Wednesday, April 12, 2006

NY to the C-izzle Sizzle

New York can really show a person how cool they are NOT. Growing up in a sort of small town I have at least felt like a medium sized fish in a medium sized pond. In New York you are NO ONE. I was sporting a handle bar mustache the whole week I was there and no one even gave me a second look. I fit right in for the first time in my life, I was just another ugly, weird looking dude in a sea of freaks and all kinds, shapes and sizes. Anyone would fit in there cuz there is no standard or normal. Kind of fun, but I am glad to be home. I missed my girls a lot. Many props to Sadie for watching them. Words can't express Sadie..... words can not express.

But we had the best time, it was just me and the wife and no kids for 6 days, 17 hours, and 37 minutes. We arrived on Thursday and hung out with Jared and Liz and got a slice. Then on Friday we did lunch with J and Josh, went to MOMA in the evening and had dinner with Josh, Erin, Ben, and Gab Gab. On Sat we did our own thing and saw a show, The Spelling Bee, really funny and much easier to get into than Wicked. Then we ate at a Portuguese restaurant on the Upper West Side. On Sun we went up to Josh and Erin's place and saw where they live and what their life is all about. We had a dinner party at a friend's house and had tons o fun. Then on Mon we hung with my mission friend Shepherd in Brooklyn. We walked the Brooklyn bridge and ate Pizza at Grimaldi's and saw his Studio Pad and had a great day. We stayed at Josh and Erin's Monday night and Josh took us to the airport Tuesday morning and we flew home. It was so much fun. Here are some of my observations and what I learned about NYC in the short time I was there. Every traveler should know the following about NYC; for effect I will make this a bullett point list:

  • Buying pizza for $5/slice is so much better than $5 for a whole pizza.
  • I am way too dependant on my vehicle for transporation.
  • Just walking out of your hotel in the morning in New York City costs $10.
  • I was the only 1 of 8 Million residents wearing a bright green jacket.
  • Public Transport is awesome. The only place where the poorest of the poor and the kind of rich interact.
  • It is hard to find a Dr Pepper. Lots of Coke and Sprite but no Dr Pepper.
  • Get ready to walk. Walk fast or be trampled.
  • Your taxi is going to cost twice what the hotel told you it would cost.
  • A person can live in 700 sq ft and be as content as 7000 sq ft (although they may have to pee and poo with their knees touching a wall)
  • "Art" at the MOMA is definitely in the eye of the beholder
  • Seeing a celebrity in person (Elizabeth from "The View" and a guy named Ron Eldard
    that you are going to have to look up) was more enjoyable than I would have imagined.
  • Even a view from your hotel of a river with probably a thousand dead bodies in it is beautiful at night with the city behind it.
  • As The Beautiful South used to say, N-Y to the C is Awe-to the Some.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's good to hear that you ate as much pizza as your girls did...now you know why kate threw up and why it's best to pay $5 for a whole pizza when you've got three kids.

Ben said...

Ron Eldard? L. Ron Hubbard?

Shayne said...

Ron Eldard, you might remember him from "Blind Justice" about a blind guy that fights crime.......even though he is blind.

Anonymous said...

Shayners thanks for giving props to the toilet and the square footage. That sucks that you were here for a week and the only celeb you saw was a guy from the blind crime-fighter show. You forgot to add that everyone uses the EFF word here like it's a pronoun - oh wait, that's only me. Glad you guys came out, and you're welcome to stay in NYC-compatible Hoboken anytime.

Ben said...

Right. Like blind people can fight crime. Great one Shane. Wait, I got one: I'll believe that when I SEE it.

Anonymous said...

an entire blog about your trip to NYC and no mention of what I consider the highlight of your trip.

You stood with 15 yards of where Ken Griffey Jr. was going to be a little later that day.

Was it Ken Griffey?

Josh

Shayne said...

It was actually Cal Ripken Jr Josh, and I was borderline about mentioning our encounter. But he and Ken Griffey are both Juniors. You were close. I know how you LOVE baseball.

Anonymous said...

i wish you'd post more shayners, i want to know what you're thinking about.

j