We Ditched The Kids! - UPDATE (7/22 - NYC trip)

[pkondz]

No wonder so many of us default to, "Just buy what you want and then let me give it to you for your birthday."

Hey. If it works, don't mess with it.

You are a wise man.

Nah. Self preservation runs strong on my side of the family.

If it's not true, she's been an awfully good actress for the past 18 years.

She is.


They all are.

The NJ Turnpike really isn't that bad as long as you avoid rush hour and stick to the southern half of the state. But the closer you get to NYC, the wilder it gets. So many lanes, alternate routes, poor directional signing...it can get very confusing. Then add overly aggressive drivers to the mix.

Didn't sound so bad until you added that last bit...

Training? They have training?

Sure! You don't think "overly aggressive" happens by itself, do you?

Well, I need it to be somebody else's fault for insurance purposes.

Plan B.
Pay the $15. Keep the receipt for proof.
Pay someone else $10 to steal it.

It's very weird to look back at those photos, though.

I can imagine.

It was about 18 blocks from the station to our hotel. Google Maps shows it about a mile or so. Not bad at all. We went right up 7th Avenue through Times Square.

Not bad. Especially when you have that right in the middle.

Hotwire had it for $110 in mid-March. I thought that was a steal, given the location.

Not bad!

We just stumbled onto it. I had no idea where it actually was.

Lucky break.

It is! I mean, even though it's evil, you have to respect the brilliance behind it.

There's a giant list of things I'd rather do than sit in a salon watching my wife get her hair done.

I don't actually have a list. Don't need one.
"Honey? Would you like to sit and watch me get my hair done?"
"No, sorry, I can't. I have something else I need to do."
"Like what?"
"Anything."

I had originally told my friend I didn't think we'd have time for a hair appointment because we'd be running around trying to see all the things. Julie surprised me a bit by choosing the salon. I can't blame her, though. She never does those kinds of things for herself. So I let her enjoy it and went and enjoyed myself.

Everyone has their own opinion of what makes for a good vacation.
Just like at Disney, some people are Go! Go! Go! (like... me) while others would rather relax by the pool (like... Ruby.)

I can totally see Julie's idea of a good vacation is getting her hair done in a NYC salon.

I just like that feeling of seeing some famous place on TV and being able to say, "Yup. Been there."

Yes! We do that when we watch the Amazing Race.
"We were there! We were there! Remember when we were there?"

I wonder about that every day! But don't say it out loud. I keep worrying that one day she'll come to her senses.

I'll keep quiet if you'll keep quiet.

That's probably the most innocent explanation possible for that situation.

I decided to go DISboards appropriate.

My parents were actually supposed to fly home that day from a vacation in Arizona. I was really glad when I was able to reach them by phone. They never got off the ground.

Wow. I can see how you'd be panicking just a wee bit there.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hey. If it works, don't mess with it.

Words to live by, right there.

Nah. Self preservation runs strong on my side of the family.

I can understand that. It's a survival instinct.

She is.


They all are.

So she's holding out for something. I'm sure she'll tell me what it is, right?

Didn't sound so bad until you added that last bit...

There are "local" and "express" versions of the same highway, too. Halfway up the state they separate them out. All trucks have to take the "local" highway.

Sure! You don't think "overly aggressive" happens by itself, do you?

I thought it was just something in the water up there. Or taught at birth.

Plan B.
Pay the $15. Keep the receipt for proof.
Pay someone else $10 to steal it.

Not bad. Especially when you have that right in the middle.

Always nice to have something to see along the way. It also helps to only have to carry one backpack.

I don't actually have a list. Don't need one.
"Honey? Would you like to sit and watch me get my hair done?"
"No, sorry, I can't. I have something else I need to do."
"Like what?"
"Anything."

Perfect!

Everyone has their own opinion of what makes for a good vacation.
Just like at Disney, some people are Go! Go! Go! (like... me) while others would rather relax by the pool (like... Ruby.)

I can totally see Julie's idea of a good vacation is getting her hair done in a NYC salon.

Actually, Julie is usually a Go! Go! Go! person like me. We must see all the things! I think in this case it was just something that she would never do or spend money on, and she thought, "Why not pamper myself for once?" I couldn't argue with that.

Yes! We do that when we watch the Amazing Race.
"We were there! We were there! Remember when we were there?"

Cool! Another Amazing Race fan! We've been watching that as a family for years.

