Two Jews in a Rowboat, or Only in New York

Another week in the books, and I thought I'd dedicate this post to the things I saw this week that struck me as uniquely New York.

Maybe you can't really tell, but in this rowboat in a lake in Central Park are two Hasidic Jews... black suits, yarmulkes, hair curls, and all. Where else are you gonna see this? Not exactly sure why it's funny, but it is. How many Jews does it take....?

Today on the 4 train, between 86th st. and 59th st., I was treated to a show involving a boombox, a kid, and a break dancing midget. If only I had thought to take a video. I gave the little person a dollar... I mean, the guy did the worm (!) on the floor of a subway train. He earned it.

Earlier in the week I had lunch in Madison Square Park with my cousins. The picture at left is of the line New Yorkers are willing to wait in for a burger from a place called the Shake Shack. The burger was good, but yikes! No thank you to the line... It had to be at least 30 people deep.

Speaking of restaurants, Seinfeld fans should recognize this place on the Upper West Side. It's Tom's Restaurant, known as Monk's on the show. The inside looks nothing like it did on TV, but I had to eat there anyway. Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine were not there, though. And I did not have a big salad. It was still cool.

Finally, who's buried in Grant's Tomb? It's a trick question... gotcha. My dad has been telling the story for years about being asked that question in school... he answered the teacher with an exasperated tone, "I don't know!" How was he supposed to know that? (It's Grant, Ulysses S., by the way) His tomb is in Riverside Park.

A week in an Apple

Firstly, let me apologize for the delay since my last post. I've been too tired, lazy, or both.. I have no real excuse. It seems like I've been here longer than I have, but it's really only been about 10 days. This picture is the outside of the building I'm living in.

Following is my first week:

Mon: I forget. Oh wait.. I took the train to 181st St. This is pretty far uptown Manhattan.. now I know what kind of apartment you can get in the city for $1,100. I did not take any pictures.. 'nuff said. I had two hot dogs and a papaya drink for $3.25 and got back on the train. I stopped at Grand Central Station on the way back.. still love that place.

Tues: Got up early and took the 10:13am from Penn Station to West Orange, New Jersey. I was excited for two reasons. First, I was going to see Margaret and Mia, whom I'd been missing. Second, I was taking a real train for the first time. They said, "All aboard!" and a conductor wearing a hat came around and punched a hole in my ticket.. I was in the old west.


I had a great time in Jersey. We had mediocre food (the pizza place ran out of pepperoni.. are you f'ing kidding?!) but the company was great and their neighborhood is pretty.



Wed: Determined to see water of some kind, I set out for the Staten Island Ferry. This is a nice, free 20 minute boat ride through New York harbor with views of lower Manhattan, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty.

Near as I can tell, there ain't a whole lot to do once you get to Staten Island, but the boat ride is nice and the smell of salt water and the feel of the wind on my face was refreshing. When I got back to the mainland I walked around Battery Park and the Financial District of Manhattan.

There is a lot of history down there... there is also a lot of dudes wearing ties. On the way back I passed through the World Trade Center site. This was the first time I've seen it.. It is pretty amazing. Somehow it felt like taking pictures, as if it were some kind of tourist attraction, would be weird.. so I didn't.

Thurs: By this point I'm already starting to tire... I'm sure I've walked more and gotten more sun in the last few days than I did all of last year. But..I had a longing to visit Coney Island. So, I set out on the subway to the land of Nathan's Hot Dogs and the Cyclone.

I must say, the hot dog was really, really good.. worth the line. I did not ride the Cyclone roller coaster.. that thing's almost 100 years old.. screw that. Go ahead, call me chicken. The beach and the boardwalk were pretty nice. I'd go back.. I'd even ride the Cyclone.. No Wonder Wheel though.. I refuse.


Fri: I could be mistaken, but I think I went to the Lower East Side and walked around. I mean, I know I did this, but not certain it was Friday. In any case, I ended up at Katz's Deli, this is the place where Harry met Sally and Sally faked an orgasm. The breakfast special of three pancakes, coffee, and OJ for $6.95 wasn't bad. The pastrami sandwich that I felt obligated to order was just OK. It did not give me an orgasm, which, for $16.99, I was sorta expecting.

So, that was my first Mon-Fri, in short. I've been waking up early, tiring myself out, and going to bed early. If you want, you can see more pictures in my albums listed to the right.

Welcome to New York

After getting all the packing done, I was exhausted and actually able to sleep a little, despite being pretty nervous. I flew out without trouble at 8:30am. Just for good measure, I won $22 in slot machines at the airport before I left. I bought gum, a water, and a magazine and had about $2.58 profit left over.

Five hours later, I arrived at JFK, where they were nice enough to welcome me, seen here. They also didn't lose my bags, and got me in a cab pretty quickly. I appreciated that.

So, I am in New York. I write this post sitting directly in front of a fan in my room in Queens. It is HOT here. And it's a wet heat, too. But, it's good to be here.


Last night and today I stuck with Ellie and her boyfriend, Jeff (seen here). We had a pricey (and not too outstanding) sushi meal in Tribeca and then went to Ellie's surprise birthday party on Saturday night. The party was at a bowling alley in Manhattan.. who knew? Today, we saw Indiana Jones in a theater in Times Square. Movie was equally mediocre seen in Vegas or New York. The trip back to Queens took a while, as there was a fire on the N train tracks somewhere and we had to take an alternate subway route.

Tomorrow I strike out on my own and start exploring. We'll see...

Leaving Las Vegas

As is my pattern in life, I procrastinated a little too long with my packing. But, I have always found that I do my best work at the last minute, when I have absolutely no other choice, I guess... So, it came down to my last full day in Vegas and I still had quite a bit to box up, haul out, and pack in my to go bags.

In short, I couldn't have made it without my mom's help (only a small part of which seen here). Also seen here is my Condo as I left it.. it was a little sad, but she treated
me well and I hope her future owners like her as much as I did. But, you know, a house is only a home if it is filled with love... the love is left in me, and with the people I love.

Speaking of which... Here is a picture of a happy family on the way to the Wynn Buffet.

Render unto Caesar

Caesars Palace that is. For that was the site of my greatest poker conquest. I bested about 150 other players in a tournament to take home $4,200 cash money. This on the eve of my departure for New York... It could not have come at a better time.

I had a strange feeling almost as soon as the tournament started that I was going to do very well. I lost the first couple hands I played, but I remember thinking to myself, "It's OK, no big deal... You are gonna go far in this thing." And I did.. I made it down to the final three, me and two dudes from the Netherlands. I knocked out the one that looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it was down to me and the other Nertherlandian. We agreed to split the money and stop playing... it was 4am, the tournament had started at 7pm.

Quickest long night of my life. It just felt destined, like someone was on my side. To the right is my final chip stack.. about 350,000 in chips.

To celebrate, I took my parents to lunch at the Wynn hotel buffet. If you are in Vegas, I highly recommend it.. and go at 3:20, pay the lunch price, and get dinner food starting at 3:30! Delicious.