tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40474518277810510102024-02-22T09:21:14.222+00:00Is it Friday yet?Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-23977400947788809762012-12-09T22:24:00.001+00:002012-12-09T22:37:20.882+00:00Here I am stuck in the middle with youAyn Rand said of compromise that, <i>"one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil."</i> I think the idiocy on display in Northern Ireland this week, in particular against the Alliance Party, has been proof positive of her theory.<br />
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I’ve been debating whether or not to write a blog post about this whole <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20651163">flags debacle</a> since the decision was taken on Monday night and all hell broke loose. Not that anyone cares much what I think, I’m sure, but sometimes when your head is full of bewilderment and rage, it helps to write it all down and try to make sense of things.<br />
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I’ve spent a lot of time during the last 6 days on Twitter, where the somewhat derisive <a href="https://twitter.com/search/realtime?q=%23flegs">#flegs hashtag</a> has been attracting the more liberal social medialites but a general search for Belfast has revealed the darker side of what has been going on in the underbelly of our society since Monday.<br />
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It has also revealed what seem to be many common misconceptions about what actually happened in Belfast City Hall that night. These misconceptions were unarguably initiated by the DUP and UUP members distributing <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20317461">anti-Alliance propaganda</a> to an already riled up crowd at the back of City Hall before a single vote had even been cast. Whether they’ve been further propagated by plain old sectarianism or by paramilitary organisations taking advantage of the situation to further their ridiculous agenda is hard to tell. But regardless, the violence, destruction of property and death threats that have arisen from it all are just inexcusable.<br />
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The first myth seems to be that the vote was to remove the flag from the City Hall permanently. In actual fact the compromise Alliance put forward (which passed 29 to 21) was that it fly on designated days instead. I could understand Unionist qualms about that idea more if the exact same thing wasn't in place throughout much of the mainland UK council buildings and indeed if it hadn't already been implemented for Parliament Buildings at Stormont. Of course if Edwin Poots and his ilk <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20623461">get their way</a> perhaps that won't be the case for much longer... like kids taking their ball home when they don't get their own way.<br />
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The second myth seems to be that Alliance have become some kind of pseudo Nationalist party now. My understanding of <a href="http://allianceparty.org/document/manifesto">Alliance’s policies</a> is that they have always been anti-sectarian, working towards an actual shared future for this complicated little country, rather than the smiling, nodding-headed, entirely superficial commitment to “cross-community” work that the big parties do (sorry folks, we’re not fooled).<br />
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Of course finding a middle ground means compromise – making difficult decisions that will undoubtedly offend <i>someone</i>, especially when it’s someone who has historically had their way most of the time. I’ve always voted Alliance in Northern Ireland for this purpose. My hope (which might be realistic given some <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/viewpoint/belfast-flag-violence-today-we-all-vote-for-the-alliance-party-16247565.html">recent</a> <a href="http://sluggerotoole.com/2012/12/09/take-alliance-seriously-they-represent-what-most-people-want-the-politics-of-compromise/">articles</a>) is that others start to genuinely consider Alliance as a “real” party, who could actually make some headway in moving this country forward. My worry is that voters will be swayed by the fear-mongering propaganda of the tribal parties and stick with them out of panic that “the other side will get in.”<br />
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One last myth (amongst the many) is that reducing the number of days the flag flies above the City Hall is somehow threatening the right of Unionists to consider themselves British and express that Britishness. Firstly, the decision isn’t going to impact on the usual overt displays of Unionism, like hanging flags from every lamppost and house during marching season.<br />
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Secondly, I’m sorry but if the only way you can identify with your nationality is to look at a piece of material flapping about in the wind, perhaps you’re not as intrinsically associated with that nationality as you think. After all, wasn’t Peter Robinson preaching about <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/peter-robinson-dup-can-entice-more-catholics-16245664.html">“confident unionism”</a> to his fellow DUP members the very day the flag decision was made? I’m no behavioural therapist but running around that same evening distributing leaflets undermining a perceived threat doesn’t seem very self-confident to me.<br />
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Lastly, and to me this is the kicker, only 13 years and 1 day before the flag vote, the Good Friday Agreement came into force in Northern Ireland. Granted the DUP weren’t fans, but people spoke democratically at referenda and it was subsequently agreed regardless. The Good Friday Agreement states that the participants,<br />
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<i>“recognise the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland.”</i><br />
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So if it was democratically agreed that the people of Northern Ireland can consider themselves Irish as well as British, isn’t it understandable that some might be a little peeved that only one of those countries is represented officially, e.g. flags hanging on official buildings? Now yes, you can say, tough luck, Northern Ireland is officially part of the United Kingdom, therefore our flag is the Union flag and that’s all there is to it, and it should be flown on public buildings. That’s correct. And indeed, that’s exactly what the Council essentially agreed to... even the Sinn Fein and SDLP members who voted for the proposed amendment. The only compromise was to reduce the number of days the Union flag flies, in line with equality advice and the precedent already set by the policies for other official government buildings. When you still get to maintain that “your” flag is the “real” flag, and also get “the other side” to officially agree with you on record, is a little compromise such a bitter pill to swallow?<br />
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Regardless, in the same way that the crazy, rioting loyalists who I've seen write on Twitter and Facebook have a “tough luck” attitude to those who don’t want the Union flag flying here at all, I’m afraid it’s “tough luck” to them too: a democratic decision was made by a Council that they helped to vote in. You might not like all the decisions they make but that, my friends, is how democracy works.<br />
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For my part I think Alliance’s compromise was fair. I appreciate the individual’s right to peacefully protest if they disagree with a decision made by their representatives, but to me shouting about a lack of respect for your flag whilst simultaneously <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20652968">burning someone else’s</a> is not a truly peaceful protest. I personally resent the fact that these trifling issues are still a problem to be solved in this country, not to mention of course that many out there somehow think that thuggery will help them get their way.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20640116">Naomi Long has said</a> that Alliance will remain strong and continue to make decisions based on the party’s principles, not being intimidated by threats or violence. I for one hope that they do, otherwise the future of this country is not one I want to be a part of. We need to move on, and what better way to do so than good old fashioned democracy? Now if only we can get the rest of the country to respect that.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-60469443607474925862012-10-05T12:32:00.004+01:002012-10-05T12:46:54.998+01:00Cruising on through a tough yearI have become somewhat of an infrequent blogger this year. It's all down to an unfortunate combination of being busy, being ill and honestly not being arsed. Also Twitter is so much easier. Random thoughts, 140 characters or less, job done.<br />
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I've even taken a week or so off Facebook such has been my apathy towards communicating with the outside world. And the strange thing is that I feel guilty about it; that I'm letting down all the people I befriended solely to send and receive game requests for the likes of The Sims Social, Sim City Social and Bejeweled Blitz. I'd like the games a lot more without the social aspect but apparently that's the whole point of Facebook so there's no avoiding it.<br />
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I refuse to spend actual money on those games though. What a rip off! I looked out of curiosity one time and it was actually the equivalent of a couple of real life US dollars to buy a pixel sofa or some such frivolous item on The Sims Social. Some people must have more money than sense. I'll happily relieve them of it if they like.<br />
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But anyway, I have been feeling very lethargic and indifferent of late. I think perhaps having medical problems on and off for almost a year now has maybe taken its toll - I finally got the dubious honour of a rare diagnosis for the excruciating pain in my hips but alas there is no treatment except rest and patience, neither of which I am particularly good at. I just feel very run down and ready to hibernate. Unfortunately with a full time job to hold down and with the expense of Christmas on the horizon, hibernation just isn't going to happen.<br />
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Happily though, I do get a bit of a break soon. After our amazing east coast USA trip in February, I hadn't imagined the Yorkshireman and I would get another proper holiday this year. We'd been considering a weekend break in Edinburgh, maybe sometime in November to coincide with our anniversary (10 years since we met, 5 years since we got engaged, 3 years since we got married) and because the Yorkshireman has never been there, but I figured that would be it really.<br />
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However the idea of a weekend break in Edinburgh turned into a train trip down Great Britain, stopping at various places en route. That then turned into a cross-channel Eurostar break, taking in Edinburgh, London and either Brussels or Paris. Then the search for ultimate destinations expanded a bit deeper into Europe. And a bit further. And then some more. Eventually we realised there are a whole lot of places out there we'd like to visit and we only had limited time and funds.<br />
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Meanwhile I had simultaneously come across a newspaper ad for a Mediterranean cruise around the same time. I ran it past the Yorkshireman and whilst he wasn't very keen on that specific itinerary, the idea of a cruise was intriguing. We liked the idea of hitting a lot of different cities in a relatively short timeframe, but if we did it ourselves we would have spent all our time and money on trains or planes or buses. A cruise was essentially a floating hotel with food and board provided, but also your form of transportation. They don't have cocktails and hot tubs on National Rail, let me tell you.<br />
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So we did a bit more digging and actually found a complete bargain which fitted with the dates we wanted and had a great itinerary. We're paying less for an 11 night full board cruise around the med than we've paid for a half board hotel room for a week in Spain. Granted we also had to pay airfares to get to Barcelona, where the cruise ship sails from, but it still worked out at an unbeatable price for the experience. The ship we're going on gets something like 92% positive reviews and the ports of call look fantastic. After 9 years of studying Latin at school, I actually get to see Italy for the first time. I can't wait!<br />
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So although it might all be tough going at the minute I am so happy that there's another amazing experience just around the corner to look forward to. Also that I get to spend some quality time with the Yorkshireman. When you're both working full time and then spending your spare time on housework and shopping and family commitments and sports games and social occasions, there's very little time to just "be" these days. It will be really lovely to just relax and discover new things together away from the usual daily grind. Not long to wait now. Plus it'll finally give me something to blog about!Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-89032063147690992562012-09-14T15:32:00.000+01:002012-09-14T15:32:46.508+01:00Today was the last Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1.<br />
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Chris has always been a bit of a "Marmite" presenter, with many loyal fans on one side and those who find him irritating on the other. Those who don't like the show don't appear to have much in common (I would struggle to think of many other similarities between my 23 year old colleague, my mother and the tabloid press) but those of us who love it feel like part of a little community. We remember things that happened years ago. We get the "in jokes". When Chris goes off on one and Aled tries to regain control, others deem it outrageous behaviour whilst we tut fondly, knowing to just enjoy the rant and that everyone will be laughing again in half an hour's time.<br />
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I started listening to the Chris Moyles Show somewhere around 2001. I was doing my A-levels at the time and the Chris Moyles Show (then on in the afternoons) provided me with light relief after a hard day's studying. I remember my granddad calling me down for dinner at about 5.30pm some nights, but I would stay in my room listening until the show broke for Newsbeat at 5.45pm. My food might have been cold but it was worth it.<br />
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Many fans of the show (including celebs like James Corden, Gary Barlow, Davina McCall and Billie Piper who were guests at yesterday's Goodbye Show broadcast from the BBC Radio Theatre) have said that being a regular listener of the show is like having a group of friends come around to chat to you every morning. To me it's all the better because I'm fairly socially anxious, so it's nice to have a group of friends who make me laugh every day without actually having to join in the conversation myself.<br />
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I have some very strong memories of the Chris Moyles Show through the years. Obviously there are all the big moments on the show itself, e.g. being on air during the events of 9/11, moving from afternoons to breakfast, members of the team's children being born (I still love the lullaby version of the jingle they made - it's so sweet!), Carrie leaving, Dave's divorce (well, both of them really) and all the last shows before Christmas (it always felt like the festive period had really begun).<br />
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And then there are the various features from over the years, e.g. the Cheesy Song, Celebrity Tarzan, Rob DJ's Monday Night Pub Quiz, Sting Ring (and at Christmas Bing Ring), the Golden Hour and King of Tickets. Not to mention the parodies - I can't read an Indian takeaway menu without singing Lamb Bhuna and I can't even see a lorry now without singing, <i>"I'm driving my truck with my high heels onnnnn"</i>, which might really get me in trouble one day!<br />
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But it's funny that all these memories are attached to memories of what was going on in my life at the time too. I remember vividly living in Bradford, waking up with a real case of the "mean reds" after yet another late night of the chavs playing loud music, winding up a pit bull and dealing drugs in the car park below our bedroom window. And then Sting Ring came on and out of the blue made me smile. Before I'd even gotten out of bed, the show had turned my mood right around, just by calling some poor, confused soul at an ungodly hour and playing clips of Sting songs down the phone at them. Childish? Certainly. Funny? Hilarious!<br />
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I also remember being very stressed whilst organising our house move a few months back and all those problems being the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning. Then one morning when it seemed everything was going wrong, they played Clair de lune by Debussy (a feature called Classical Class) and I just let myself lie in bed and be soothed by the lovely music for a few minutes. It was the most peaceful I'd felt in days. It didn't last long mind you, but for those few minutes it was just what I needed.<br />
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On a happier note I also remember the show's tours. In March 2007 the show came to the Beach Club at the Odyssey for Red Nose Rallyoke. We managed to get in and saw the team for the first time in real life. We put money in Dom's charity bucket as he went past and he thanked us. I wanted to ask him for a photo but I was too shy. We said hi to Aled too. It was a great night and cemented my already-pretty-hardcore devotion to the show.<br />
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Then in December 2009 the team brought Caroloke to Mandela Hall at Queen's Student's Union. They had announced they would be giving away tickets in a "secret location" that morning in Belfast, and I had determined I would hang around the City Hall (being the centre of the city centre) ready to hotfoot it to wherever they announced.<br />
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As luck would have it I never needed to hotfoot it anywhere - as my bus turned into Donegall Square East I caught sight of the familiar figure of Aled walking up the ramp to the Belfast Wheel right at the City Hall itself. I got off the bus and lurked around the locked gates leading to the Wheel. Another girl appeared at the same time, also with her headphones on, looking up at the Wheel and then back at me. We shared a smile and started a queue by the gates.<br />
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Minutes later the show went live to Aled and he announced he was at the Belfast Wheel (well duh!) and would give out tickets for the show that night to the first however many people turned up. Other Girl and I grinned giddily at each other and then stared down the security guys who had now assembled behind the locked gate. Impatiently we waited as the seconds passed. We could see others approaching from the ends of the street… come on men, open those gates!<br />
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Eventually (with weary looks - clearly not fans of the show), they begrudgingly opened the gates and Other Girl and I ran up the ramp towards Aled. We still had our headphones on so we could hear the show and we could both see and hear Aled as he exclaimed that, oh my goodness, people were there <i>already!</i> A steady stream of Belfast listeners soon followed us up the ramp and we all gave Chris a cheer on air before we got our wristbands and were directed away from the Wheel again. I rushed to phone the Yorkshireman so we could share our glee!<br />
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Then it got even weirder. That evening I was on the bus on the way back to the city centre from work and Scott Mills asked people to text in if they were looking forward to Caroloke that night in Belfast. Dutifully I texted in saying I was really excited and thought that was that… until a few minutes later my phone rang. It was only flipping Scott Mills himself! He asked if I'd be willing to go on the radio to tell everyone how excited I was and despite my phobia of the phone and also being on a bus full of people I said ok. Gulp!<br />
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He said he would come back to me after the song finished and I said ok, experiencing the strangeness of listening to the show but live from the studio over my mobile. I could hear him talking to someone in the background about places in the UK it was supposedly snowing. Then Scott came back on to ask me how far away Larne was from Belfast. Seemingly someone from Larne had texted in to say it was snowing there. My geography is not great but I guessed about 20 miles. It turns out that's pretty close so it was a good guesstimation! Anyway, the song ended and Scott introduced me and asked me if I was excited about going to the show that night. I cannot even remember what I said (yes, obviously, but there were more words) but I don't think I embarrassed myself <i>too</i> much. I do however think I said "love you" back to Scott at the end of the conversation, which I had previously said was silly (damn it) but the pressure of being live on the radio to literally millions of people does funny things to you! <br />
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Apparently back in Yorkshire, the Yorkshireman's sister was listening to Radio 1 in her car on the way home and was deeply perplexed by simultaneously trying to drive up a steep hill in the snow and wondering if that was indeed me she was hearing on the radio. Fun times!<br />
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That night the Yorkshireman, sister dearest and I all went to the Student's Union and stood in the world's longest queue for ages! I actually had 4 wristbands and only needed 3 (no-one else could come at short notice) so I gave away my spare one in the queue while we waited. Eventually our wristbands and IDs were checked and we were allowed in. We rushed to the front (prioritising proximity to the stage over proximity to the bar, which was simultaneously worth it and annoying) and laid claim to our territory.<br />
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The show was brilliant fun. The team all sang (some better than others) and everyone in the crowd went mental dancing and singing along. At one point sister dearest shouted something and one of the team (I can't remember who now) laughed in an approving way at her. Chris also smiled at me at one point. Our nights were made. The Yorkshireman <a href="http://life-in-ni.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/last-year-at-bbc-chris-moyles-colin.html">wrote about it all</a> afterwards - it's kind of fun to read it back now.<br />
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The shows yesterday and today were video broadcast as well as audio. I couldn't view it via the Red Button on Tivo (stupid Tivo) but both days I detoured via the City Hall on my way to work to watch a few minutes of the shows on the big screen. Yesterday I stood in the drizzle as Ant and Dec presented a special version of This Is Your Life for Chris.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3o5HC8yp-yec6kJaMoAVPpNPZzJX9AbWfKlKZYBC4nXssJ7gC0LS2EXqoUsLaIzM7F4XQGGhwYEjYAgZNUKP7ByIiNu-Aooy9lwSXkxVI5Gn6WTVItwvazfg6GXmcZ0w-yLkGHRLHuc/s1600/ChrisMoylesShowBigScreenGoodbyeShow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3o5HC8yp-yec6kJaMoAVPpNPZzJX9AbWfKlKZYBC4nXssJ7gC0LS2EXqoUsLaIzM7F4XQGGhwYEjYAgZNUKP7ByIiNu-Aooy9lwSXkxVI5Gn6WTVItwvazfg6GXmcZ0w-yLkGHRLHuc/s400/ChrisMoylesShowBigScreenGoodbyeShow.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Today I sat on one of the benches in yet more rain, looking affectionately on as the team enjoyed their last day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYx6vh2ubIlv5LpB255lrnfEGLKROGGJKBCeqtExdk5TVrXA7vwmSW1nYX3-P-Q_zj1PweKKl8QTBcWeHBSM0J0ceFXALo_lzQNcNiSPC2gJ4AfVu-Hpi1pD0Ryh1rR2ffSKFKlM8obM8/s1600/ChrisMoylesShowBigScreenLastDay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYx6vh2ubIlv5LpB255lrnfEGLKROGGJKBCeqtExdk5TVrXA7vwmSW1nYX3-P-Q_zj1PweKKl8QTBcWeHBSM0J0ceFXALo_lzQNcNiSPC2gJ4AfVu-Hpi1pD0Ryh1rR2ffSKFKlM8obM8/s400/ChrisMoylesShowBigScreenLastDay.jpg" /></a></div><br />
After a few minutes I got up and turned to walk out of the grounds, when I caught sight of a guy about my age, standing in business attire just off to the side, also watching the screen. We caught each other's eye and shared a look that said it all: this is the end of an era. Then I went to work and broke all the Internet usage rules by watching the last 15 minutes streamed on the Radio 1 website. It was worth it to see the big finale and to be there for the last goodbye.<br />
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<i><font size=-1>The following images were taken from BBC Radio 1's online live show</font></i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50TNZZ_BLFNQP-jWhXnWnfTbPV6v0mHSm7JT7FHMfFZ28nEHk6gFbfvJZH8RkUrAw6pjeY8hd8rLnMDb5fPHUcAf8iDYlMxmIrzhoQgi_KOTTpI6ctpbvh4DDs7_ZOh-cqnKilw4gnjY/s1600/chrismoylesshow.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="221" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50TNZZ_BLFNQP-jWhXnWnfTbPV6v0mHSm7JT7FHMfFZ28nEHk6gFbfvJZH8RkUrAw6pjeY8hd8rLnMDb5fPHUcAf8iDYlMxmIrzhoQgi_KOTTpI6ctpbvh4DDs7_ZOh-cqnKilw4gnjY/s400/chrismoylesshow.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDLv9PwXXQp-wNbySpQ6mxdQt9G7iMAqhB4nQgdVqegMOKVGo3xpHUWb67sTH_g9IHmkiAwi0R616Xf4KlxuL3mK5jZqtNkhCysLQNqCGua4wrigfXPXf0iu0YdTAlam-hDeUYV2H7U0/s1600/chrismoylesshow3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="218" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDLv9PwXXQp-wNbySpQ6mxdQt9G7iMAqhB4nQgdVqegMOKVGo3xpHUWb67sTH_g9IHmkiAwi0R616Xf4KlxuL3mK5jZqtNkhCysLQNqCGua4wrigfXPXf0iu0YdTAlam-hDeUYV2H7U0/s400/chrismoylesshow3.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlL3DNFkgqNwGWY9J9X7PX0d-ufVhlHDarJk34CHGml5h9TREgwYdo8Q6uuQ4K7waXAX5l6zD0AGkIeYvLGJTR9k_wu1Zutq3FEewM7q_6z94-XhBTHs5kI2qjIPsfQWA9m54Df4J-Hd4/s1600/chrismoylesshow4.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="224" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlL3DNFkgqNwGWY9J9X7PX0d-ufVhlHDarJk34CHGml5h9TREgwYdo8Q6uuQ4K7waXAX5l6zD0AGkIeYvLGJTR9k_wu1Zutq3FEewM7q_6z94-XhBTHs5kI2qjIPsfQWA9m54Df4J-Hd4/s400/chrismoylesshow4.bmp" /></a></div><br />
A fittingly musical ending for Chris given that he's now going on to star as Herod in the arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. We're actually going to see it in the Odyssey in October - can't wait!<br />
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Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can't remember a time in my adulthood thus far where the Chris Moyles Show hasn't been part of my life. I used to sorely miss it when they were off on holidays and now there's a vast sea of empty mornings ahead of me and I'm not quite sure how to fill them.<br />
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Like many of those who have remained loyal to the show for years, as I get that little bit older I like less and less of the music that Radio 1 plays, and I've found myself looking forward to the Golden Hour on Friday mornings more than the latest offering from Nicki Minaj or all this odd dubstep stuff that's so "in" right now. So I'm not sure whether to just cut my losses at being one of the hip and trendy crowd and just move on to a station that plays <i>"all the hits from the 80s, 90s and today!"</i>, or whether to give Chris's replacement Nick Grimshaw a try. We'll see.<br />
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One thing is for certain, I am genuinely grateful to have had the privilege of listening for all those years, to share in the highs and lows of the team's lives and to feel like a very small part of something so special. I am also genuinely sad that it has come to end. However I'm told that all good things must, so it just remains to wish the team the best of luck and happiness in their future endeavours and again to say thank you. Goodbye, Chris Moyles Show. I'll miss you.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-16512251854953960632012-08-29T14:04:00.004+01:002012-08-29T14:04:39.509+01:00Weltschmerz<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weltschmerz">Weltschmerz</a>. I came across that term in a book once and thought it was an interesting concept. A sadness and ennui about the current state of the world. I have to say, sometimes I really get it.<br />
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The world can be a harsh place to live. We live in a time where sarcasm, forcefulness and an unwarranted sense of entitlement are rewarded, whilst those who just try to be nice and fair and get on with things are pitied. Liberal values like equality for all and freedom of choice are sneered at by those who have become empowered by their single-mindedness and ego-centricity, no matter how many others their selfish and ignorant values affect.<br />
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Meanwhile everyone is constantly gossiping about one another, judging and sniping. Everyone wants power but no-one wants responsibility. Everyone wants to show that they're in some way superior to everyone else - cleverer, wittier, richer, of a higher moral standing - with complete disregard to how they make others feel.<br />
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It's as though the whole world is a giant mountain of people, with everyone trying their best to clambour to the top, not worrying about who they might stand on or push down along the way. There are of course moments of sunshine - the people who love you might try to drag you to the top with them, rather than trample you - but sometimes it just all feels so hard. Sometimes you just want to stop fighting all the time.<br />