Unfortunately, we haven't been out of the country so we don't get to say that much when we watch.

I'll keep quiet if you'll keep quiet.

It's a deal!

I decided to go DISboards appropriate.

Probably wise. That could have opened a can of worms.

Wow. I can see how you'd be panicking just a wee bit there.

Information was hard to come by that day. You'd get reports of more planes being hijacked and weren't sure if they were true or not.

 

[glennbo123]

I read this on my phone over the weekend, but it's harder to post from there. I liked the photo of St. Patrick's with the dappled lighting, pretty cool. And I was glad to see your photo of the inside, I didn't get to see that when we were there. I'm sure the WTC memorial was pretty moving. I like the idea of water running down into the center -- I would've never thought of doing that.

 

[franandaj]

Oh, no. No! Not this place, too! I dug through the rest of my apple turnover and had my worst fears confirmed.

Ugh, stealth raisins, the worst!

Now I had a choice. I could sit in a salon watching Julie get her hair done, or I could wander New York City in the morning sunlight.

Well I suppose if you put it that way...

the light and shadows were playing some neat tricks on the façade.

That looks really cool!

As we rode, I noticed a sign on the train I’d never seen before. Apparently this is a problem in New York?

Wow.

I’m sure we all remember where we were when we got word of the attacks. I was at work

We had recently opened a home based business selling sheet music online. I got up really early because we had a "next day" order going to somewhere on the East Coast like North Carolina. I packed up the order, and then went into the office and billed the credit card. I was all ready to take it to the post office on the way to my day job. I climbed back into bed with Fran and turned on the news just in time to hear of the second plane flying into the WTC. I ended up refunding the person's order since obviously nothing was going anywhere "next day" for a while.

I went to my day job, but they sent everyone home by lunchtime since no one was getting any work done.

 

[jedijill]

I was at a work meeting when we got the news. I headed into work early and we had a big board that showed our network's health in red, green, and yellow. NYC was a giant red block on the board since we had multiple fibers and antennas on and under the WTC. (There was a telecom Central Office in the basement). It was like that for months. Our switch was 2 blocks down the street and our techs would tell us about the smoke and the dust coming in. They stayed around the clock trying to keep our swtich up since so many people were trying to make cell phone calls to find their loved ones as well as emergency personnel trying to make calls.

Jill in CO

 

[Poolrat]

I was curious as to what it would have been like for someone actually working at an airport on that day. It must have been absolute chaos.

I actually heard a story from a pilot ( My ex SIL brother) who flew for United I think. He was in the air.... The details of what was happening were so surreal, and then just put the plane down, was so NOT what they should do. It was a cool yet horrifying story.

Wow! That must have been crazy trying to find his way out of the city. I can't imagine what it must have been like to have been there at the time.

In the end he was no yup no big deal but I know if affected him, actually not much more was said about it. My college roommate was working in the tower when the parking garage was bombed and well she changed jobs out of the towers after that. Good thing she did. I knew a lot of people waiting for calls that day.

 

[pkondz]

I can understand that. It's a survival instinct.

I just wish my instinct to avoid injury was as good.

So she's holding out for something. I'm sure she'll tell me what it is, right?

Oh, absolutely.

Yep.


fer sure



uh, huh.










no

I thought it was just something in the water up there. Or taught at birth.

You may be right.

Actually, Julie is usually a Go! Go! Go! person like me. We must see all the things! I think in this case it was just something that she would never do or spend money on, and she thought, "Why not pamper myself for once?" I couldn't argue with that.

Sure! That's what vacations are for! Do whatever the heck you want and darn the consequences!!!!

Cool! Another Amazing Race fan! We've been watching that as a family for years.

We have too, but..... missed most of last season (saw the last 3-4 episodes.) Kids are getting older and it's harder to get everyone together for a show, now.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I read this on my phone over the weekend, but it's harder to post from there. I liked the photo of St. Patrick's with the dappled lighting, pretty cool. And I was glad to see your photo of the inside, I didn't get to see that when we were there. I'm sure the WTC memorial was pretty moving. I like the idea of water running down into the center -- I would've never thought of doing that.

I wouldn't have thought of it, either. I really liked the simplicity of it, though. It certainly didn't need anything gaudy here.

Ugh, stealth raisins, the worst!

Yes! The worst!

Well I suppose if you put it that way...

