NYC Cont'd

By Jen

Friday.
Filip managed to get out of bed even after all of that free vodka he consumed. I turned down quite a bit of champagne as I knew today was the day we were going to try and tackle The Metropolitan Museum of Art. TRY is the key word there. I managed to last only a few hours in there because the AC was a blasting and I was seriously far too cold to stay any longer. I seriously had goosebumps. I may have been getting bored as well. But seriously, how many paintings can you see before they become one big blur in your mind? It's like when I went backpacking last summer. After so many churches they all become the same thing. There are many different wings and exhibits at the Met but I had seen enough.

The Met

Proof I actually went to the Met! That's an Egyptian tomb I'm standing in front of

From what I did manage to see -the Met is great. It is however the size of Sweden and it's quite daunting to explore. I only managed a few exhibits before needing to leave. Filip stayed on as he's a trooper. I was cold so I headed outside to explore Central Park. Central Park is enormous. You just don't realize how big it is until you walk through it. It's like entering another world. You don't feel like you're in the city anymore. No more traffic, no more noise. It's a world of a difference. It also smells like horse crap in some places.

The Reservoir at Central Park

A path for joggers/walkers/bikers/horses in Central Park. Doesn't look like the city anymore does it?

My sister and I then explored the Upper West Side. Manhattan is way bigger than you expect and I love how different each area is. Walking a couple of blocks is like entering a new city. There was a freak thunderstorm...that was actually more like a damn hurricane, but that only lasted 10-15min. My sister and I ran to hide under a building's awning to try and escape. It didn't really help as the wind was blowing water at us from all directions. After the storm ended I did a little shopping, but I was good! I only spent money on things I don't have at home or I know are more expensive at home. And yes Jens, that includes Victoria's Secret. I can't believe you guys only discovered their "fashion" shows recently. You have been missing out.

Crazy rain. I don't think you can tell how bad it actually was from this pic.

My sister and I met Filip back at the hotel and discovered he had spent the rest of the afternoon in the museum (as well as spending quite a bit at the gift shop on books *cough*nerd*cough*). Wow Filip, colour me impressed! I wish I was that keen and that I could withstand that freezing AC. We then met Sam for dinner and had some great Indian food. After we had drinks on a little patio in a student type area (near NYU). Very different scene than the night before. We were all beat and it was a early night so we subwayed it back. Sam got blackberryed and had to go back to work. Oh i-bankers. That's a life I could never lead.

After dinner margaritas. Sam, me, my sister Chris, and Filip

Saturday.

I would just like to say you guys complain about the heat. I don't even think you guys know what heat and humidity is...poor Filip. I was dying, so I'm pretty sure he was already dead. Now you realize why we wear flip flops and shorts. So you can make fun of me but I'll never give up the flip flops. Comfort and practicality. You can't beat that! Anyway, Saturday had a record breaking high temperature. It was HOT. Much of NYC involves walking around. Outside. So that day was no different. We went to see the Brooklyn Bridge and walked around China Town and Little Italy. We got a recommendation for a good Italian restaurant (that apparently even celebrities go to) from a cute little old man in the street. We didn't spot any famous people. BUT we had great food and it was really cheap! We walked around other burroughs like Soho before getting too hot and going to relax in the shade at Central Park.

The Brooklyn Bridge

Filip and I and the bridge

We went back to the hotel to meet Marco and were off to see a Broadway show. We ended up getting day-of discount tickets (50% off!) for Spelling Bee. Yeah, I never heard of it either. Sam recommended it and it was a real winner. Seriously, the funniest thing I have ever seen. It was HILARIOUS. They even pull audience members up on stage and the theatre is so small that we had a great view.

Filip and Marco at a random cafe waiting for Sam's show to finish

Sam and her friend from work were seeing another musical so we met them at a bar after the show. This bar is right next to the theatre Rent (you've all heard of Rent right?) is playing at so we got to meet Matt Caplan (don't worry I didn't know who he was either). Matt is one of the main actors in Rent. Sam first met him a couple weeks ago after she saw the show so she introduced us and we stayed at that bar until they had finished their drinks. He was nice enough I suppose, but apparently he is a bit of a jerk. And had even said, he "hates his fans". He did rave about Canada and how much he loves it. So that wins points in my books. He even liked Winnipeg, Jonathan! After finishing drinks we tried to find a restaurant that was still open (it was probably about midnight by now). I was beginning to run low on cash and so Kate, Sam's work friend, recommended this fun restaurant called, "The Diner". It looked like a diner and served diner type of food but has a lounge type vibe with dimmed lights and loud music. Very different. After we went to the bar across the street for drinks before I finally managed to pull the boys away and get back to the hotel around 3:30am. Just a side note, but drinks in NYC are quite pricey HOWEVER they are very strong. I suppose that balances out for the price you pay. It's like 90% booze, 10% mixer.

The Diner. me, Sam, Kate, sunburnt Filip, and Marco

Vesna, I think I win and I still have one more day to write about.