Taking A Bite Of The Big Apple

Under the bright lights of the big city!

This year’s annual “We’re Over The Hill So Let’s Get Outta Dodge” reunion tour took us to New York City! Much like Seattle last year, there was plenty of food eaten (Little Italy will never be the same), lots of drinks…uh…drunken (Chaya can attest to THIS one) and many sites seen. Unlike last year, we couldn’t just up & walk wherever we wanted to go so we spent lots of time hailing cabs, riding in cabs and attempting to underpay cabbies (c’mon Tom…$1? Really?). Needless to say, we had a great time and I’m pretty sure Tom got a pretty good overview of what New York is all about (the man had NEVER been to NYC??? For shame!). Some of the stops this year included Yankees Stadium, MoMA, Broadway, Times Square, the 9/11 Memorial and Central Park. All of that in a little under 4 days? Absolutely!

Tom pondering the unique vision of the 9/11 Memorial

The famous Carnegie Deli! With sandwiches the size of …well…JT’s head!

Oh…and the cheesecake is kinda big also!

Tom was impressed with the size of Central Park

Chaya LOVED the cab rides!

The Statue of Liber…wait…DAMMIT JT’S HEAD!!!

“Alright! Knock it off!!!”

Okay! Okay! So his head couldn’t block EVERYTHING… 

“A Starry Night” at MoMA

“What? You don’t SEE the soccer player in that?”

JT was a “little” bit tired after viewing all of the beautiful 70′s art deco flower vases at MoMA

One is a Reds fan, the other’s a Yankees fan. Guess who won?

Yankees Stadium

New York has REALLY big buildings!

THE place for great food in Little Italy! Seriously…we ate there TWICE!

Men…and Woman…In Black

Chillaxin’ in Times Square

A New York Bloody Mary

The NY bartenders were NOT as amused with us as Sinead was in Seattle…

“Uh…guys? Can I borrow a $1?”

Spiderman: Turns On The Broadway Lights!

Before I get into this review, I have to admit a few things. Firstly, I am NOT a theater critic. Oh sure, I’ve seen my fill of musicals and performances ranging from “Cats” to “Wicked” to even seeing “Billy Elliott” when I was in London a few years ago (and it put me to sleep) but I would never consider myself a qualified critic.

Secondly, I am a huge fan of U2 AND comic books…so this show is a win-win for me. So, knowing now what you know, you can take this review with a grain of salt. So here it is…

For MY money, “Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark” is as entertaining a show on Broadway as any of the others for all of the reasons I stated above. It’s a show about a superhero…with a soundtrack by an awesome alternative rock band (that just came off one of the greatest money-making tours EVER) …and it’s a LOT like watching a science fiction, special effects laden movie (a la “Dick Tracy” mixed with “Spiderman”… oddly enough). There are MANY critics who have railed against this show, calling it non-Broadway like. Saying it’s incoherent and loud and obnoxious. They say it’s not up to par but I disagree. This is very MUCH what Broadway is now about. There are all kinds of shows near Times Square that serve a purpose. Some are serious drama, some are comedies (I saw “Spamalot” there a couple years ago and it was hysterical!), there are musicals and hipster art and on and on. So why not a musical about a superhero that is set in New York? It seems appropriate enough and, for me, it works! It’s funny and dramatic and I liked the soundtrack (didn’t love it though). I thought the art direction was awesome and the actors and actresses were great. All in all, I had a great time! And really, sometimes thats all I need when spending $100 to see a show in NYC. I just wanted to have a good time and Spiderman is definitely that!

If you have kids or just want to go and have a good time, consider “Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark.” And don’t listen to the critics. Just go watch, relax and be ready to duck! ‘Cause Spidey and the Green Goblin do some flybys! And THAT is pretty cool!

I didn’t take it but I WAS this close!

My seats were stage left, FRONT ROW?!?! Talk about being close!

The Carnegie Deli & The Melo

In the city that never sleeps, there is a deli that stacks its meat so high that it takes 3 grown men to eat one sandwich. Established in 1937, the Carnegie Deli has entertained many famous celebrities, from actors to musicians, politicians to gangsters. And when you visit, you can peruse the list by looking at the many photos that fill the wall space. You think you know Hollywood? Check out the people who have managed to eat the famous “Broadway Danny Rose.” It’s a “who’s who” of comediennes and B-listers who have flocked through the deli doors.

But I’m not here to write about the famous…I’m here to talk about food. And on this trip to New York, my friends and I tackled the mighty “Melo.” Carmelo Anthony is the latest Knick to get his own sandwich and, much like the athletes’ size 14 shoe, this sucker is HUGE! Stacked with pastrami, salami, bacon and corn beef, it’s truly a heart attack on a platter.

Item shown is NOT actual size…it’s MUCH bigger!

Wayne HAD to  take a picture!

But it was just soooo good! And we all 3 walked away stuffed! Well…AFTER we had the cheesecake. THEN we were finished. And then I had to go for a walk around Times Square…to just allow my stomach to settle down a bit…

Ya GOTTA get the cheesecake! It’s FAMOUS!

Anthony only had the Pastrami. Lame…

Hipstamatic New York

So I was in the Big Apple this past week for work but I was able to get out and enjoy the city a little bit. While I was there, a buddy of mine recommended an app for my IPhone called “Hipstamatic”. It’s a photo app that basically makes taking pictures a lot of fun! It has several settings and lots of features, the best being the ability to change “film” and “lenses” to give you different variety for your photo-taking experience. I totally LOVE it and I imagine you will be seeing more photos like this here from time to time. But for now…here is New York through my IPhone as taken by “Hipstamatic”!