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Sometimes you just want to shut out the rest of the cold, uncaring world, and just be. No stresses, no egg shells to tread on, no-one to judge you or upset you or force their will upon you. I know, that's not real life - we should <i>"keep calm and carry on"</i> no matter how much we want to scream, and be grateful that it's only first world problems we're facing. But then again, thinking about the problems of others you can't help only adds to weltschmerz really. The world is not fair.<br />
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My grandfather has always told me that, <i>"it's nice to be nice"</i>, and it is. Even when others get me down, I know that for the most part I am a good person. I have my faults, certainly, but I help anyone who asks for it, and even those who don't. Even when someone is driving me round the bend, I grit my teeth and move past it rather than kicking them in the groin like I might want to. I try to be helpful and friendly, even when it sometimes puts me out personally, and at the end of the day I can hold my head up high and say that, yes, it <i>is</i> nice to be nice.<br />
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But some days I just wish it were a motto the rest of the world lived by too.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-15653833852989902472012-08-07T12:43:00.000+01:002012-08-07T12:43:48.288+01:00The Games in the Big SmokeSo what is everyone making of the London 2012 Olympics then? <br />
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I have to say, I thought the opening ceremony was fantabulous! I sat myself on the sofa with the Yorkshireman one one side and a bottle of wine on the other, then just relaxed and let the British eccentricity flood over me. <br />
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Just before it all kicked off I logged on to Twitter. Twitter is possibly the most sceptical and potentially damning place on the Interwebz, and of course there was plenty of cyncism beforehand. There was a sense that there was no way we could ever live up to the spectacle of Beijing in 2008 and so whatever we would offer would automatically be pathetic in comparison. However it was <i>amazing</i>! It was so funny to watch how people went from being so sceptical to being completely in awe. <br />
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When the (actual) Queen said, <i>"Good evening, Mr Bond"</i>, I thought Twitter was going to implode. <br />
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In the end the ceremony had done its job - the British were pumped up with patriotism and pride, with a thirst for medals and great speculation about the closing ceremony to come. <br />
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There were only a few asshats who tried to rain on the parade, most famously MP Aidan Burley who thought that a time when millions of people worldwide were online following comments about the biggest, most diverse event in the world at the time would be the best time ever to make comments about it being <i>"multi-cultural crap"</i>. <br />
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You know, because clearly no-one is going to judge you and/or respond negatively about a little throw-away comment like that... right? Wrongo! Have you <i>met</i> Twitter? It was even more hilarious when he decided to try and back-peddle a bit and made it arguably worse. <br />
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But anyways, after the ceremony came the actual games. I think some of us forgot about that in all the excitement of flying cyclists and giant foldy up flower petal flame cauldrons. <br />
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So far one sport that's taken me by surprise has been handball. A couple of weeks ago my knowledge of handball was this: "handball exists and is some kind of gamey sport thing." However the Yorkshireman became <i>obsessed</i> by it early on and I've now seen my fair share of people viciously firing balls into nets and dragging each other to the ground with rage in their eyes. It's great craic! I was trying to explain to my father-in-law what it's similar to and the best I could come up with was something along the lines of, <i>"it's like if you played football but with your hands and then mixed it up with the rules of ice hockey."</i> So yes, not very descriptive, but honestly it <i>is</i>! I highly recommend giving it a wee watch. <br />
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I've also quite taken to the swimming. I'm mesmerised by how much a human can look like a dolphin when they do the butterfly. Also how damn fit those people are! Anyone who ever doubted that old saying that swimming is the best exercise to work out your whole body need only a take a look at those boyos, let me tell you! <br />
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We've also been watching the duets synchronised swimming. Before these Olympic Games, the Yorkshireman <a href="http://life-in-ni.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/just-days-until-olympics.html">had declared</a> that this would be his choice for a random sport he would follow and become an expert at. It's not something we'd ever watched before and it is mesmerising! I'd seen someone tweet this a couple of days ago, and it made me laugh at the time, but let me tell you it is never truer than whilst watching synchronised swimming. <br />
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However it's amazing how quickly you pick up on things and by the end of the two hours of the technical part of the duets competition, the Yorkshireman and I were merrily damning albatrosses and double ballet legs that were too low in the water and twists and spins and weren't sychronised enough. <br />
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The Russians are the favourites to win and we can kind of see how. They have the height in all their moves (did you know they're not allowed to touch the bottom, so when they go launching out of the water that's all done under their own steam? Dude!) and they might as well have been joined at the limbs so synchronised are they. It's amazing stuff! I'm actually really intrigued about the teams version now - surely synchronising eight people has to be even harder than two? <br />
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Other high points of the Olympics for me have been watching Jessica Ennis overtake all of her competitors in the 800m of the women's heptathlon. <br />
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<center><img height="250" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02300/jessica_ennis_2300029b.jpg" width="400" />
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<i><font size=-1>Image taken from <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/athletics/9453129/Jessica-Ennis-winning-heptathlon-gold-at-a-home-Olympic-Games-a-dream-come-true.html">The Telegraph</a></font></i></center>
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She was pretty much guaranteed gold before the race even started but it was such a high point to end on that you couldn't help cheering. Plus she just seems like such a lovely girl. <br />
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I'm not really into tennis (the scoring system alone confuses me and I don't have the patience or interest to learn) but watching everyone else go mental when Andy Murray finally won something was good fun too. And then of course there was Mo Farah taking gold for the 10,000m. The "Mobot" became a popular meme for a while: <br />
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<center><img height="262" src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-GB/blogs/londonspy-uk/mobot6.jpg" width="400" />
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<i><font size=-1>Image taken from <a href="http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/londonspy/mo-farah-celebration-125747257.html">Yahoo! Sport UK & Ireland</a></font></i></center>
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So that's pretty much it for my Olympics round-up so far. Weather permitting I'm hoping to go spend some more time watching more of the Games on the big screen in the grounds of the City Hall some time over the next week, which is really good fun. I was there yesterday afternoon and saw Jason Kenny take gold in the individual sprint cycling; everyone watching made some kind of <i>"yes!"</i> or <i>"wooooo!"</i> or <i>"yayyyy!"</i> noise before we realised we were all in public and then smirked to ourselves, half in embarrassment, half in shared joy. Great craic! If you happen to be in the area and it's not pouring out of the heavens, give it a wee go!Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-60204830344704951342012-07-21T16:21:00.000+01:002012-07-21T16:25:36.385+01:00The law is reason, free from passion<i><font size=-1>Title quote attributed to Aristotle</font></i>
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Last week <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/dogs-tale-irony-at-its-finest.html">I wrote</a> about the hate-filled comments people were leaving on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/belfastcitycouncil">Belfast City Council's Facebook page</a> following the destruction of a dog called Lennox. Annoyingly a few of them are still hanging around, wishing tsunamis on the city of Belfast and copying and pasting evocative words like "shame" and "killers" in big, black, block letters.
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If it's not enough that they're doing this on the post actually about Lennox, they're also doing it on every other post the Council makes, be it about parks winning awards, Rose Week, staff vacancies or, in particular poor taste, about the City Hall being closed due to a <a href="http://www.u.tv/News/Security-alert-at-Belfast-City-Hall/6f85f91e-3c09-4f28-ba34-9cc9231ddc3b">hoax bomb threat</a>, which is just ridiculous really.
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Plus everything is a conspiracy theory. Apparently they're advertising vacancies because they're replacing people who were involved in the Lennox thing (yes, I'm sure that a Duty Manager of a leisure centre and an Economic Development Manager are intricately involved in the control of dangerous dogs). Also, did you know that the Council planted that suspicious device itself to garner sympathy from the public? 'Cause it's not like anyone else had a motive, bearing in mind the animals rights nutters and the Twelfth weekend just before, no siree!
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The sad thing is that I'm completely fascinated with the whole thing. I find myself checking the Council's Facebook page every night to see what nonsense the crazy people have been spewing since the day before.
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Don't get me wrong, I'm all for freedom of speech (as long as it doesn't hurt innocent people) and the individual's right to question or support anything they wish, especially if it's the actions of a public authority. However some of these people <i>are</i> offending people by what they say (I must admit I don't take kindly to being told that my city should be nuked) and also most of them don't even live in the UK, let alone Northern Ireland (the main offenders seem to be from the USA and Italy for some reason), so what right do these strangers from around the world have to demand an unnecessary "full explanation" and "investigation" from an authority that I (who do not want these things) would have to pay for?
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The thing that annoys me about it most is that these people are almost militant in their campaign, but yet they're basing it on propaganda, half-truths and a complete misunderstanding about how our country is governed. I would give them some leeway if the facts of this case were hard to find or obscured in any way, but they're freely available and have even been published in response to the vile comments on Facebook by some of those who have actually done their research before rushing headlong into the debate.
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This is how I see it: it is a sad situation when a beloved pet is removed from its family and put to sleep without actually having attacked anyone. However, when you understand the facts of the case, I don't think what was done was unjust or in any way demands a "full explanation" or an investigation. This is my understanding of the matter, based on my own research.
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In 1991, it became illegal in the mainland UK (<a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65">The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991</a>) and Northern Ireland (<a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1991/2292/made">Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991</a>) to breed, sell or own certain types of dog, one of which was a Pit Bull Terrier type. Note, "type", not "breed" - the legislation made it clear that whether or not a dog was considered one of these "types" was subject to an assessment of its physicial characteristics and a subsequent judgement by a court. This legislation granted the power to seize and destroy any such dogs.
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In 1997 the mainland UK amended their legislation (<a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/53">The Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997</a>), part of which allowed the court to make certain dogs that had been previously declared illegal an "exemption", if it was satisfied that the dog was not a danger to the public. It took us a while but Northern Ireland implemented similar legislation in 2011 (<a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2011/9">Dogs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011</a>), specifying in Article 5 (2) that <i>"the district judge (magistrates’ court) may order the destruction of the dog and shall do so unless satisfied that the dog will not be a danger to the public.”</i>
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In the case of Lennox, the dog's owners had apparently originally disputed that it was a Pit Bull Terrier type but later agreed that it was, so that matter is not up for debate any more. Therefore what happened next was simply the fulfilling of the legislation. The dog was illegal and its destruction was therefore required by law, that is unless a court found that the dog would not pose a threat to the public and granted an exemption.
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In April 2011 the Magistrate's Court had ruled that the dog was to be destroyed as it was an illegal type. The dog's owner therefore submitted an appeal to the County Court, seeking an exemption to spare the dog's life.
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The County Court heard the appeal in September, when it took all previous evidence into consideration and also heard two expert witnesses itself. I won't go into the ins and outs of who said what but the written judgement is <a href="http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/news/lennoxcourtstatement.pdf">available on the Belfast City Council website</a> anyway. It is actually quite an interesting read and it's clear that the court carefully considered all aspects before it made its ruling.
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I would concur with the written judgement that, given the reports of the dog's potentially violent behaviour (in one case even from an expert witness who had acted on behalf of the dog's owner), there was no way to be sure that the dog would not be a danger to the public and therefore it had no option but to order the dog's destruction. As above, the legislation says that, <i>"the district judge (magistrates’ court) may order the destruction of the dog and shall do so unless satisfied that the dog will not be a danger to the public.”</i> In legislation the word "shall" means "must", i.e. there is no wiggle room.
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There was then a bit of legal toing and froing about how the County Court's judge may not have taken into consideration the fact that the Dogs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 allows the Council to set up an "exemption scheme". The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal therefore considered the case in light of this on 12 June 2012. However its verdict was essentially that the dog had been considered too dangerous for an exemption scheme to apply and so it overturned the appeal; the decision to destroy the dog would stand. The Court of Appeal's written judgment is <a href="http://www.courtsni.gov.uk/en-GB/Judicial%20Decisions/PublishedByYear/Documents/2012/[2012]%20NICA%2019/j_j_GIR8515Final.htm">available on the NI Courts website</a> for those who may want to read it in full.
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Seemingly there was then a one month deadline for further appeal, which passed without anything being lodged by the dog's owner. Therefore on Wednesday 11 July, the dog was destroyed in line with the legal decision(s) that had been made. The Council, as the body responsible for enforcing the law and the legal decision arising from it, was just doing what it legally had to do.
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What I actually find outrageous is that Peter Robinson, our First Minister, saw fit to take to Twitter and condemn the death of the dog, when in reality it was his Assembly that passed the legislation in the first place! Perhaps not the 1991 Order, because devolution hadn't happened at that stage, but they certainly passed the 2011 Amendment without, so far as I can see, any kind of uproar about the law as it stood in relation to this kind of matter.
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Granted MLAs have to consider and pass so many laws they probably don't get to sit down and really research them in any great detail, but that's really their preogative. If a point of law resulting from legislation your Assembly has passed makes you unhappy, you should address the matter through the relevant Minister in the fora already set up for such things (Assembly Questions and the like), rather than taking to the public stage to undermine the law, the process and all those involved just to gain a few brownie points with the animal lovers in your constituency.
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On Twitter he said he has asked the DARD Minister to review the law, but, firstly what does that really mean? Preumably it was reviewed plenty over the last few years when the Amendment was being drafted and passed. New legislation tends to be subject to review by legal experts, the relevant Assembly Committee and at least one public consultation before the Assembly can pass it. In fact as First Minister, an MLA and the leader of his party he would probably have received notification of the public consultation at least three times. If he didn't comment then, that's kind of his problem; plenty of other people did and their responses are <a href="http://www.dardni.gov.uk/index/publications/pubs-dard-animal-health.htm">available on the DARD website</a> (search for "response from" to get to them on the list). But to come out now and whine that <i>it's just not faaaaiiiiirrrrr</i> is just downright inappropriate for someone in that position. If the public see that <i>you</i> don't have confidence in the laws your Assembly is passing, First Minister, how are <i>we</i> supposed to trust them? Or <i>you</i> for that matter?
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Anyway, I've heard so many opinions on this whole case that it makes my head spin. I wrote a quick three sentence post on Facebook about how ironic it was that people who were up in arms about the death of a dog would be so quick to wish death and destruction on a whole city, and it attracted quite the debate, let me tell you. And I don't even have that many friends to begin with! There were comments from those who have witnessed what happens when a young child is mauled by a dangerous dog and therefore support the law, but also from those who have said that the council staff, by not refusing to disobey the law to destroy the dog, somehow makes them like the citizens of Germany allowing the holocaust to happen during WWII.
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Frankly, I'm tired of the whole thing now. Personally I prefer to deal only with the facts of the case and with logic and common sense, which is why I did the research I referred to above, about the judicial rulings made and the legislation behind them.
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The animal rights campaigners on the Belfast City Council Facebook page keep harping on about wanting Belfast City Council to answer for what they've done (obey the law so far as I can see) and how they demand a full investigation. Well, investigate it yourselves, people. The information is all out there. But to help you out, here's a clue: if you're taking your facts from a page where someone has photoshopped a picture of the dog to make him look like an angel, or a picture of the Council logo to look like it's running with blood, you may wish to consider that they have a certain bias in the case at hand.
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In the meantime I'll probably keep checking the Council's Facebook page every now and then (to simultaneously amuse and frustrate myself) to see what the crazy people are saying now, until they inevitably crawl back under their rock, just like people do with every other cause for outrage in the world. Such is life. And for those who are "boycotting" Belfast because of this? <i>Please do!</i>
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P.S. I wrote this post yesterday. This morning I read <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/crazy-fanatics-target-dog-shelter-charity-in-false-belief-it-locked-up-lennox-16187349.html">this article</a> from the Belfast Telegraph about how a dog rehoming charity has been the target of this hate mail campaign because some lazy journalist somewhere in the USA misreported that Lennox had been held there for some time whilst the legal battles were ongoing. Even if he had, how would dog lovers taking care of a dog be any reason to target them rather than thank them?! These people sicken me.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-76982061651635248942012-07-12T17:40:00.001+01:002012-07-12T17:40:31.529+01:00A dog's tale: irony at its finestI'm sure you'll be aware of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18794360">big news story of yesterday around Lennox the dog</a>? Unless of course you're reading this in a couple of years time when everyone will have forgotten about the utter furor despite claims that they will "never forget". We shall see.
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The upshot of the story is that pitbull and pitbull type dogs are illegal in the UK, so this pitbull type dog was seized, removing it from its family home. Quite why the family thought it was a good idea to have a breed of dog known to be so dangerous near their vulnerable children in the first place is a different matter altogether. Anyway, after a long legal battle where two courts had ruled in favour of destroying the animal, the deadline for an appeal passed this week and the dog was humanely destroyed. Thanks to the social media age in which we now live, the story went viral and Belfast is now the subject of an international hate campaign, specifically Belfast City Council's Facebook page.
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I'll freely admit, I'm not an animal lover in general. However I can see how attached other people in my life get to their pets and how upset they are when something happens to them. So I get why this ruling is upsetting. I also understand that ordering the destruction of an animal whose family have never seem him be anything other than docile and a loving family pet, purely based on his breed, seems outrageous. However those who have handled and dealt with the dog since it was seized have reported that it <i>has</i> shown signs of dangerous behaviour, which is why the Judge ruled that he could not be sure the dog would not cause harm to anyone else.
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When I was a teenager, a German Shepherd dog which lived next door to my grandmother cleared a 3 foot wall to jump at me. It apparently had cancer and had gone a bit mad, but knowing that still wouldn't have stopped it mauling me if I hadn't managed to get indoors before it reached me. If I had been smaller and younger I might not have made it on time.
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Therefore I am a supporter of dangerous dogs legislation. Have we got it quite right basing our decision on what dogs are legal/illegal based on breed rather than their behaviour, the conditions where they are to be kept, etc? I don't know. But it's not enough to just say that any dog should have freedom to roam the streets and be in proximity to vulnerable members of society until they do something wrong. Because for those animals who really are dangerous, by then it could be far too late.
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Anyway, this blog is not about whether or not "the right thing" was done here this week. It is instead about the idiocy of some of those who have taken to commenting on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/belfastcitycouncil">Belfast City Council Facebook page</a>. I've put a link there but to be honest the page has been removed at least once in the last day, so there's no guarantee it'll still work.
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Campaigners have taken to making comments on the various posts the Council has made but some of them are completely over the top. The general themes are that all of the countries in the world hate Belfast, that everyone should boycott the city and all of it products, and that Belfast City Council are murderers. However there are those who have gone too far, threatening the council members and their families and calling for all of the citizens of Belfast to be killed. As one of the latter I take exception to this suggestion.
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There are currently over 30,000 comments on the top few posts, with reports that previous comments had been deleted. Here are some highlights (names removed):
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"Looking forward for news about BCC members or their families being knifed down!"
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"I pee on you"
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"you moronic desgusting waste of space power ridden hillbillys FACT,shall be starting conversations with over 500thousand brits and americans to get all your internet accessabilty taken away as i dont think the world really needs to know anything you have to say anymore as you prove you dont listen and have no idea when it comesto a living life ROT IN HELL"
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"You are not humans, you are monsters!!! Belfast is the new synonym for injustice"
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"We hope your world ends in the same undignified way. Scumbags"
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"I wish the gentlemen down the anus to the devil"
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"I seriously wish that YOUR children are kidnapped and murdered."
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(To someone who had dared to defend Belfast) "enjoy your aids blondie"
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"I confirm you that I'd like put to sleep you
BOYCOT NORTH IRELAND AND HIS OWNER GREAT BRITAIN AND ALL THEIR PRODUCTS"
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"Rain FOREVER in Belfast ..... PLEASE!!!!"
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"a drop away of a nuclear bomb! so long bcc!"
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"Burn belfast" (well, it was the 11th July last night, so we gave that one a go ourselves)
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"iRELAND: EXPLODE !!!!!!"
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"That's my family holiday cancelled. You know where you can stick your Giant's Causeway." (should we tell them that Causeway is in a different council district?)
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"Belfast is now a black spot on the map of humanity!"
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"B nice if ur offices were to..get burned down wen ya in there : )" (the smiley is a nice touch)
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"Belfast city has been put to sleep by me. Retarded!" (pardon?)
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"MOTHER FUCKERS! Irish people sucks!"
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"You guys are going to die a much more horrific death ...."
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"JUDGES Drunks, OLD IGNORANT arrogants" (all of them?)
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"I will wait for your family to come in Crete island and I will Humanly welcome them........fcktards"
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"Unionist=murderers" (from an Italian guy - where did that one come from?!)
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"YOUR MOTHER WAS ILLEGAL! IMPUDENT SWINE!!! Heed our words, this shall not go without punishment!!!" (is that a... yo mama joke?)
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"Everybody hates you!!!! Belfast is now knows as a horrible city."
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"i hope belfast crumbles"
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Thanks all. Such a shame you won't be visiting - bet you'd all be great craic!
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So it's ok to condemn a whole city and threaten the lives of the whole council (who actually have nothing to do with making the laws or the court orders), but to humanely put down one potentially dangerous dog is tantamount to, and I quote, "concentration camps"? Some might argue there are gaps in your logic.
