New York City Serenade - Part Two

This is part two of the recap of my trip to New York City.  To read part one in all of its glory, click here. As mentioned earlier, my first day in New York was exhausting (both physically and emotionally). Akron to Manhattan is quite the adjustment and what usually took 2-3 days to adjust to in my prior visits, happened within the first hour of day one – so I was more than ready for day two.

We woke up early Friday morning and walked over to Starbucks.  This was the morning ritual for the next four days.  I’ll be damned if the Pumpkin Spice Latte isn’t the tastiest treat known to man.  If you’ve never had it, try it.  If you have had it, then you know what I’m talking about.  I don’t know who is in charge of marketing pumpkins to food and beverage companies, but they are getting into everything this year.  After Starbucks we jumped on the subway to Columbus Circle and then had a nice walk through Central Park, eventually ending up at the Natural History Museum.  New York has so many sensational museums, but Eileen and I chose the Natural History Museum over all of them due to our love of history and science.  MOMA, The Met, and the Guggenheim may be more impressive, but there is no way in hell that I could possibly appreciate the art inside of these buildings.  Checking out an authentic Tyrannosaurs Rex skull from millions of years ago?  Yeah, I can appreciate that; I’ve seen Jurassic Park.

After the Natural History Museum, we took the subway back to Midtown for lunch at Mario Batali’s Italian market, Eataly.  For those of you reading this that are planning on visiting the city, this is a must stop.  It’s DeVitis Market on steroids – however, it doesn’t have an answer to Nick Alexander’s awesome mustache, so it’s still second fiddle to me.  Our lunch consisted of wine, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and a salami and mortadella salad.  The food was everything I expected and the atmosphere was nice, although it was a little too crowded for my liking.   

One quick side story on mortadella - A few years back I was eating dinner at the Terrace Club at Jacob’s Field before an Indians game.  I walked up to the sandwich bar and asked for a mortadella and provolone on Italian.  The young girl stared at me as if I just asked her to explain the theory of relativity.  When she asked me to repeat myself, I just pointed at the mortadella in front of her and said that I want that meat and provolone on Italian bread.  She responded back, “That?  That ain’t mortadella, that is bologna with little pieces of cream cheese in it”.  I am still perplexed to this day how that girl got through the job interview process.

At this point, we were three hours from the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert.  After stuffing our faces at Eataly, we decided to forgo dinner and just grab some drinks before the show.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, traveling to Jersey to see a Springsteen show was top on my bucket list.  There is nothing that could have happened to dampen my mood before this show – I was that pumped.  We hopped on the Port Authority bus and arrived at MetLife Stadium two hours before the show began.  Why so early you ask?  Because the ticket said 7:30 and I wanted to get there an hour before that to ensure that we were in our seats at 7:30.  2 hours early!  My transformation is almost complete.  I am now two old curmudgeon merit badges away from being a full-fledged old guy.  Younger Ryan would have NEVER arrived at a show in which he had assigned seats one hour before the time on the ticket, because he would of known that nobody in the history of music has ever hit the stage as the ticket stated.  My thinking?  I’m not going to drive all the way from Akron, Ohio to trust that the New Jersey Transit Authority and Port Authority will get me somewhere on time.  So I earned my Get There Realllly Early badge.  I’m well on my way to my Bald Before I’m 35 badge and the Talk Like I’m 60 badge.  Oh heavens yes.

House lights on only means one thing...Born To Run.

The show was epic.  It was my 7^th Springsteen show in 10 years and it certainly did not disappoint.  The highlight of the entire concert for me was Incident On 57^th Street with Rosalita played right afterwards.  This is a rare occurrence at a Bruce show; he almost never plays these two back-to-back.  It’s kinda like the song Jaded from Green Day’s album Insomniac.  Yeah, it’s good by itself - but it just doesn’t feel right if it’s not played after Brain Stew.  Some songs are just meant to be played together, and hearing those two live was pretty special.  Eileen kick-started this Bruce obsession while we were dating when she bought me the Greatest Hits album for high school graduation.  Exactly 10 years later, we were together in Jersey after being married for 4 years.  Pretty sure I wouldn’t have guessed this while I was a senior in high school.  To sound really corny – before we even had a mutual love for each other, we first had a mutual love for Springsteen…..and late night Taco Bell.  As he does with most shows on the past few tours, Bruce closed with American Land.  During the song, fireworks erupted from the top of the stadium as if we were at the Super Bowl.  This was ho hum to the Giants fans in attendance, but as a Browns fan, this will be the closest I will ever get to that Super Bowl feeling, so I had to take it in.

Fireworks during the closing song, American Land.  A fitting song to hear with a trip to Ellis Island the next morning.