Not much of a choice, huh?

That looks really cool!

I thought so, too!

We had recently opened a home based business selling sheet music online. I got up really early because we had a "next day" order going to somewhere on the East Coast like North Carolina. I packed up the order, and then went into the office and billed the credit card. I was all ready to take it to the post office on the way to my day job. I climbed back into bed with Fran and turned on the news just in time to hear of the second plane flying into the WTC. I ended up refunding the person's order since obviously nothing was going anywhere "next day" for a while.

I went to my day job, but they sent everyone home by lunchtime since no one was getting any work done.

It was amazing how the whole country basically stopped that day.

I was at a work meeting when we got the news. I headed into work early and we had a big board that showed our network's health in red, green, and yellow. NYC was a giant red block on the board since we had multiple fibers and antennas on and under the WTC. (There was a telecom Central Office in the basement). It was like that for months. Our switch was 2 blocks down the street and our techs would tell us about the smoke and the dust coming in. They stayed around the clock trying to keep our swtich up since so many people were trying to make cell phone calls to find their loved ones as well as emergency personnel trying to make calls.

Wow...these are the things you don't even think abaut as a crisis is going on! It must have taken forever to get back to "normal" operations.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I actually heard a story from a pilot ( My ex SIL brother) who flew for United I think. He was in the air.... The details of what was happening were so surreal, and then just put the plane down, was so NOT what they should do. It was a cool yet horrifying story.

I bet. The rule book got thrown out the window that day.

In the end he was no yup no big deal but I know if affected him, actually not much more was said about it. My college roommate was working in the tower when the parking garage was bombed and well she changed jobs out of the towers after that. Good thing she did. I knew a lot of people waiting for calls that day.

So scary.

I just wish my instinct to avoid injury was as good.

Well, keep trying. To avoid it, I mean.

Oh, absolutely.

Yep.


fer sure



uh, huh.










no

Dang it!

Sure! That's what vacations are for! Do whatever the heck you want and darn the consequences!!!!

I agree! We know that calories don't count on vacation, anyway.

We have too, but..... missed most of last season (saw the last 3-4 episodes.) Kids are getting older and it's harder to get everyone together for a show, now.

They've had a couple of lousy seasons lately. Just not too many likable teams to pull for.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

First, we needed breakfast.

A bag of Funyuns and a shotguned beer?

“Breakfast of Champions… <<burp>>”

Hummm…
Guess not; this looks like actual thought went into the process

I couldn't decide between an apple turnover and a chocolate croissant. So I got both

I'm total shocked by this earth-shattering occurrence!

No? Would you believe:
I’m particularly surprised that you’d so indulge yourself in this manner.

Not buyin’ it, huh… How about:
ya’ know, I’m late for a root canal, y’all holler if something unexpected happens.

Julie got a cinnamon roll and a mocha-frappalattespressaccino something-or-other.

“mocha-frappalattespressaccino something-or-other”

I like that one, if you don’t copyright it, I may be forced to actually put that on the menu when I get around to opening a dinner.

She was excited because they did the “draw a shape in the cream” thing that I guess the fancy places do now.

Mass-produced ephemeral pop-art…

Oh, no. No! Not this place, too! I dug through the rest of my apple turnover and had my worst fears confirmed.

Dead grapes!

You’re being stalked!
It the only possible explanation

Once again, I was forced to perform emergency surgery in order to remove every last raisin and save the pastry.

A Radical Viniferaectomy… a fairly common procedure

But it’s a little like open heart surgery on an imminently condemned inmate…

On the way, we finally answered the age-old question: How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

You use your wealth to stage your own one-person extravaganza…

Easy. You walk.

Ohhhh…
Are the coffee and pastries beforehand a necessity as well?

Now I had a choice. I could sit in a salon watching Julie get her hair done

Ummm, yeah, I’ve got that root canal thing I need to get to…

or I could wander New York City in the morning sunlight.

Well, I guess it can wait for a bit.

Just before I got to Rockefeller Center, I saw St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The doors weren’t open, but the light and shadows were playing some neat tricks on the façade.

That’s an interesting shot, to be sure.
Nice catch, there.

Nearby was a Lego Store, and although it wasn’t open yet, I could see a giant Lego re-creation of Rockefeller Center in the display window. Why would you want to look at the real thing when you could see the Lego version nearby?