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Anyway I'm off to peek out the curtains and watch for the plagues of frogs and seas of blood that are apparently on their way here. Wishing you all a safe and pleasant holiday weekend... and best wishes to the poor council workers who will no doubt have the most awful time of it next week.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-49707165048529782782012-07-08T01:17:00.000+01:002012-07-08T20:48:40.615+01:00A week of dining out in the wee cityThis week the Yorkshireman had a few visitors from the US - timely given that it was Independence Day on Wednesday. I didn't know them at all before they arrived but we soon became well acquainted and spent time together as a foursome (not in <i>that</i> way) every day since Monday. They left this afternoon to see if the grass really is greener on the other side (of the border) so it's nice to think back about what we all got up to this week.
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The Yorkshireman and I do enjoy dining out but unfortunately we have a stronger preference for going on holiday and, y'know, paying our rent, so we don't do it that often. Similarly we've discovered that it's cheaper to grab a half price bottle of merlot from Tesco to enjoy on the sofa than hit the bars in town after work, so it was really nice to have our visitors as a valid excuse to spend the time and money frequenting some of our favourite haunts in the city and also trying some new ones.
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On Monday evening we met in <a href="http://www.thenorthernwhig.com/">Northern Whig</a> for dinner.
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<img src="http://belfastrestaurants.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/NorthernWhig.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="Northern Whig">
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://belfastrestaurants.info/">Belfast Restaurants</a></font></i>
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The Yorkshireman and I have had some great meals here in the past, and always reasonably priced. Plus I love the décor in there - I'm a sucker for a chandelier! We got to know each other over their 'two courses for £10' offer, with our visitors opting for starters and mains, whilst the Yorkshireman and I went for mains and dessert. The statesiders thought it was odd that we had a dessert each without sharing, which is apparently the done thing in the US. Dream on - my dessert is <i>alllllll</i> mine!
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Our guests then expressed their desire to go somewhere "more traditional". As we were nearby anyway, we took them off to <a href="http://www.whitestavern.co.uk/">White's Tavern</a>.
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<img src="http://discoverbelfast.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/whites.jpg" width="500" height="210" alt="White's Tavern">
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://discoverbelfast.co.uk/">Discover Belfast</a></font></i>
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For those unfamiliar, White's has been around since 1630 and still looks like it on the inside, with its dark beams and (in winter) roaring fire. Alas at 9pm on a Monday night there were only a few patrons around and they'd decided to close up early. Oh well, back out onto the streets of Belfast we went.
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Still going with the traditional theme, we walked over to <a href="http://www.mchughsbar.com/">McHughs</a> instead.
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<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Mchughs-belfast.JPG" width="374" height="500" alt="McHughs">
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a></font></i>
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McHughs has only(!) been around since 1711, so it's a little younger than White's, but as our statesiders exclaimed, still older than their country. Wow! I guess we take history a bit for granted here. We had a few drinks and continued forging our burgeoning acquaintance for a while. One of our visitors was clearly ready to go all night, but the other was yawning every 3.4 seconds (approximately) so we decided to call it a night. We dropped them back at their hotel and headed home ourselves.
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The next night I already had a previous engagement to meet an old friend for dinner at <a href="http://www.thepointbar.co.uk/">The Point</a> in Ballyhackamore, so the Yorkshireman escorted our statesiders to <a href="http://www.gingeroot.com/">Gingeroot</a>, a regular hangout for our merry band of amigos.
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<img src="http://www.thepointbar.co.uk/resources/images/the-point-external.jpg" width="500" height="210" alt="The Point">
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://www.thepointbar.co.uk/">The Point</a></font></i>
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<img src="http://www.inyourpocket.com/gallery/Gingeroot-belfast-restaurants-indian_4558.jpg"
width="500" height="360" alt="Northern Whig">
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://www.inyourpocket.com/">In Your Pocket</a></font></i>
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I actually really loved my meal in The Point (another set meal offer - they seem to be pretty popular in the restaurants of Belfast at the moment - I've declared we shall return for their Sunday roast meal offer sometime soon). Plus they do a mean Long Island Iced Tea (my cocktail of choice). The Yorkshireman and statesiders apparently had a nice meal at Gingeroot too.
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After my friend and I went our separate ways, I jumped in a taxi and met the guys at <a href="http://www.thespaniardbar.com/">The Spaniard</a>.
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<img src="http://www.hispano-irish.es/fotos/pubs/58_the_spaniard.jpg">
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://www.hispano-irish.es/">Hispano-Irish</a></font></i>
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I love The Spaniard - it's so quirky, the music is good and they sell Brooklyn Lager - what's not to love? However it's only a small space and on Tuesday evening the crowd was literally out the door. With a choice of queuing at the bar for half an hour to get a drink and then standing in the rain with it or moving on to another bar, we (ok, I) opted for the latter.
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We relocated to <a href="http://www.themerchanthotel.com/index.php/dining-at-the-cloth-ear.html">The Cloth Ear</a>, just across the street.
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<img src="http://cdn.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/multimedia/dynamic/00649/Eye_Lt_19_649783t.jpg">
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/">Belfast Telegraph</a></font></i>
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I've been told that The Cloth Ear didn't used to play music (I've only been once before and can't remember whether it did or not) but it certainly had some laid back background music on Tuesday night, which was perfect to allow for conversation and the sampling of something called <a href="http://www.jeremiahweedbrews.com/">Jeremiah Weed Root Brew</a>, which tasted like ginger. Odd but nice for a one-off change from Guinness. Then it was back to our respective beds after another late night on the town.
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Wednesday was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)">Independence Day</a> in America, but ironically I celebrated it more than our statesiders did this year. My mum and sister always like to have a little Fourth of July family gathering to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116629/">watch</a> Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum save humanity. Double yum. Combine it with pizza and homemade apple pie and you've got yourself a fun night!
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Meanwhile the Yorkshireman had taken the day off work to go gallivanting up the coast to the Giant's Causeway in the statesiders' rental car. They had a long but fun day which culminated in them crashing out back at ours with pizza of their own. Their 24" pizza from <a href=http://www.littlewingpizzeria.com/>Little Wing</a> was a little more interesting than the Dominos I'd had though - the box was bigger than our coffee table! It must have been nice - the statesiders had the whole thing between the two of them (the Yorkshireman went for his own cheeseless pizza... I don't know either!). The guys had also decided to sample every possible ale and stout on sale in Tesco, whereas I was stuck with a few bottles of Coors Light I'd gotten because it reminded me of the happy hours we spent drinking it in <a href="http://www.theflyingpuck.com/">The Flying Puck</a> in New York.
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The night ended on a strange note with us introducing the statesiders to <a href="http://lifebegins.channel4.com/">One Born Every Minute</a>. Being two single males they had declared their curiosity about the childbirth process when we stumbled across the show on the TV listings, but after the full hour we established that it had apparently not been graphic enough for them. Nor me actually - show it like it is, never mind all this blurring malarkey!
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There was less gore and bodily fluids involved the next night thankfully. Thursday was such the best night actually! We started with dinner in one of my very favourite restaurants in the city, <a href=”http://madeinbelfastni.com/”>Made In Belfast Cathedral Quarter</a>.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/life-in-ni/5743438038/" title="Made in Belfast Cathedral Quater by Life-in-NI, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3571/5743438038_79787cfdc9.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="Made in Belfast Cathedral Quarter"></a>
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/life-in-ni/">Life-in-NI</a></font></i>
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We'd tried to get reservations for the City Hall one but good luck with that one with short notice on late night shopping night! Besides I like the Cathedral Quarter one just as much. We had great food and good conversation in interesting surroundings, so I had a lovely time. However the evening was only getting started.
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In a conversation we'd had a few days before, one of our statesiders said he liked older music, plus they'd both mentioned the traditional Irish thing a few times, so we'd suggested taking them to a traditional Irish music gig. They were entirely agreeable so we headed off to <a href="http://www.robinsonsbar.co.uk/fibber.html">Fibber Magees</a> for Bleana that night.
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<img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/22/travel/v_fibber_ext395.jpg" alt="Fibber Magees">
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">The New York Times</a></font></i>
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The band (two guys playing the guitar, uilleann pipes, tin whistle and singing) didn't start until 10.30pm but we arrived at around 9.30pm and settled in with a drink, quickly afterwards pouncing on a corner table when one became available. Just as well we arrived so early though - by the time the fellas were starting into The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond, the place was packed.
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We stayed for their whole set (until well after our carriage had turned back into a pumpkin) and it was such great craic. We drank far too much Guinness for a week night (or indeed any night) but the music was good and it was amazing to watch the couple of people in the crowd who could actually Irish dance compared with the few tourists who were just giving it a good go. By the end of the night the two girls who could dance properly looked like they might be heading for an Irish dance-off but alas the tourists kind of crowded them on the dance floor so the ability to jig about was a little restricted. One thing we did notice is that the ones to watch (i.e. the ones who can actually Irish dance) always go barefoot. Rather them than me in a Belfast pub, but there you have it!
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Funnily enough, being a local, going to a traditional Irish folk night never really crosses my mind as something fun to do - another example of taking things for granted I guess - but it was really good fun. Highly recommended for visitors and locals alike.
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Somehow we made it out of bed on time for work on Friday morning, but we had one night left to entertain our visitors. We'd asked them what kind of cuisine they were in the mood for and they specified Thai. The Yorkshireman and I have never really gone to any of the Thai restaurants in Belfast, although I'm not sure why not, bearing in mind we love spicy food. Just one of those things I guess, but we were eager to give it a go. I'd heard good things about <a href="http://www.thaivillagebelfast.co.uk/">Thai Village</a> and it was pretty close to their hotel, so we booked a table there for Friday evening.
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<img src="http://www.thaivillagebelfast.co.uk/communities/2/004/008/924/672/images/4543845873.jpg" alt="Thai Village">
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<i><font size=-1>Photo source: <a href="http://www.thaivillagebelfast.co.uk/">Thai Village</a></font></i>
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I <i>really</i> enjoyed my meal at Thai Village. I'd been a little hesitant looking at the menu because I don't like peanuts, sweet chilli sauce or shellfish, all of which were heavily featured, but I ordered Seekong Moo Yang (thai ribs) as a starter and Keang Pad (essentially duck thai red curry) with steamed rice as a main. They were all delicious - really tasty and just the right level of spiciness. Yum!
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Our statesiders were pretty tired after their long week (as were we!) so we decided to grab one quick drink and then go for a relatively early night. We'd intended to try out the Secret Garden at <a href="http://www.filthymacnastys.co.uk/">Filthy McNasty's</a> across the road from Thai Village but unfortunately they wouldn't allow one of our party in because he was wearing sandals, which was a shame but understandable in these days of health and safety paranoia. We decided just to go to the bar at their hotel for a nightcap instead.
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One shared bottle of wine in the hotel bar actually soon turned to two, as we got into deep conversations about politics, education and psychological profiling of common acquaintances (to name but a few topics covered) and it was really interesting to discover the differences and similarities between our respective countries. Soon though it was time to say goodnight, with an agreement that the statesiders should call at our house for lunch the next day before they began their road trip to the south.
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We figured that we'd covered a lot of different cuisines during their stay, but not really traditional British, so we decided to host an afternoon tea party to send the guys on their way. I dispatched the Yorkshireman to <a href="http://www.marksandspencer.com/">Marks and Spencer</a> this morning for some English themed supplies and set about hunting for my teapot.
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The statesiders arrived to a feast of delicate sandwiches, pork pies, cocktail sausages, sausage rolls, salad and a variety of sweet pastries... not to mention tea and coffee (of course they went for the latter). At the beginning they had "wow"ed at the size of the spread, but half an episode of Top Gear later (they love it apparently) it was all gone. I'm glad they seemed to enjoy it!
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With our guests fuelled and ready to hit the road, we found some exact change for the tolls they would meet on their journey south and they gave us their last Northern Irish £5 note. And with that, we waved them off on their journey, before slumping on the sofa for the rest of the day. It has been a busy and expensive week but we've eaten really well, drunk a whole lot more than could ever be considered reasonable for any human liver, and gotten to know some very interesting people. To combine the vernacular of our two homelands, I’ve had a feckin' blast!Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-45138862899748894472012-06-13T20:21:00.000+01:002012-06-13T20:21:19.515+01:00When love and hate collideI've been in a serious relationship now for around 15 months now. It all began very quickly, just after my birthday last year - a whirlwind romance. He was always full of surprises and we had so much fun together, always trying out new things and discovering life together. The world seemed brighter and crisper - time flew by when we were together. It was wonderful.
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But after a while, I started to notice things weren't quite the same any more. We'd become very co-dependent, spending all of our time together, but he started acting differently. I'd ask him to do the simplest things for me but he always needed time to think about it. If I dared ask him a difficult question, he would completely freeze me out. Sometimes when I was really depending on him for important things, he would completely abandon me in my hour of need. He even took to drunk-dialling my friends and family, not even stopping when I begged him to please hang up and stop embarrassing me!
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Our communication has really broken down lately - sometimes when I'm trying to really get through to him, he just completely switches off and leaves me angry, frustrated and talking to myself, wondering what I've done wrong this time.
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As time goes on, I'm just not sure how much longer I can stick it out. I mean, there are still some good times - he's definitely entertaining, always showing me little things that make me laugh, and at times he even teaches me a thing or two - but the bad times now outweigh the good.
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I've even sought professional advice and they said I had two choices: stick it out and see how it goes, or cut my losses and run. What would make me happiest is obviously to leave him now and go find myself a younger model. However I've invested a lot already in this long-term relationship and it would just hit me too hard to walk away.
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No, I'm afraid there's no backing out now. I'll just have to see how it goes, and try not to kill him in the meantime. Sometimes, when we've had a particularly big fight, I am really tempted. How easy would it be to just... make him disappear? But then I would be all alone and I don't think I can cope with that in this big, bad world.
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Is an unhappy partnership really better than none at all? Sadly I'm now so reliant on him that I think it is. Maybe some day in the future I'll be truly happy - just imagine a relationship where you're perfectly in sync with one another, where you know exactly what the other is thinking and you're both working together towards one common goal. Maybe one day...
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In the meantime I will struggle on in my increasingly frustrating and unhappy relationship, making the best of a bad situation until something better comes along.
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Thank goodness I'm only talking about this eejit:
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7369519080/" title="Eejit mobile phone by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/7369519080_1ef5d853a0.jpg" width="391" height="392" alt="Eejit mobile phone"></a>Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-67346755505668353782012-06-10T19:33:00.002+01:002012-06-10T19:52:17.792+01:00Films, football and festivities, oh my!Man alive, it has been a <i>busy</i> couple of months! I've already written about how we moved house in mid-April. We've settled in really well in our new house and our new area so far, with only a few minor issues to resolve (the most recent of which involved part of the guttering coming down in the torrential rain we had this week - eek!). Happily, although it has been a busy couple of months since the big move, they have been good ones! We've done a lot of fun stuff... and my credit card doesn't half know it! Here is just a flavour of what we've been up to.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7172047501/" title="Summary of a busy May and June by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7244/7172047501_4368511082.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Summary of a busy May and June"></a>
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Firstly, I can't recall if I've ever written about this before, but my merry band of amigos and I quite enjoy holding themed movie/TV nights complete with appropriate costumes, kind of like our own personal film festival - it's great craic. Our dressing up boxes are certainly a lot more diverse because of it anyway! Amongst others we've had Blackadder night (medieval dress), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (posh dress), Japanese night (complete with origami), Star Trek night (speaks for itself I think!) and Disney night (PJs and bring your own childhood toy).
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This year's calendar kicked off with Indiana Jones night on 21 April. The Yorkshireman and I had just moved at this point and spent that morning each making mercy dashes to the various charity shops in Ballyhackamore while the other managed things back home. I got to go first and I somehow stumbled across the amazeballs hat that you see in the photo above. Isn't it awesome? We had football stuff to do that afternoon so it was a bit of a rush to get ready but somehow we were back and all dressed up ready to go watch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/">Raiders of the Lost Ark</a> at our friend's house on time that evening. Another friend, who had visited Egypt last year, had prepared us an Egyptian feast in honour of the movie and it was delicious. And this from the woman who once microwaved baked beans <i>still in the tin</i>!
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Next up was Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you!) so we had decided to watch, well, Star Wars obviously. Our choice was the original, which is now known as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/">Episode IV A New Hope</a>. However it was on a Friday night after work and we knew we'd all be a bit tired to dress up, so we decided the dress code would be dressing gowns (closest thing to Jedi robes) and light sabres. Luckily not-so-little brother still has a whole arsenal of various toy guns, swords, etc from when he was younger, which happened to include some light sabres. Sorted! By the time the movie was over, we were all slumped and sleepy - dressing gowns are clearly too comfortable for effective socialising!
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The next day we decided to forego another Star Wars themed day (even though it was The Revenge of the 5th) and instead attend a little event called the Irish Cup Final at Windsor Park. Our beloved Crusaders FC had fought their way to the final to take on the Marmite team of the Irish Premiership, Linfield. I cannot abide Linfield, with their special treatment from the Irish Football Association, the poor attitude of their players and management and the somehow-overlooked sectarianism of their dumbass fans. I also hate Windsor Park - it is the most soulless football ground I've ever been in, and I am perpetually angry that somehow Linfield get to play a home game in all their cup finals - an unfair advantage if ever there was one. So, I did not go to the final with high hopes. It was just as well really since <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17968832">Linfield won 4-1</a> on the day. Quelle surprise!
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10 May was another public sector <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18010326">Strike Day</a>, both on the mainland UK and here in Northern Ireland. <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/strike-it-lucky.html">I've written before</a> about my personal feelings on the whole pensions debacle and my reasons for striking the first time around. This time I felt the strike was very badly organised - there wasn't nearly enough hype about it in advance to encourage people to strike or even explain what it was all about, plus by the time I left work on the Wednesday evening, no-one in my workplace had even been told where the rallies were going to be held the next day. I also don't think that the unions had given us enough information ahead of the strikes about the negotiations that had supposedly been going on with the government. The first that most of us heard that the government had said it was no longer open to negotiations was in the news stories <i>after</i> the strike. In truth I probably would have still gone on strike had I known this beforehand, if only for the principle, but it would have been nice to have all the facts on which to base my decision. I'll have to think very carefully about any further action proposed by the unions.
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A few days later and it was the Setanta Cup Final between Crusaders and Derry City. Derry are a professional club from the Eircom League of Ireland whose wage bill is probably at least 5 times more than that of the semi-professional Crues. Combine this with our loss in the Irish Cup the week before and hopes for a win were tentative at best. Strangely, even though Derry had been the ones to knock Linfield out of the Setanta Cup, I'd said before either game that I thought we actually had more of a chance against Derry than Linfield, since the Crues (and every other Irish Premiership team) seem to have some kind of mental block when it comes to the blues. It turns out, I was right! Yay!
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It was a nail-biting game at the Oval (not Windsor Park, thankfully) and eventually came down to penalties. The Crues are historically, well, <i>not great</i> at penalties, so there was an audible groan in the stand when the whistle was blown at the end of overtime. But somehow <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18033244">we did it!</a> It was a great game, especially for Crusaders' captain Colin Coates, who scored both Crues goals himself, plus one of the penalties. It was his testimonial year last year and what a way to end it! The Yorkshireman and I ended the night dancing and drinking the night away in Crusaders Social Club with the players and hundreds of fans, young and old. When <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts">Fun.'s We Are Young</a> comes on the radio now it always makes me smile as I remember when they played it that night, with the players and fans all jumping up and down together , holding the cup in the air and grinning in the disco lights.
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That night was also a great night for one of our other beloved teams, the New York Rangers, who <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/sports/hockey/rangers-beat-capitals-will-meet-devils-in-conference-finals.html">made it into the Eastern Conference Final</a> of the Stanley Cup. What a night for sports!
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The next weekend we calmed things down a little for another dress-up movie night with our merry band of amigos. This time it was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/">Some Like It Hot</a> and the dress code was, "dresses, even for the boys!" I had <i>great</i> fun dressing the Yorkshireman up in one of my dresses, an auburn wig and teaching him how to apply foundation and blend eye shadow. I have to say he looked rather impressive - he was a very classy lady! I decided it was only fair I make a bit of an effort too, so I dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, complete with blonde wig and drawn-on mole. The film was actually pretty good, although it must be said I'm a sucker for classic films anyway.
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The merry band of amigos didn't have much of a break from us after Some Like It Hot night, as the next morning we set off to the <a href="http://www.marblearchcavesgeopark.com/">Marble Arch Caves</a> on a belated birthday trip for the Yorkshireman. None of us had ever been before but we all thought it was great - the Yorkshireman especially seemed to enjoy combining getting his geek on with his photography hobby. My favourite bit was the (very) short boat ride though the caves. My least favourite bit was climbing the billion steps to get back up to terra firma again afterwards. I really need to get back to the gym!
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The next day, Monday 21 May, the weather turned quite warm - a nice surprise for Belfast. However the day after it turned positively hot and stayed that way (in the 20s Celsius) for the next week - it was amazing! It cooled a little bit after that and now the highs are back down to the mid teens most days. If summer is a washout (again) this year, at least we'll always have that week in May... *wistful sigh*
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During the hot weather, Eurovision appeared on our radar. We missed the first semi-final but enjoyed watching the second one at mother dearest's house. Eurovision is one of the highlights of our televisual year and we always enjoy getting all judgemental and scoring the various acts. This year was only improved by the addition of <a href="https://twitter.com/bridgetjonesni/status/205763211935498240">European Wil Wheaton</a>! We took from the semi final that Turkey was the country to beat - their act turned themselves into a <i>boat</i> for goodness sake! Check it out: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAWgkeRhQm8">2m 15s or so in</a> - also keep an eye on the guy at the front of the ship - hahaha! Bring on the final!
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The next day was not so much fun, as the New York Rangers were <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/26/sports/hockey/devils-advance-to-stanley-cup-finals-after-ending-rangers-season.html">knocked out of the Stanley Cup</a> by the evil New Jersey Devils. Bah! On the plus side at least that was the end of my disturbed nights' sleep as alerts of goals went off at all hours of the night on my mobile.
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The next day was a lazy, sunny Saturday afternoon. It was the perfect day to go out and enjoy the sunshine, but alas the Yorkshireman is a vampire who doesn't like the sun and so did not want to come out and play. In the end we compromised on going to a bar to watch the Yorkshire derby of a League One Playoff final, with Sheffield United and Huddersfield competing for a place in the Championship next year. We had no real vested interest, other than the Yorkshireman being, well, a Yorkshireman and also a football fan, but it was something to do. As we now live within walking distance of the Upper Newtownards Road, we decided to give <a href="http://www.thepointbar.co.uk/">The Point</a> a go. We had lunch from their bar menu and a few beers; I opted for Peroni because it tastes like "holiday beer" and sure enough with the bright sunshine outside radiating into the cool bar through the open door, it really felt like being on holiday. Clearly the topless men walking around outside felt the same, as their torsos turned from blusher pink to lobster red.
