definitely be there. In the meantime you can check out pictures and a couple (low quality) videos that I took at the show.