Reality is overrated…
Can you pretend to be Godzilla and go on a rampage and destroy the real thing?
I think not.

It’s amazing inside. Incredible stone work and stained-glass windows. They don’t build places like this anymore.

No they don’t…

Did you know that the ceiling is actually wood framing and timber covered in lath and plaster? They used three shades of paint in the most recent restoration to farther give the image of separate stones and the seams were drawn in free hand with pencil.

It’s still gorgeous.

I made it back to the salon and rejoined Julie. She was looking as gorgeous as ever.

Is this even a question?

Our next order of business was to get on the subway. You may have heard horror stories of the NY We caught the R train heading downtown. As we rode, I noticed a sign on the train I’d never seen before. Apparently this is a problem in New York?

Too bad they put the kybosh on the practice before y’all got up there.
Nearly every trip I’ve made up there resulted in the most memorable image being that of a person rather than a thing. Pretty sure this would have qualified.

I’d mentioned earlier that the last time we’d visited New York City, we’d been to the top of the World Trade Center, back in May of 2001.

That, I’d not taken time to do…

Now we were here to pay our respects to the people who had died in the terrible attacks in September of that same year.

This however, I have been able to accomplish.

That weird-looking…thing…at the bottom is part of the new train station they’re building. It had a special name, but it’s escaping me now.

And you didn’t take a moment to make one up?
Quite the display of restraint on your part

I’m sure we all remember where we were when we got word of the attacks.

Work (so pathetic)

I didn’t even have any kids yet

One in 1st grade

At first, I’d heard a plane had hit a World Trade Center building, and I thought it was probably a little two-seater propeller plane that had gotten too close and glanced the building or something.

At first I figured it would have been like when a US bomber crashed into the Empire State Building.
Bad, but not catastrophic.

Rather different type of architecture in play this time, though.

Then I remember hearing word of a second plane…

Yeah… that’s about when we knew something truly horrific was taking place.

The 9/11 Memorial is a masterpiece of simplicity.

Agreed.

“Reflecting Absence”
One of the most powerful memorials I’ve experienced.

Etched on the sides of each foundation are the names of those innocents who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

The names are particularly interesting in the evenings. The plates are back lit and the names are cut with such a depth and angle as to generally allow only one name to be completely illuminated at a time to the eye of the observer. You have to move around to see them individually, so while you can experience all of them, you can only focus on one at any moment.



.

 

[Leshaface]

Whenever her birthday rolls around, I usually ask her what she wants, and she’ll usually give me one or two ideas, like a necklace or a skirt she liked, or a gift card, or (sigh) yet another Vera Bradley bag.

Hey you asked buddy

(plus, candy is 50% off on Feb. 15)

This is my kind of Valentines - perusing the candy aisle the day after.

But on the flip side, my grand romantic gestures don’t elicit much reaction more than, “Yeah, it was nice.” And yet, because I am wired the way I am (or because I’m an idiot), I just keep trying.

Trust me, she loves it.

but…well, sorry, kids. Mom outranks you.

Always!

I decided to go right away to get a slice of my favorite NYC pizza.

Just kidding. Any guesses as to where I stole that joke from?

Michael Scott! I LOL'ed hard at this scene! Awesome.

Cool view.

Wow that's awesome. I've been to NYC once, but not sure it really counts. I went when I was 12 but only went to the Statue of Liberty. I would love to visit this city in depth though.

Amazing views, holy cow!

Want and need.

Cool kid!

GASP! This is heaven

Dead grapes! They did it again!

But the dead grapes love you, didn't you know?!

Oh my goodnes. This is absolutely gorgeous.

Pretty!

I'd like to think, this sign was specifically for you Mark

I’m sure we all remember where we were when we got word of the attacks. I was at work—I didn’t even have any kids yet (Julie was pregnant with Sarah at the time). At first, I’d heard a plane had hit a World Trade Center building, and I thought it was probably a little two-seater propeller plane that had gotten too close and glanced the building or something. Not that they allow those planes over Manhattan, but what did I know?

We had just gotten back from Disneyland late the night before so by the time I got to my Human Anatomy class, the TV in there was on and my teacher was very upset. Classes remained in session, but really, there was no teaching that day. It was very tense and the teachers seemed very on edge. Terrible, terrible day.

It’s weird, the things you remember at times like that. I distinctly remember watching the news when one of my co-workers asked out of nowhere, “Is Peter Jennings dying his hair?” I remember staring at her, incredulous, for several seconds.