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That night we also attended one of my aunts' 50th birthday party. Everyone was in a jovial mood, even in spite of the inadequate air conditioning in the venue, and the Yorkshireman ended up downing a shot of Piranah in a pint of Stella Artois in one go... a wonderful example for not-so-baby-brother and my younger cousins, I'm sure you'll agree! Sadly the Eurovision final was also on that night, but we had plans to have a belated Eurovision party the next afternoon, so we had to endure a media blackout for almost 24 hours. Do you know how difficult that is in this day and age? No TV, no BBC website, no Facebook, no Twitter, no Google Reader... *shudder*
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The next afternoon we did indeed have our Eurovision party at mother dearest's house: scorecards and European themed buffet food at the ready! Our own personal leader board had the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKNRGc71hjc">Russian grannies</a> as the winners, with self-boatulating Turkey in second place. Alas in reality it was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfo-8z86x80">Sweden</a> who emerged victorious in the real thing - they had been 4th on our list so we were willing to accept that.
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The next week saw the launch of the 2012 <a href="http://www.belfastfilmfestival.org/">Belfast Film Festival</a> (i.e. the city's official one, not just me and my friends being random). We've been frequenters of various BFF events for a few years now and this year would be no exception.
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The first BFF event we attended this year was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196229/">Zoolander</a> night at The Black Box on 2 June. I love Zoolander - it's so funny - but I think they could have made more of the event itself. Don't get me wrong, they tried hard, but it was a bit <i>too</i> hard - most people want to enjoy the film, a few drinks and the company of their friends, but probably not embarrass themselves taking part in a Blue Steel competition or a walk-off on a catwalk in the middle of the room. I know it's just a bit of fun but when they're struggling to make people take part, it ends up making everyone feel a bit awkward. Some people's costumes were totally amazing though, including a whole table next to us who really went for it, and a guy who dressed as Zoolander in his mining outfit. Kudos, folks!
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Then, thankfully, it was a bit of a break from the busy and frustrating hell that work has been for the last while, as it was the jubilee weekend. Sadly the Yorkshireman wasn't allowed any time off but I enjoyed both my days off (sorry darling!). On the Tuesday night I met him in town after work to go and see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1409024/">Men in Black III</a>. I have to say I totally loved it, and not just because it is set in my beloved city of New York and heavily featured "my" building (the Chrysler Building). Definitely worth a watch if you enjoyed the first one/two.
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The next day it was another BFF event, this time <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056592/">To Kill A Mockingbird</a>, which was being screened in the Royal Courts of Justice - how exciting! It was a brilliant experience actually. There was a short talk beforehand from someone high up in the legal world of Northern Ireland, which was great except that he probably should have given a spoiler alert before he spoke, since he gave away every plot line in the film. The Yorkshireman, who hadn't seen it before, moodily quipped, "I wonder what's going to happen..." as the opening credits rolled, which made me chuckle. I have to say, the plush leather seats and solid wood benches made it one of the most interesting cinemas I've ever been to! The film, which I'd seen before anyway, was of course wonderful and watching the court scenes whilst actually in a court room really added to it.
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Last but not least was our (now traditional) annual film on the Lagan Boat. This year we selected <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288477/">Ghost Ship</a> and set about gathering snacks for the boat. Unfortunately at the last minute one of our group couldn't make it, but we pushed on without her, even in spite of the heavy rain that day. We'd been on a different (two level) boat in previous years but the weather was so horrible this year that they moved us to another (entirely indoor) boat. It was still great fun though. I always love to see the faces of the newcomers to the event as the old hands pull out their bottles of wine and plastic cups... it's like, <i>"surely they're not allowed to do that... are they... oh but other people are too... damn I wish I'd known!"</i> I very much enjoyed my red wine and cheese melts as we navigated Belfast Lough. The only thing cheesier than my snack was the film, but that only adds to the experience really. I already can't wait til next year!
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Other than all of our above comings and goings, it has also been a good couple of months in TV land. I was sad that season 3 of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327801/">Glee</a> finished, but I thought the last few episodes especially were really well done. I can't wait to see how they're going to manage season 4 now that most of the big hitters have finished high school. We shall see! We also had <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0071b63">The Apprentice</a> Series 8 to watch. As soon as I heard Ricky Martin claim to be "the reflection of perfection" in the first episode, I took agin' him instantly. However by the end I was glad he won - the rest of them annoyed me or had stupid business plans (or both). I don't think it's that long until The Young Apprentice comes on, although I always feel a bit worse about heckling the younger ones. The other, unexpected for me, highlight on TV in the last couple of months was actually <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00qj06z">Planet Earth Live</a>. I don't like animals in general and would never intentionally watch a wildlife show. We started watching it by accident (thinking it was maybe more about places on planet earth than animals) but then kinda got into it. I'm still perplexed at myself but really did enjoy it!
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And now it's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2012">Euro 2012</a>. I don't really care about it at all but at least it'll keep the Yorkshireman out of trouble for a while. I'm just hoping things will calm down a little soon and I might actually get to spend some time just chilling out in our new house without rushing around everywhere. We shall see what the rest of June brings!Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-66074245617283178702012-05-14T00:17:00.002+01:002012-05-14T00:17:59.967+01:00I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Day Thirteen - Thursday 16 FebruaryMy recollection of the last day of our East Coast USA trip might be a little hazy as it has now been <i>three months</i> since then! Tempus fugit...<br>
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The first business of the day was the usual pre-check-out stuff: get ready, finish packing, compulsively check for any belongings left behind (more so the Yorkshireman than me) and check the heck out. Then it was back into the Cambridgeside Galleria one last time for one last everything bagel with cream cheese and a coffee for breakfast. I'd miss this little routine! Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of places in Belfast where you can grab a bagel and a latté on your way to work, but you certainly pay more for the "novelty" of it here. It cost me less in dollars each morning in the USA than it would here in pounds!<br>
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Suitably fuelled for some serious suitcase hauling, we made our way back to our old friend, Lechmere station, and waited for a green train into Boston. It took quite a while so I was starting to panic that we'd be late for the 10.30am date we'd set with the nice man at the <a href="http://www.roweswharfwatertransport.com/">water taxi office</a> who had offered to hold our cases for us. A transfer over to the blue line later and we had soon arrived at the Aquarium stop and hauled ass to Rowes Wharf, as quickly as our three overloaded cases and two backpacks would allow.<br>
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Thankfully there was indeed someone there and he was happy to take our cases off our hands. We were instructed just to call a taxi from the yellow callbox down on the wharf when we were ready to go and that the captain would retrieve our bags for us when he came to pick us up. Fair enough! So, on with our day...<br>
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I can still remember all the things we got up to that day but, to be honest, I don't really remember what order they happened in! However here are some highlights:<br>
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I bought a really cute pair of preppy pumps at TJ Maxx, which the Yorkshireman ruled "not fugly" after careful consideration. Combined with the $16.99 price tag, I took that as sign enough I should treat my feet and skipped off to the cash register. I also saw an amazing collection of Le Creuset cookware which was about a quarter of the price it is here in the UK, even in TK Maxx, but even if I'd had room in my suitcase (which I didn't), I wasn't confident in my chances of getting it home in one piece (slim to none), so I waved it sadly goodbye and left it on the shelf. Maybe next time.<br>
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After our good impression the day before, we decided to revisit Quincy Market for lunch.<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7191838882/" title="Food Stalls in Quincy Market in Boston by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5119/7191838882_a9713f2f40.jpg" width="419" height="500" alt="Food Stalls in Quincy Market in Boston"></a><br>
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The Yorkshireman had decided he wanted to try some clam chowder (local delicacy and all that) before he left Boston so we called by <a href="http://www.bostonchowda.com/">Boston Chowda</a>. I opted for the lobster bisque. Both were good and the market was interesting place to eat and people-watch, especially when we actually found a seat somewhere (no mean feat, I assure you!).<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7191838356/" title="Clam Chowder from Boston Chowda in Quincy Market by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5199/7191838356_82ceed3ea5.jpg" width="500" height="409" alt="Clam Chowder from Boston Chowda in Quincy Market"></a><br>
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We called into a CVS pharmacy somewhere along the line to stock up on snacks for the plane and some souvenir "candy" for colleagues. I procured a bag of white chocolate Hershey's Bliss for myself and tucked them away for later enjoyment on the plane when they would inevitably serve dessert and snacks containing real chocolate, which I can't eat (stupid food intolerances...). I was right and I greatly appreciated my own forethought!<br>
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Perhaps the main attraction of the day was when we headed out to the Samuel Adams Brewery for a <a href="http://www.samueladams.com/share-passion/tours.aspx">brewery tour</a>. Prior to coming to Boston, my only experience of Sam Adams had been the fake commercial from Family Guy, which claimed Sam Adams was the perfect way to get the taste of "weed and hooker spit" out of your mouth, so I was intrigued if nothing else!<br>
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The Brewery is actually in a residential area called Stony Brook, with a pretty little park and tiny children's playground opposite the station and lots of clapboard houses and churches, exactly like you see in movies about small-town America.<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7191837776/" title="Stony Brook in Boston (sepia) by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/7191837776_4a77ff4ff5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Stony Brook in Boston (sepia)"></a><br>
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As we'd only been to the main urban areas of the cities we'd visited so far, it was an interesting change of pace for us, although I imagine the residents are pretty fed up of seeing random tourists wander past their front porches, only to stumble back a little the worse for wear a few hours later!<br>
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We arrived just on time for one of the brewery tours, which are free, although we gave donations as requested.<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7191837324/" title="Samuel Adams Brewery Tour by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7191837324_7d762a6f55.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Samuel Adams Brewery Tour"></a><br>
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It was actually a brilliant tour! It was very interactive, which I loved. They don't just tell you about the brewing process - they pass around handfuls of hops and the like to smell, touch and taste as they explain what part each of the ingredients plays. Then they show you all the different equipment they use before finally taking you through to the pièce de résistance, the tasting room! Here you sit on benches at long tables while they explain how to taste a beer properly (seemingly not as complicated as wine tasting and there's no spitting involved!), then they pass out small tasting glasses and jugs of various beers to sample.<br>
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I'd read a tip online beforehand to sit at the back, because there's often some beer left in the jug after everyone has poured themselves a glass, so you can often get an extra glass or two if you're at the end of the queue. Because you should obviously believe everything you read on the Interwebz (duh!) we did just that. It was actually a great tip and we did indeed get some extra - yay!<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7191836884/" title="Samuel Adams Brewery Tour Tasting Glass by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/7191836884_fa658e3f1e.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Samuel Adams Brewery Tour Tasting Glass"></a><br>
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The only strange part of the experience was the very intense and very southern American Air Force guy who sat opposite us in the tasting room and kept showing us photos of him with his plane and of the place about 3 feet away from his bed where an IED had exploded and nearly killed him. Awesome. All Americans, regardless of their political, religious or personal leanings, seem to be all about the "soldiers are superheroes" thing, so I think he was maybe expecting us to be a little more vocal with how amazing and brave we thought he was, but alas the poor man had picked the wrong crowd. Don't get me wrong, I'm greatly appreciative of those who "fight for our freedom" and all that - some of my own family and friends have been/are in the army and have been sent to terrifying places (strange to think that not so long ago Northern Ireland would have been considered one of them!) - but I must admit I find it hard to reconcile my gratitude with my innate pacifist beliefs so I often get stumped for what to say in those situations. Other than the occasional "gosh" and "that must have been scary", I didn't really contribute much to the conversation. Sorry Air Force guy.<br>
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The best beer of the day was the Double Pumpkin Ale, a variation on one of Sam Adams' seasonal ales. I could have gotten very drunk indeed on that one but sadly their gift shop was a bit more expensive than the tour, so I left with only a memory of a taste that haunts my dreams. On the plus side they let us take the tasting glasses home. Time to test that confidence in getting breakables back home in one piece! In the meantime we'd settle for getting them back to Rowes Wharf.<br>
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Luckily we did just that, found the yellow callbox on the wharf and called for a water taxi. The captain (who I'd imagined to be some kind of Captain Birdeye type) was actually a capable young man who happily helped us retrieve our bags and get us all onboard. I have to say, water taxi is definitely the coolest way I've ever travelled to the airport. It was quick, easy, relatively cheap and our captain encouraged us to stand up and have a look at the views of Boston as we went. It was an experience to remember.<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7191839364/" title="View of Boston from Water Taxi by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7191839364_b564320810.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View of Boston from Water Taxi"></a><br>
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As our captain waved us off and started ushering newly landed passengers onboard, we set about finding our way via the free airport bus to the right terminal. Again this was pretty straight-forward and we got there and checked in with no problems. This check-in was actually pretty fun because we were travelling Premium Economy baby yeah! We're usually cattle class passengers all the way but there was a seat sale on when we booked our flights and we were offered an upgrade for something like £30 each (it's usually hundreds of pounds). As the Yorkshireman is over 6' tall and I'm nearly 5' 10" myself, we considered it worthwhile for the extra legroom alone! As it turned out, with the unexpected addition of our extra bag, it was just as well we did.<br>
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We're always compulsively early when it comes to flights, much preferring to wait around at the airport for a while than risk missing check-in (clearly we've watched too many episodes of Airline), so our first stop was to find somewhere to relax. We found a strange bar and ordered two pints of blueberry beer. Given our newly-acquired experience of brewing techniques, I had imagined this would have been some kind of beer brewed with blueberries, to give it a hint of that flavour. But no, it was a pint of beer with actual blueberries floating in it! How weird!<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7191839870/" title="Blueberry beer at Boston Logan Airport by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7225/7191839870_506c9a6026.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Blueberry beer at Boston Logan Airport"></a><br>
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If I ever start my own brewery I am so totally developing a chocolate stout that comes with chunks of Yorkie floating in it and a Flake as a stirring stick. Despite our drink/snack, we soon found ourselves at a bit of a loose end again and getting peckish. We found a restaurant close to our departure gate which sold Sam Adams and burgers. Sold! Both were delicious and it certainly filled a gap in our never-ending wait to board.<br>
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Eventually they called forward both Premium Economy passengers and those who needed extra time to board. With my crutch in hand I deemed myself eligible for both categories and on we went. I have to say I didn't really enjoy Premium Economy as much as I thought I would, although that was more to do with the woman in front of me who put her seat fully back at the first opportunity and then refused to sit up again the whole flight, even for meals, which made it an interesting experience for me, with the foot of space I had in front of me to work with (hint: my forearms alone are longer than one foot; see also previous note about tallness and legroom!).<br>
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In economy class the cabin crew would have had none of that nonsense and would have told her to sit up right away, but clearly in the land of Premium Economy such things are verboten. Presumably that's because it's full of arrogant people who can't quite afford First Class but yet feel entitled to do whatever the hell they like because they're paying <i>more</i> dammit, so it's probably not worth the hassle to even try and argue with them. Whatever. I'm clearly an economy class girl at heart, although if anyone wanted to buy me first class seats to New York any time soon, I wouldn't turn them down... Anyone..?<br>
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Weirdo reclining lady aside, it was a quick and easy flight back to the UK. Having watched so much Daily Show and Colbert Report of late, I was in a political mood and I decided to watch that movie with Ryan Gosling and George Clooney in it... hang on a tick... <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/">The Ides of March</a>, that's the one! Yeah, the descripion sounds better than the film actually was, plus there was a disappointing lack of his Clooneyness in it for my liking. Woe.<br>
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So then I watched the first episode of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1833285/">Boss</a> with Kelsey Grammer, which was disturbing on so many levels (OMG the ear!) but I think I would actually series link it if I caught it starting from scratch on TV sometime because the plot intrigues me. It seemed like a dark version of The West Wing.<br>
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By the end of that lot I was in the mood for some Glee or The Simpsons to lighten me up a bit, but alas it was time to land instead. That said, at least I didn't watch the same movie as the Yorkshireman, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189073/">The Skin I Live In</a> - he described it to me and I've read about it on IMDB but my only reaction remains, WTF dude?!<br>
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Suitably depressed we landed in London Heathrow and made our way to immigration. Because of my crutch, a lovely lady ushered us to the front of the queue (I could have kissed her), so we were back on home soil with no muss and no fuss. We retrieved our luggage and made our weary way through the mazes of moving walkways to the central bus station. No straight-forward connection from Heathrow to Belfast for us, oh no. Our first flight of preference sold out before we got the chance to book it, whilst the price of our second went up by about 1000% in the week before we booked. The only feasible alternative was a National Express coach to Gatwick and a return flight to Belfast from there.<br>
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The Yorkshireman napped on the coach ride, while I caught up on Twitter and Facebook and marvelled at how much faster 3G is in the south of England compared to Belfast. At Gatwick we checked in quickly and easily and then found somewhere to settle our weary bodies until it was time to board. Thankfully Gatwick has recently been renovated and they have lots of weird and wonderful seating configurations for tired travellers to utilise while they wait. The most awesome, squishy-looking ones were all taken but we soon found some strange recliner style seats and pounced (well, stumbled and fell more than anything).<br>
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Eventually our gate was announced and before we knew it we'd boarded, dozed through the short flight across the Irish Sea, and landed in Belfast City Airport, where mother dearest was kindly waiting to take us home. When we arrived, sister dearest and not-so-little brother (well, probably sister dearest really) had made us a good old fashioned cup of tea to welcome our return. We thought it only right to return the favour with gifts.<br>
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Out of the suitcase came the <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-four-tuesday-7.html">hard-won red Converse and utterly baraginous Hollister hoody</a>, the <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/back-to-manhattan-day-seven-friday-10.html">impossible-to-find Take 5 bars</a> and <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/back-to-manhattan-day-six-thursday-9.html">unnecessary tourist box of Hersheys</a>, the t-shirts from the <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-five-wednesday-8.html">Macy's One Day Sale</a> and <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/hello-brooklyn-day-nine-sunday-12.html">JC Penney</a>, the <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/im-shipping-up-to-boston-day-twelve.html">long-deliberated-over hardback book</a> (which, of course, mother dearest already had), as well as her requested <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/hello-brooklyn-day-eight-saturday-11.html">Butterfingers bars</a> (in various sizes) and <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/welcome-to-dc-day-one-saturday-4.html">cornbread muffin mix</a>. <br>
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It was like reliving our trip one souvenir at a time. Maybe it was just because I was jet-lagged, but it was actually a wee bit emotional. I was glad to be home, with my own bed and pillow upstairs waiting for me, and I loved playing Stateside Santa Claus with my family, but I was already missing the now-familiar streets of New York, the excitement of exploring somewhere like Boston for the first time, or that giant suite at the Helix in Washington DC. Also I really wanted to show my family all these things first-hand, so they would really know why it all made me so giddy. Yes, the travel bug had bitten me hard and even as I lay down in bed and my mind lost its fight to stay awake, I was already working out where I wanted to go next. Then I closed my eyes and allowed my imagination to float off, along the East River, across Boston Harbour and on into dreamland.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-80704993362350834402012-05-11T19:00:00.000+01:002012-05-11T19:00:02.159+01:00I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Day Twelve - Wednesday 15 FebruaryWednesday soon arrived: our only full day in Boston and indeed our last full day of our holiday. Already! There was to be no free breakfast at the Royal Sonesta (or even so much as a complimentary cup of coffee - major points lost there!) so we ventured across the road to CambridgeSide Galleria again and into old faithful, Starbucks. I had my "usual" stateside breakfast (a bagel with cream cheese and a skinny white chocolate mocha), the only difference being that the sign in this Starbucks was advertising <i>"New York style bagels"</i> rather than just, well, bagels. Bless. Just as yummy though!<br />
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Suitably fuelled for a busy day ahead, we made our way back to the now-very-familiar Lechmere Station and the green line. This time we emerged at Government Center and went to check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faneuil_Hall">Fanueil Hall</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Market">Quincy Market</a>. On the way we stumbled upon Boston's famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Trail">Freedom Trail</a> (subtly marked with a bright red line painted down the street), but our interest in early American history was pretty minimal, so we decided to give this "must-do" experience a miss.<br />
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Faneuil Hall was an interesting building but we weren't sufficiently intrigued to go inside.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7171741306/" title="Fanueil Hall Boston by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7171741306_75786be9a6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Fanueil Hall Boston"></a><br />
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Quincy Market looked much more enticing but I was still burned from my <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/hello-brooklyn-day-eight-saturday-11.html">disappointing experience</a> at the Brooklyn Flea and my expectations weren't particularly high.<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7171741778/" title="Quincy Market Boston by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7171741778_c4b140b403.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Quincy Market Boston"></a><br>
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Actually though? You've <i>got</i> to go to this place if you're ever in Boston, especially if you're looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat. They've got every kind of food imaginable! Unfortunately for us we'd only had breakfast half an hour before but we couldn't just try <i>nothing</i>, so we bought cupcakes from a baked goods stall near the exit on the other side and grabbed a seat just outside to enjoy them.<br />
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The cupcake was far from the best I'd had on our trip (also a strange, sickly shade of pink because it had been the-day-that-shall-not-be-named the day before) but the birds pecking around our feet in search of crumbs seemed to like it well enough. There was also some kind of love-themed ice sculpture slowly melting in front of us, so it all made for a pretty surreal experience.<br />
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Next we decided that since we were now in the vicinity of the harbour it might be a good idea to check out where we needed to go the next day to book our water taxi and leave off our bags (the company offer to hold your baggage for you on your day of departure, which is nice of them). After a rather long (yet scenic) walk around Long Wharf, we discovered no straight-forward way to walk along the harbour from there to Rowe's Wharf, so we gave up, walked back to Atlantic Avenue and along to Rowes Wharf that way.<br />
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After what seemed like forever with my poor, sore hip and feet, we eventually got there and spoke to a nice man who told us to drop our bags off at 10.30am the next morning. We're glad we checked because apparently there isn't always someone in their office during the day and if we'd just rocked up at some random time, we might have been stranded with our three cases and two backpacks all day. Yikes!<br />
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Minds now at rest about our departure plans, I declared my urgent need for caffeine and we set about finding somewhere for a quick refreshment break. As we walked up back inland we came across an interesting deli type place. They had all sorts of different counters for different types of food and you got a buzzer to come and collect your order when it was ready. It was a bit confusing for a newbie but I think if I worked nearby I'd love going there for lunch. As it was I ordered a coffee and a chicken cutlet marinara sandwich, which was really nice, other than tasting slightly too much of tinned tomatoes.<br />
