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.

On Blackberry and Boxes

My last few days have been consumed by packing and playing with my new Blackberry Pearl phone. The picture below is me and my friend Danie comparing our new toys at work.. hers is pink, mine is silver, otherwise they are the same, and equally addicting. We are working out the kinks, but are both pretty pleased with them. It's like a phone, but with a lot of other stuff too. By the way, we were actually talking to each other, not texting. Also, this picture is a fair representation of what I have been doing at work during my last week. You might call it hardly working. I am training my replacement, but it just ain't that taxing. I am pretty much just waiting around for the end of the week when my boss will probably give me a pie party, where people at work can say goodbye. Mmmm, pie. Hard to believe it's been almost four years.

The rest of my days have been spent packing.. I have boxes everywhere. Yet, somehow it seems I haven't made much progress. I do not like packing. That's all I have to say about that.

Last Two Weeks in Vegas

This is the Westward Ho, home of 5 cent coffee, 50 cent donuts, and $1 foot long hot dogs. It was one of my favorite spots on the Vegas strip until it got the wrecking ball treatment a couple years ago. We called it the "Ho".

I once bet my best friend Mitch $10 that he couldn't eat the hot dog (which was not only foot long, but an inch round and likely made of at least 85% rat by-product) and not throw up. He won the $10, but I think I got the best of it.. I really just wanted to make him eat the thing for my own amusement.

It has been almost exactly four years since I moved to Las Vegas. I have a had a lot of good times here with a lot of good friends, but in two weeks I am moving to New York City.. Eastward Ho!

I don't have a job in New York, but that didn't stop me when I moved to Vegas. I do have a cheap place to stay for two months.. Thanks to my cousin Ellie! And my cousin Sara also lives in the city.. that's two out of three first cousins.. not too shabby. And I do have at least two of my best friends already in the tri-state area, too.. Margaret and her daughter, Mia. I think it will be fun.

This blog will be a space for me to share my thoughts and experiences along the way. If you are reading it, you care about me at least a little.. Thank you. I'll try not to bore you.

This is the bagel shop nearest my future home...about two minutes walk. But the real question is, how far is Atlantic City from Queens? I'm still gonna have to get my poker fix now and then.