 

[pkondz]

Well, keep trying. To avoid it, I mean.

Thanks for clarifying.

I agree! We know that calories don't count on vacation, anyway.

They've had a couple of lousy seasons lately. Just not too many likable teams to pull for.

So it's not just us then.
Right now we're recording season 3 of Amazing Race Canada. One of the contestants is legally blind. Only have seen the first episode (there's been three now) but... man. That had to be the toughest challenge I've seen yet. Ride a gondola halfway up a mountain. At the halfway point it stops. Climb out of the gondola, down a ladder, progress hand over hand along bars suspended underneath the gondola to a rope ladder at the far end to grab the next clue. It was starting to look like a lot of people weren't going to be able to do it, so a couple of teams took the 4 hour penalty.... then it started to rain so they canceled the challenge for safety reasons. Everyone still trying had to wait the amount of time it would take them to do it... regardless of whether or not they would've been able to do it. The last team to arrive (and get eliminated) was the second team to take the penalty. Pretty sure if it hadn't started raining, they would've been way ahead.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

A bag of Funyuns and a shotguned beer?

“Breakfast of Champions… <<burp>>”

I thought that was Little Chocolate Donuts.

Hummm…
Guess not; this looks like actual thought went into the process

Never underestimate the power of trip planning research!

I'm total shocked by this earth-shattering occurrence!

No? Would you believe:
I’m particularly surprised that you’d so indulge yourself in this manner.

Not buyin’ it, huh… How about:
ya’ know, I’m late for a root canal, y’all holler if something unexpected happens.

When on vacation...

“mocha-frappalattespressaccino something-or-other”

I like that one, if you don’t copyright it, I may be forced to actually put that on the menu when I get around to opening a dinner.

Oh, go ahead. Why should I have all the fun?

Mass-produced ephemeral pop-art…

We tourists are easily amused.

You’re being stalked!
It the only possible explanation

That's got to be it. This was worse than a nuclear fart bomb!

A Radical Viniferaectomy… a fairly common procedure

But it’s a little like open heart surgery on an imminently condemned inmate…

Tell you what: you can borrow the other phrase if I can steal "Radical Viniferaectomy".

You use your wealth to stage your own one-person extravaganza…

Well...there is that.

Ohhhh…
Are the coffee and pastries beforehand a necessity as well?

Of course! What kind of question is that?

Ummm, yeah, I’ve got that root canal thing I need to get to…

And then I need to call the IRS about that audit...

Well, I guess it can wait for a bit.

There we go.

That’s an interesting shot, to be sure.
Nice catch, there.

Thanks!

Reality is overrated…
Can you pretend to be Godzilla and go on a rampage and destroy the real thing?
I think not.

Excellent point!

No they don’t…

Did you know that the ceiling is actually wood framing and timber covered in lath and plaster? They used three shades of paint in the most recent restoration to farther give the image of separate stones and the seams were drawn in free hand with pencil.

It’s still gorgeous.

I did not know that. Sounds like quite the project.

Is this even a question?

No. No, it is not.

Too bad they put the kybosh on the practice before y’all got up there.
Nearly every trip I’ve made up there resulted in the most memorable image being that of a person rather than a thing. Pretty sure this would have qualified.

I'm not sure I would have wanted to witness this.

That, I’d not taken time to do…

This however, I have been able to accomplish.

Well, it's not like you're in the city every day.

And you didn’t take a moment to make one up?
Quite the display of restraint on your part

How do you even describe that? Words fail me.

Work (so pathetic)

No, most of us would say the same.

One in 1st grade

And now in college. We're old.

, but not catastrophic.

Rather different type of architecture in play this time, though.

Yes, definitely.

Yeah… that’s about when we knew something truly horrific was taking place.

I had that same thought--suddenly I knew this wasn't an accident.

Agreed.

“Reflecting Absence”
One of the most powerful memorials I’ve experienced.

Nothing more to be said.

The names are particularly interesting in the evenings. The plates are back lit and the names are cut with such a depth and angle as to generally allow only one name to be completely illuminated at a time to the eye of the observer. You have to move around to see them individually, so while you can experience all of them, you can only focus on one at any moment.

I didn't know that. It's even more powerful.

I was overcome looking at the photo of the white rose we posted. Behind it lists a name and "unborn child". Just heart-wrenching.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hey you asked buddy

But when you already own every bag known to man, and most of them just collect dust all year long...

