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

[Terra Nova guy]

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.

The interior of that place looks great. And it's perfectly acceptable to have the plain cheese when it's an authentic wood fired NYC pizza. I expect I would enjoy that as much as anything. Now if it was plain cheese from, say Chuck E. Cheese, that's another story...

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

Aladdin was an absolute blast. This is Broadway, so every performer is top-notch.

I sadly have not seen this show. I'm quite jealous of my wife and step-daughter who did see Aladdin in 2014 not long after it opened. They went to NYC as part of "Dance the Magic", a Disney organized dance event/competition/training school. They got to meet the cast and said James Monroe Iglehart was hilarious in person too so it's not just an act. Sadly, I was not able to get time off work and missed out on the trip.

But just so I can not feel too bad about myself, I did see "Beauty and the Beast" at the same New Amsterdam theater way back in 1997 on a university gradation trip and that was also a fantastic show. I'm glad to have seen it and was so impressed I bought the t-shirt and kept it for years, until it just didn't fit anymore. That seems to have happened with many of my old clothes. I think it must have something to do with sitting in the closet for so long, they must dry out and shrink somehow...yeah...that's it...

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!

Looking forward to reading that one. I saw most of your pictures on FB and it looked like an interesting trip. I really like the notion of the classic family road trip. My family did those when I was growing up. Unfortunately the current ladies in my life are not keen on road trips (car sickness, etc.) so we don't do much of it now.

 

[jedijill]

Glad to hear Aladdin was so good! I ate at Johns and really enjoyed. Yay for meeting Ellen! She's so much fun!

Jill in CO

 

[pkondz]

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.

And nice architecture too.
But.... every time I see it, I get a little nervous.
The back of my mind wonders....

This tiny church was originally constructed in 1697--one of the earliest churches in the city.

Cool.

It served as a host center during the 9/11 recovery.

I did know that. Many were saying it was a miracle that it survived.

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.

Of course she's right.

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.

Love that! It sure doesn't look like much from the outside, but that interior is great!

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.

Yeah, I'd say that's not bad at all.

I love that map. Look at the size of it!!

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

And I love how it's right out in the open like that.

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.

Nice that you guys got to meet, however briefly.

She was so excited to meet up with us (why? Your guess is as good as mine)

Simple. She was hoping for some free pizza.

Only logical explanation.

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.

Pretty nice of her.

That pizza looks good!

We wanted a real NYC pizza, and we didn't want to be distracted with lots of toppings.

Actually.... that makes sense.
Must've been Julie's idea.

And we weren't disappointed. Maybe not the greatest pizza I've ever had, but it was very good.

So.... where is the best pizza in NYC?

That McDonalds sign...

Julie wished for a better-looking date.

Smart girl.
Also, pick one who can afford front row seats.... and a private jet.

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

Hey! You're right. It does.

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

Who cares! You're in a Broadway theater!

Of particular note, Jafar was played by Jonathan Freeman, who actually voiced the character in the movie.

Cool!

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.

Huh. Interesting. And it worked, too, huh?

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.

Awesome. Would love to see that.

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.

Good to hear. I wondered how it would be without Williams.

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.

Sounds 1. amazing and 2. like you guys were pretty much blown away by it.

So yeah, we had a great time.

Oh really?
Doesn't show.

my P.O.S. was unfortunately still parked at the Metropark station,

Shoulda paid the $10.

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

But not, however, within earshot of you.

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!

Well, we wouldn't be here if you didn't post such entertaining TRs!

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!

I'll be there.
Wait... you'll post a link here too, right?

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

What an entertaining mini-trip report of NYC! Never been there but it makes me want to visit, especially to see that Aladdin show. When my DH & I heard about it some months ago I immediately looked online at tickets because it sounded amazing!! Glad to hear how much you both loved it.

Yay on your crazy-efficient packing & scheduling. I can't believe how much fun you packed into your 24 hours! Even a salon visit. Wow.

I also was pregnant with our first child on 9/11 so completely relate to how that would have felt for Julie. I very much want to see the memorial when we someday do a NY trip. It looks so incredibly well-done.

Thanks for entertaining us yet again!

 

[franandaj]

Sounds like a great day. The pizza looks really good. I'm not surprised that Ellen did that, she did the same thing on my last day of my WDW trip. We literally met for 10 minutes before we had to go and catch DME.

I can't wait to see the Broadway version of Aladdin. But I'll probably have to wait until it tours. I don't see myself going to NYC any time soon.