Our last day in the city was Saturday and we took the entire morning to do the tourist thing.  Neither of us has been to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island so this was a must on our list.  My grandfather who immigrated to the United States from Italy in the 1940s did not go through Ellis Island, but did come through New York City.  To see the Statue of Liberty from New York Harbor, just as he did when sailing in to the United States as a teenager was special.  After our tours, we hit Katz Delicatessen on the Lower East Side for lunch.  Ridiculous food, crazy crowded (even at 2:30pm), and a great local atmosphere. 



They come across the water a thousand miles from home
With nothing in their bellies but the fire down below

Katz Deli - an institution.

Our last day concluded by shopping 5^th Avenue and going into stores that we had no business walking into.  We started off at Hermes, a luxurious Paris brand.  I knew of their handbags, ummmm, I mean Eileen knew of their handbags and we she wanted to see them up close.  We walked over to the men’s cashmere sweaters priced at $1,250.  I pretend to look interested when the salesperson approaches me, but fail miserably and just focus on the price tag.  She assures me that they have more colors to choose from in the back.  Lady, it wasn’t the lack of colors that was preventing me from purchasing the sweater, it is the fact that I use coupons from the newspaper to pay for a haircut in a strip mall. 

We then headed over to the handbags and I took out my phone to take a picture of the bag that costs more than a Honda Civic.  I was immediately told to put my phone away by the large man working the door.  I apologized to him while he opened the door for us to leave.  We were pretty much ushered out of the store for taking pictures.  It was quite humiliating.  The only way I would have felt more embarrassed is if I tried on the $1250 sweater and then danced Gangnam Style through the sales floor.  In fact, that would of made me more awesome, not more embarrassed – crap.

Thankfully, Eileen saved me from even more humiliation at Louis Vuitton, our next stop.  Clueless as can be, I somehow managed to wander behind the counter without anybody noticing.  I went to grab a purse, solely to look at the price tag to see what I could compare it to in my life.  Just as I was thinking, “Hey Eileen, can you believe that this purse cost more than our entire living room?”, Eileen grabbed me from behind and said, “Hey what the hell? You can’t be back there!”  Thankfully nobody else noticed, although if I would have grabbed the purse, I’m pretty sure security would have been all over me.  I don’t know what happens to people that go behind the counter and walk up and grab $2,000 purses, but I’m pretty sure it’s not good.  Looking back, walking into stores that we couldn’t afford to buy a pair of socks at wasn’t the most effective use of our time that evening, but it was fun to go into all of the luxury spots in the city that you can’t see in Akron.

We left the city on Sunday to go back to Jersey and begin our trip home.  The weekend was exhausting, but well worth it.  Obviously, Springsteen was the highlight of our three days, but it was enjoyable seeing other parts of the city we haven’t seen before.  There were so many other stories, but I don’t want to bore you anymore than I already have.  I was finally able to acclimate myself to New York, but as always, I was happy to be home.  I start to miss Akron anytime I am away for more than three days, even if I’m on vacation.  Maybe it’s because I’m so routine-driven, but more likely it’s that I just like the comfort and familiarity of home.  We had a blast.  I’m looking forward to next year’s anniversary trip even more…Napa.

New York City Serenade - Part One

New York City and I haven’t had the best relationship over the years.  The first few dates that we went on were rocky to say the least.  I’m fairly laid back, but need structure and an itinerary in such an atmosphere.  The first two times I visited the city, my group walked around aimlessly and rarely left Times Square.  If we ever did venture out, it was only to Canal Street in Chinatown to buy knock-off purses or over to Little Italy to eat.  To say that my stays in the city were stressed would be an understatement.  There is soooo much to see in the city and wandering around tourist traps is not the way to see it.  However, I’m happy to say that my trip last weekend was a huge bounce-back and that the city and I are on good terms again.

The trip started off with a bang when I pulled into Starbucks on the morning we left.  When I drove up to the window to pay, the barista informed me that the lady in the car ahead of me had already paid for my coffee.  Sweet.  Although, I inexplicably ordered a tall bold at the drive-thru (I always order a venti bold), so I didn’t get much coffee that morning.  Alas, it was free, and the awesome lady in the silver Accord made my day, so I would of looked like the biggest jerk asking to switch my order to a larger size.  It was a perfect start to my mini vacation, although I still had to get through a half-day of work.  The plan was to drive to Jersey, stay with family, and then take a train into the city the next morning.