This is my kind of Valentines - perusing the candy aisle the day after.

No other way to do it!

Trust me, she loves it.

I sure hope so.

Michael Scott! I LOL'ed hard at this scene! Awesome.

That was one of my favorite episodes!

Cool view.

It was kind of neat to say, "So this is the place I see on TV and movies all the time."

Wow that's awesome. I've been to NYC once, but not sure it really counts. I went when I was 12 but only went to the Statue of Liberty. I would love to visit this city in depth though.

Definitely a lot to see!

Amazing views, holy cow!

It was gorgeous up there.

Want and need.

Thought you might like that one.

Cool kid!

Dad is doing his job right!

GASP! This is heaven

Mmmm...pastries...

But the dead grapes love you, didn't you know?!

They're like zombies. I had to kill them a second time.

Oh my goodnes. This is absolutely gorgeous.

I was glad I got the chance to walk in!

Pretty!

I'd like to think, this sign was specifically for you Mark

Oh, come on. Nobody needs that mental image.

We had just gotten back from Disneyland late the night before so by the time I got to my Human Anatomy class, the TV in there was on and my teacher was very upset. Classes remained in session, but really, there was no teaching that day. It was very tense and the teachers seemed very on edge. Terrible, terrible day.

Yes. How can you even think about anything else?

Thanks for clarifying.

You're welcome.

So it's not just us then.
Right now we're recording season 3 of Amazing Race Canada. One of the contestants is legally blind. Only have seen the first episode (there's been three now) but... man. That had to be the toughest challenge I've seen yet. Ride a gondola halfway up a mountain. At the halfway point it stops. Climb out of the gondola, down a ladder, progress hand over hand along bars suspended underneath the gondola to a rope ladder at the far end to grab the next clue. It was starting to look like a lot of people weren't going to be able to do it, so a couple of teams took the 4 hour penalty.... then it started to rain so they canceled the challenge for safety reasons. Everyone still trying had to wait the amount of time it would take them to do it... regardless of whether or not they would've been able to do it. The last team to arrive (and get eliminated) was the second team to take the penalty. Pretty sure if it hadn't started raining, they would've been way ahead.

That sounds like a very poorly conceived challenge. I'm sure the eliminated team wasn't happy at all.

 

[pkondz]

That sounds like a very poorly conceived challenge. I'm sure the eliminated team wasn't happy at all.

Usually the eliminated team is giddy with happiness.

Actually, I don't know if they were aware of the circumstances at the time.

 

[kid-at-heart]

I'm back for the moment. Work keeps getting in the way of my having time to reply to the various trip reports I follow but thank you guys for continuing to write them, even without my overt support.

Random thoughts:
Why would anyone add raisins to apple anything? Raisins are only good out of the box and by themselves.

Absolutely beautiful!

Mind you, this is not a criticism. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t thank the Good Lord for making her a low-maintenance woman. Valentine’s Day? I’m off the hook. She views it as a Hallmark holiday and a waste of time (plus, candy is 50% off on Feb. 15). She’s very un-demanding, which by and large makes life easier for me. She just wants to get through the day with everything ending up where it’s supposed to be so she can get some sleep. You have to love that.

I am with Julie on this one, I do not have a romantic bone in my body. Candy is cheaper on Feb 15th, cut flowers die, and I do not need any more clutter in my life. I used to be a romantic but then married a narcissist opportunist and after spending too many special days by myself crying, I stopped being a romantic. The dude went partying with his friends on our fifth anniversary and a couple of years later, forgot my 30th birthday. It took me eleven years but I finally realized life would be better without him. For the past nineteen years I have enjoyed the company of a much nicer husband, a true keeper. But from those formative relationship years, I have learned to enjoy more practical gestures/gifts. Fruit trees, food and liquor, all are awesome gifts in my book. Want to romance me, take me out to someplace not too expensive (so I do not stress over the cost) or cook an awesome dinner and clean the kitchen afterwards – which already happens three nights a week since we split cooking duties in our house and everyone cleans. Take me on a trip, that would be nice, but my spouse hates planning trips…. As long as I do the planning, reservations, etc., he is a great travel companion but the planning stage stresses him out… So I always ask for a fruit tree for my special day gift. Our city and a half lot is loaded with fruit trees. The birds like us. As do our neighbors.

kate

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Usually the eliminated team is giddy with happiness.