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The next bit of the day is a bit of a blur to me but I believe it involved some dillydallying en route to the Prudential Center. When we finally arrived there, I made my way straight to the nearest bookstore. You see, I had been struggling with what to buy mother dearest as a souvenir from our trip - she's difficult to buy for at the best of times but since she enjoys reading, I thought I would get her a book from one of her favourite authors that had just been released in the States but not yet in the UK.<br />
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Except it turns out that these days release dates on both sides of the pond are usually pretty similar, so both of my forerunning options had already been released in the UK. I considered dropping the idea but they had only <i>just</i> been released and I was coming up blank with other ideas, so I chose the one that had been released in the UK most recently, hoping she wouldn't have had the chance to buy it yet. Of course it turned out she'd bought it herself just before we got back! Doh! I wouldn't mind so much but have you <i>seen</i> how much hardback books cost in the USA?! No wonder everyone's jumping aboard the good ship Kindle these days!<br />
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Blissfully unaware of the futility of the contents of the bag in my hand, we set off to find the way up to the <a href="http://www.topofthehub.net/">Top of the Hub</a>. When I'd been researching Boston people kept mentioning Skywalk, which is the observation deck at the Prudential Center, but I'd also read a sneaky tip that you could save your $14pp admission fee for the observation deck and put it towards a nice meal in the restaurant on the floor below, Top of the Hub, which gives pretty much the same views. Bearing in mind that they have a three course set lunch for $22, the latter seemed like the best value for money to me and up we went!<br />
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The restaurant was pretty empty when we got there, with only a few other tables of diners around, but the views were indeed amazing. I'm happy to report that the food was also absolutely wonderful! We started with a lobster bisque with brie, which was really nice and came with a selection of delicious, warm breads. Next we had a chicken pasta dish, the flavours of which went perfectly with each other. Finally we had a crème brulée, which although not jaw-dropping was still as good as any other crème brulée I've ever tasted, with just the right combination of smooth custard and burnt caramel. Also, it was huge! The food and the views were both well worth the price and I would recommend it highly for anyone visiting Boston.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7171742224/" title="View from Top of the Hub Restaurant Boston by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7171742224_02c72d5a5c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View from Top of the Hub Restaurant Boston"></a><br>
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The only dampener on the experience was after our meal when I went to the back of the restaurant to look out of the windows there - just to see what was on the other side really - when a snooty member of staff rocked up and snapped that <i>"this area is closed for the views"</i> and stared at us until we left. Um, ok… I can't imagine how looking out of a window for a few seconds could do any harm whatsoever, especially when we'd already just given the restaurant our custom <i>and</i> a pretty big tip, but it just goes to show how one person with a bad attitude can tarnish an otherwise wonderful experience.<br />
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Back on terra firma we made our way up to Newbury Street. Our original plan had been to walk the full length of the street, which is famous for its shopping, but we were pretty tired and pretty much all shopped out, so we headed straight for the bus across the river and on to our next stop of the day… the <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a>.<br />
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This had been on the Yorkshireman's bucket list for our trip. He'd read about an exhibit they had about holograms, which had made his inner geek giddy, so on the list it went. The only problem was that, since it had been one of "his" activities, I hadn't bothered to research where, other than "MIT", we needed to go when we got off the bus. Unfortunately neither had he, probably assuming that the itinerary queen had it under control. In his defence it was odd that I didn't.<br />
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But anyway, a bit flummoxed by the many buildings around us, we stared at the campus map for quite a while and then the Yorkshireman decided we would head to the <a href="http://web.mit.edu/museum/">MIT Museum</a> building. Google Maps had been telling us that the place we wanted (with the holograms) was not the same place as the museum, but when we reached the point it had marked it turned out to be a warehouse, so I suspect they were a bit off with that one! Onwards to the museum.<br />
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Thankfully it was indeed the museum we wanted. We paid our admission and made our way up to the second floor (Museum Visiting 101, lesson number one: start at the top and work down). It was a small museum but it was actually really interesting!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7171742610/" title="Plasma Ball at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5323/7171742610_a793c1bbff.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Plasma Ball at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)"></a><br>
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I really enjoyed learning all about the various robotic technology that had been developed, not to mention the awesome kinetic sculpture displays (I really don't know how else to describe those but they're really cool) and, of course, the holograms.<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7171743018/" title="Holograms Exhibition at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/7171743018_354b6fc634.jpg" width="500" height="368" alt="Holograms Exhibition at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)"></a><br>
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I also enjoyed doing a spot of artwork where the challenge was to draw what you would like robots to do for you in the future.<br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7171840550/" title="The Great Wall of Ideas Robot Technology Art at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5320/7171840550_b5dce23418.jpg" width="500" height="471" alt="The Great Wall of Ideas Robot Technology Art at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)"></a>
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Our visit ended downstairs where I sucked at, and was insulted by, a video game, which was ok because that was the point of the experiment.<br />
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By then I was pretty tired and my hip was starting to get sore, but the Yorkshireman declared that there was no need to get a bus or a subway back to the hotel - it was only a short walk. Well. A two mile walk might have been short for him but with my crutch it felt like an eternity and by the end of it I was spitting feathers. Again he had been misled by Google Maps (or rather the scale it showed) so he wasn't entirely to blame, but by the time we'd limped up through the hotel lobby and back to our room I was nearly in tears. The only plus point had been the nice views as we walked along the river but it was little solace by then.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7171743456/" title="View of Boston over Charles River Basin by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7171743456_097d52f32c.jpg" width="500" height="379" alt="View of Boston over Charles River Basin"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7171743914/" title="View of Boston at night over Charles River Basin by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7171743914_046d33f88e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View of Boston at night over Charles River Basin"></a>
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Back at the hotel we decided now would be the ideal time to try out the spa. If a jacuzzi couldn't help soothe my aches, pains and temper, I didn't know what would. Luckily it was straight-forward enough to use the spa as a hotel guest and before I knew it I was sitting in the hot, bubbly water with the water jets massaging my tired feet. Bliss. After a while I even felt brave enough to try a little swimming in the pool and managed about 25 lengths before retiring to the jacuzzi again.<br />
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We made our way back to our room to get showered and changed and then headed across the road to the <a href="http://www.cpk.com/">California Pizza Kitchen</a> for dinner, where we enjoyed pizza with several pints of Sam Adams lager. Man did I need both by that point. The dessert menu didn't appetise me so I stopped by The Cheesecake Factory on the way back to the hotel and picked up a slice of Pineapple Upside Down cheesecake to eat in our room. Oh it was soooo yummy!<br />
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Now absolutely shattered and with the longest of days ahead of us, we retired to bed once again after The Daily Show and Colbert Report. Our last full day of our trip had been a mixed success but there were still a few activities left on our itinerary that we were looking forward to taking on before we flew home.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-75773797127010190982012-05-10T17:23:00.001+01:002012-05-10T17:23:52.716+01:00Oh my word, it has been <i>ages</i> since I last wrote. Sorry for the hiatus but as you may have read <a href="http://life-in-ni.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/hello-east-belfast.html">on the Yorkshireman's blog</a>, we've been a bit busy of late... y'know, moving to the other side of the city, etc etc. There's been other stuff too like work being mega busy but it's all incredibly boring so I shall simply leave it at a simple halfassed apology and an intention to come back really soon to finally finish off those trip reports from our trip to the 'States in February (which I realise is like a whole lifetime ago in the online world) and get back to some good old fashioned waffling about life in general. Sounds like a plan. So...
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xFY8oto_R_1AAlPHvCUWQdvVrGnm9DtPkCEx4yFsAFtq_5pPU1AeIzj0xREA4GmEzJ-jTQHQcKrOSoVgNhxPYBOohb37Xx-m6QMH9LZdkYRJ_TAIN05JBQAQmR-4rgKvzYDvjjbeDwk/s1600/brb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="250" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xFY8oto_R_1AAlPHvCUWQdvVrGnm9DtPkCEx4yFsAFtq_5pPU1AeIzj0xREA4GmEzJ-jTQHQcKrOSoVgNhxPYBOohb37Xx-m6QMH9LZdkYRJ_TAIN05JBQAQmR-4rgKvzYDvjjbeDwk/s400/brb.jpg" /></a></div>Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-25210312628389893772012-04-01T13:44:00.000+01:002012-04-01T13:44:03.638+01:00I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Day Eleven, Part 2 - 14 February<i>A quick segue before I get on with reliving the first day of our trip to Boston... whilst researching a potential title for my Boston blog posts (I always like to use titles of songs about that place), I came across this one called I'm Shipping Up To Boston by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropkick_Murphys">Dropkick Murphys</a>. I'd never heard of it and when I looked up <a href="http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dropkickmurphys/imshippinguptoboston.html">the lyrics</a> it wasn't familiar then either (although the lyrics are amusing). So I played it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-64CaD8GXw">on YouTube</a>. Sure isn't it only the song they play at <a href="http://www.belfastgiants.com/">Belfast Giants</a> games that makes everyone go a bit mental?! Brilliant! I always wondered what that song was and now I've discovered it by accident. Amazeballs! Except judging from the 24 million plus hits the video currently has, I may be the only person on that planet who </i>didn't<i> know it. In fact even my fourteen year old brother knew it. Hmmmm. Oh well!</i><br />
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So, back to Boston (that's another song by the way!)...<br />
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We stepped off the train in Back Bay Station and my first thought (beyond <i>"man these bags are heavy!"</i>) was that I liked the look of the strange double-decker train across from us. I've seen double-decker trains before but this one had a big purple 'T' on it, which I figured meant it was part of Boston's <a href="http://www.mbta.com/">rapid transit system</a>. How fancy!<br />
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Eventually we wrestled our luggage up to the lobby of the station and then contemplated our next move. We'd planned to just jump in a taxi to our hotel (the <a href="http://www.sonesta.com/boston/">Royal Sonesta</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge,_Massachusetts">Cambridge</a>) but after considering the public transport options, we bought ourselves a <a href="http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/charlie/?id=5592">Charlie Ticket</a> and decided to brave the subway.<br />
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I'll be honest, the Boston subway system isn't quite as straight-forward as New York's subway system for a newcomer. We knew we wanted the green line and that we wanted to go to Lechmere. However we watched a few green ones come through the station (they're more like trolley cars than subway trains) but according to our map they didn't seem to be going in the right direction for our hotel. They also seemed to be filling up pretty quickly! Eventually, just as I was getting all verklempt, one rumbled into the station with "Lechmere" on the front, so we jumped aboard with all our bags, probably making ourselves deeply unpopular with our fellow travellers.<br />
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At Lechmere we disembarked and tried to figure out the best way to the hotel. By this point we were grumpy and tired and I was in no mood to put up with the Yorkshireman's attempts to save us some time and energy by finding a shortcut. Nope, Google Maps had said this was the fastest way to walk from the station to the hotel, so that's the way we were walking damn it!<br />
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As we rounded the corner past the <a href="http://www.cambridgesidegalleria.com/">CambridgeSide Galleria</a> mall, we caught sight of our hotel just across the road. Just in time, because I was in pain and tired and grumpy and about to have a big strop right there and then outside P.F. Chang’s Chinese restaurant. We checked in to the Royal Sonesta quickly enough and went off to explore our room on the 5th floor.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6888705386/" title="Bed in River View King Room at Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge Massachusetts by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/6888705386_e9b8306216.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bed in River View King Room at Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge Massachusetts"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7034799209/" title="River View King Room at Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge Massachusetts by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/7034799209_f8d34086a3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="River View King Room at Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge Massachusetts"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7034799459/" title="Shower in Bathroom at River View King Room at Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge Massachusetts by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/7034799459_5377424fd9.jpg" width="370" height="500" alt="Shower in Bathroom at River View King Room at Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge Massachusetts"></a><br />
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We'd paid extra for a river view room but to be honest, half of the view was obstructed by the walls of the hotel and the remainder was pretty unremarkable.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7034799683/" title="View from River View King Room 518 at Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge Massachusetts by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7034799683_0c87e0b9a0.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="View from River View King Room 518 at Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge Massachusetts"></a><br />
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We had not paid extra for the huge rumbling air conditioning unit on the ground outside our window though. Its dulcet tones (24/7) really did add something to the experience, but I'm not sure it was anything positive. I would have asked for a different room but we were tired, in a hurry and didn't anticipate spending much time in our room anyway.<br />
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There were some good things about this hotel but there were some bad things too. It was fine but it was by far my least favourite hotel of our whole trip. We'd clearly been spoiled by all the suites we'd been staying at because I found the room quite small. It was also very warm (the air conditioning didn't seem to work, which was ironic given the huge, white, growling machine outside our window, the noise of which also meant we couldn't keep our window open) and there was an unnecessarily complicated control pad for operating the lights in the room. Whatever happened to good old fashioned switches?<br />
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There were also crazy movement sensors on the floor, so if you got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you ended up blinded by a strange blue light. All very odd. On the plus side the bed was comfortable and the spa (one of the main reasons we went with the Sonesta in the end) was pretty good. But more on that later. At this point, we were in a bit of a rush.<br />
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You see we had tickets to go to another (yes, yet another) ice hockey game at <a href="http://www.tdgarden.com/">TD Garden</a> that night. We were going to be away fans for the first time, as the NY Rangers took on the Boston Bruins on their home turf. I was excited and nervous but also pretty hungry - the train picnic had been nice but not filling.<br />
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So we decided to have dinner at <a href="http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/">The Cheesecake Factory</a> across from our hotel. I have to say it was pretty good actually for a chain, and reasonable with it. There was plenty of choice on the menu too. In the end I went for a combo of Chicken Madeira and Steak Diane - the steak had the edge but they were both yummy. We didn't have time for cheesecake though, as we had to get to TD Garden for the 7pm face-off.<br />
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After dinner, we made our way back to Lechmere and the green line and made our way back to North Station. We eventually found our way into the arena (<i>"Follow those Bruins!"</i>) and tried to figure out how to get to our seats.<br />
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As the Yorkshireman bought a programme, I got into a tussle with the Bruins' mascot, <a href="http://bruins.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=38934">Blades the bear</a>, as he flicked my NY Rangers scarf in disdain. I retorted that yeah, I was a Rangers fan, cos we were <i>awesome</i> and gave back as much 'tude as I was being given. The bear had a go at the Yorkshireman too but we weren't going to be that easily rattled! It's all cool because I can now legitimately tell people that on my holiday to America I'd been attacked by a bear!<br />
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After fending off the bear, acquiring our requisite beer and finding our seats, we settled in for the game.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7034799965/" title="New York Rangers at Boston Bruins at TD Garden 14 February 2012 by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/7034799965_c9b9ab0d42.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="New York Rangers at Boston Bruins at TD Garden 14 February 2012"></a><br />
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It was a great game… if you were a Rangers fan. The Bruins fans just looked more and more depressed as time went on. The final score was 3-0 to the Rangers (woooooo!).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6888706528/" title="Final Score New York Rangers 3 Boston Bruins 0 at TD Garden 14 February 2012 by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/6888706528_aec620726b.jpg" width="500" height="376" alt="Final Score New York Rangers 3 Boston Bruins 0 at TD Garden 14 February 2012"></a><br />
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At the end of the game we took a few gloating photos of each other in front of the scoreboard with our Rangers paraphernalia on display and got heckled by some of the noisier Bruins fans who had been behind us. Their argument was that whilst we had won this game, they had won the Stanley Cup last year. Fair point but that was <i>then</i> and this was <i>now</i>. The dispute was only resolved when one of the Bruins fans insisted on being in one of my smug Rangers fan photos doing a "thumbs down" pose in the foreground. For the sake of getting out of there alive it was a deal! It makes me smile every time I look at it now.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7034878095/" title="New York Ranger Boston Bruins Rivalry at work at TD Garden by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/7034878095_d20e16f52a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="New York Ranger Boston Bruins Rivalry at work at TD Garden"></a><br />
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Next it was yet another long wait for an elevator down to ground level again (seriously USA arenas, sort it out!) but this time we had company, as a pair of star-crossed lovers (one a Rangers fan, one a Bruins fan) were spending their valentine’s evening waiting with their Bruins fan friends for the elevator too. We had some great banter until we reached the lobby and went our separate ways.<br />
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We headed back to the green line, back to Lechmere and back to our hotel, making a short detour via the Cheesecake Factory for some, well, guess… The Yorkshireman went for a slice of Craig's Crazy Carrot Cake cheesecake and I went for Dulce de Leche Caramel. We consumed them on our comfortable bed, watching The Daily Show and Colbert Report on the big HD TV before going to bed, tired from our day's travelling and gleeful from our hockey win and late night sugar rush.<br />
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It had only been a few hours but New York already seemed so very far away, and the end of our trip was looming ever closer.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-21222424984254506872012-03-20T20:45:00.000+00:002012-03-20T20:45:43.213+00:00Hello Brooklyn - Day Eleven, Part 1 - Tuesday 14 FebruaryAh 14 February... our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/team-anticupid.html">arch</a> <a href="http://life-in-ni.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/14th-february.html">nemesis</a>. Luckily we had the distraction of having bigger fish to fry.<br />
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We had packed the night before so there was no need to be up at the scrake of dawn on Tuesday morning. However there was still a free breakfast to be taken advantage of, so we popped down to the lobby, grabbed some bagels and beverages and brought them back to our room to chill out for a little while. Then it was goodbye to Nu Hotel and indeed Brooklyn, as we made our way back to our old and familiar friend, Penn Station.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/7000974589/" title="Jay Street and Fulton Mall Brooklyn New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6095/7000974589_7675f32708.jpg" width="500" height="383" alt="Jay Street and Fulton Mall Brooklyn New York"></a><br />
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It was a bit of a trickier journey on the subway this time though, as we somehow had to manage two backpacks and <i>three</i> cases between the two of us. I needed one hand for my crutch, so the Yorkshireman bravely took on two of the cases. It might not have been so tricky if the handle on our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/hello-brooklyn-day-ten-monday-13.html">new Bed Bath and Beyond bag</a> didn't keep trying to sneak back into the frame every time we stopped, but then what can you realistically expect for $19.95?<br />
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Eventually we made it, found the Amtrak departure gates and settled in to wait for our train to board. I left the hassled-looking Yorkshireman to bag-sit while I went and gathered a little picnic for myself for the train - we wouldn't be arriving in Boston until almost 3.30pm and then we'd have to go straight to the hotel to check in, so lunch was inevitably going to be a train-bound experience. I grabbed a ham and cheese croissant and a cupcake from <a href="http://store6.geomerx.com/zaro501seventh/">Zaro's</a> (I'd seen them every time we popped in and out of Penn Station over the last eight days so I was finally going to give one a try!). I also took one look at my poor overheated and overwhelmed husband and decided to buy him an iced tea to cool him down. He was irrationally grateful bless him.<br />
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Then soon enough we were wrestling our big bags on to the train and once again enjoying the views and the comfortable seats as Amtrak whisked us down the east coast where new exciting adventures awaited us in Boston. Although I must admit I did feel sad as the Manhattan skyline faded from view. It's still my favourite city in the world and if money and time allows me, I will definitely be back one day in the not-too-distant future.<br />
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Back on the train, I enjoyed relaxing and reading my book. I also enjoyed my picnic, although the cupcake tasted quite mass-produced and was definitely not going to be competing with Crumbs any time soon. There was a bit of a delay on the tracks about an hour away from Boston, but we arrived at Back Bay Station just after 3.30pm. Time to see what Boston had in store for us!Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-26899305004522456152012-03-10T19:57:00.000+00:002012-03-10T19:57:02.363+00:00Hello Brooklyn - Day Ten - Monday 13 February<i>"February thirteen, two thousand and twelve!"</i>, a deep, American voice said in my head as I woke up. <i>"Eeeeeeeee!"</i>, I replied to it. Today would herald one of my most eagerly anticipated activities of our whole trip, and I was <i>so</i> excited!<br />
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But first there were some practicalities to take care of. This was to be our last full day in New York and we had some luggage difficulties to take care of first. With all stuff we'd already bought and the intention of buying a few more things, there just was not going to be enough room in our two suitcases and two backpacks.<br />
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I hooked our laptop up to the free WiFi and did some research. It would be fine to take three cases and two backpacks on <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/">Amtrak</a> to Boston. We were flying from Boston to London with <a href="http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en/the-virgin-experience/premium-economy.html">Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy</a> (thanks to a nifty seat sale deal), which meant we could actually even take <i>four</i> cases there. When we landed in Heathrow, for cost and timing issues I won't go into, we had to catch a <a href="http://www.nationalexpress.com/">National Express</a> coach from Heathrow to Gatwick, but that seemed to be fine too. One last hiccup though: flying back from Gatwick to Belfast with no-frills airline <a href="http://www.flybe.com/">Flybe</a>. We agreed it would be worth the extra £30 to upgrade one of us to "Go Large" (yes, they are the McDonalds of airlines), so we paid online and made a mental note to go and buy another cheap case later that day.<br />
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In the meantime we had some exploring to do. We'd just missed the free breakfast at our hotel, so we took a walk to a deli nearby and bought some food and drinks there. Fed and caffeinated, we headed to the subway and caught the F train all the way from Jay St MetroTech to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island">Roosevelt Island</a>.<br />
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When we got out at Roosevelt Island a very lost Asian man asked us for directions. I have no idea how he'd ended up where he was but I think we gave him the right advice of the two different trains he'd need to take to get where he wanted to go. Bless him, I hope he found his way!<br />
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We, on the other hand, had a walk around some of Roosevelt Island. I watched some boats travel up the East River and unabashedly waved back at the tourists on one of them, and the Yorkshireman took some photos of ducks. So, pretty standard stuff for us both.<br />
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Then we headed into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island_Tramway">Roosevelt Tram Station</a>. Last time we were in New York, the existence of the Roosevelt Tramway had completely passed us by, but I'd since read that it was a pleasant ride with nice views and, awesomely, you can ride it for free if you had an unlimited Metrocard. Excellent.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6823801660/" title="View of Queensboro Bridge and Tramway from Roosevelt Island New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6823801660_b9c937be88.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="View of Queensboro Bridge and Tramway from Roosevelt Island New York"></a><br />
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As we waited for the tram to come back from the Manhattan side, we watched an older native New Yorker in a wheelchair try to explain to a tourist who sounded like he was from Texas how to swipe his Metrocard properly. Texas guy's wife was already through but Texas guy himself was swiping much too fast, then much too slowly, then only halfway... it was a disaster. Part of me wanted to just go over, take it out of his hands and do it for him, but he was looking more and more irate.<br />
