Post by Meniduull on Jul 7, 2010 23:03:01 GMT -5
Well now that I've established mah mad dancin' skillz!
I figure New York is as good of a place as any to start writing one of these things. Who knows...maybe I'll use when I get back, maybe I won't. Either way, I'm sure you'll be entertained for 2 minutes.
We've pretty much been out every day since we got here. Without spoiling everything that happened (after all, if I did that here, what stories would I have to tell when I get back), some highlights include:
And really, that only begins to scratch the surface of 8 days of chaos, mayhem, and silliness. I've taken almost 400 pictures by this point (not all of them are useful, many are duplicates...but that means I'll have to go through A LOT).
I've also learned to appreciate certain things in Arizona, Nevada, and...well, any place but New York, really.
Restrooms: Many restaurants don't have them, and if they do, you must be a customer to use them (many places use a voucher, so you pay them money BEFORE you go to the restroom. When you turn in the voucher, it acts like cash toward your meal. So whether you actually buy food or not, they get your money)
Water: Oh. My. G-D. Most places don't serve water cups, there are very, very few drinking fountains (not even in parks, transit shops, etc), but you can BUY the stuff everywhere. I swear that you could spend an entire paycheck on just WATER if you're a tourist here. It's insane. You wouldn't think it's very much, but a dollar here and a dollar there...well, let's just say I've spent more than I care to admit on some bleh quality H2O (especially after the dehydration incident).
And now, the good stuff:
FOOD: OMFGASDFWTFBBQAMAZING. Yes, it's that good. And as expensive as you'd expect it to be, most of the places are really cheap. They have these carts everywhere that sell gyros, sausages, kabobs, hot dogs, hamburgers, philly cheese steaks for like $1-$3. The minus side is...drinks are expensive. Cans of soda are like a dollar, so is water. Gatorade and the bottles of soda (the dinky little gatorades too, not the big ones) are often 2 or 2.50. Le sigh...
A lot of the hole-in-the-wall shops are like that too. The chinese places in the neighborhood has like $5 something+rice baskets, and I haven't been able to eat it all in one meal. It takes 2 people, maybe 3. And there's a pizza place to DIE for (literally, I think that ranch, bacon and chicken pizza I ate is going to kill me. SO. MUCH. BACON. 6 DOLLARS for a 16 inch).
And the sit-down places are good too. Pricier, but definitely worth it. If I wasn't running around everywhere, I'd seriously be worried about putting on like 50 lbs eating this much good food.
Cheap touristy stuff: T-shirts are cheap (I've seen them as low as 5 for $10), and there's a lot of interesting things to do for free. There're a few large fountains that people will either get into bathing suits, or just splash right in with everything on. Also, the ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island is free, so it's a fun ride across the water for the cheapskate. Not to mention getting a couple shots of Lady Liberty as we were passing by (though someone should tell her to change out of that robe. It's turning a green color and it looks infectious).
Riding the subway: It's nothing like riding the railway in Chicago (or the lightrail in the Valley). When you ride the subway, it shakes and squeaks and turns sharply. It's an adventure every time, and with the interesting people you meet, no 2 trips seem alike.
The people: I know New Yorkers get a bad rep, but as far as I've seen, only 1 person has actually been really rude to us. Most are friendly enough to help tourists (or just admit when they can't), but the area we're staying at is really cool too. Neighbors are pretty nice, everyone knows everyone, and it seems most of locals come from the same areas of either Africa or Asia. I'm starting to really, really favor the Dominican accent.
And because I know you'd never believe me otherwise...
I'm out!
*edit* I miss everyone in Phoenix terribly though. I can't wait until I'm back home, even though I'm sure the next 10 days will be a blast!
I figure New York is as good of a place as any to start writing one of these things. Who knows...maybe I'll use when I get back, maybe I won't. Either way, I'm sure you'll be entertained for 2 minutes.