Ok, I deserved that.

Actually, I don't know if they were aware of the circumstances at the time.

I guess you can't predict the weather. That challenge sounds brutal, though.

I'm back for the moment. Work keeps getting in the way of my having time to reply to the various trip reports I follow but thank you guys for continuing to write them, even without my overt support.

I hear ya. Seems like DIS time goes in ebbs and flows.

Random thoughts:
Why would anyone add raisins to apple anything? Raisins are only good out of the box and by themselves.

Raisins are only good still in the box and dumped in the trash!

Absolutely beautiful!

I thought so, too!

I am with Julie on this one, I do not have a romantic bone in my body. Candy is cheaper on Feb 15th, cut flowers die, and I do not need any more clutter in my life. I used to be a romantic but then married a narcissist opportunist and after spending too many special days by myself crying, I stopped being a romantic. The dude went partying with his friends on our fifth anniversary and a couple of years later, forgot my 30th birthday. It took me eleven years but I finally realized life would be better without him. For the past nineteen years I have enjoyed the company of a much nicer husband, a true keeper. But from those formative relationship years, I have learned to enjoy more practical gestures/gifts. Fruit trees, food and liquor, all are awesome gifts in my book. Want to romance me, take me out to someplace not too expensive (so I do not stress over the cost) or cook an awesome dinner and clean the kitchen afterwards – which already happens three nights a week since we split cooking duties in our house and everyone cleans. Take me on a trip, that would be nice, but my spouse hates planning trips…. As long as I do the planning, reservations, etc., he is a great travel companion but the planning stage stresses him out… So I always ask for a fruit tree for my special day gift. Our city and a half lot is loaded with fruit trees. The birds like us. As do our neighbors.

Wow. I can see where that would definitely affect your views on romance! I'm glad you found happiness and a good relationship.

With Julie, she's just not an outwardly emotional person. So you never get too much of a reaction. It's just the way she is.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

A McTour of New York City -- Part 3

One World Trade Center has risen from the ashes of destruction, standing proud over the memorial site. It's a very impressive tower up close.

Julie and I wandered nearby and found St. Paul's Chapel. This tiny church was originally constructed in 1697--one of the earliest churches in the city. It served as a host center during the 9/11 recovery. Recovery workers could get treated for injuries here, sleep on cots, and get fed or just rest when needed. Amazingly, the church did not suffer a single bit of damage during the destruction of the Twin Towers.

Julie got a kick out of this monument inside the building. She told me not to worry, that I'd already out-lived my usefulness.

We left after a bit and got back on the subway, heading north to Times Square. Along the way, we happened to be checking Facebook and found that Ellen (@podsnel ) was heading into the city that morning with her son. Once we determined that she was also going to be in Times Square, we sent a flurry of messages back and forth trying to cross paths.

Julie and I got off at the Times Square station and walked to 44th Street. Just down the street off the main square is John's Pizzeria.

Doesn't look like anything special from the outside, but Julie and I had wanted to try this place for...oh, about five or six years. We'd seen in on one of the Travel Channel's Food Paradise shows way back when. This particular pizzeria had been built in a former church, and theyd preserved much of the old building when converting it to a restaurant.

We only had to wait about 15-20 minutes for a table for two, which wasn't bad at all since it was noon on a Saturday in the middle of Times Square.

Ceiling:

Any serious NYC pizza joint needs a wood-fired brick oven:

Not long after we were seated in the balcony area and placed our order, we got a message from Ellen that she'd arrived. We gave her directions to our seat and proceeded to have the world's fastest DIS meet. I didn't get a photo on my phone so I had to steal the one Ellen posted on Facebook in order to prove that this did, indeed, happen.

Ellen's a sweetheart. She was so excited to meet up with us (why? Your guess is as good as mine) and it was great to once again turn an online acquaintance into a real-life friend. Our food came out while she was visiting with us, so she excused herself fairly quickly, not wanting to interrupt our meal. She just said she had to come find us when she found out we were in town. Hard to make someone feel more welcome than that.

Ellen was even nice enough to get our obligatory food photo for us.

Thanks for taking the time to meet us, Ellen!

