Thoughts of a Middle Aged Man

What could be better, four days of exploration of all things New York city has to offer. Landscapes, history, entertainment, and dining pleasures. We arrived late Thursday night and checked into the Helmsley Hotel on 42nd Street. I quick walk to pick up some .99 cent per slice New York style pizza got the long weekend off to a great start. We continued onto Times Square to show our friends the hub of activity at midnight on a Thursday night. Its always fun to see a person’s reaction on their first visit to Times Square. Although it was busy, it was subdued as it was a Thursday and was foggy with a ever so slight drizzle. We headed back to hotel to rest for our first full day of exploration.

We got a lot of stuff crammed into four days and in keeping with my new blog rating system, I have rated each event using the same scale.

• New York pizza by the slice at midnight - 3 Stars
• Times Square at Midnight - 4 Stars
• Walks though Greenwich Village, Soho and Tribeca - 3 Stars
• Battery Park - 2 Stars
• Statue of Liberty - 3 Stars
• Phantom of the Opera - 2 Stars
• Spam-a-lot - 5 Stars
• Greek cafe’s for breakfast - 3 Stars
• Greek restaurants for dinner - 5 Stars
• Natural History Museum - 2 Stars
• Fifth Ave - 2 Stars
• Central Park - 4 Stars
• Famous Chef’s Restaurant - 3 Stars
• Jewish Deli for bagels - 5 Stars
• A Yankee Game - 5 Stars
• Subway rides - 4 Stars
• Cab rides - 3 Stars
• Top of the Rock - 5 Stars
• Revolving Bars - 2 Stars
• Grand Central Station - 3 Stars

If you have never been to New York, all of these should be on your list. If you have limited time, concentrate on the five star items. Here are some quick thoughts on some of our experiences.

Phantom of the Opera was an interesting musical. Maybe we are all tired from our daytime excursion and the jet lag, Its well done, but the story didn’t grab me. I guess I didn’t feel sympathy for the Phantom, he just seemed like a bitter person, and I wanted him to go away.

Ess-a-Bagel on Third Ave. and 51st. Its a great Jewish deli serving bagels with many options of cream cheese flavors or many types of bagel sandwiches. The line was long but worth the wait. This is a place to visit again. In fact we did on Monday. The Seamhead Tour will have to make a stop next year when the Yankees and Mets open new stadiums.

Central Park is a really cool park and I can see its draw for all the people who live in the city. In the middle of the park you can easily isolate yourself from the hustle of the city. It is one on the prettiest parks I have ever visited.

Spam-a-Lot. That musical rocked. A classic Monty Python take on modern Broadway with a little Mel Brooks thrown in. The Playbill is worth the entrance fee alone. They list a fake Finnish play about the transformation of Finland from agriculture to a modern society. I will be quoting the Playbill many times.

There was a threat of rain each day, and each day it held off, but every weather forecast had rain on Sunday, the day I was hoping to attend my first baseball game of the season. It wasn’t looking good until when we woke up Sunday morning and blue skies started to appear. Another ride on the 4 subway to us to Yankee stadium and we enjoyed a Yankee win from field level seats on an absolutely gorgeous day. Sunday was a great day. Attending that game just invigorates my enjoyment of baseball.

Top of the Rock is the new observation deck at Rockafeller Center. This place puts the observation deck at the Empire State Building to shame. Its got great views of all parts of the city, its huge and currently not many people know about it so its empty. This is a must do and you must do it twice, once on a clear day and once on a clear night. I can not wait until I get to do the night time visit.

This trip was planned to celebrate Annette’s 50th birthday and our friends 27th anniversery. All in all, since this New York trip was planned by me, it included fun and packed full of site seeing and adventures for the baseball fan, foodie and adventure seeker that I am. OK, maybe adventure is too strong of word. Lets say life experience seeker. New York is such a fun place to visit. so much to see and much more to do. The hard part now is finding nice hotels that discount enough via the travel sites to make it worth the stay. So keep your eyes open for deals for rooms and book yourself a long weekend in the city. You are in for a treat.