We've pretty much been out every day since we got here. Without spoiling everything that happened (after all, if I did that here, what stories would I have to tell when I get back), some highlights include:
- Seeing a reunion of 2 friends that haven't seen each other in 40 years (no, that's not a typo. 4. 0.)
- Being chased by a man in a Barack Obama suit selling U.S. flags for $2 during the 4th of July.
- Cooking ramen in a teapot, as I didn't have a large enough saucepan available.
- Going to one of the "last remaining rock and roll bars" in Greenwich Village, to be treated to an evening of ho-hum karaoke (many of the "singers" are regulars for the event) and getting hit on by both men and women (though no really interesting stories to tell there).
- Getting hit with dehydration and hitting the first symptoms of heat stroke the day after (you'd think living in Arizona I would have noticed the signs earlier). If only I had easier access to drinking water...
And really, that only begins to scratch the surface of 8 days of chaos, mayhem, and silliness. I've taken almost 400 pictures by this point (not all of them are useful, many are duplicates...but that means I'll have to go through A LOT).
I've also learned to appreciate certain things in Arizona, Nevada, and...well, any place but New York, really.
Restrooms: Many restaurants don't have them, and if they do, you must be a customer to use them (many places use a voucher, so you pay them money BEFORE you go to the restroom. When you turn in the voucher, it acts like cash toward your meal. So whether you actually buy food or not, they get your money)
Water: Oh. My. G-D. Most places don't serve water cups, there are very, very few drinking fountains (not even in parks, transit shops, etc), but you can BUY the stuff everywhere. I swear that you could spend an entire paycheck on just WATER if you're a tourist here. It's insane. You wouldn't think it's very much, but a dollar here and a dollar there...well, let's just say I've spent more than I care to admit on some bleh quality H2O (especially after the dehydration incident).
And now, the good stuff:
FOOD: OMFGASDFWTFBBQAMAZING. Yes, it's that good. And as expensive as you'd expect it to be, most of the places are really cheap. They have these carts everywhere that sell gyros, sausages, kabobs, hot dogs, hamburgers, philly cheese steaks for like $1-$3. The minus side is...drinks are expensive. Cans of soda are like a dollar, so is water. Gatorade and the bottles of soda (the dinky little gatorades too, not the big ones) are often 2 or 2.50. Le sigh...
A lot of the hole-in-the-wall shops are like that too. The chinese places in the neighborhood has like $5 something+rice baskets, and I haven't been able to eat it all in one meal. It takes 2 people, maybe 3. And there's a pizza place to DIE for (literally, I think that ranch, bacon and chicken pizza I ate is going to kill me. SO. MUCH. BACON. 6 DOLLARS for a 16 inch).
And the sit-down places are good too. Pricier, but definitely worth it. If I wasn't running around everywhere, I'd seriously be worried about putting on like 50 lbs eating this much good food.
Cheap touristy stuff: T-shirts are cheap (I've seen them as low as 5 for $10), and there's a lot of interesting things to do for free. There're a few large fountains that people will either get into bathing suits, or just splash right in with everything on. Also, the ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island is free, so it's a fun ride across the water for the cheapskate. Not to mention getting a couple shots of Lady Liberty as we were passing by (though someone should tell her to change out of that robe. It's turning a green color and it looks infectious).
Riding the subway: It's nothing like riding the railway in Chicago (or the lightrail in the Valley). When you ride the subway, it shakes and squeaks and turns sharply. It's an adventure every time, and with the interesting people you meet, no 2 trips seem alike.
The people: I know New Yorkers get a bad rep, but as far as I've seen, only 1 person has actually been really rude to us. Most are friendly enough to help tourists (or just admit when they can't), but the area we're staying at is really cool too. Neighbors are pretty nice, everyone knows everyone, and it seems most of locals come from the same areas of either Africa or Asia. I'm starting to really, really favor the Dominican accent.
And because I know you'd never believe me otherwise...
I'm out!
*edit* I miss everyone in Phoenix terribly though. I can't wait until I'm back home, even though I'm sure the next 10 days will be a blast!