I hope you and Julie get more chances to do little getaways without the kids. You do so much for them, you need to do for you two as well.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

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!)

Well, I'm glad things are in a much better place for you! And don't be afraid of a large family--one of the reasons I do these TR's is that I'm hoping to show that you can still travel and have adventures even with all of these kids!

Have fun on all of your trips!

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.

Thanks for reading along!

The interior of that place looks great. And it's perfectly acceptable to have the plain cheese when it's an authentic wood fired NYC pizza. I expect I would enjoy that as much as anything. Now if it was plain cheese from, say Chuck E. Cheese, that's another story...

Chuck E. Cheese is the only place I know that can completely ruin pizza. I've had some bad pizza before, but usually it follows the saying that even when it's bad, it's good. I can't even call Chuck E. Cheese's offering pizza. It was just nastiness.

I sadly have not seen this show. I'm quite jealous of my wife and step-daughter who did see Aladdin in 2014 not long after it opened. They went to NYC as part of "Dance the Magic", a Disney organized dance event/competition/training school. They got to meet the cast and said James Monroe Iglehart was hilarious in person too so it's not just an act. Sadly, I was not able to get time off work and missed out on the trip.

But just so I can not feel too bad about myself, I did see "Beauty and the Beast" at the same New Amsterdam theater way back in 1997 on a university gradation trip and that was also a fantastic show. I'm glad to have seen it and was so impressed I bought the t-shirt and kept it for years, until it just didn't fit anymore. That seems to have happened with many of my old clothes. I think it must have something to do with sitting in the closet for so long, they must dry out and shrink somehow...yeah...that's it...

Wow, that sounds like a great experience. Meeting the cast in person would be really cool.

We saw Beauty and the Beast on Broadway many moons ago as well. Again, I thought they did a tremendous job. Didn't get any souvenirs, but I have noticed that about my clothing in general. I think you're onto something there. Either it's the dark or the accumulation of dust that causes clothing to shrink over time. That's gotta be it.

Looking forward to reading that one. I saw most of your pictures on FB and it looked like an interesting trip. I really like the notion of the classic family road trip. My family did those when I was growing up. Unfortunately the current ladies in my life are not keen on road trips (car sickness, etc.) so we don't do much of it now.

I can see where that style of travel is not for everyone. We basically committed ourselves to it once we made the decision to try to see all 50 states. It's a big country! The kids are used to the drill by now and travel really well. I'm proud of them. I don't think any of the places we went in the Midwest could have made for a vacation all by themselvse, but stringing them together made for a good trip.

Glad to hear Aladdin was so good! I ate at Johns and really enjoyed. Yay for meeting Ellen! She's so much fun!

She is fun! It was a nice quick visit.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

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

A fair trade, I do believe.
Done!

And now in college. We're old.

Well, I am…
You’re just barely being singed by the flames at this point.

She told me not to worry, that I'd already out-lived my usefulness.

Good to know one’s value…
adds perspective.

Yes, that is a plain cheese pizza in the photo.

I, for one, ain’t surprised

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.

And that’s why.
Although a smattering of basil might have lifted it up a bit.

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

Conveniently located beside NYC’s most recent world class show stopping extravaganza:
McDonald’s the Musical.

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

Didn’t get that one, I see…
So which of the few provisos, and quid-pro-quos did that wish run up against?

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:

Not too bad (and double digits aren’t so bad either).
I’d have to pay about that to see something around here from about the same distance.

Or did you mean triple digits?


By the way, how did you go about finding tickets for the show
(just in case I wanted to do something similar at some point)

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.

I can see that would be adding greatly to the performance.

But above all, there is the Genie, and we all know that this is the character who makes or breaks the show.

Unquestionably…
Certainly true of the smaller scale version of the show I saw on our last cruse.

So yeah, we had a great time.

I may have to make this happen.
Somehow…

Thank you all for reading along!

I really didn’t have anything better to do.



Really…

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!

Wouldn’t miss it.




.

 

[justafigment27]

What a nice wrap up! It looks like you and Julie had a great time in NYC and really made the most of your time!

I am eagerly anticipating your next report. It sounds like you had a rough start, but I'm glad things worked out well in the end. It's been fun to follow along as you make it to all 50!

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Nice wrap up of your trip to NYC. How can you possibly beat pizza and a DIS meet???

Aladdin was a favorite of our trip to California Adventure! The genie character definitely made that show too. I really hate that they have ended that show now. Would love to see the performance in NYC sometime to compare the two.