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Eventually, just as Texas guy finally got through (I resisted the urge to cheer), the tram touched down in front of us and on we all got. The view was indeed good but for me the fun was in knowing I was suspended on a giant pulley system across the river and streets.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6969925085/" title="View of East River from Roosevelt Island Tramway New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7044/6969925085_b2d971fe0f.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="View of East River from Roosevelt Island Tramway New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6969925371/" title="View of Upper East Side from Roosevelt Island Tramway New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6969925371_efb112186c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View of Upper East Side from Roosevelt Island Tramway New York"></a><br />
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I also liked checking out the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Koch_Queensboro_Bridge">Queensboro Bridge</a> up close and personal. It's not the prettiest of New York's bridges but it's certainly one of the most interesting.<br />
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We emerged from the tram and walked for a while through the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_East_Side">Upper East Side</a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenox_Hill">Lenox Hill</a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_Bay,_Manhattan">Turtle Bay</a> neighbourhoods. I noticed again how there was a completely different feel to this area than in the other New York neighbourhoods we'd visited. It's strange how <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsburg,_Brooklyn">Williamsburg</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Manhattan">Lower Manhattan</a>, the Upper East Side and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Brooklyn">Downtown Brooklyn</a> are all completely different and yet each of them is so intrinsically "New York". So cool. You don't really get that here in the UK, where a row of terraced houses or high street shops looks pretty much the same in Belfast, Bradford or Birmingham.<br />
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On our walk we stumbled across another cupcake shop, <a href="http://buttercupbakeshop.com/">Buttercup Bake Shop</a>. It wasn't one I'd heard of but my rule remains that all cupcakes are eligible for the title of 'World's Best Cupcake', so I bought a 'Buttercup Golden with Vanilla Icing' cupcake and tucked it away for later.<br />
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For lunch I'd scheduled a stop at <a href="http://www.ess-a-bagel.com/">Ess-a-Bagel</a>. As you may have gathered I'm a big fan of bagels, so I was eager to try what <a href="http://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/143885/">some</a> <a href="http://www.zagat.com/r/n/ess-a-bagel-manhattan/reviews#name-anchor">New Yorkers</a> say is the best bagel in the city. I figured I might as well go for the whole stereotypical experience and ordered my bagel with cream cheese and lox. For a bagel it was pretty expensive (over $10) but I have to say it was delicious.<br />
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In fairness I've never met a New York bagel I didn't like, even if it came from Starbucks or a hotel's complimentary breakfast. Most of the bagels we get in the UK are pretty stale in comparison - the only ones that come close are from <a href="http://groceries.asda.com/">Asda</a>'s bakery (which are really good actually).<br />
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Bagel experience complete, we walked down 3rd Avenue to 49th Street and caught the M50 bus along to 10th Avenue. We wandered up to 54th Street, turned a corner and there was our next photo stop of the day: the studio where they record <a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/">The Colbert Report</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6823802764/" title="Colbert Report Studio 54th Street New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6823802764_2a7a764d3a.jpg" width="500" height="394" alt="Colbert Report Studio 54th Street New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6969925643/" title="Colbert Report Studio 54th Street New York No Graffiti On This Wall by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6969925643_01127e46f2.jpg" width="500" height="376" alt="Colbert Report Studio 54th Street New York No Graffiti On This Wall"></a><br />
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No sign of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Colbert">Stephen himself</a> but we snapped a few photos as we avoided being randomly dive-bombed by about a gazillion birds who were hanging out in the trees beside the studio. Perhaps they're fans too.<br />
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Then it was on to 11th Avenue and back down to 52nd Street to join the line for the New York experience that had been making me giddy for weeks: we had tickets to go and see <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/">The Daily Show</a>!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6823801354/" title="The Daily Show Studio 11th Avenue New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6823801354_4cf16d1df1.jpg" width="500" height="369" alt="The Daily Show Studio 11th Avenue New York"></a><br />
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For months before our trip, I'd been regularly checking the <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/tickets">ticket reservations</a> section of the Daily Show's website to see if anything would pop up for the dates we would be in New York. A couple of weeks before, when nothing had appeared, I did a bit of research and it seemed that both The Daily Show and Colbert Report were going to be on hiatus on the main week we were there! Oh noes! Talk about bad timing. There was only one thing for it: keep checking back for the <i>one</i> date we'd be in the city where they might actually be recording the show (Monday 13 February) and hope for the best.<br />
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With only four days to go until our trip, I was half-heartedly checking for tickets at lunchtime at work. I'd switched to a different tab when I hadn't seen any available but when I came back about 10 minutes later, the page had refreshed itself and, oh!oh!oh!, there were two tickets available for our date! Quick! But it was too late, someone had already poached them. Doh!<br />
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I was disappointed but not about to give up completely - In my time of lurking on the tickets site I'd noticed some people seem to reserve the tickets but then don't confirm them, which means they go back on soon after. I sat for the next while hitting F5 pretty much repeatedly to refresh the page. And then suddenly, there they were again! I typed my details as fast as my fingers would let me, clicked submit and... yes! It had gone through! Quick! To the email to confirm!<br />
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I clicked the link in the email and there it was, with heavenly light streaming through a cloud on to my computer monitor and choirs of angels singing... <i>"Congratulations! You have scheduled 2 tickets to the February 13, 2012 taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."</i> Yeah I have! Woooo!<br />
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So, less than two weeks later, we joined the line outside the studio to get our place in the audience. They give out more tickets than there are places to ensure there are definitely enough people in the audience, so you have to arrive early to reserve your place. Then they release you back into the city for a couple of hours and when you come back you have to go into a pen which corresponds with the number on your ticket.<br />
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We joined the queue before 2pm and they didn't start giving out the tickets until around 2.40pm, so it was quite a wait (especially with sore feet and a sore hip). However there was a convenience store on the corner where I got a cup of coffee to enjoy with my Buttercup cupcake. I have to say, it was definitely the sweetest cupcake I had in New York. It reminded me of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_(confectionery)">butter tablet</a>, such was the sugar content in the frosting. It wasn't half bad though; not the best I'd tried but if I lived nearby I'd probably be a fairly regular visitor.<br />
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Eventually we got our little yellow tickets with The Daily Show logo, a number and the date stamped on them and left the line. Not sure what we could do in the two hours before we had to be back in line, we decided just to jump on an uptown bus and go explore a little of the Upper West Side.<br />
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We hopped off the bus somewhere in the mid-70s near the <a href="http://www.jccmanhattan.org/">Jewish Community Center</a> on Amsterdam Avenue and wandered back south. We walked past one of those on-street second-hand book stalls that I've only ever seen on TV or in the movies. That wouldn't work in Belfast - all the books would be soaked in a sudden rain shower or blow away in the wind!<br />
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By this point we needed a restroom and a WiFi connection, so we called into a Starbucks, but it was only small and very busy. McDonalds it was. We used the restrooms and bought a couple of drinks and a small snack each but the place was absolutely packed full of teenagers having various melodramas, so we decamped to some benches in the middle of the street where Broadway meets Amsterdam Avenue.<br />
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Another couple about our age (who had been ahead of us in McDonalds) were eating their food on the bench opposite us, discussing how they'd always wanted to sit outside in the middle of a city; I wondered where they come from that they've never done that before. A homeless lady sleeping on another bench ignored us all.<br />
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We decided it was time to head back down to the Daily Show studio and found a bus stop which took us down Broadway. We jumped off that one and on to another M50 and right back over to the Daily Show studio again. We were a little early so we grabbed some refreshments from the shop on the corner (where a lot of our fellow audience members seemed to have congregated) and went to find our pen.<br />
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Happily we were numbers 72 and 73 so we weren't that far back. My feet and hip were sore again by this point and I was struggling to stay upright leaning on my crutch for support, but without me even saying anything one of the security guys appeared from nowhere with a folding chair for me to sit on while I waited. Awesome, thank you!<br />
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About twenty minutes after we got there, they started letting in the VIP guests from their pen. In the meantime we mere plebs were advised that if we wanted the restroom in the next two hours, now was the time to go, and were briefed on what we should expect from the whole experience. Twenty more minutes later and we were finally in the doorway waiting to go through security.<br />
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After my bag was searched and I hobbled through the scanner, I joined the Yorkshireman in the queue to find out where the producers wanted us to sit. Everyone in front of us was being pointed towards somewhere around the third row down in the middle section. Not too shabby! However the nice lady clearly saw my crutch, took pity on me and pointed us straight towards the <i>front row</i>. Wow! I was so excited! And thank you again!<br />
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We had to wait for another twenty minutes or so for everyone else to be seated and in the meantime we watched clips from the show on TV monitors suspended from the ceiling and listened to pop music over the speakers. <br />
Then the warm up guy came on and was great. We were told that the audience mics are set at a much lower volume than Jon's and so we would really have to scream and laugh much louder than we usually would. I'm a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPTYoA5emWo">"woo girl"</a> - no problem.<br />
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Then there he was: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Stewart">Jon Stewart</a>, mere feet in front of us! Eeeeee! He's just as cute and dinky as he looks on TV. He had a short chat with the audience, which was very funny, then he took his place at the desk and launched straight into the recording. Over the speakers came the familiar opening voiceover: <i>"February 13, 2012... from Comedy Central's World News Headquarters in New York, this is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."</i><br />
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<i>"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"</i><br />
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You can (for now anyway) watch the episode we saw online <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/mon-february-13-2012-ali-soufan">here</a>, although if you don't live in the USA you might not be able to watch it unless by semi-nefarious means. Suffice to say it was very entertaining, even though our guest was a little dry. It met all my expectations and then some. And for free! What a bargain! Jon also did the whole thing in one take, which was amazing. On the other hand it meant we were finished, out the door and waiting on 50th Street for the M50 bus again by 6pm.<br />
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So, last night in New York. Obviously it would have been nice to go and have some fun - truly immerse ourselves in the city - but alas we had things to do.<br />
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So we bused and subwayed it down to 23rd St station on 6th Avenue. I was pretty hungry by then and intended to grab something from one of the street carts but the guy serving was taking forever to serve the guy in front of me, so I cut my losses and went to Hale and Hearty Soup instead for a small and overpriced cup of soup to keep me going. I also decided the perfect New York goodbye would be one final <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/hello-brooklyn-day-eight-saturday-11.html">Happy Birthday cupcake</a> from the Crumbs store which had been twinkling at me in the darkness, so we bought a cupcake each to enjoy later.<br />
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Then we found our way to <a href="http://www.sportsauthority.com/">Sports Authority</a> so the Yorkshireman could (finally!) buy the New York Rangers third jersey he had his heart set on. Very pleased with his purchase, we turned our attentions to looking for a cheap suitcase. <a href="http://www.tjmaxx.com/">TJ Maxx</a> and <a href="http://www.marshallsonline.com/">Marshalls</a> proved to be too expensive but we came across a wheelie bag in <a href="http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/">Bed Bath & Beyond</a> for $19.99. However the Yorkshireman was concerned its dimensions might be too large for our airlines and we needed free WiFi to investigate. We couldn't find a Starbucks (in New York - is that possible?) so it was off to McDonalds again. A quick check later and it was confirmed: the size of the bag was ok.<br />
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By this time it was 8.50pm and Bed Bath and Beyond was due to close at 9pm. I hobbled as fast as my poorly hip could carry me and we raced into the store just on time to buy the bag. By then we were exhausted so there was nothing for it but to return to Brooklyn and get packing.<br />
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We were back in our hotel room by around 9.30pm so we ordered takeout via <a href="http://www.seamless.com">Seamless</a> again and packed while we waited for it. Eventually, after everything had been distributed between the three bags and two backpacks, the food arrived.<br />
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We'd ordered from a diner-type place called the <a href="http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/park-plaza-restaurant-brooklyn-heights">Park Plaza Restaurant</a> but sadly it was mediocre at best. I had ordered matzoh ball soup to start (meh) and an "Angus Chopped Sirloin Steak", which actually turned out to be minced beef turned into the shape of a steak. Weird. My mashed potato tasted like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smash_(instant_mashed_potato)">Smash</a> and the "steamed corn" was tinned sweetcorn. I felt somewhat misled. The Yorkshireman's fried chicken with vegetables was equally as underwhelming. Their sweet potato fries were ok though.<br />
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Full but with leftovers still on the table, we gave up on the food and instead turned our attention to the TV: our episode of The Daily Show was coming on! It was exactly as it had been live but it was nice to relive it when you've seen the sets and the people involved in person. I also thought I heard my high-pitched "wooo" near the start, which would make sense given that we'd been sitting directly under a mic and also that I'm pretty noisy. <br />
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After The Daily Show, we watched the Colbert Report and then went to sleep. Tomorrow we would be leaving New York (*sob*) and going to investigate another city: Boston.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-59196892059800042192012-03-08T19:51:00.000+00:002012-03-08T19:51:35.502+00:00Hello Brooklyn - Day Nine - Sunday 12 FebruaryOn Sunday morning I woke up fairly early and flipping starving - we hadn't eaten more than a(n admittedly huge) cupcake each since about 2pm the day before, which may have been a factor in the snarking match the Yorkshireman and I had had the night before. He still looked dead to the world and I knew he'd be grumpy if he was woken up early, so I got dressed and tiptoed downstairs to the breakfast bar in the lobby, returning ten minutes later with a toasted bagel with cream cheese and a takeout cup of coffee.<br />
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I had breakfast whilst reading my book in one of the comfy chairs in our room. I enjoyed relaxing in peace and quiet for a while but the food aspect was actually badly timed, since our first activity for that morning was to eat more food. However I wasn't planning on waking the slumbering Grouchosaurus for at least another hour and I was confident I could handle more food later that morning.<br />
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Eventually the Yorkshireman's eyes peeked open and he seemed to feel better for the extra sleep. We got ready and left the hotel, heading for the Lower East Side in Manhattan and to another place on my foodie bucket list, <a href="http://katzsdelicatessen.com/">Katz's Deli</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6818821686/" title="Exterior of Katz's Deli New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6818821686_619856135e.jpg" width="500" height="371" alt="Exterior of Katz's Deli New York"></a><br />
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For those unfamiliar with Katz's Deli, it's one of the oldest, most famous Jewish delis in New York. There are others that have great reputations too but when somewhere is so famous and yet the locals are still raving about the food there, you really have to give it a try. I think celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9dia5-bBHo">explains it well</a>. Katz's was also the location for Meg Ryan's famous <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-bsf2x-aeE">fake orgasm scene</a> in When Harry Met Sally (there's a sign hanging from the ceiling to show you which table) and is often featured on shows like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDyGBtNsQcw">Man vs Food</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6818821392/" title="Interior of Katz's Deli New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6818821392_162800487e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Interior of Katz's Deli New York"></a><br />
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I'd read up on their ticket system before we went but it still confused us a little, perhaps because there was no queue when we got there and so no-one to copy! Still, we worked it out pretty quickly and remembered to tip the guy making our sandwiches when he gave us a sample of the pastrami. It was looking a bit hairy for a minute when I realised said counter guy had put mustard on my pastrami and rye when I'd said not to (I blame my accent, but come on!). Thankfully the Yorkshireman was happy enough to swap his non-mustardy piece of bread for my mustardy one. Phew - disaster averted!<br />
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It was still quite early for lunch (around 11am) when we sat down to eat, but there were a good few others already tucking in to their food, so we joined 'em. I have to say, the pastrami was as good as they say, and the sandwiches were as big as they say too. I just about managed mine (although I was approaching <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHiXLlANpnA">"meat sweats"</a> territory by the end) but the Yorkshireman had to leave some of his.<br />
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I also had great fun looking at all the photos on the wall of famous people who had visited the Deli. I didn't know about half of them but there were some great ones. My favourites were the one of <i>"Mr Big and Baby's Daddy from Dirty Dancing!"</i> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636562/">Chris Noth</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001583/">Jerry Orbach</a>; clearly Law and Order kind of passed me by) and, of course, the photo of one of my personal role models in life, <a href="http://www.judgejudy.com/">Judge Judy</a>! I was so giddy about the latter I demanded to take a photo of the photo. The Yorkshireman handed me the camera and tried to pretend he wasn't with me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6964943583/" title="Photograph of Judge Judy and Jerry Sheindlin at Katz's Deli New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6964943583_a8c4f288a1.jpg" width="500" height="392" alt="Photograph of Judge Judy and Jerry Sheindlin at Katz's Deli New York"></a><br />
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All in all I really enjoyed going to Katz's (constant smell of pickled gherkins aside) and would happily return to try some of those other delicious-looking hand-carved meats... yum!<br />
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Still on a foodie kick, we made a stop a few blocks down at another contender for the title of 'World's Best Cupcake'. This time it was <a href="http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/">Sugar Sweet Sunshine</a>, which <a href="http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/sugar-sweet-sunshine-bakery-new-york">everyone</a> <a href="http://whrtny.blogspot.com/2010/01/sugar-sweet-sunshine.html">seems</a> <a href="http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2010/07/the-best-cupcake-in-new-york-city-cupcake-shops-bakeries-nyc-slideshow.html#show-101459">to</a> rave about. We purchased two cupcakes for later consumption (a Sunshine cake (vanilla) and a Pumpkin one) and we headed back to the subway and uptown.<br />
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We popped back up above ground a short while later at 34th Street Herald Square (on 6th Avenue) and stumbled upon a mall (rare in New York City), funnily enough called <a href="http://www.manhattanmallny.com/">Manhattan Mall</a>. The Yorkshireman was still on the lookout for a reasonably priced New York Rangers third jersey and <a href="http://www.jcpenney.com">JCPenney</a> said it had sports teamwear, so in we went. We couldn't find the teamwear section but we did find some great souvenir t-shirts for family and friends back home. The Yorkshireman also got a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThunderCats">Thundercats</a> one for himself. Bless.<br />
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Bags in hand we walked down 31st Street, past the Affinia Manhattan where we worked out which window we'd been <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-three-part-two.html">looking out of</a> most the week prior, and past the Hook and Ladder 24 firehouse where all those sirens had been coming from. We also found a NY Rangers merchandise shop but they wanted over $200 for the same jersey that was $125 in Sports Authority. No thanks.<br />
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Our next activity of the day was to watch yet another NY Rangers game, but this time we actually had tickets! <a href="http://www.thegarden.com/">Madison Square Garden</a>, baby! Bring it on! The game had originally been scheduled for 3pm but was brought forward to 12.30pm. We had reworked our itinerary accordingly and it actually ended up working out better for us.<br />
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We entered the arena and although I was offered the choice of an elevator to our floor way up in the 400s (because of my crutch), I said I was good with the escalators. They also had a free giveaway and we got signs in the shape of the Rangers' badge, which had the badge on one side and said "Let's Go Rangers!" on the other. Nice.<br />
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The refreshment options on the top floor were a bit rubbish but a quick hobble down the staircase and I found my now-traditional beer and soft pretzel. Back up in the 400s we found our seats and settled in for the game.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6818822154/" title="New York Rangers play at Madison Square Garden by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6818822154_084e5e15a4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="New York Rangers play at Madison Square Garden"></a><br />
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The NY Rangers were taking on the Washington Capitals, which made it the <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/welcome-to-dc-day-two-sunday-5-february.html">second Caps game</a> we'd seen on our trip. This time there was no confusion as to who to support though - it was Rangers all the way. It was an interesting game, with a Rangers goal, then a Caps goal, then two more Rangers goals, leaving the Caps under pressure to score an equaliser before the end of the third period. Thankfully they didn't manage it and the Rangers won 3-2, which made us giddily happy!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6964944035/" title="Madison Square Garden Scoreboard New York Rangers Win by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6964944035_a1d872de32.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Madison Square Garden Scoreboard New York Rangers Win"></a><br />
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Apparently they turn the escalators off after the game, so everyone has to walk down the steps to get out of MSG. Even if my dodgy hip had been up to the stairs, the pushy crowds made me nervous, so I waited with some other less-than-mobile people for an elevator. We ended up being advised to go down to the next floor to get one from there for some reason, which I was happy to do because it meant getting away from the shouty impatient lady who was pressing the call button repeatedly and ranting about how long she had to wait.<br />
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Back on the street but continuing the ice-hockey theme, we made our way to the <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26423">NHL Powered by Reebok Store</a> in search of a few hockey jerseys the Yorkshireman wanted. As well as being a fellow NY Rangers fan, he has actually supported the <a href="http://stars.nhl.com/">Dallas Stars</a> for much longer. He wanted a specific jersey from each of his teams' current offerings, but the Rangers' jersey was more expensive than at Sports Authority and they didn't have the Stars' one he wanted, so we left empty-handed. Actually I tell a lie, we left via their hockey-themed Starbucks with a drink each.<br />
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We took our beverages over to the seated area outside the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News_Channel">Fox News</a> (*shudder*) building and enjoyed them with the cupcakes we'd bought from Sugar Sweet Sunshine earlier. I understood why they are so many people's favourite cupcakes - it wasn't so much that they were delicious (although they were - you could really taste the flavourings rather than just sugar), but they had also been a bargain at $1.75 each. That said, for texture reasons if nothing else, Crumbs still had the edge for me.<br />
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Next we walked over to the Rockefeller Center and found the entrance to <a href="http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/">Top of the Rock</a>. On our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/theres-no-stopping-to-sound-of-new-york.html">last trip</a> to New York we'd been to the top of the Empire State Building, but many people suggest that Top of the Rock is better because there are shorter queues and you can see Central Park and the Empire State Building itself from there. Always suckers for an impressive view, we were eager to compare the two experiences and up we went.<br />
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I have to say, the rumours about the length of the lines are entirely true. With the Empire State Building, we had to wait for about twenty minutes for an elevator to the observation deck (and apparently that's a short wait), whereas with Top of the Rock there were only two elevators' full of people ahead of us and they went quickly. The elevator ride itself was pretty cool too. I won't ruin the surprise, except to say "look up!"<br />
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There are three observation decks at the Top of the Rock. The bottom two floors (the 67th and 69th) have clear plastic panels to shield you from the wind a bit, but the top one (the 70th floor) is completely open. We tried all three of them and although my favourite was the 70th floor with its uninhibited views, it was absolutely <i>freezing</i> up there!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6818822622/" title="View of Central Park from Top of the Rock Rockefeller Center New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6818822622_b350e2c1c6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View of Central Park from Top of the Rock Rockefeller Center New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6818822876/" title="View of the Empire State Building from Top of the Rock Rockefeller Center New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6818822876_fb251ca915.jpg" width="372" height="500" alt="View of the Empire State Building from Top of the Rock Rockefeller Center New York"></a><br />
