New York, New York

I guess I should be titling these recent entries, “Bats Not in Canada, Eh?”—the tail end of my vacation was a week in New York (both the City and the ‘burbs). It was another great time—Bird and Jen gave me a ride down to the Island and spent a few days in the City with me, and I also got to see Probe and Becca (and Probe’s sister Kara) and Doug (aka Air Force Guy) and his fiancée Christina. Lots of fun seeing all of you; thanks for hanging out!

The Times had an article about how the crowds in town change over the holidays. Basically, all of the touristy and well-known spots are completely swamped, and the local sites and restaurants are almost empty, because the natives have skipped town. I think the article is pay-only, but a short excerpt here:

For those worried about getting around town, please do not be alarmed to find an empty seat on the subway, even at rush hour. Nothing is wrong. It is not a prank.

Then again, don't even bother trying to find a seat in a horse-drawn cab near Central Park for a romantic winter-wonderland ride. Every out-of-towner has the same idea.

It should come as no big shock, of course, that New York often takes on a different personality during certain holidays. There are more tourists and fewer natives. Businesses change their hours, their décor, even their attitudes to match the conditions.

But this year, it seems, New York has become even more a best-of-times, worst-of-times kind of place, depending on geography and other factors. Or so said dozens of New Yorkers and tourists in conversations this week, who have noticed that some places seem more jam-packed than ever, while others are deserted.

This description matches what I saw in town: the Museum of Natural History had lines for half a block on a weekday afternoon. There were huge lines at the (ugh) Hard Rock Café—-before now, I didn’t realize that they have a store for their merch that’s as big as the restaurant itself. Of course, I ended up cursing under my breath at the slow-moving bovine tourists who were sauntering four abreast across the whole sidewalk, and stopping mid-stride to gawk and cause a pile-up.

In contrast, we ended up at a few sites a bit off the beaten path—-I can’t claim to be a true New Yorker (grew up in the ‘burbs; came into the city a handful of times every year), but I’m definitely learning. In fact, the previous time I was in town, I actually did take the A Train. It was, indeed, the quickest way to Harlem. More importantly, I really have developed a love for experiencing this city--if it's not home (like Boston is), it's a pretty familiar happy place.

We hit excellent Moroccan (Tagine Dining Gallery, near the Port Authority Bus Terminal) and Ethiopian (Ghenet, Houston Street) restaurants—-both of them were Jen’s excellent call. We went to the Noguchi Museum—it’s a converted warehouse in the industrial Long Island City section of Queens, about a 20 minute walk from the nearest subway stop-—not too many people there. I strongly recommend it-—the space alone is really cool to wander around in, not to mention the sculptures. I also hit the Skyscraper Museum, down near Battery Park—-a pretty neat space, but it’s a relatively small museum, without too much content (single floor of exhibits).

The photo above is the Roosevelt Island Tram, taken from the island. It runs parallel with the 59th street bridge; we took it back after walking from Long Island City.

Thinking about my vacation, I think whole month has been the longest vacation that I’ve had in years. When I was in the workforce, I usually took my vacations in one- or two-week increments, at the most-—what I could eke out between various business trips. Not that I minded—it felt fine. I just hope that this month off hasn’t caused me to fall behind the curve before the semester has even started.

BTW--I have safely arrived home; it's now back to "Bats in Canada, Eh?"