And if you think all Julie was wishing for at the genie's lamp was a better looking date...................

 

[Dugette]

Enjoyed the wrap-up of your NYC trip. We went to John's too! Good stuff. Aladdin sounds like it was amazing! Would love to see a show in NYC someday. Looking forward to hearing all about your road trip through these parts!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Wow! What a fun birthday gift for Julie. Of course seeing the twin towers memorial would give you a sobering pause, but it is important to see and remember for sure.
Aladdin sounds like a great show. Disney does not disappoint. I am sad that we never caught the Disneyland production before they changed it to frozen. Just missed it by a few months.
That Ellen ❤. She is so sweet to make time for a quick meet up, even when time doesn't allow for more. She did the same for us on our trip, which update is up next on my TR. You even got a pic to prove it! Loved your mini TR. Looking forward to your "What I did this Summer" report!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

And nice architecture too.
But.... every time I see it, I get a little nervous.
The back of my mind wonders....

Yeah, I know what you mean. Still, it is a point of pride that the response to such a devastating attack was to build a new tower right back in the same place.

I did know that. Many were saying it was a miracle that it survived.

It sure seemed that way. It was really close to the plaza.

Of course she's right.

Yep. Couldn't argue with her.

Love that! It sure doesn't look like much from the outside, but that interior is great!

Such a neat atmosphere!

Yeah, I'd say that's not bad at all.

I was glad we were only a party of 2. That made it easier, I'm sure.

I love that map. Look at the size of it!!

It was such a cool building!

And I love how it's right out in the open like that.

Yeah, it's cool to be able to watch the magic happen.

Nice that you guys got to meet, however briefly.

It was better than nothing!

Simple. She was hoping for some free pizza.

Only logical explanation.

Well, we did offer. She probably saw the lack of toppings and thought we were too boring. She's not wrong.

Pretty nice of her.

Agreed.

That pizza looks good!

And it WAS good!

Actually.... that makes sense.
Must've been Julie's idea.

I just carry her bags.

So.... where is the best pizza in NYC?

Well, I haven't tried them all. Wouldn't be fair of me to answer.

That McDonalds sign...

It fits right in with the rest of Times Square.

Smart girl.
Also, pick one who can afford front row seats.... and a private jet.

Just to ensure that I'm completely, hopelessly out of the running.

Hey! You're right. It does.

Thanks for dropping in.

Who cares! You're in a Broadway theater!

Exactly.

Huh. Interesting. And it worked, too, huh?

Yeah, it actually did. I had no complaints.

Awesome. Would love to see that.

It's worth the trip!

Good to hear. I wondered how it would be without Williams.

The cast really was excellent.

Sounds 1. amazing and 2. like you guys were pretty much blown away by it.

That pretty much sums it up. We'd love to take the kids to see it someday. They'd have a blast.

Oh really?
Doesn't show.

I was wondering if I'd made it clear enough.

Shoulda paid the $10.

But not, however, within earshot of you.

Well, sure. That goes without saying.

Well, we wouldn't be here if you didn't post such entertaining TRs!

I'll be there.
Wait... you'll post a link here too, right?

Sure, I can do that.

What an entertaining mini-trip report of NYC! Never been there but it makes me want to visit, especially to see that Aladdin show. When my DH & I heard about it some months ago I immediately looked online at tickets because it sounded amazing!! Glad to hear how much you both loved it.

I definitely think the show is worth seeing. I'm sure it will get around the country as a traveling show (if it hasn't already), but NYC will of course always have the best cast and sets. We really enjoyed our time in the city.

Yay on your crazy-efficient packing & scheduling. I can't believe how much fun you packed into your 24 hours! Even a salon visit. Wow.

We did the best we could!

I also was pregnant with our first child on 9/11 so completely relate to how that would have felt for Julie. I very much want to see the memorial when we someday do a NY trip. It looks so incredibly well-done.

I think that's also worth seeing. Like I said, that's a tragedy that still affects most of us because so many of us witnessed it as it happened.

Thanks for entertaining us yet again!

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Sounds like a great day. The pizza looks really good. I'm not surprised that Ellen did that, she did the same thing on my last day of my WDW trip. We literally met for 10 minutes before we had to go and catch DME.

It's better than not meeting at all!

I can't wait to see the Broadway version of Aladdin. But I'll probably have to wait until it tours. I don't see myself going to NYC any time soon.

