Travelblog: The Great Nor'easter—Episode 7

WE ARE NOW ON FINAL APPROACH...
This was my first live view ever of anything connected to New York City as I drove in on the famed George Washington Bridge from the New Jersey side.  I pulled up to the toll booth and had my money all ready to give them, only there was one little problem—I was in one of those automated lanes that requires a pass.  For a while, I thought I'd gotten away with a freebie, but I got a letter from New Jersey when I returned home saying they wanted their $8 toll, or they were gonna fine me 50 bucks more!  For once, I was a fugitive from justice...

HARLEM DAZE
I wanted no part of driving in Manhattan, but I did inadvertently drive in Harlem for a short while, just after crossing the GW Bridge.  I was attempting to go by Yankee Stadium in da Bronx, but found myself on the wrong side of the Harlem River.  Truthfully, I didn't find Harlem to be all that inhospitable, really—it didn't seem any worse than Kansas City, Kansas to me, anyway.  Meantime, that deee-luxe apartment in the sky on the left in this photo sits right where the infield of the Polo Grounds once existed.

ANOTHER VIEW...
...from my hotel, with the Meadowlands sports complex lurking across the way.  This has to be the only Red Roof Inn in the world with its own boat dock and resident seagulls, therein.  They also had some comfy lounge chairs along the shore, which were great for relaxing after hoofing it all day in the city.  Not too bad for 105 bucks a night.

RUST NEVER SLEEPS
This is my favorite photo from the entire trip.  I snapped this while I was waiting for the subway train to Yankee Stadium.  Get a load of how thick the paint is on this pillar—it's at least a quarter of an inch, and I counted no less than nine different coats!  All in all, though, I'm fascinated at how that city manages to function on a daily basis.  It's a totally different world than what I'm used to here.  The subway rides were interesting adventures too, and you got to know your neighbors a little more than you'd like to, but I survived.  Honestly, New York City isn't nearly as horrific as it's made out to be.  The people I interacted with were generally amiable and pleasant, and there was none of that macho bravado that is supposedly stereotypical of New Yorkers.  At no time did I ever feel unsafe (even in Harlem) and I encountered more assholes later in Philadelphia than I did in Gotham City.  Other than driving in Manhattan, I no longer fear New York City like I once did, and I'm itching to visit again.

THE HOUSE THAT STEINBRENNER BUILT
Here be the new Yankee Stadium in da Bronx.  I wasn't able to get a real good look at it because there was a concert going on there with Metalheads queueing up to see Metallica, Megadeth, et al, so I had to view it from a distance.  In the foreground is where the original Yankee Stadium stood, now occupied by a cheesy little league ball diamond.  This is how they're going to honor Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio?  Oh well, at least they didn't make it a parking lot...

WHERE GOOD 401K'S GO TO DIE...
This of course, would be the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street.  Not much of a street, really—it's more wall than street.  The beginnings of the current "Occupy" movement were taking shape while I was there.  I'm all for reforming our financial system, but I really don't see the point of the whole "Occupy" thing—what exactly is it accomplishing?

OUT OF THE ASHES...
I saved Ground Zero for last in my tour of Manhattan, and this is the new Freedom Tower under construction.  Behind the blue tarping on the fence is the new 9/11 Memorial, but I didn't have a ticket for it, so I didn't get to see it.  I still say the new tower should include a huge middle finger on top aimed at the Middle East...

THIS ONE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF...
Right next to the 9/11 Memorial.  Damn right, we won't forget...

Travelblog: The Great Nor'easter—Episode 6

We're still in Manhattan--only about halfway through my first day there...

SAY HELLO TO OUR GOOD FRIEND, DAVID LETTERMAN...

Here's the Ed Sullivan Theater, where they tape the Late Show With David Letterman.  I'm guessing there was no show that day because there's usually a line of people waiting for tickets in the afternoon.  Or so I thought, anyway...

                                                                          


WHERE'S THE VELVET ROPE?
The doorway to the left of the dude in the blue shirt was once the entrance to the infamous Studio 54.  The building still carries the name, but the club is long gone, of course.  I wouldn't be surprised if there's still some cocaine stashed away somewhere in there, tho...

"I'M YOUR FAIRY MANAGER--YOU SHALL PLAY AT CARNEGIE HALL..."
Seems like everything was being renovated in NYC during my visit, and Carnegie Hall was no exception.  I didn't even know what the place looked like on the outside before I got there—I was a tad disappointed.  I hope it's prettier on the inside, because the exterior ain't much to look at.

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE, AS THE NEW YORK SUNSET DISAPPEARED?"
I had to see this for myself, so I made it a point to walk by the Dakota at 72nd St. and Central Park West.  The entrance doesn't look like it's changed much since 12/8/80.  I was majorly disappointed with the Strawberry Fields thing in Central Park honoring Lennon just across the street, however.  I thought it was a bit more elaborate than just the mosaic in the sidewalk that reads "IMAGINE" with people sitting on it having their photos taken.  How 'bout a statue of John or something? 

