new york city - predictions

well, tonight i am also up late so i can pack for new york city! tomorrow evening tim, matt, troy and i are going to drive up for the weekend. tim is an actor and he's headed up there to get his headshots done again by some professional dude who needs a loft in nyc to feel like a pro. just kidding Tim =) i'm sure he's good. i'm pretty excited about the trip though. tim just invited us along and then extended his stay by another two nights.

i titled this entry predictions because i'm basically going to tell you all the things we've planned or talked about doing, and then i will post when i return and we'll just have to see how they line up.

so we've talked about doing a number of things. to reference matt's original list sent in an email a few days ago:

1. Phantom of the Opera
2. Apple Store NYC
3. The copper lady, (Statue of Freedom)
4. j/k about three, i know it's Liberty
5. Times Square Something
6. Empire State Building foot race to top, with a jump down race.
7. Pick up some chicks in Central Park
8. Bronx Zoo
9. Comedy Club one night?
   
10. Metropolitan Museum of Art
11. Sony Wonder Technology Lab (kids science museum thing)

so let's look at this list.

phantom? good idea. personally, i might let the guys go to this one and hang back. i know! it's anti-social. but i went into this trip hoping to keep it around $200 (excluding lodging) and lay off the plastic. so, phantom? i'm sure it will be sweet, but i'm sure i can find something else to pass the time. i know new york city is sort of small and growing, but there's got to be some create-your-own pottery place or something where i could keep myself busy. perhaps phantom and i will meet another time.

apple store, sure. though if i could afford anything in there, i could probably afford to get two balcony seats to phantom. but you know, it can't hurt to look.

statue of liberty? yes please. i've been to new york city 2.5 times and never seen it. i know it's like going to the washington monument.. minor stereotypical tourist thrill. but if you're going to be a real american traveler, i think a standard photo of you and the big copper lady is requisite.

times square? yes, please. nothing beats all your favorite stores in a different city! plus there's definitely something to be said for the urban version of stores you typically see in suburbia. for some reason they're just cooler.

empire state building. sure! can't hurt. what good is a picture at the statue of liberty without a picture at the empire state building? Rob, the guy i share an office with would probably kill me (ex-nyc resident and official quasi-hipster). he's been telling me about all the city's secrets and all the good places to go that are non-mainstream. but i don't mind being a total tourist, at least for a little bit on this trip. the last two times i've been, though fun, have been way constricted by time and business.

pick up chicks in central park? well, like i stressed to the guys already, how are we going to do that without a 4 year old kid? hasn't anyone seen big daddy? maybe i should pee on the side of a mcdonalds. maybe?

bronx zoo? no thanks. national zoo has animals too. but i admire the creativity.

comedy club? yes please. enter: martin's unpacking of this suggestion. i think we're going to try and catch a show at the upright citizens brigade theatre. if we catch the sunday night showing right before we head back, there's a high chance amy poehler and horatio sans from snl will be part of the improv cast. that would be sweet. though, where's will ferrell when we need him? we may also check out this show on saturday night that looks to be funny too.

mma - there's no way i'm trying to type that out typo free at this hour. but yes. that would be cool. right there in central park too, so once we find these mysterious and desperate central park chicks, perhaps we can take them to the museum.

sony wonder lab sounds cool, but sounds like one of those things that will get cut from the list. only time will tell.

of course when you're in new york, you gotta eat good too. a lot of that will be happening. rob has bestowed upon me some of his age old dining wisdom. i trust we will be eating right and i will have much to report. troy suggested buddakan, vento and hogs and heifers for places to eat/chill. apparently his last suggestion is like a total blue collar man filled bar by weeknight, and a killer young people hang out on the weekend. i'll believe it when i see it. however, it made the list. fingers crossed t-rex.

i searched desperately for a cool concert to go to, but the only thing i really came across was tommy lee at a place called Rebel. uhh, we'll definitely have to keep looking on that front.

ok, time to pack and go to bed. we'll see what this weekend has in store.

over and out.

martin