This blog post coming to you from the train taking Tasha and me home from New York. I finally got the unlimited data plan on my cell, so I can use the 'net without guilt!
Anyway, I had a pretty good stay in the city overall. The only thing I'll say bad is that the subways go to shit on the weekends, especially for where we were staying (Wall Street, which is understandable, as that whole district kind of shuts down when the markets aren't open). Trips on the subway took way too long, between waiting for trains, trains being rerouted and not going where they said they were, and trains suddenly only going in one way. I guess it's something you get used to, but it makes it hard to enjoy yourself when you're constantly having to be prepared to make a split second decision to jump off a train because - well whaddaya know!?!? - it's the totally wrong choice, regardless of what the sign said.
On Saturday I escorted Tasha to her Etsy class / trunk show in Brooklyn, which was modestly successful. I then managed to get back to Manhattan to check out the Neue Gallery (all German/Austrian art) and the Met (only the Greek, Roman, Mayan, and African art, unfortunately - that place is just too big!). I then got horribly lost picking Tasha up, but was able to retrieve her, bring her back to the hotel, and take her to a great meal in Little Italy (thanks, nymag.com!).
Sunday, Tasha went to Etsy on her own while I sought out my friend Jamie. He lives in a cute part of Williamsburg and seems to like it there just fine. He spends his time between doing camera work for the Paula Dean show in Georgia and hanging in New York. We used to be in a band together, and it was cool to catch up and share tips on anime (looking forward to checking out more Samurai Champion).
Once pre-gaming was done we headed out to a local free show they had at a massive, unfilled pool. Band of Horses headlined and it was pretty good. Afterwards, Tasha and I ambled into a Polish restaurant that kicked ass - authentic, cheap, and delicious (the Ukranian borscht is to die for). I really think that was the point where I saw just how awesome it is to live in an area with that much variety in food.
All in all, great trip. I'm not sure if it's the novelty or what, but New York ain't as bad as I've always thought. Maybe that's because we did it right this time - no driving - and I wasn't on a class trip where I couldn't do what I wanted. The train is nice - it's longer, but chiller, and I can get work done without panicking about delayed flights and dumbass TSA employees. I was afraid I wouldn't find anything to do in New York, but it ended up that there was far too much to do, even for somebody as boring as me. And now that we're aware of two people with whom we can stay in the city, I'm all about heading up there again in the near future.
By the way, I highly recommend the place we stayed, Club Quarters at the intersection of William and Wall. Ridiculously cheap, clean and unobtrusive, and in a safe neighborhood (around the stock exchange with all the military guards). I'm very impressed - apparently it sells memberships to corporations and uses that to subsidize weekend travel for families. Now that's the kind of subsidy this libertarian can dig!
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