Thursday, July 19, 2007

Cool subway experience

So I got on the semi-crowded subway this morning, the free "AM New York" paper in my hand. Many people were standing and holding poles - no seats today. But then a man nearby moved his bag that was taking up a seat to let me sit down - very nice. He looked like a subway (MTA) official. I sat down next to him and paid him no attention and read my paper. BTW, read about the blast in Midtown yesterday which scared a lot of people apparently - it was just a steam pipe explosion though... After a few stops, the guy turned and asked "Do you speak Spanish?". Mind you he was a black man and he spoke with no accent - it didn't seem like he actually spoke Spanish himself. So I was puzzled as to why he was asking me. I said "a little", and looked at him quizzically. He said "Where are you from?". I said "The West". He apparently thought I was from South America with my curly hair, and today I happened to be wearing a green skirt with lots of brown swirls and dots and weird patterns. So I don't know if the skirt contributed, but I was flattered :-). I said that no, I was from Arizona., but it was cool he thought I was South American. Then I got off on the next stop :-). But wow - add that to my Kung Fu buddy asking me if I was part black, and I get mistaken for everything but what I really am - German! Fun times. Maybe that means I will be accepted in any part of the world - here's hoping!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Erica's Visit: success

Well, of course I've been busy lately with my visitor Erica. We have had a great time these last 4 days!

She flew in Friday evening - actually arrived late, but that worked out with me. We walked down Amsterdam looking for a place to eat, and finally decided on a yummy Thai place. We really liked the drunken noodles dish, and I enjoyed my HOT squid and vegies dish. The place was called "Land" which seemed sort of modern/trendy but the food was great! I swear the restaurant was only 8 feet wide, but it was deep too. Very fun.

I got to sleep in on Saturday which I thoroughly enjoyed. Naveen went and helped a friend in the building move (from 1 floor to another). She was very appreciative! Then we set off for our Statue of Liberty adventure. The subway that went to Battery Park of course wasn't going this weekend, so we got off at Wall Street and got to walk through that which was fun. Finally I saw lower Manhattan - and I think I like Midtown the best. But anyway - the Statue was all about standing in line. We stood in line for like an hour to get on the ferry (and yay - security). But we got to see funny people dressed as the statue for tourists to take pictures with. Also saw a Spiderman! And a bunch of booths - soft pretzel and art stuff - along the way. Then we took the ferry over, and stood in line to both use the restroom and get food on Liberty Island.
Not particularly worth it. But it was really fun to walk around the Statue and take pictures. Then my favorite part - going up the base of the statue! They limit the number of people inside, so it was actually lacking all lines, and it actually felt very empty which was awesome. We heard a neat tour about some of the symbolism of the statue that made me very proud. We saw the original torch. We heard that the statue's face is modeled after the sculptor's Mom, but the body after his wife :-). Hehe. It was originally copper, but of course it oxidized because it was outside. The frame inside the statue was converted to steel. The symbolism was awesome - the shackles at her feet representing freedom; the toga she wears in the style of old Rome which represents democracy; the "book" she holds that has our Independence date on it is in the shape of a keystone - holding up the foundation of our country; the seven-spired crown representing the 7 continents; and of course the torch of light. The statue is actually facing outward not to welcome people, but to spread liberty and democracy to the rest of the world. Fascinating stuff! We walked up the 156 stairs to get to the top of the base... We had beautiful views of the water and city from the base of the statue and it was fun to see up into the statue itself. Maybe one day it'll be open to people again and I'll drag Naveen back to brave the tiny winding staircase! So that was our statue experience. Then of course we got in line for another 45 minutes to catch a ferry back. Unfortunately we missed the last ferry to Ellis Island. Naveen and I are thinking of going back because I hear the museum there is really cool to see, and to do it justice you need another 3 hours anyway.

So we got back to the mainland, and wandered a bit. We walked up to the World Trade Center sight which now is just a big whole in the ground because they had to take up the foundation because they were worried about the pressure down there and water and it affecting other buildings around. I definitely felt a powerful sense of solidarity of Americans when I was down there, even though there wasn't a clear place to see it from. There were plaques up with people's names who died, and commemorate sculptures and a small museum and stuff. It was really amazing to just see. To be there and feel the community there. Interesting. Then we walked more through lower Manhattan to get to Little Italy for dinner. But we walked past City Hall and a bunch of the court houses which Erica and Naveen were really excited about because they were pretty sure they were the sight of Law and Order :-). We finally made it up to Little Italy on Mulberry street and there was a small festival or something because the street was closed to traffic and there were a bunch of people all over. Very fun! We picked a neat Italian restaurant and ate very well. I got my veal and eggplant dish again - Veal Sorrentina. :-). And we got gelato afterwards, but we decided it wasn't authentic (more like ice cream). But mine was cannoli flavored! So after being gone almost 12 hours, we took the subway back home! Long day with lots of being on our feet :-). We were testing Erica for sure!