HELL AIN'T A BAD PLACE TO BE
Or is it?  This is the Prudential Center (the "Prude"?) in downtown Newark, NJ, home of my beloved New Jersey Devils.  It's an oasis in an otherwise Hades-like town, as I was majorly unimpressed with what I saw in the area surrounding the arena, which stands out like a turd in a punchbowl in this dumpy downtown they call Newark.  I saw more low-lifes in the 20 minutes I spent in Newark than I did all day in Manhattan.  Go figure...

THAR SHE BLOWS!
Here was the view from the balcony of my hotel in the Meadowlands, some eight miles from Manhattan.  It amazed me how the Empire State Building just dominates the entire skyline of NY when viewed from any direction, even with all the other skyscrapers scattered about—it always seems to command your attention.  I stayed at the Red Roof Inn right across the river from the new Giants/Jets (Gi-ets?) Stadium, which was pretty handy for getting around the area.
 

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Again, another example of the seeming omni-presence of the ESB in a shot I snapped while waiting for the morning train in Jersey, not far from my hotel.  It also gives a pretty good idea of how hazy it was that week.  How about that form and composition and the way I centered the building in the window there?  Brilliant!

Travelblog: The Great Nor'easter—Episode 5

It's been exactly two months since I left town on my big road trip, and I'm only halfway through chronicling it on here.  Two subsequent weekend road trips and lack of time on my part are to blame for that.  Bear with me—I may finally get around to finishing this damn thing one of these days...

"AND WE SAW THEM STANDING THERE"

You are looking at where 2nd base once existed at Shea Stadium in Queens, NY.  It was on this spot that The Beatles played their famous concert at Shea in 1965, which was then one of the biggest Rock concerts ever.  This is also the spot where Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson of the Mets got into a tussle during the 1973 National League Championship Series (won by NY).  In the background is the Metropolitans' new home, Citi Field, which I wound up liking a lot more than I initially expected to.  It didn't look all that impressive to me on television, but in person, it was a really nice ballpark.  The Jackie Robinson Rotunda (modeled after the one at Ebbets Field) and adjacent Mets Hall of Fame are worth the visit alone, and it was at Citi where I enjoyed my first taste of Carvel ice cream.  It's even better than Dairy Queen, folks!

I FINALLY MADE IT TO THE GARDEN, AT LAST!

This was the first thing I saw above ground when I landed in downtown Manhattan, the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, which is actually round and about 11 blocks north of the actual Madison Square, for which it is named.  I was not about to try to drive in Manhattan, so I rode the train in from Joysey and it dropped me off at that underground labyrinth/clusterfuck known as Pennsylvania Station, which also includes a shopping mall and restaurants throughout.  Between Penn. Station and the subways, I spent more time getting lost underground in Gotham City than I did above ground!  I would dearly loved to have toured MSG, but my timing was bad because the building is currently undergoing a massive renovation (hence the scaffolds), so no tours until next year.  Oh well, gives me a good reason to go back soon and do a Rangers game next spring.  It was here that my long day on foot began, as I covered the better part of 70 New York city blocks over a six mile area.  And let me tell you, my friends, my feets were killing me by day's end...

IT REALLY SUCKED!

This item caught my eye as I passed by a storefront in Manhattan.  Mom used to have a sweeper just like this one when I was a little kid.  Here's to good ol' Electro-Lux!









GOOD MORNING, MRS. KONG--IS KING HOME?

And here be the Empire State Building.  Word to the wise if you plan to visit:  Buy the VIP ticket so you can by-pass the long lines and ride to the top faster—it's well worth the extra moolah.  I've heard the place referred to recently as the "Empty-pire" State Building because of the high vacancy rates of the office spaces, especially those in the higher floors in the wake of 9/11.  Sad, but true, and perfectly understandible, I guess.  Not so sure I'd want to work that high up either, on a daily basis.







And here be the view from Mr. Kong's perch, looking up Broadway:

The scariest part about this photo to me is the thought that downtown Tokyo is EVEN BIGGER!  The building at the lower left with the red flag next to it is the famed Macy's store where they do the annual Thanksgiving parade at.  The long-distance shots I tried to take from the observation deck weren't terribly good because it was pretty hazy out that day, but that couldn't be helped.  I also coulda done without the pushy foreigners up there—they were far ruder than the locals, who, much to my surprise, were much friendlier than I expected.

FRESH AIR!  TIMES SQUARE!

And here would be the building where Dick Clark drops his ball on New Year's Eve every year.  Or something like that.  For all the whoop-de-doo that's made about Times Square, I was pretty underwhelmed by it all.  Nothing but crass corporate advertising everywhere you look.  I think I would've enjoyed TS more back when it was a little more sleazier with all the titty bars and dives during the Midnight Cowboy era.  And like Mick Jagger before me, I couldn't give it away on 7th Avenue either!  Times Square today?  Meh. 

Oh, by the way, I might be in a movie soon.  As I neared Radio City Music Hall, there was a film crew out doing crowd shots, and I wandered right in front of their big camera.  "They're gonna put me in the movies..."

"AT ST. PATRICK'S EVERY SUNDAY..."

"...Father Fletcher heard your sins."  This is the famed St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.  I'm not much into churches and such, but it's an impressive structure all the same...