I'm sure it will be in L.A. at some point. And you got to see the Disneyland show, which sounds amazing as well.

I hope you and Julie get more chances to do little getaways without the kids. You do so much for them, you need to do for you two as well.

I agree! It's just that whole budget thing that stops us. In any case, with Disney World and NYC back-to-back, I think we used up our goodwill with the kids for a while.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

A fair trade, I do believe.
Done!

So let it be written.

Well, I am…
You’re just barely being singed by the flames at this point.

Doesn't feel that way! That might be exacerbated by the fact that I walked 10 miles over a golf course with the boys yesterday, and I'm feeling it today.

Good to know one’s value…
adds perspective.

Or lack thereof.

I, for one, ain’t surprised

I thought so.

And that’s why.
Although a smattering of basil might have lifted it up a bit.

I was happy with it the way it was.

Conveniently located beside NYC’s most recent world class show stopping extravaganza:
McDonald’s the Musical.

So many great hits!

I'd like a Big Mac,
Mc BLT,
A Quarter-Pounder with some cheese,
Filet-O-Fish,
A Hamburger,
A Cheeseburger,
A Happy Meal...

Didn’t get that one, I see…
So which of the few provisos, and quid-pro-quos did that wish run up against?

Maybe the delivery of the wish has been delayed.

Not too bad (and double digits aren’t so bad either).
I’d have to pay about that to see something around here from about the same distance.

Or did you mean triple digits?

No, we were in double digits. I looked at the regular prices and thought we did pretty well.

By the way, how did you go about finding tickets for the show
(just in case I wanted to do something similar at some point)

Just looked them up on Stubhub. Nothing fancy.

I can see that would be adding greatly to the performance.

He went more for laughs in this version of the story. It was fun.

Unquestionably…
Certainly true of the smaller scale version of the show I saw on our last cruse.

In a good way or a bad way?

I may have to make this happen.
Somehow…

Do it! Do it!

I really didn’t have anything better to do.



Really…

And I didn't have anything better to do other than to write it.

Wouldn’t miss it.

Glad you'll be joining the party!

What a nice wrap up! It looks like you and Julie had a great time in NYC and really made the most of your time!

I am eagerly anticipating your next report. It sounds like you had a rough start, but I'm glad things worked out well in the end. It's been fun to follow along as you make it to all 50!

It was a nice 24-hour getaway!

Thanks for following along! It's nice to have so many people cheering us on!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Nice wrap up of your trip to NYC. How can you possibly beat pizza and a DIS meet???

With a Broadway show!

Aladdin was a favorite of our trip to California Adventure! The genie character definitely made that show too. I really hate that they have ended that show now. Would love to see the performance in NYC sometime to compare the two.

I would have loved to have seen the DL version of Aladdin as well. I heard so many good things about it.

And if you think all Julie was wishing for at the genie's lamp was a better looking date...................

Do I even want to know about the rest of the list?

Enjoyed the wrap-up of your NYC trip. We went to John's too! Good stuff. Aladdin sounds like it was amazing! Would love to see a show in NYC someday. Looking forward to hearing all about your road trip through these parts!

Hope you get the chance to see a Broadway show! There's a lot of talent there. Good call on John's!

Wow! What a fun birthday gift for Julie. Of course seeing the twin towers memorial would give you a sobering pause, but it is important to see and remember for sure.

Definitely worth the visit to remember.

Aladdin sounds like a great show. Disney does not disappoint. I am sad that we never caught the Disneyland production before they changed it to frozen. Just missed it by a few months.

Me too! We just didn't have time for it the day we were there. It sounded like so much fun.

That Ellen ❤. She is so sweet to make time for a quick meet up, even when time doesn't allow for more. She did the same for us on our trip, which update is up next on my TR. You even got a pic to prove it! Loved your mini TR. Looking forward to your "What I did this Summer" report!

Cool! Glad you got to meet her!

 

[pkondz]

Still, it is a point of pride that the response to such a devastating attack was to build a new tower right back in the same place.

"You can knock us down but you can't keep us down."

Such a neat atmosphere!

I was glad we were only a party of 2. That made it easier, I'm sure.

"Can I help you?"
"Yes. Sort of last minute. Can you fit us in?"
"Of course, sir. You're party's size?"
"148."

Yeah, it's cool to be able to watch the magic happen.

My sister took me to a restaurant once where you sat at a bar that bordered the open kitchen. We had a really fun time over the next hour or so watching the chefs.
We couldn't understand why no one else was watching.