After my half-day at work, I picked up Eileen and our trip was on like Donkey Kong.  It was a rather non-descript car ride, until we stopped at a Sheetz in central Pennsylvania.  Inside the restroom, there was a grown man in furry slippers wearing Superman pajama pants.  He greeted every person walking in by saying “Hi Bob”, and then by taking his 72 oz fountain drink and splashing it on the person.  Yeah, he had something wrong with him.  And yeah, it was hilarious. Like an elusive running back, I weaved in between Superman Pants and the stall door to quickly wash my hands without getting splashed – no time for drying.  Dodged a bullet with that one.  After that incident, the ride was relatively uneventful.  Eileen and I had a great time on the road with each other and before we knew it, we were in Westfield, NJ.  It was great spending time with my aunt and uncle, as we normally only get to see them once a year.  After dinner and six glasses of wine (not recommended when catching an early train the next morning), we finally went to sleep.

The next morning, the three of us arrived at the Westfield train station to catch an early train into the city.  This is an excellent part of this story to stop and introduce our third member of the trip, our suitcase.  To my amazement, the New Jersey Transit Authority did not make us pay for a third ticket for our suitcase.  It was that big.  Like, 75 lbs big.  Oh, did I mention that we were only staying in the city for 3 nights?  I saw a 6^th grader on the train that weighed less than this thing.  Navigating the city with our suitcase would be the first test of my nerves, as subway stairs and train transfers would be tricky. 

My favorite part of day one involved our 75lb friend.  On our train ride into Manhattan, I had to place the suitcase on the bench opposite of Eileen and I due to its size.  A few minutes later, a man in a suit on his way into work noticed the large bag sitting on the bench alone.  He sat down on the bench in front of the bag and had a very concerned look on his face.  He did a quick scan of the train car (looking for suspicious people, I gather), and then high-tailed it to another train.  In a post 9/11 world, everybody is fearful of another terrorist attack.  Naturally, it is widely speculated that mass public transit would be a possible venue for such an attack.  I don’t blame the man for leaving the train in fear, but I just wish he knew that he inconvenienced his day because two Midwesterners couldn’t decide if they should bring summer clothes or fall clothes, so they packed both.

Who brings something this big for 3 days?

After checking in to our hotel, Eileen and I made our way to Rockefeller Center.  Coming into the trip, Eileen’s main goal was to be on the Today Show.  Conversely, my main goal was to convince her that this was the worst idea ever.  Thankfully, I persuaded her that getting up Friday morning to stand outside and hold signs with all of the other yokels was not in her best interest, as I would not be cooperative.  So as we walked into the NBC Store later that morning, we noticed security clearing out a path.  Just then, a star of the Today Show walked over from the studio across the street to film a segment.  Eileen freaked out and yelled at me, “Hey Ry, look….there’s Kathie Lee Griffin, let’s follow her”.  Ohhh, her lack of knowledge of pop culture NEVER gets old.  So we followed Kathie Lee GIFFORD upstairs to where she was hosting a mini-segment on Emmy’s Trivia.  And who got on the Today Show?  Yes, Eileen.  Speaking of Bucket Lists (my last post), this one was on Eileen’s.  Although it was only 30 seconds, she loved every minute of it.  So it was a win-win.  Eileen got on TV (albeit in the background), and I didn’t have to ruin the next day by bitching incessantly that I don’t wait to stand outside in the plaza next to Becky from Idaho.

Eileen to the left of Miss Griffin.  

While Eileen’s focus was getting on TV, my focus from this point forward was seeing where Ghostbusters was filmed.  I must have watched that movie twice a week during my childhood, so I had to at least see something.  We walked down to the New York Public Library to check out the location from the first scene in the movie.  The building is spectacular.  Built in 1897, the building is a National Historic Landmark.  The Rose Main Reading Room, with a 50-foot high ceiling featuring intricate designs and paintings, is the crown jewel of the library.  While Eileen was marveling at the architecture and design of the ceiling, I was hitting her, saying, “Hey – look at those doors.  That’s where the Ghostbusters go to get the ghost out of the basement”.  I think it sunk in with her at this exact moment that this will not be an overly romantic trip.  In a room filled with history and design, I was amazed at the double doors where three fictional characters attempted to contain a fake ghost.

You're right...no human being would stack books like this.

Next on the agenda was a trip down to Ground Zero.  I’ve been to New York 4 times since 2001, and this area has looked dramatically different each time.  We reserved tickets to visit the memorial and it was worth every second.  It’s amazing that in the busiest city in the world how quiet people are at the memorial.  Unfortunately, the museum is still under construction and won’t open for another year.  There was a small store around the corner that had some memorabilia and artifacts from the day.  I nearly lost it emotionally, and this is in the store that sold NYPD pencils and coffee mugs.  I can’t imagine what it will be like visiting the museum once it opens next year.  It’s crazy how fast 11 years goes by, and even crazier hearing the stories of the survivors in the city.  I can’t imagine ever visiting the city without heading down to Ground Zero to reflect on the day.

This picture does not do it justice.