Yes, that is a plain cheese pizza in the photo. Yes, I know. That's very boring. But a) you already know we have boring palates, and b) sometimes you have to go back to the basics. We wanted a real NYC pizza, and we didn't want to be distracted with lots of toppings. We just wanted the authentic thin crust, blackened from the brick oven, crushed tomato sauce and whole-milk mozzarella. And we weren't disappointed. Maybe not the greatest pizza I've ever had, but it was very good.

It was finally time for our matinee, so we walked a couple of blocks to the New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street.

Just inside the lobby, you could pause for a photo with the Genie's lamp. Julie wished for a better-looking date.

The inside of the theater was pretty interesting. It reminded me of the Tower of Terror.

We took the stairs. I got the cheapest tickets I could find, meaning the price was barely in double digits, and that meant we had this view:

But you know what? It worked out just fine.

Aladdin was an absolute blast. This is Broadway, so every performer is top-notch. Of particular note, Jafar was played by Jonathan Freeman, who actually voiced the character in the movie. Instead of giving Aladdin a monkey and the carpet as pals to react to his hijinks, some fellow street criminal characters were introduced in this version of the story. At first I thought that would be a waste of time, but they turned out to be highly entertaining and are given a song of their own in the 2nd half that had me laughing quite a bit. The sets are creative and full of surprising technical innovations, and yes, there is a flying carpet scene, sure to make you wonder how exactly they pulled it off.

But above all, there is the Genie, and we all know that this is the character who makes or breaks the show. He was played by James Monroe Iglehart, and I'm happy to report that he pulled off something I thought was impossible. We all remember how Robin Williams' voice performance stole the show in the movie. Well, Iglehart manages to channel that same manic energy into the role, and yet somehow still make it his own. He was a fantastic talent, and won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for this role. If you have a chance to see him in this role, I highly recommend you go.

For me, the highlight of the show was "Friend Like Me". If you thought the movie version was a fun, entertaining five minutes, then you need to see this. It was stretched into a gloriously insane nearly 10-minute showstopper. The song grew into ever-building creative dances, set-pieces, surprises and laughs until they're throwing entire kitchen sink on the stage and the Genie's even borrowing bits of other Disney hit songs in the middle of this hit song and you just can't help but stand and applaud the sheer delirious joy of it all.

So yeah, we had a great time.

After the show, the only thing left to do was to travel home. Once again, NJ Transit worked well, my P.O.S. was unfortunately still parked at the Metropark station, and we drove home with little fanfare. But we'd had a great 24 hours in New York, and I'd managed to give Julie a much better gift than yet another Vera Bradley bag.

If you caught her in a weak moment, she might even admit it.

Thank you all for reading along! These trip reports wouldn't be nearly as much fun if you weren't here to comment, crack wise, point out my many mistakes, and generally cause chaos in the best possible way. I appreciate each and every one of you taking the time to read, comment, and share in the adventures!

I'm hoping to start a new Trip Report on our summer vacation through the Flyover Sta--uh, the Heartland of America very soon. It will be posted in the DIS Dads sub-thread of the DIS for Families thread. I will post a link when I get it up and running. Hope to see you all there!

 

[angryduck71]

This was an awesome report! I must laugh though -- I am doing the OPPOSITE of you. I have ditched the husband - for good! Five years ago, we took our son for his fifth birthday to what was supposed to be a spectacular Disney/Universal vacation. Now ex just didn't seem to be interested in being there. Not the biggest Disney fan (should've been a clue, huh?!). Before that, we went to NYC for my 40th birthday, but he didn't seem to be interested in being there either. I won't go into details, but everyone was happier when he was off doing whatever distracted thing he was doing on these vacations (you can probably guess what that "thing" was....). Five years later... divorced (happily!). Have an awesome boyfriend (the boy who shyly liked me in high school). My son LOVES him. I'm going to NYC for my 45th birthday with a girlfriend (going to see some of the same sites you did plus the US Open). Then, my son and I are doing Disney and Universal OUR way. And, boyfriend will probably join us for part of it. We've all gone before and had a BLAST. So, it's all a happy ending (and, when we finally get married -- which will happen one day -- he has a boy and a girl, so we too will have a large family at that point. YIKES). You guys seem like an awesome family and couple! Keep up the good work! (And, I've jotted down some ideas on places to eat in NYC thanks to you!)

 

[Poolrat]

For 24 hours you really did it right. So many place I would like to visit as a "tourist" that I never thought to visit as a "resident" Thanks for the McTour I really enjoyed it.