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Literally freezing, as it turns out: as the sun set over the city and darkness started to fall, it brought with it a snow storm. We watched the grey clouds roll down over the George Washington Bridge, over Central Park, and then suddenly the swirling snow was whipping around us.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6818823076/" title="Snow storm approaching Manhattan New York over George Washington Bridge by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6818823076_02942b4e14.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Snow storm approaching Manhattan New York over George Washington Bridge"></a><br />
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We were waiting for the Empire State Building to turn its lights on and it was a magical (if cold!) experience to watch the snow fall over the city as it steadily lit itself up for the night.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6964942861/" title="View of Empire State Building and Manhattan in snow storm from Top of the Rock Rockefeller Center by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6964942861_cfbe2e9c2a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View of Empire State Building and Manhattan in snow storm from Top of the Rock Rockefeller Center"></a><br />
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When the feeling in our extremities had gone from stinging to numb, we decided it was time to go back inside. We made our way to Starbucks in the Rockefeller Center for a warming drink. Well, I did - the Yorkshireman bizarrely ordered an iced tea (out of habit I imagine) and was bemused at his own choice. I hooked my phone up to the free WiFi to plan the specifics of our evening's activities - we had an idea of <i>what</i> we were doing but not specifically <i>where</i> and I was unwilling to wander the snowy streets without a specific destination to aim for. Strangely our evening ended up being completely different than we planned anyway, and all the better for it.<br />
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On our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/woke-up-it-was-chelsea-morning-day-4.html">last visit</a> we'd spent a fabulous evening at <a href="http://www.theduplex.com/index.shtml">Duplex Piano Bar</a> in the West Village but I'd also heard about another piano bar, <a href="http://www.donttellmamanyc.com/">Don't Tell Mama</a> in Midtown and decided to try that one instead on this trip.<br />
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First of all we decided to go and see what the situation was with tables in a nearby restaurant I'd heard a lot about, <a href="http://becco-nyc.com/">Becco</a>. After a lot of unnecessary faffing about with closing one door before you open another at the entrance to the restaurant, we eventually established that they had no tables available until 8.30pm, which was two and a half hours away. However last time we'd gone to a piano bar the time had flown by, so we made a reservation and then went out in search of an ATM so we'd be able to tip at Don't Tell Mama.<br />
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We did find an ATM on 9th Avenue but we also found an <a href="http://www.amysbread.com/">Amy's Bread</a> there too. Amy's Bread was another competitor on my list for the title of 'World's Best Cupcake' and so I couldn't pass it by without purchasing one (yellow cake with pink frosting - as close to vanilla as possible). I tucked it away in my bag for later and we returned to Don't Tell Mama.<br />
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The Yorkshireman ordered us a drink at the bar while I went in search of a restroom, which turned out to be kinda gross. When I got back they'd served up my "Long Island Iced Tea but made with Diet Coke, not regular"... except I'd been given a Long Island Iced Tea (which tasted horribly of whiskey for some reason) and also a separate Diet Coke. Again, I get that there might have been confusion because of our accents, but no-one else has ever had a problem when I've ordered that.<br />
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I might have forgiven the drinks mix up but there was just something really off about the piano bar as a whole. The woman singing at the piano had clearly refused to use a microphone, the result of which was that only the table beside the piano could hear her at all. There were also precocious children getting in everyone's way, perhaps something to do with the Performers Theatre Workshops they were holding that day. I know it was still pretty early but there was none of the ambience I'd expect from a piano bar and we just didn't like it.<br />
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We finished our drinks (superfluous Diet Coke included) and went back on to the street. We had no idea how we could fill the hour and a half until our reservation at Becco so we decided to cut our losses with Midtown, cancel the reservation and go elsewhere for the evening.<br />
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When we thought about it, we knew what would really make us happy that night. First stop was a proper meal in the <a href="http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/malibu-diner/?restaurantid=4156&page=4">Malibu Diner</a>, where we'd eaten a few times on our last trip since it had been close to our hotel. We each had a two course meal that seemed to contain all of the food groups and left feeling full and contented for $50 all in, including tax and tip. I had tried meatloaf for the first time ever (not really something we do in Belfast) and it was very nice - I can see why it's a favourite comfort food in the States.<br />
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Then we made our way down to the West Village again - Duplex, we were back! It was exactly as we remembered it and just as much fun. <a href="http://www.theduplex.com/~thedup/staff/getstaffinfo.php?ID=58">Shanna</a> was still there singing and wisecracking through the night, but this time <a href="http://www.theduplex.com/~thedup/staff/getstaffinfo.php?ID=41">Brian</a> was on the piano.<br />
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We wrote our request for two songs on a napkin and put a tip in the big perspex top hat. They were pretty obscure requests and I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd laughed them off, but with all due respect and gratitude to Brian, who is clearly as nutty as we are, he dutifully performed a song from <a href="http://www.avenueq.com/">Avenue Q</a> (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTFI9sQdpGo">There's a Fine Fine Line</a>) and one from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_More,_with_Feeling_(Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer)">Buffy Once More With Feeling</a> (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lczuTwvytEg">I'm Under Your Spell</a>), explaining to the piano bar's customers what exactly was happening during the latter song in the actual episode. It was freaking awesome!<br />
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We also made a new friend at Duplex, who was as camp as all get out. Topics of conversation included how he could lose a stone and a half before his vacation in a month's time (apparently the secret is to eat nothing, only drink alcohol and then throw up), how big my boobs are (and he's <i>"not even a boob guy!"</i> - I would think not!) and how his boyfriend was too <i>"boring"</i> to come out partying with him on a Sunday night. We even got to say hi to said boyfriend on his cell phone (proof I'd had enough to drink - I have a big phone phobia). I love New Yorkers.<br />
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Also? Duplex made me a "Long Island Iced Tea but made with Diet Coke, not regular" without a problem. And it was delicious. Yes, Duplex beat Don't Tell Mama hands down.<br />
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Buzzed from the beer and excellently performed live music, we made our way back to Brooklyn and into the bed cave. It had been an awesome day and tomorrow, if all went according to plan, had the potential to be pretty damn awesome too.<br />
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P.S. I don't actually remember when I ate the Amy's Bread cupcake but I remember that while it was nice, it didn't beat Crumbs, or even Sugar Sweet Sunshine actually.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-9594948849321483312012-03-04T19:06:00.002+00:002012-03-04T19:24:59.859+00:00Hello Brooklyn - Day Eight - Saturday 11 FebruaryOn Saturday we woke up <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/hello-brooklyn-day-eight-part-2-friday.html">surprisingly</a> not hungover and intrigued to go explore our surroundings a bit more by daylight. We had an itinerary all planned but before we left we grabbed a bagel from the hotel's free continental breakfast. I might have had a bit more to eat but I was saving some room for our first stop of the day: the <a href="http://www.brooklynflea.com/">Brooklyn Flea Market</a>.<br />
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I had actually wanted to go to <a href="http://www.brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg/">Smorgasburg</a> really, but it's closed in winter. However their website suggested visiting the Brooklyn Flea's food vendors instead and we figured, hey, why not. Skylight One Hanson was actually only a relatively easy walk from our hotel anyway.<br />
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It snowed as we walked along Atlantic Avenue and we saw some interesting stuff on the way, including a giant metal chicken!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6952924717/" title="Giant Metal Chicken on Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7044/6952924717_86e64f33b0.jpg" width="366" height="500" alt="Giant Metal Chicken on Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn New York"></a><br />
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For background information on why this made me completely giddy you must firstly submit to the genius that is <a href="http://thebloggess.com/">The Bloggess</a>, then read <a href="http://thebloggess.com/2011/06/and-thats-why-you-should-learn-to-pick-your-battles/">this particular post</a> (which is, I think, one of my favourite blog posts ever) and then finally have a look at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beyonce-the-giant-metal-chicken/245571305466603">this Facebook page</a>. All will become bewilderingly and awesomely clear. And before you ask, someone has already posted a photo of the Brooklyn Beyoncé on the Facebook page. I checked.<br />
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Shortly after our giant metal chicken sighting, we arrived at the Brooklyn Flea. Turns out Skylight One Hanson was indeed the tall building we'd seen repeatedly on the skyline since we arrived in Brooklyn the day before. I'll be honest, from some angles we'd thought it looked rather phallic.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6952925511/" title="Skylight One Hanson Building on Skyline of Brooklyn New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7044/6952925511_515b614e72.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Skylight One Hanson Building on Skyline of Brooklyn New York"></a><br />
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Not so from inside (thankfully), where it was actually rather stunning.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6952925147/" title="Interior of Skylight One Hanson Building at Brooklyn Flea Market New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6952925147_6fac13a995.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Interior of Skylight One Hanson Building at Brooklyn Flea Market New York"></a><br />
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Not sure where anything was, we decided our best approach was to just wander around and look at stuff. There were a lot of weird and wonderful things for sale, as well as, to be perfectly frank, some utter tat. It was actually more expensive than I'd anticipated too. I'd figured the prices would have been around the same as <a href="http://www.ebm.org.uk/vintage.php">my favourite vintage shop</a> in Belfast, where most of the revamped clothing is around £10-30, but the only dress I'd seriously considered at the Flea was $85 (around £55). A bit steep for my liking, especially for something second-hand and actually pretty flimsy looking.<br />
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However clothes were not the main attraction for me; I was looking for the food vendors. There had been a meat seller of some description and a mini cupcake seller by the main entrance, but I was not in the market for meat-based products and, even in spite of my love of cupcakes, I wasn't in the mood for mini ones after my Baked by Melissa experience <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/back-to-manhattan-day-seven-friday-10.html">the day before</a>.<br />
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We wandered down to the lower floor and, although we did find some food vendors, they only seemed to be setting up for the day. I must admit this irked me a little. The website had said it all kicked off at 10am and it was already after 10.45am when we got there. I guess maybe you have to wait a bit longer for most of the food vendors to set up but it would have been helpful to know that in advance to stop us wasting our time. As it was I could only walk past the empty <a href="http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/dough-brooklyn">Dough</a> stall (one I had particularly been looking forward to) and onward through the rest of the Flea.<br />
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In the end, to be honest, I didn't think much of the Brooklyn Flea. My only purchase was a (very cute) ring for my friend with a tiny little tea cup and saucer on it. Apart from that it just wasn't my kind of thing. Whether my opinion had been tainted by the much-anticipated food vendors not being open yet, my general <a href="http://www.barneystinsonblog.com/landmarks/">"new is always better"</a> attitude or even the rain outside, I don't know, but it was the one thing we did in New York that I wish we hadn't bothered to add to our itinerary. The Yorkshireman felt the same.<br />
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With only a kitsch ring to show for our morning thus far, we left the Flea and I demanded that we go to the <a href="http://www.dunkindonuts.com/">Dunkin' Donuts</a> I'd spotted nearby. If Dough were not going to meet the needs of my mid-morning sweet tooth, I'd find someone else who would! Also, I'd only had one cup of coffee so far that day and that's just not enough for an addict like me.<br />
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It was still snowing lightly outside so we sat in Dunkin' Donuts while I enjoyed my caffeine and sugar hit and we overheard the strangest conversation between three women sitting beside us.<br />
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Seemingly they were all frequent shoplifters and were discussing the audacity of the NYPD for arresting them for it. One of them, referring to her theft of 30 lipsticks, solemnly said, <i>"I mean, I hadn't been arrested in 13 years. 13. Years! You think they'd cut me a break for that, but no, they arrested me!"</i> Her friends agreed that this was totally beyond the pale. We tried not to laugh in case they shanked us but I did consider submitting it to <a href="http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/">Overheard In New York</a>.<br />
<br />
Bemused, we left and started walking back up Atlantic Avenue. We called into <a href="http://www.walgreens.com/">Walgreens</a> and I picked up some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfinger">Butterfingers</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hershey's_Miniatures">Mini Hersheys</a> for people back home.<br />
<br />
I then discovered a bakery not on my list, <a href="http://www.bettybakery.com/">Betty Bakery</a>, and of course had to buy a vanilla cupcake to try. All cupcakes are eligible for the title of World's Best Cupcake. Betty's wasn't the world's best, but it was actually very nice. The frosting was sweet and smooth, and although the cake was a little dry for my liking it tasted homemade. Very nice indeed, although their pies looked absolutely gorgeous and I wish I'd had time and space to try a slice of one of those too.<br />
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A few doors down we stumbled upon a <a href="http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/">Salvation Army</a> thrift store. At home we call them charity shops and the Yorkshireman likes nothing more than a good rummage through a charity shop in search of hidden treasure. Unfortunately for him they had closed off the second floor, which was where they had all the menswear, so we left empty-handed.<br />
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We then decided to veer off Atlantic Avenue, since we'd seen it already on the way to the Flea, and wandered up Bond Street. Strangely enough we then stumbled upon a <a href="http://www.goodwill.org/get-involved/shop/">Goodwill</a> thrift store. This one was huge! We both looked around for quite a while. I found some things I wanted to buy but I knew we had space constraints with our luggage so I left them on the rails. The Yorkshireman didn't find anything here either but we agreed it was one of the most impressive charity shops we'd seen.<br />
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We wandered the streets a bit more and stumbled upon the <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/photobooth/2011/10/steve-powers-love-letter-to-brooklyn.html">"Love Letter to Brooklyn"</a> street art by Stephen Powers (aka ESPO) that we'd seen on one of our favourite New York blogs, <a href="http://whrtny.blogspot.com/2012/01/espos-love-letter-to-brooklyn.html">We Heart New York</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6952925907/" title="Love Letter to Brooklyn Street Art by Stephen Powers aka ESPO Brooklyn New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/6952925907_17d1e73f52.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Love Letter to Brooklyn Street Art by Stephen Powers aka ESPO Brooklyn New York"></a><br />
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Then eventually we found our way back to the MetroTech building, as we were off in search of some more show tickets at the <a href="http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56">TKTS Booth</a> there. There was a longer queue at this one than we'd faced at the South Street Seaport one <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-five-wednesday-8.html">on Wednesday</a>, but that wouldn't be difficult really. There were really only about 20 people ahead of us this time and the line went quickly.<br />
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As we moved up the line, we discussed our options. I'd really wanted to see <a href="http://howtosucceedbroadway.com/">How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying</a> but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Radcliffe">Harry Potter</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darren_Criss">Blaine from Glee</a> had both left and the protagonist was now being played by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Jonas">Nick Jonas</a>. We hadn't forgiven <i>Jonas</i> (to be said with a slight hiss) for ruining the otherwise wonderful <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1754109/">25th Anniversary Concert</a> of one of our favourite ever musicals, Les Misérables, with his irritatingly over-earnest, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_School_Musical">High School Musical</a>esque performance as Marius. I mean, I know the character of Marius is a whiney wuss anyway, but Jonas took it to a level where I had no empathy with him whatsoever... even during <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYToP5ZfydE">Empty Chairs at Empty Tables</a>, which was just unfathomable to me. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJnjcX8skXk">Michael Ball</a> he is not.<br />
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/rant<br />
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We'd hoped to see <a href="http://www.rockofagesmusical.com/">Rock of Ages</a> but there were only discounts for the matinee the next day and we already had something booked for the same time. In the end we decided that if the tickets were less than $70 for How To Succeed, we would attempt to overlook "the Jonas factor", but otherwise we would go for <a href="http://sisteractbroadway.com/">Sister Act</a>.<br />
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When it was our turn at the window we discovered How To Succeed was going for more than our limit, so Sister Act it was. The tickets were $70.25 each and we were to sit in row J of the Orchestra section. Mission accomplished.<br />
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We then had a decision to make. You see, our itinerary said we should be heading over to Flatbush Avenue to a bar called <a href="http://oceans8atbrownstone.com/">Ocean's 8 at Brownstone</a> to watch the New York Rangers play the Philadelphia Flyers at 1pm. However we'd grown very fond of the Flying Puck after our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-four-tuesday-7.html">last</a> <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/back-to-manhattan-day-six-thursday-9.html">two</a> visits and quite liked the idea of being surrounded by fellow NY Rangers fans. After a rather dull morning we came down on the side of familiarity and headed down into the subway, Manhattan bound.<br />
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Emerging at Penn Station everything was just as we had left it the day before. We bounded into the Flying Puck and made our way to the table we'd sat at last time. This time one of the servers asked us straight away to move to a table for two. We looked around in disbelief at the mostly-empty bar, looked at her strangely and then said, actually, we would sit at the bar - we wanted to watch the game and if we sat at a table for two, one of us would be facing the wall, not the TVs.<br />
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At the bar we ordered our beers (the only thing I didn't really like about the Flying Puck was the lack of beer selection - <a href="http://www.coorslight.com">Coors Light</a> was the lesser of several evils) and since it was lunchtime we also looked at the menu again. We both ordered burgers, the Yorkshireman's covered with chilli and mine with bacon, cheese and caramelised onions.<br />
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My burger was <i>so</i> good. It was funny because the day before we'd been watching the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Burger_in_New_York">"The Best Burger in New York" episode</a> of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460649/">How I Met Your Mother</a> and now I thought I'd found mine. Move over <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-five-wednesday-8.html">Shake Shack</a>, this was the real deal! The problem with burgers in the UK is that you're never offered a choice on how they're cooked. I personally like my burgers like I like my steak: medium, with a perfect line of pink in the middle. Here they're all just brown and chewy. The Flying Puck's burger was perfectly medium, wonderfully tender and so juicy. Yum!<br />
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The hockey was pretty awesome too. The NY Rangers won 5-2, including a hat-trick from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Callahan">Ryan Callahan</a>, my favourite non-goaltender Ranger. And what was especially cool was that people actually threw their hats on to the ice in celebration.<br />
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After the game, we paid our tab and let the subway carry us back to Brooklyn. There was a few hours to go until the Broadway Theatre had demanded our presence, so it was time to go and have a real New Yorker experience in the meantime. Yes folks, we were off to the laundromat.<br />
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No, the laundromat is not the name of some underground club in the Meatpacking District - we were going to an actual laundromat. Including <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/welcome-to-dc-day-one-saturday-4.html">Washington DC</a> and Boston, our trip was to be two weeks long and we were already one week in: we were running out of clean clothes. Me in particular, thanks to my inability to eat or drink anything without spilling at least some of it down my top. I'm classy that way.<br />
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There were two laundromats (can I start calling them laundrettes again now? I feel very faux American saying "laundromat") close to our hotel and we'd scoped each of them out on our walk that morning. The furthest one away was huge but seemed to have some kind of card system to work the machines - more complicated than putting quarters in a slot! So we opted for the one right around the corner from our hotel instead, <a href="http://dirtbusterslaundry.com/">Dirt Busters Laundry</a>.<br />
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I was a bit wary in case these things don't work the same way they do in the UK but I needn't have worried. There was a machine at the back to give you change in quarters for the machines and they sold little boxes of laundry detergent and dryer sheets at reasonable prices. The Yorkshireman and I put our laundry in for a wash cycle and then nipped across the road to grab a drink. I quite enjoyed sitting on the plastic chairs at the front of the toasty warm laundromat, sipping my coffee and reading my book with the calming hum of the dryers behind me.<br />
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We emerged about an hour later, clothes clean, dry and freshly folded, and went back to our hotel room to get ready for our show.<br />
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By the time we caught the subway back to Manhattan and found our way to the theatre, there was only a short time until curtain up. However I had spied an old friend of mine in the vicinity and couldn't resist paying her a visit first. You may recall that on our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/give-my-regards-to-broadway-day-6.html">last trip</a>, <a href="http://www.crumbs.com/">Crumbs</a> had claimed the title of my favourite cupcake in New York. It had also been hard to beat since, with only <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/london-baby-day-one-part-one-funky.html">two</a> <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/cardiff-baby-day-four-cardiff-afterlife.html">contenders</a> coming close to being as delicious. I hadn't intended to return on this trip but there it was, right in front of me. And we hadn't had dinner yet. It was fate.<br />
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I couldn't decide between two flavours and so bought both: a <a href="http://www.crumbs.com/cupcakes#happy-birthday-signature">Happy Birthday</a> cupcake and a <a href="http://www.crumbs.com/cupcakes#white-hot-chocolate">White Hot Chocolate</a> cupcake. The Yorkshireman decided to buy two for himself as well, which surprised me since he's not really into cupcakes. We didn't have time to enjoy them before the show, so we carried them in with us (eliciting a stern warning from a security guy that we couldn't eat them in the theatre... spoilsport). We found our seats easily enough and settled in for the show.<br />
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The show was great. I've watched Sister Act (as in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105417/">the movie</a>) about a hundred times and although I knew the score for the musical was different than the movie's soundtrack, I was pleased to see that the story remained pretty much the same. And also, the music was pretty good regardless. The songs in the movie obviously have a certain appeal because they're based on pop songs that you already know, but the original songs for the musical were equally and differently wonderful because they were unique and helped tell the story.<br />
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I've enjoyed other shows more (<a href="http://www.avenueq.com/">Avenue Q</a>, <a href="http://www.lesmis.com/">Les Misérables</a> and <a href="http://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/">Wicked</a> to name a few) but I would still recommend it highly. The highlights for me were the set (excellent throughout), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patina_Miller">Patina Miller</a>'s performance as Deloris, <a href="http://www.caroleecarmello.com/">Carolee Carmello</a> as Mother Superior and <a href="http://www.sarahbolt.net/">Sarah Bolt</a> as Sister Mary Patrick, all of whom had fantastic voices and were wonderful comedy actresses.<br />
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In the end our hunger chased us out of the theatre in the interval to consume an illicit cupcake each on the street corner, amongst the smokers desperate for their own fix. I went for the Happy Birthday one and it went straight in as my favourite cupcake ever.<br />
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It brought me right back to when I was 11 years old and staying in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortland,_New_York">Cortland, NY</a> as part of a lets-take-the-poor-terrorism-stricken-children-out-of-scary-Northern-Ireland-for-a-break charity programme (with <a href="http://www.projectchildren.org/about.php">Project Children</a> - belated thanks by the way!) and we had a celebratory picnic day thing. We all had cake and ice-cream, but this was no cake like we Belfast babes had ever experienced. Our birthday cakes back home, previously considered a wonderful treat, were now relegated to being merely dry sponge covered with sickly royal icing. This new wonder cake was moist and covered in creamy frosting. I've never tasted cake like it again... until Crumbs' Happy Birthday cupcake. It was just perfection. Also one of the cupcakes with the highest calories in the shop, but worth every bulging fat cell.<br />
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After the show had finished, we headed wearily back to the subway (trying to stay clear of the ever-luminescent Times Square) and back to Brooklyn.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6806813034/" title="Times Square at night from 49th Street and 7th Avenue by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6806813034_dbd679a33e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Times Square at night from 49th Street and 7th Avenue"></a><br />
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P.S. Check out the yummy billboard of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duchovny">David Duchovny</a> in the photo above. You're welcome.<br />