Sunday was a lot lower key :-). Naveen and I went for a run in the park - around the big hilly road again. Didn't quite make 4 miles, but close. It was hot. Went back and got ready for Sunday brunch! We went to Le Pain Quotidien - "Daily Bread" in french. Even though there are more than 1 of this store, everyone RAVES about it. I think they started in Europe because the list store locations in Belgium and the UK too besides Manhattan. But their bread is AWESOME! I really like rye bread it turns out :-). So we got a bread basket and some awesome jams to put on it - apricot, red fruits, and an interesting praline butter spread. Yum. Then Naveen and I shared a quiche and some prosciutto. All very tasty. I got a crumble with raspberries and strawberries to go and had it the next morning for breakfast and it was FABULOUS! Yum. Wow - I want to go back to this place. They do wonderful pastries, breads, coffee - everything. I haven't even tried their tartines (sandwiches), but I want to. They had a great pesto drizzle on the side salad that I'd love to try on a sandwich! So, being highly satisfied with food, we went home and napped. Then headed to Riverside park in the late afternoon to see a dance show, but unfortunately got a bit waylaid when we couldn't get into the park where we thought because of construction, and arrived too late to see dancing. But we did make it to the pier to see a later concert - a rock opera singer/quartet that "defies category". I wasn't so sure about the defies category until she did a bit of falsetto, but it was definitely interesting. Very nice night just sitting next to the water and chilling. Good conversation. Unfortunately right when we left it started raining huge water drops! We cabbed home :-).

So Monday I went to work. I told Erica I actually go to work to relax :-). It was a nice day at work. I guess Erica had a fun day seeing Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building and Time Square and reading in Central Park :-). After I got home we did the wandering thing for dinner again which does seem to take a long time. But we settled on a Spanish tapas place. The tapas were awesome - artichoke hearts, 3 types of mushrooms marinated, roasted red peppers, shrimp, scallops, and yummy meatballs. All very nice sauces too. But in my opinion they were sorta expensive for the quantity you got, as was the Sangria! But a fun time for sure...

Tuesday was also a great day. I worked from home which was a treat. I slept in (necessary for me). Then I actually took my bike out for the first time and rode around in Central Park - 10 miles! It was beautiful and a lot quicker than walking :-). A fun ride, despite constant hills. A good workout. I love just looking around as I go through the park. No lack of greenery and peace and things to see. Makes me happy. So I joined Naveen in a coffee shop to work for the afternoon. Starbucks is where it's at here, which I actually quite enjoyed - good coffee - not like IBM! And I had a tasty piece of marble bread in the afternoon. We went home and joined Erica after her day of seeing the Metropolitan Museum of Art which she seemed to enjoy. We all agreed that it's just too big! We were all excited to have pizza at my favorite neighborhood place, and of course tasty garlic knots. These are serious, too - drive away people and vampires within an 8 foot radius :-). We especially enjoyed the "special" slice of pizza too with thinly sliced sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, and onions. Then we made our way to the Great Lawn of Central Park for an awesome outdoor free NY Philharmonic concert! This is a real treat - they are one of the oldest orchestras in the world, and the oldest in the US. Quality music! And some of the pieces had a solo soprano singing too which was awesome. I loved how the classical pieces really came to life, and we could just sit on the lawn and relax listening to them. Since 1/4 of Manhattan showed up to this neat event, it was a bit crazy and crowded, but we made it through the reams of picnics to a spot to sit. The view of the park around us and city buildings further off as it grew dark was really magical to me. Very NY communal thing to do :-). And it was fun to see fireworks explode above after the concert. Some really pretty ones! I think actually the finale might be my least favorite because you can't make out the distinct fireworks - it's just 100 going off at once in chaos. But it was a beautiful night again, and we walked home after a great event.

And Erica flies out today! I hope we didn't tire her out too much - all the city walking! But we had a great time and I think experienced a lot of fun Manhattan-y things. Yay for a successful visitor trip :-). And fyi - she said our futon couch bed is very comfortable.

Tonight is supposed to be a playoff softball game for me, but I woke up to torrential rain, so we'll see. Even part of the highway was flooded on the way to work! And tomorrow night I go with other interns to see the Harry Potter movie - woohoo! Always more adventures and fun :-).