New York, New York

New York, New York

Day 1: Monday 28 December 2009

Sometime before the Holiday break from school, I had submitted a request for leave to go to New York. With the demands of school, however, we had not taken the time to find a place to stay. So with Christmas behind us, we sat down and started shopping. Priceline was the deciding factor on whether we would really go or not because once we put a bid in on a hotel, and it is matched, you are obligated to pay for the hotel. So I put a very "low" bid on hotels near Times Square, minimum 3 stars, and guess what - a 4 Star Hotel picked us up for the "low price" of $150 a night. A dear friend of ours that was also at the Johnson's for Thanksgiving told us to remember two important truths about New York: 1. Everything in New York is a bargain (meaning that is how you have to look at it or you will feel sick by how expensive everything is) and 2. Hot Dog Stands are placed in such a way that as you finish one, there is another stand ready to serve you another. So keeping that in mind, we packed our bags and headed for the Big Apple via a bus with no real plans other than to simply be in New York. So here are a few of our memories of our trip.

After looking over a few blogs/websites of things one "must-do" in New York, we decided to make our first stop the Rockefeller Center for a little fun on the ice. It costs about $30 per person for 30 minutes, but everything in NY is a deal, right? Soon after arriving, however, we noticed the waiting line was over 3 hours long! That did not sound like fun so we jumped out of line and inched our way around the rink. Just as we were about to take this picture we noticed a couple down on the center of the ice. He got down on one knee and pulled out a ring to propose to his girlfriend. Lucky for him she said yes. Jari just rolled her eyes and said, "If you had proposed to me like that I would have said no." Now that we have been married for 1.5 years, I don't doubt that. I'm glad I did not ask on the ice :)

Our next stop did not come as a suggestion from any brochure or blog, it was from one of Jari's co-workers: ToysRus in Time Square. I'm not really sure why it was recommended but we sure had fun walking around looking at all the toys. Keep in mind that this was only a few DAYS after Christmas, yet there were tons of parents there buying toys for their kids - in all likelihood right after they gave them a ton of toys for Christmas. Crazy. Still, it gave us a chance to warm up so we hung around for a bit and settled down with an "I Spy Book."

While at Times Square we snapped a few photos just to prove we were there. Jari and I are not big fans of being in crowds so being in New York before the crowds showed up was our goal. Times Square really is a sight to behold. Lots of lights, distractions, and advertisements everywhere you look. It was fun, but not the real reason we went to Times Square...

THIS is why we went to Times Square: The Charmin Public Bathrooms. After wandering around the city, one unavoidably needs to use the bathroom. You can either pay to use a portable toilet on the street, or you can go in style in the Charmin bathrooms for FREE! What is so great about this place? It's the fact that they have people who clean each bathroom right after they use it, so it's like using the bathroom at home right after it is cleaned. Awesome!

Not bad for a Public Bathroom eh? And yes, that is an iPod playing the latest tunes. After you are done you walk down a little ramp to where they have touch screen computers where you can rate the "Go." There is also a little stage with music and flashing lights where you can stand up and do the potty dance. That was a little ridiculous but fun still.

So for your next visit to New York, forget that little saying, "When in Rome..." just remember that when you need to go, there is a place where you can go in style. Just don't wait too long because there is a line and you don't want to have to do the potty dance for real - that is kind of embarrassing.

Later that evening we got lost looking around the Rockefeller Center for a Chipotle. We first discovered Chipotle in San Diego on our Honeymoon and fell in love with the huge-scrumptious burritos they sell. However, after looking around and not finding it we ended up eating some Chinese food and then sitting in a random hallway on the floor to eat due to the lack of seating in the Rockefeller food court. We then followed sign after sign that all promised to lead us out to 6th street and just when I was ready to give up, we found this cool shopping cart next to the exit. Why it is there I don't know. Perhaps for people like me who are simply looking for something else to take a picture of.

En route to our final destination for the evening (next picture), we passed this sector of Times Square. It's funny how everyone was so taken by their surroundings (the lights and tall buildings) that they did not notice this little wall. It is right in front of the Police station at Times Square. As soon as I posed for a picture with the Air Force everyone else noticed it and got this look on their faces of, "Oh that is neat...I should have noticed that...."

And here we are - one of the highlights of the trip. We were fortunate enough to get "a good deal" on tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway our first night there. They of course don't allow any photography during the performance so we snapped this picture before the show began. The stage is set for the action and the chandelier that is raised is under the curtain, center stage. The show was great. The only downside was that the girl who played Meg (Christine Daae's friend) did not have the strongest set of lungs. I was surprised that for such a famous production they chose someone who was not as strong as they needed. Oh well. Other than that it was great. The whole crew did a great job and we really enjoyed the evening. And as for Jari, I don't think she stopped smiling the rest of the night - she was very excited to see Phantom on Broadway!