I tried posting last night and the McDonald's wifi at the post. So an abbreviated version of yesterday's events.
1. I'm staying in a hotel in the Upper West Side which is exactly the kind of hotel you get when you're trying to stay in Manhattan on the cheap. But it's clean and safe, and I'm out most mornings by 8 am and not getting back until late, so who cares what it looks like.
2. Left the hotel yesterday and immediately came upon an elderly Jewish lady chastizing her dog for the way in which it was trying to pee. So it didn't take me long to feel like I was in New York.
3. Shortly afterwards, found a store that has more fresh fruit than you would find in Iqaluit in a month and a great little bakery. So that's snacks for the comic con taken care of.
4. Took the train to the Staten Island ferry, which is one of the best deals in New York. For free, you go over to the island. Along the way, you get views of lower Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Libery. So that was pretty awesome.
5. When to the visit the World Trade Center site. Couldn't get into the memorial area because I didn't realize you needed advanced tickets. Still, it was ncie to visit. When I was there last time, more than four years ago, it was a whole in the ground. Now it's the tallest thing on the island, even if it isn't finished. And it still feels...sort of sacred. Commercially sacred, you understand, because it's still New York and people will find a way to make a buck, but it has an interesting vibe.
6. If only there was some place to buy a "I (heart) NY" t-shirt. There's a lost marketing opportunity.
7. Picked up discount tickets to see the Spider-Man musical. Got a ticket in the middle, row N. Spectacular seats, 50% regular price. Not bad at all.
8. Promptly got lost trying to get to Union Square, but the nice thing about New York is that even getting lost, there's still lots to see while you try to figure out where you are.
9. Went to Strand Bookstore. Realized I was in serious trouble. Realized I only have a limited amount of space and I'm going to comic con in a few days. Got out before things escelated.
10. Headed up to the David Letterman. Was told it was vitally, desperately important that I laugh. Hinted the fate of the free world might depend on it. Suspected the seats had ejector launch devices to hurl me from the theatre if I didn't laugh. David was pretty good, and Jack Hanny was surprisingly entertaining. Not often you can say you've seen Siberian tigers in a theatre in New York. I was in the second last row in the balacony, but still had a decent view. Didn't make it on TV, alas.
11. The Spider-Man musical was surprisingly good. And no fatalities. So there's that. It starts slow, but kicks into gear once Peter becomes Spider-Man. As a musical, it's mixed. Some very good numbers, some very meh ones. But as a visual experience, it's astonishing.
12. Spent an hour or two after the show hanging out in Times Square. If you're going to go there, why go in the middle of the day. You go at night.
And that's the day. Now to do some shopping, I think.
1. I'm staying in a hotel in the Upper West Side which is exactly the kind of hotel you get when you're trying to stay in Manhattan on the cheap. But it's clean and safe, and I'm out most mornings by 8 am and not getting back until late, so who cares what it looks like.
2. Left the hotel yesterday and immediately came upon an elderly Jewish lady chastizing her dog for the way in which it was trying to pee. So it didn't take me long to feel like I was in New York.
3. Shortly afterwards, found a store that has more fresh fruit than you would find in Iqaluit in a month and a great little bakery. So that's snacks for the comic con taken care of.
4. Took the train to the Staten Island ferry, which is one of the best deals in New York. For free, you go over to the island. Along the way, you get views of lower Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Libery. So that was pretty awesome.
5. When to the visit the World Trade Center site. Couldn't get into the memorial area because I didn't realize you needed advanced tickets. Still, it was ncie to visit. When I was there last time, more than four years ago, it was a whole in the ground. Now it's the tallest thing on the island, even if it isn't finished. And it still feels...sort of sacred. Commercially sacred, you understand, because it's still New York and people will find a way to make a buck, but it has an interesting vibe.
6. If only there was some place to buy a "I (heart) NY" t-shirt. There's a lost marketing opportunity.
7. Picked up discount tickets to see the Spider-Man musical. Got a ticket in the middle, row N. Spectacular seats, 50% regular price. Not bad at all.
8. Promptly got lost trying to get to Union Square, but the nice thing about New York is that even getting lost, there's still lots to see while you try to figure out where you are.
9. Went to Strand Bookstore. Realized I was in serious trouble. Realized I only have a limited amount of space and I'm going to comic con in a few days. Got out before things escelated.
10. Headed up to the David Letterman. Was told it was vitally, desperately important that I laugh. Hinted the fate of the free world might depend on it. Suspected the seats had ejector launch devices to hurl me from the theatre if I didn't laugh. David was pretty good, and Jack Hanny was surprisingly entertaining. Not often you can say you've seen Siberian tigers in a theatre in New York. I was in the second last row in the balacony, but still had a decent view. Didn't make it on TV, alas.
11. The Spider-Man musical was surprisingly good. And no fatalities. So there's that. It starts slow, but kicks into gear once Peter becomes Spider-Man. As a musical, it's mixed. Some very good numbers, some very meh ones. But as a visual experience, it's astonishing.
12. Spent an hour or two after the show hanging out in Times Square. If you're going to go there, why go in the middle of the day. You go at night.
And that's the day. Now to do some shopping, I think.
1 comment:
How did you know that the old lady with the dog was a Jew?
As opposed to any other religion?
I can understand that she might have had an accent from Eastern Europe, but that alone surely does not make her Jewish?
Could she have been, for example, an Orthodox Russian Christian?
Please do not jump to conclusions.
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