After nearly a year of planning Tina and I are in New York. It’s the first leg of our five week adventure and, I must admit, it still hasn’t sunken in. But we’re both very excited and loving every minute.
We started off in style, hiring a Bentley to take us to the airport. Tim, a UK ex-pat, drove us through Friday rush hour traffic with conversation and cool. That’s us, above, in front of our luxmobile. It was pretty sweet I gotta say -- and it was my one, final surprise for Tina! She loved it.
Check-in was smooth and, after a quick bite at Ivar’s, we were off to board JetBlue to JFK. And, I gotta say, JetBlue ain’t no Virgin Airways. Not even close. They’re still a good option, but the attendants were either indifferent or surly. The seats barely reclined. And the flight was incredibly bumpy -- meaning no sleep for us (even with the Ambien) Now, perhaps the turbulence can’t be avoided (although I’m not so sure of that), certainly the attitudes could be better. Next time we’ll see about routing through SFO so we can keep flying Richard Branson’s most wonderful invention.
in the wee morning hours we landed at JFK. We quickly found a town car to drive us into Manhattan and to our hotel (the Hudson). The thing is we arrived at seven in the morning -- so we can’t go to a room. But the bell desk gladly holds our bags and we head off to breakfast -- at the hotel buffet. After just a few ounces of cashews on the plane, anything would be good. As it is, the Hudson breakfast is quite good -- and quite welcome.
After that we set off for the Rose Planetarium. The weather was wonderful -- clear, sunny, low sixties -- so the walk along Central Park wakes us up from a jet-lagged stupor. Of course there are dogs everywhere, which makes us melancholy for our two. But we know they’re in good care -- we still miss them a ton even after less than a day!
The planetarium is fun if a little chaotic. The employees must have worked for JetBlue, previously, as they couldn’t care less. Waiting to see the big show, I cheerfully ask the young lady usher how she’s doing today. She looks back at me, a look of mixed boredom and disdain, then returns to talking with her co-workers. Neil would not approve.
Afterwards we wander Columbus Street and then over to Artie’s Deli. As many of you know, this restaurant was one of my favorites. Sadly, I have to report that (at least for our meal) the magic was gone. Still, the joint was a lot of fun. Across from us two young boys -- I mean, men -- were being waited on by this awesome lady (bright orange hair, thick and gravelly New York accent, the works). She recognized what those two were up to. “So,” she asks, “did you just get Bar Mitzvahed?” If only the food lived up to the atmosphere.
Full from lunch we head back to the museum complex, this time to enjoy the American Museum of Natural History (made famous by the recent Night at the Museum). Now, I love this place. It’s huge, simultaneously anachronistic and utterly engaging, and endless fun. Tina and I got to see the Hall of Biodiversity -- which seemed new. The dioramas were really well conceived, and the taxidermied whale hanging from the ceiling was awe-inspiring. We even managed a quick tour of the butterfly exhibit. Of course, as the day wore on we wore out.
Thankfully dinner was close at hand: Dovetail. I’ll let my restaurant review detail the experience, but it was a great contrast to lunch (in every way). We felt a little underdressed -- especially considering we were hauling around a cheap plastic bag containing a few necessities purchased earlier in the day. But there were those that set the bar even lower: jeans and a t-shirt. Good thing that guys was around to make us feel less like schlubs!
We’re safely in our room as I write this. All is unpacked and we’re just about ready to call it a night. Tomorrow is Wicked and a couple of cool restaurants -- I’ll write more, later, but here’s a link to some pictures from our first day: