NYC

for some reason, i'd really like to sing "you down with NYC (yeah you know me), you down with NYC (yeah you know me)". can't explain it. just feel like it.

about 10 days ago, i packed a small suitcase and ventured to the big apple to visit my sister, who has been living in brooklyn for some 3 years now. as i was previously situated 1/2 way around the world, visiting wasn't so easy. but now it's only a short, 1.5hr flight away. how fun!

my sister happens to be a pediatric resident at the moment. which loosely translates to not having any free time. and unfortunately for me, she had to work for 2 days of the 3.5 that i had in town. but not to worry, i managed to make the most of it.

thursday morning i made my way through the nyc subway system to canal st and broadway. canal street reminded me of bali a bit (oddly enough)- dozens of little stalls that people on the street are trying to lure you into, full of useless crap and souvenirs no one actually wants. i wasn't that excited about it, so my exploration of canal street lasted all of 10 mins. and then i just started walking.

i walked up broadway, from canal street to rockafellar centre (which, if you don't know, is some 40 city blocks). i stopped to poke my head into some shops and grab a quick bite to eat, but otherwise i just kept walking. i roamed by a variety of nyc landmarks: grand central station, the ny library, the flatiron building, radio city and the empire state building. i'd been told (by my sister) that i should consider doing the "top of the rock" tour instead of the empire state building (which is more expensive and takes longer to get into), so i did. i paid my fee and waited for the elevator to take me to the top of rockafellar centre (or 30rock, for you nerdy fans like me). what a great view! you can look out onto the city and see the empire state building, central park and just about everything else you'd like to see. i sat there for a while, contemplating the skyline (but mostly resting my weary feet) before i made my way home.

my sister joined me that evening for a drink on a sweet rooftop terrace in manhattan, where the drinks were pricey, the food was tasty and the view was worth every cent: a glowing empire state building towering above us and the rest of the city glimmering around it.

the next day was another solo adventure day, so i decided to roam around different areas. i still walked for longer then i can remember doing in yonks (save the day before, of course) and took in greenwich village (or just, "the village" as it's known to locals), the west village and soho before i dashed up to time square. i'd hoped to catch a cheap show but as it turns out, there's no such thing in new york. i did sign up for a few lotteries at the theatre box offices (which is exactly what it sounds like: put your name in a hat and wait around a while for them to draw names for cheap seats. i never won. *sigh*). it was about then that i realized my poor little feet were aching pretty badly, so i returned home.

saturday was another glorious day in the city. after running around prospect park (a nifty park in brooklyn) i ventured the the farmers market before finding a mani-pedi place. i was slightly disturbed by the 7yr olds getting pedicures next to me (with mom and dad in tow, of course) but i decided i didn't care enough to look up from my trashy magazines. i was then informed that this was a pretty typical thing in brooklyn. i can't wait for these kids to get older...

then i found my weary sister (coming off her 24hr shift) and hit up manhattan again, where we strolled through central park, which is just massive (100 city blocks i think i read). it's so strange to walk through a park and feel like you've been there before - because you've seen it so many times in movies and tv shows- when in fact, you've never set foot in the place prior to that moment. we then ventured to f.a.o. schwartz, because who doesn't want to try the floor-piano (if you don't know what i mean, you're too young), which, as it turns out, has a line-up and a time limit (i didn't bother waiting). i did see a 20 000$ barbie foosball table (i can't seem to spell that right now. it looks wrong) and nearly waited to get my photo taken with spiderman but it was too expensive.

at the end of the day, we managed to get tickets to zarkana (cirque's newest production) for cheap (ish) thanks to a friendly box-office guy. the show was amazing. a bit weird (aren't they all?) but amazing.

the next morning found me getting ready to leave, sadly. i enjoyed new york. the sights, the sounds (not the smells so much) and of course, visiting my sister. next time i won't have to walk my feet to the bone or feel the need to take it all in. but really, the trip was great. too short of course, but isn't that always the way with holidays?

until next time nyc. until next time.
xo