New York…Liberty Island

There are so many things to do in New York, I figured I would fly in a little early and go see some sights. So here I am…what to do? I started walking and came up on the Ed Sullivan Theater. How about going to see the David Letterman show? Not a bad idea. So I stood in line for 15 minutes, got a number (unlucky number 46) and then waited around to see if they would pick my number. Needless to say, I didn’t get to see the show. But that’s okay. It wasn’t something I HAD to do. So I started wandering Times Square…again.

I waited & waited & waited…

So now what? I know…how about a trip to see the most iconic monument in our country? Sure…why not? So that’s what I did. I hopped a ferry and scooted on over to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty. Lots of history there and you really need to see it for yourself, but here are a few shots that I took with my new Nikon point n’ shoot. Enjoy!

This way to the boat

On the water

Silly Bird

Sold out for months!

A nice view of the city

Me & the big green lady

Headin’ back to the mainland

Is there anything MORE beautiful?

My Claim To Fame

Walking around in Times Square the other day reminded me of the last time I did it. It was probably 4 years ago. I remember because it was on that day that I witnessed my claim to fame.

I was in New York working the Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. I had a late crewcall (the time I had to be at work), so I went walking down to Times Square. Get some exercise, get some pizza, enjoy the weather. You know the drill.

Well, in Times Square, there is the huge jumbotron that sits up on the building which is directly in the center of the square. Here’s a detailed image taken this week of it’s location…

So anyways, I remember walking and looking up and seeing an NBC promo for a show that the network was going to air soon called “Television Bloopers”, or something like that, which was essentially a show about goofy television news moments that had been caught on tape. Having worked in television for a long time, I love to watch these shows!

Pause story for a brief history…I used to direct a morning show called “The Daily Buzz” back in 2002. I only directed it for a year or so, but it was a “network” show for quite a few WB and local Fox affiliates around the country. We always had crazy things happening on that show. It was the way we wanted it to be! So we had plenty of outtakes!

So I think our Executive Producer at the time must have sent in clips to NBC or something because as I’m watching the big jumbotron, up pops something on the show that I directed!!! It was a brief clip, but I totally remembered it happening!

Uh…so that’s my fleeting moment of fame…something that I was a part of was shown on the big jumbotron board in Times Square.

Exciting stuff, huh? Now get back to work!

(And if you don’t believe I used to direct the show, go check this out! It’s my SECOND claim to fame. Dunno why it hasn’t been taken down yet…but I can say I am on IMDB!!!)

P.S. Here are a couple of the clips that aired on that blooper show that I directed. Go here…and here. A shout out to my buddy Brad for postin’ em!

New York…Times Square

Ah…New York. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. And I made it here…on a Delta/Southwest 747. I’m here for work, but I have to get out and enjoy the city! Now…you might not know this, but New York is a pretty big city. A few million people, lots of tourists. Pretty average. But it’s so freakin’ big, I can’t just comment on it like any other city. I figured I’d break it up and comment on a couple of different places.

First…the tourist destination of choice…Times Square. Here is my take on this location…it’s busy. Really busy. Lots and lots of busy. Walking here is like swimming upstream. But there is an energy here unlike any other place that I’ve ever been (except maybe New Orleans). Walking around, you can’t help but people watch. So many faces, so many different ethnicities, so many fish…swimming upstream. Anyway, it’s all very big and flashy. Giant video screens, flashing lights, cars and cabs. Half the time you catch yourself looking around and then you have to avoid an oncoming cabbie who is about to run you over.

Times Square has lots of places to eat (mostly your typical chains…the original, really great New York spots avoid this place like the plague). There are a lot of places to buy things. And, it’s really close to Broadway. So you can wander around then go check out a show. Which is exactly what I did!

Seeing a show on Broadway is unlike seeing a show anywhere. The acting and performances are top notch. There are usually big name stars involved. It’s the mecca of performance art in America. So what should I see? “Rent”? “The Phantom Of The Opera”? “Xanadu”? Nah…I wanted to have some fun. So me and my friend went to see “Spamalot”!!!

In 2005, Spamalot won a Tony award for Best New Musical. It is based (loosely) on the Monty Python movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. It’s a bloody, violent and sexually charged production filled with tension, amazing dance numbers and guys in tights. Okay…so it’s not really bloody. Or violent (which is the same thing as bloody…right?). Uh…and there is some sex…kinda. Anyway…it’s all silly and most scenes are straight out of the movie. The music is awesome! The production is a lot of fun and I got to see Clay Aiken (of American Idol fame) play the role of Sir Robin. He does a really great job! He is definately a good choice for that role! And everyone involved is top notch. I would definately recommend it to anyone who has a funnybone! The only downside…Nathan the maniac usher. Don’t you DARE try to sneak a picture in under Nathan’s watch…because if you do…he’ll tell you to delete it! I had the idea that Nathan had me in his sights…whenever he wasn’t checking his cell phone for messages. Anyway, I took a picture before the production. Nathan told me to delete it. I didn’t. Sorry Nate…but you can bite me.

Just an FYI…the show wasn’t really all that expensive for a Wednesday night. About $50. Not bad by New York standards! Dinner can go for over $100 or so in Times Square…so I had some fries and a beer at a local pub and called it a night.

If you do go to Times Square, there are lots of things to stop and check out. David Letterman’s theatre is around here, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Plaza, lots of stores and restaurants.

Its a great place to visit…once. Or maybe twice. But now that I’ve been here a few times, I think I’m over it. Too many people, too much noise. I’ll take Central Park anytime…

And that’s where I’ll go next!