Well, we did offer. She probably saw the lack of toppings and thought we were too boring. She's not wrong.

I just carry her bags.

Don't we all...

Well, I haven't tried them all. Wouldn't be fair of me to answer.

Let me know when you're done.

It fits right in with the rest of Times Square.

The sign? Yeah. The restaurant? (and I use that term loosely)
No.

Just to ensure that I'm completely, hopelessly out of the running.

Sorry dude. Survival of the richest.


Fittest!



No... richest.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

So let it be written.

Or scribbled, as the case may be.

You know me, I'll just make up some other idiotic word or phrase anyway.
Feel free to scavenge.

Doesn't feel that way! That might be exacerbated by the fact that I walked 10 miles over a golf course with the boys yesterday, and I'm feeling it today.

Ahhh... but you walked ten miles on a golf course with your boys.
It would have hurt far worse doing the same distance for nearly any other reason.

So many great hits!

I'd like a Big Mac,
Mc BLT,
A Quarter-Pounder with some cheese,
Filet-O-Fish,
A Hamburger,
A Cheeseburger,
A Happy Meal...

don't forget the big act-1 showstopper:
La Royale with Cheese

In a good way or a bad way?

Good... I suspect that the scaled down version offered on the ships and out in CA were the bases for the full show they took to NY

Do it! Do it!

It's actually being researched.
Airfare looks to be the main wrench in the works at the moment

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

"You can knock us down but you can't keep us down."

Yep. Can't live in fear.

"Can I help you?"
"Yes. Sort of last minute. Can you fit us in?"
"Of course, sir. You're party's size?"
"148."

Pretty sure this happens in Disney World on a daily basis. Sometimes I wonder how the CM's do it.

My sister took me to a restaurant once where you sat at a bar that bordered the open kitchen. We had a really fun time over the next hour or so watching the chefs.
We couldn't understand why no one else was watching.

That would be pretty cool. It's always neat to see an expert at work.

Don't we all...

Let me know when you're done.

Seems like a tough challenge, but I'll do my very best. Somebody gave me the name of a place near Brooklyn that was supposed to be really good. We just didn't get to that part of the city.

The sign? Yeah. The restaurant? (and I use that term loosely)
No.

Given the number of chains crowding Times Square, McDonald's actually fit right in. There wasn't much around that you could call "authentic" NYC.

Sorry dude. Survival of the richest.


Fittest!



No... richest.

That's certainly a big advantage...that I can't compete with.

Or scribbled, as the case may be.

You know me, I'll just make up some other idiotic word or phrase anyway.
Feel free to scavenge.

Don't sell yourself short. You're a tremendous slouch.

Ahhh... but you walked ten miles on a golf course with your boys.
It would have hurt far worse doing the same distance for nearly any other reason.

This is very true. I would have stopped sooner if they weren't having a great time.

don't forget the big act-1 showstopper:
La Royale with Cheese

They've got the metric system, they wouldn't know what the @#$% a Quarter Pounder was.

Good... I suspect that the scaled down version offered on the ships and out in CA were the bases for the full show they took to NY

Very possible. I'm sure they tried a whole bunch of iterations before putting it on the big stage.

It's actually being researched.
Airfare looks to be the main wrench in the works at the moment

I imagine it's just outside the range of a day's drive, correct?

 

[pkondz]

Pretty sure this happens in Disney World on a daily basis. Sometimes I wonder how the CM's do it.

Still tons who don't know about ADRs.

Given the number of chains crowding Times Square, McDonald's actually fit right in. There wasn't much around that you could call "authentic" NYC.

That... well..... sucks.

That's certainly a big advantage...that I can't compete with.

You and me both.


(Don't tell the missus.)

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Don't sell yourself short. You're a tremendous slouch.

And I know how to make fourteen dollars the hard way.

They've got the metric system, they wouldn't know what the @#$% a Quarter Pounder was.

Stay cool… let’s not start quoting Ezekiel just yet.

I imagine it's just outside the range of a day's drive, correct?

Just getting to Newark would be at least a ten or so hour drive if I were to travel up through the Shenandoah valley; fourteen or better via I-95. Doable? Yeah, but that'd be right tough without adding days to the excursion.

 

[glennbo123]

Sounds like Aladdin was fantastic! I'm glad that you had a good time and gave Julie a great birthday gift (for a change ).

Thanks for writing the report. Lots of good ideas here.