There is a Marriott near Ground Zero that we took a break at to sit down and use the restroom shortly after the memorial.  While in the Marriott lobby, we spotted a lady walking her yellow lab.  We looked at each other and ran, (yes, literally ran) out the doors to go see the dog.  People don’t react that way when De Niro or Jay-Z walks by, let alone a dog.  I wish that this was the most ridiculous moment of the weekend, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.  More to come on this one later.

To close out the evening of the first day in the city, we went to a nice pizzeria for a low-key dinner.  Not much to mention, other than the pizza was delicious.  That concludes our first day/night in New York.  I warmed up to the city and it warmed up to me.  For the first time, I was completely comfortable in New York.  For the rest of the trip, stay tuned for part two of this post – I’ll get to it sometime later this week.  The Springsteen concert was the next night – Epic.  Ciao for now.

Things I Want To Do Before I Die

To begin, I do not like the term "Bucket List".  I love the idea of having such a list.  There are too many examples of lives cut un-expectantly short to not appreciate the present.  But couldn't there be a better name to this list?  "The Things I Want To Do Before I Die List" would be perfectly suitable.  However, it doesn't roll off the tongue quite the same, so Bucket List caught on and will have to do for now I guess.

My TTIWTDBIDL as it stands today is incredibly short.  I say "as it stands today", because this list is dynamic and often changes with maturity.  For example, if asked what was on my list when I was 5, my response would probably be, to "Eat ice cream and then immediately drink a can of Coke".  At that age, that was pretty much the only thing I ever focused on, next to defeating Bowser in his castle. Thankfully, my list has evolved.  Don't get me wrong, the ice cream, Coke, video games combo is still a weekly occurrence, I have just added a bit more to my wish list.  

I divide my life thus far into 3 distinct sections.  The DJ from Roseanne Years (1988-1998),  The High School and College Years (1998-2006), and Adulthood (2006-present).  There were distinctly different Bucket Lists during these years, but from the time I graduated college to now, my list has stayed the same.  Just 3 things.  Listed below is a COMPLETE rundown (counting backwards), of my entire Bucket List during my adult life:

3) Vacation in Hawaii

2) Attend a game at Fenway Park

1) See Bruce Springsteen perform in Giants Stadium

That's it.  That is the entire list.  I'm a pretty simple guy - some of the best times I have had in my life are when I am hanging around family and friends on the weekends.  I don't really need an extravagant list of activities, because I am quite happy just being me and being around the people I love.  I got my wish for #3 when Eileen and I honeymooned in Maui after our wedding in October of 2008. It was everything you would guess Maui to be and totally worthy of being on my list. Snorkeling, waterfall hikes in the mountains, exquisite dining, watching the World Series at 2pm.... Maui did not disappoint, even if we did pay over $30 for a large Pizza Hut pizza on one very low-key night.

The next year, Eileen surprised me with #2 (I have to point out that I laughed out loud while writing "surprised me with #2".  I will never grow up), with tickets to see the Indians play the Red Sox in Fenway Park for our one-year anniversary.  There are so many reasons why I love her, but to have her sacrifice the typical one-year anniversary romantic get-away to take me to see a baseball game is right up there with the rest.  Fenway Park is filled with so much history.  I am now so lucky to be able to say that I watched a game in person on the same field that Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, and Alvaro Espinoza played.

Which brings me to #1.  For those of you that know me well, it is no surprise that this tops the list.  I hate to think that I am obsessed; but the posters, t-shirts, box sets, and pint glasses that I have in my home say differently.  I have Eileen to thank for starting this obsession, as her gift to me for my high school graduation was a Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits album and a flask (perfectly fitting if you knew Eileen in high school).  That was in 2002.  Ten years later, for an early anniversary vacation, Eileen and I are finally traveling to see Bruce Springsteen play Giants Stadium in New Jersey (actually Met Life Stadium, but I'm pretty sure nobody calls it that).  She comes through in the clutch again with an awesome anniversary vacation.  First Fenway Park, now Bruce.  I know that I will have to repay this debt throughout my life going to boring plays and other things that women like to do on anniversaries (I could only think of boring plays), but it will be totally worth it.  If there is an equivalent to experiencing that childhood Christmas morning feeling again, this is it.

So in 6 years, I have completed my Bucket List as it stands today.  As I grow older, I'm sure my list will expand to events or activities that I have absolutely no interest in today.  Once I have kids - all bets are off.  Having children will undoubtedly change me for the better in the future, but thinking that a Disney vacation will be my ultimate wish at this moment seems crazy.  Somebody I will relish in those kinds of moments, but for now,  I am looking forward to finally closing out my current Bucket List.  The hard part will be to find more things to add.  I'm not planning on going anywhere for a while.