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Back at the hotel our tiredness led to a brief but terse argument. In need of some space, I descended to the lobby at around midnight, where I read the news that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston">Whitney Houston</a> had died. How very sad. Also strange - the <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/cardiff-baby-day-three-part-two-cardiff.html">last time we were away</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Winehouse">Amy Winehouse</a> had died. I'm not sure when we'll next go exploring the world but we'll be sure to give the celebrity world a bit of a heads up.<br />
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With my own frustrations now put into perspective, I went back to our room and climbed into the bed cave and fell fast asleep within minutes. Just as well really - tomorrow would be another busy one.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-51145012234510413102012-03-03T20:01:00.002+00:002012-03-03T20:02:03.264+00:00Hello Brooklyn - Day Seven, Part 2 - Friday 10 FebruaryWe only visited Brooklyn twice on our last trip, <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/theres-no-stopping-to-sound-of-new-york.html">once</a> for the Brooklyn Brewery's Happy Hour and <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/journeys-end-lies-over-brooklyn-bridge.html">once</a> to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. We'd really liked what we'd seen and looked forward to exploring more neighbourhoods outside Manhattan this time. For a while we were torn between two choices: Long Island City in Queens or somewhere in Brooklyn? There seemed to be more to do in Brooklyn, so Brooklyn it was.<br />
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We had chosen the <a href="http://www.nuhotelbrooklyn.com/">Nu Hotel</a>, which describes itself as being at the intersection of four different Brooklyn neighborhoods, namely Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens. It was a pretty new hotel (or, indeed, "nu") and we liked the look of the modern décor. Plus we got another suite for a good price and it had, of all things, a hammock in it! Score!<br />
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By the time we had wrestled our overloaded bags (and my crutch) on and off the subway and down the road from the subway stop to our hotel, we were grumpy and tired. Judging from all the car horns and people impatiently walking and driving through stoplights, we weren't the only ones.<br />
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Thankfully check-in was trouble free and we were in our funky little room within minutes of arriving. We abandoned our bags in the corner, removed our coats and shoes and took the requisite before-we-mess-it-up photos of the room. There are too few to make a pretty collage like I did with the last couple of hotels, but here are some highlights:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6948815511/" title="Nu Suite at Nu Hotel Brooklyn New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6948815511_52b7b67375.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Nu Suite at Nu Hotel Brooklyn New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6948815775/" title="Squishy Bed Cave at Nu Hotel Brooklyn New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6948815775_2907507be6.jpg" width="500" height="354" alt="Squishy Bed Cave at Nu Hotel Brooklyn New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6948815667/" title="Orchid atop a wooden block at Nu Hotel Brooklyn New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6948815667_8838b78d54.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Orchid atop a wooden block at Nu Hotel Brooklyn New York"></a><br />
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Then we settled into the bed cave for a quick rest and some rubbish TV for a while. Our itinerary had said we were to explore the area around the hotel but when the Yorkshireman's weary voice came from beside me to ask whether "this counts as exploring Brooklyn, right?", I could only answer in the affirmative.<br />
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We relaxed for a while and then decided to get planning our journey to our evening's activity. There didn't look to be a straight-forward subway route, so we delved into the <a href="http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/busbkln.pdf">Brooklyn bus map</a>. There did seem to be a direct bus route so, emboldened by our bus success in Manhattan, we figured we'd give it a go.<br />
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Shoes and coats back on, we walked back up towards the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MetroTech_Center">MetroTech Center</a> and found the bus stop for the 62 bus. After a short wait, one arrived and we joined the mob of people trying to get on simultaneously. As a fan of orderly queues at the best of times, not to mention when I have limited mobility, I started feeling a bit panicky by the swarm. However the lovely nature of New Yorkers once again came to the surface as lots of people moved aside and told me to go ahead of them. Thank you, lovely Brooklynites.<br />
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I found a couple of seats at the back of the bus and hobbled my way there. Unfortunately the Yorkshireman (ever courteous) did not have the same luck and let everyone else on ahead of him. As the bus quickly filled up I worried he might not make it on at all but eventually he appeared (one of the last) and we were off! I followed our route as best I could on Google Maps and somehow we ended up in the right place on Bedford Avenue. Success!<br />
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Given our evening's plans we decided it would be a good idea to line our stomachs and after entering and quickly exiting a shop that smelt like dog pee (ick), we found a much fresher smelling shop where I bought a vegan falafel wrap and the Yorshireman went for a cookie. We ate as we walked and soon enough we were in familiar territory, as there, across the road, was the <a href="http://brooklynbrewery.com/">Brooklyn Brewery</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6802705330/" title="Brooklyn Brewery New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/6802705330_961fd7a09d.jpg" width="500" height="354" alt="Brooklyn Brewery New York"></a><br />
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We'd had an absolute ball there on our last trip and so had determined that we must return this time. We walked in through the doors and went straight to the nice lady selling the beer tokens: we knew the drill. We went for 5 tokens each, which was $40 in total. This works out at $4 per beer, or $8 for one of the really strong ones. In New York City? A bargain!<br />
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The options available had changed somewhat since our last visit and my favourite (Detonation Ale) was not on the board, but I was intrigued to try the new <a href="http://brooklynbrewery.com/brooklyn-beers/brewmasters-reserve/mary-s-maple-porter">Mary's Maple Porter</a>. It soon became my replacement favourite, whereas the Yorkshireman still preferred <a href="http://brooklynbrewery.com/brooklyn-beers/perennial-brews/brooklyn-blast">Blast</a>, but at 2 tokens a go Blast had better be good really! I thought the <a href="http://brooklynbrewery.com/brooklyn-beers/perennial-brews/brooklyner-weisse">Weisse</a> was pretty yum too - I love a good wheat beer.<br />
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Happy hour at the Brewery was as much fun as last time. For one thing, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bj%C3%B6rk">Bjork</a>'s Icelandic choir, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Graduale-Nobili/14675901154">Graduale Nobili</a>, made a surprise appearance and treated us all to a few impromptu numbers on the brewery floor, including their national anthem, which sounded just like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o39LJOcB0bI">this</a>. Only in New York!<br />
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We were also pleased to see an old friend again: the Brooklyn Brewery's resident cat. The Yorkshireman goes gaga broody over cats at the best of times, but combine this attraction with some beer and he's fascinated. Sadly he didn't get close enough for a stroke this time, but I did enquire on the way out as to said kitty's name. Turns out his name is Monster and a bit of Googling later revealed that he has <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Monster/160337403356?sk=wall">his own Facebook page</a> and <a href="http://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/category/monster/">his own blog</a>!<br />
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Space at the Brewery was at a premium and a few tokens in we still hadn't found a seat. Eventually a group left, abandoning the barrel they'd been using as a table. I hobble-swooped in and claimed it as my own. I allowed the Yorkshireman to share. Another couple of girls co-claimed it for a while but eventually they left and I decided that I should sit on it instead of our beers: well, my hip and feet were sore! Plus we only had a few tokens left anyway. Now, Weisse or Mary Maple? Choices, choices...<br />
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Beer tokens all gone (I went for Mary in the end and had my "good choice" endorsed by a fellow fan at the bar), we waved goodbye to Monster and made our way giddily out of the Brewery and back to the bus stop on Bedford Avenue. After a while a 62 arrived and we hopped on. We were a bit more confident about our journey back to the hotel (through beer or experience, who knows?) and made it back easily enough.<br />
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When we got back we were pretty hungry and decided to use our free WiFi to order in from Seamless again. We went Cuban (not really a cuisine offered in Belfast) from the <a href="http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/cubana-cafe-brooklyn-2">Cubana Cafe</a> and it was pretty good actually! I had steak with peppers and onions served with rice and beans with a side of roasted corn on the cob on a stick, followed by some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tres_leches_cake">tres leches</a>, which I've always wanted to try (sweetest thing ever by the way!).<br />
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Stuffed and still a bit merry from all the beer, we decided it was time for bed and climbed into the white, squishy cave. I'll be honest, it was a bit tricky to manoeuvre into since I couldn't move my leg out to the side without wincing, but at least the crash landing was comfortable.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-73708778660209163662012-03-03T13:08:00.009+00:002012-03-03T20:49:16.493+00:00Back to Manhattan - Day Seven, Part 1 - Friday 10 FebruaryFriday morning arrived quickly. I wanted to spend the day wrapped up in the green throw on the sofa, looking out the window at a hazy Manhattan and moseying around our lovely suite, drinking coffee and watching cheesy-yet-addictive American TV (have you seen <a href="http://www.thedoctorstv.com/">The Doctors</a> yet? It's on <a href="http://www.cbsreality.co.uk/">CBS Reality</a> over here too - it's like a chat show but with slightly sanctimonious medical experts).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6802704074/" title="Hazy view of Lower Manhattan from 28th Floor of Affinia Manhattan Hotel New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6802704074_f002a5849a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hazy view of Lower Manhattan from 28th Floor of Affinia Manhattan Hotel New York"></a><br />
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However there was work to be done. So I did all those things for a little while and then began the struggle to pack five suitcases' worth of stuff into two cases and two backpacks. Turns out? Shopping means you have more stuff! Who knew?!<br />
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The Yorkshireman decided this lack of space was the perfect excuse for a bit of morning drinking - after all, the few remaining bottles of beer we had left in our kitchenette's fridge would clearly take up <i>far</i> too much space. I don't recall the last time I drank alcohol at 10.30am (perhaps a buck's fizz at some point on a holiday?) but we figured it would already be 3.30pm back home, so it was acceptable behaviour. Or not. Either way: beer!<br />
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As we'd prepaid for our room because of the good rate, the Affinia Manhattan were kind enough to slip us our final ($0) bill under the door with a note saying we didn't need to see anyone to check out and could just drop our room keys into the key box at reception on our way out any time before noon. No muss, no fuss.<br />
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So, a little after 11.30am and a little light-headed from our beer-before-breakfast experience, we did a final check of the room, took one more longing look at our view, and then descended with our over-stuffed luggage down to reception. What awaited us was equally maddening and hilarious.<br />
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We were trying to locate one of the bellmen to ask if they would store our luggage for us for a few hours, but they were all busily occupied. What on earth was going on? Within minutes we realised that it was all related to the report we'd seen on NY1 that morning about the upcoming <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/westminster-dog-show-2012_n_1266313.html">Westminster Kennel Club's 136th Annual Dog Show</a> across the road in Madison Square Garden. It wasn't happening until 13-14 February but clearly the participants were settling in early.<br />
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It seems that, for the owners of ridiculously expensive dogs preened to within an inch of their lives, the Affinia Manhattan is <i>the</i> place to stay. Everywhere, steely women were bossing the bellmen around, explaining snappily which dogs and which bags had to be taken to which room. Yikes. And I thought <i>I</i> had it bad at work...<br />
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We eventually tracked down a bellman who kindly agreed to store our bags before resuming his bitch-related work (take that how you will). We made a note to tip well upon our return.<br />
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De-bagged, we were free to explore. Despite the relatively relaxed activities that morning and the day before, my feet and hip were still sore, so I was really only up for short, easily accessible activities. Luckily, we had a plan!<br />
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Our first stop of the day, killing two birds with one stone, was Grand Central Terminal. We'd had a flying visit there on our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/looking-for-fun-and-feelin-groovy-day-8.html">last trip</a> but had since stumbled upon the <a href="http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/info/walkingtour.cfm">free walking tour</a> you can print from their website, which included the <a href="http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2005/02/the_whispering_1.php">whispering gallery</a> we'd heard so much about but missed last time. Plus, since we'd skipped Junior's on <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-five-wednesday-8.html">Wednesday night</a>, I still needed to check their cheesecake off my New York food bucket list, and there just so happens to be a Junior's in Grand Central.<br />
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We arrived at Grand Central and, still quite weary, we followed the walking tour around the terminal.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6802704404/" title="Interior including chandeliers in Grand Central Terminal New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6802704404_ed1558722a.jpg" width="355" height="500" alt="Interior including chandeliers in Grand Central Terminal New York"></a><br />
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Our first attempt at the whispering gallery was unsuccessful but when we swapped to the opposite corners, all was suddenly clear. It was fun and kinda creepy.<br />
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Feeling much more informed about the terminal and its subtle oak leaf and acorn themed décor, we grabbed a table at Junior's in the food court for lunch. I had (my first ever) matzah ball soup and half a corned beef sandwich (American corned beef, which is different than ours), both of which were ok. However the main attraction had been the cheesecake - even many New Yorkers <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k439275-o10-Best_cheesecake_in_NY-New_York_City_New_York.html">seem</a> <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k5160971-Yummy_Cheesecake-New_York_City_New_York.html">to</a> claim it as the best in the city - so I dutifully ordered a slice of the plain stuff.<br />
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It was pretty good but nothing particularly special. I'm fairly sure I've had slices just as good from the posher ranges in the UK supermarkets for instance. I'm not sure what I was expecting, maybe something more unique, or something different that what I was used to? I was going to order the cherry cheesecake but wanted to try an unadulterated version - perhaps the flavours are the big attraction? I can see why people say to split a slice though - it was very rich. Even my huge appetite and sweet tooth couldn't cope with the whole thing alone.<br />
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Stomachs full, we set off back into the terminal to find the "Kissing Room" (<a href="http://gonyc.about.com/od/photogalleries/ss/grand_central_5.htm">Biltmore Room</a>). We had a little trouble finding our way to the right tracks but eventually stumbled upon it. What we also stumbled upon in Grand Central? Some <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/back-to-manhattan-day-six-thursday-9.html">flipping Take 5 bars</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Group">Hudson News</a>! Dammit! Saying that, they were $2.29 each (approx £1.45), which I think is a bit steep for a bar of chocolate. Still, I was so amazed to finally see them that I bought two for sister dearest.<br />
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Outside the terminal, we had a look at the last stop on the walking tour, the Transportation statue above the entrance of the terminal.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6948815257/" title="Transportation statue atop entrance of Grand Central Terminal New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6948815257_ec6c11bc12.jpg" width="500" height="359" alt="Transportation statue atop entrance of Grand Central Terminal New York"></a><br />
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The Yorkshireman took a few photos of the area, including of my favourite ever building, the Chrysler Building (which I always refer to as "my building").<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6802704302/" title="Chrysler Building New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6802704302_e2c377b08c.jpg" width="361" height="500" alt="Chrysler Building New York"></a><br />
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Then we made our way to our next stop of the day, the New York Public Library's <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/mid-manhattan-library">Mid-Manhattan Library</a>, adjacent to Byrant Park.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6948815373/" title="Mid Manhattan New York Public Library and Lion by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6948815373_8f993ef405.jpg" width="500" height="368" alt="Mid Manhattan New York Public Library and Lion"></a><br />
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Time to confess: my awareness of this stunning facility was only brought about by the Sex and the City movie. I know, sorry. It's where Carrie and Big were going to get married. Before <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV81fil6YNc">he heartlessly left her at the altar and she hit him with her bridal bouquet</a>. Oh the drama! However I've since learned there's more to it than a movie location and was looking forward to seeing it in person.<br />
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I didn't hit the Yorkshireman with any flowers but we did go and have a look inside. I hadn't realised there was a whole mini museum in there but it was so interesting. There was an original score for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner">Star Spangled Banner</a>, an original copy of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence">Declaration of Independence</a>, excerpts from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X">Malcolm X</a>'s journals, some photos taken from space exploration missions... even an actual <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan">Ku Klux Klan</a> uniform! It was such a strange mix of things in such a small space but it was brilliant and well worth a look. The architecture was pretty impressive too.<br />
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Next we headed back to the Affinia Manhattan via Starbucks. We settled ourselves in for a rest on the sofas in the hotel's lobby and enjoyed our drinks whilst marvelling at this previously unknown world of dog competitions: the hotel had even thoughtfully left dog-related magazines on the coffee tables!<br />
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On the way in, one woman had decided not to care that she was holding up an entire lane of traffic by parking right outside the hotel doors to unload her precious cargo. She was a typical specimen of those in the lobby that afternoon. Well-behaved dogs sat obediently in their grey plastic carriers while their less-well-behaved owners instructed bellmen how to stack their four hundred cases of doggie accoutrements in the right way on those big trolley/cage things. I would have sworn at them.<br />
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We waited for a suitable moment and pounced to request our bags back. We tipped $10 and wished our friendly bellman luck. He gave us a knowing and somewhat jaded look before returning to the fray. We, on the other hand, headed down into the subway and over to a whole new borough: Brooklyn!<br />
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EDIT: I totally forgot when I was writing this, but on our way to Grand Central we'd stumbled upon another shop from my cupcake bucket list: <a href="http://www.bakedbymelissa.com/">Baked by Melissa</a>. Melissa actually bakes <i>mini</i> cupcakes, with only one or two bites per cake. I bought three: Tie-Dye (as close to vanilla as they had), Cinnamon and Blueberry Crumble (which was the mini of the month). I ate them in the lobby of the Affinia with the aforementioned Starbucks. They were all really nice in their own way (the tie-dye was my favourite) but they were just too small! By the time you got a taste of the flavour, it was all gone. It seems that dinky desserts are not for me.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-18266798790230527282012-03-01T00:45:00.000+00:002012-03-01T00:45:04.500+00:00Back to Manhattan - Day Six - Thursday 9 FebruaryIt was the same morning routine on the Thursday morning: woke up, still tired but excited about the day ahead, made some coffee, admired the view with NY1 on TV in the background and then eventually got ready to go. We made our way up to the Starbucks opposite Macy's so I could grab a bagel and yet more coffee and take advantage of their free WiFi, then it was onward to 49th Street for our first New York bus experience!<br />
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On our last trip we had gotten to know the subway pretty well, so we were confident about getting around. However our plans for the day were mostly over by the Hudson River on the far west of Manhattan and the subway only goes as far west as 8th Avenue, which would have meant more of a walk than my poor hip and feet felt up to. Enter the cross-town bus! We'd looked at the <a href="http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/manbus.pdf">MTA Manhattan bus map</a> and figured we should be able to take the subway up to 50th Street and then the M50 bus from 49th Street straight to the <a href="http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/">Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum</a>, which was our first port of call (pun intended) of the day.<br />
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But first! Those flipping Take 5 bars. Since the Hershey's store was close enough to our bus stop, we figured we might as well call in - hopefully at 9.30am it would actually be open this time. It was, of course, but we still couldn't see Take 5 bars anywhere. Eventually I found a Hershey's gift pack, which contained one solitary Take 5 bar. So at least they existed. I had started to wonder if they were a figment of sister dearest's imagination, which, if you know her, you'll recognise is not outside the realms of possibility. I asked a store assistant if they had Take 5s by themselves, but apparently, no, just that one in the gift box.<br />
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Having been in the USA for almost a week now and still having not seen them elsewhere, I sighed the deep sigh of someone who knows they're paying an inflated price for something they don't really want but feel they have to buy, and coughed up the $14. Oh well, it was another tick off the to-buy list. Onward to the bus!<br />
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The bus was actually really straight forward. We found the stop easily enough and it didn't take long before a bus pulled up. You can use your unlimited Metrocard on the MTA buses, so it didn't cost us anything extra. Plus, unlike the subway, there are no steps involved and you actually get to see your surroundings as you travel. The M50's last stop was right outside the <a href="http://www.circleline42.com/">Circle Line terminal</a>, which was actually really handy since we had to make a quick stop there first anyway, and then it was just a quick walk over to the Intrepid. Yes, we liked the bus.<br />
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We also liked the Intrepid. We've learned the hard way over the years that with museums it's best to start at the top and work your way down, so we got the lift up to the Flight Deck and had a look at all the planes and helicopters, which was good fun.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6939610235/" title="USS Intrepid Air Sea and Space Museum New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/6939610235_7641a0c2de.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="USS Intrepid Air Sea and Space Museum New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6939610445/" title="Aircraft on Intrepid Air Sea and Space Museum New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6939610445_9d531ce97b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Aircraft on Intrepid Air Sea and Space Museum New York"></a><br />
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Sadly the only way to get to the navigation bridge was to climb up some steep steps. With my sore hip and crutch there was no way I was getting up there. I found a bench to sit on instead and sent the Yorkshireman up alone. He waved at me from above (from the "vulture's nest", I believe) and took some photos to show me what was up there. It turned out you weren't really allowed to play the exhibits up there anyway, so I didn't miss much that would have interested me.<br />
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Instead I watched a group of small school kids emerge on to the flight deck and be very sweetly amazed by the view. One wide-eyed boy said he was <i>"on top of the world!"</i>, which was very cute.<br />
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When the Yorkshireman returned from his expedition we went down to the Hangar Deck. That was where all the fun was at. It turns out, they have a whole load of interactive exhibits there! I was thrilled since those are the only things that make museums interesting to me. What can I say, I'm a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesthetic_learning">kinesthetic learner</a>. Also mentally five years old. I got to pretend to fly a helicopter, play with switches and buttons inside a space capsule, complete tasks with space gloves on, sit in the captain's chair in a pretend navigation deck, sit in a rowing boat that moved as though it were at sea, play with air flows… it was brilliant! Anything I can climb on or where I can press buttons is an instant winner with me, so I had a fab time, crutch and all!<br />
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We debated going on one of the simulators but they were kinda expensive and we also feared my leg might fall off, so we gave them a miss. We were having a look at another interactive exhibit where you had to step from side to side and try to line up your line of sight with a ball of light (called the "meatball" apparently) and a cross-mark, i.e. like a plane would have to do to land on an aircraft carrier at sea, when a gentleman who had formerly been in the military came over to tell us more. I'm painfully anti-social and hate talking to strangers but it was actually very interesting and I discovered that he and his fellow yellow t-shirted workers at the museums are actually volunteers, which is nice of them. He suggested we watch the short movie that shows every 15 minutes about the Intrepid's time in action and then left us to look at the impressive Lego model of the Intrepid.<br />
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We'd just missed the start of the film so we decided to come back later if we had time and made our way down to the Gallery and Third Deck. Here they had examples of mess halls, sculleries, etc, and it was interesting to see where and how the actual crew would have slept, prepared food, ate and hung out in their downtime. I wouldn't fancy it myself for extended periods but more power to them! That said, we did call into the Au Bon Pain they hide down there for lunch and ate in the actual mess deck, surrounded by bleak tables, chairs and pipes everywhere, which was kinda cool.<br />
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After lunch we took a walk along the pier to check out Concorde. Sadly you're no longer able to see the interior unless you're part of a guided tour, which was disappointing, but even the outside was pretty impressive. I would have loved to have flown in one of those bad boys!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6793498238/" title="Concorde on Intrepid Air Sea and Space Museum New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6793498238_597177a3cb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Concorde on Intrepid Air Sea and Space Museum New York"></a><br />
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Next we took a look at some steel beams which had been recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Centers after 9/11 and learned that, <a href=" http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2009/nyfo041309-1.htm">apparently</a>, the New York arm of the FBI had actually moved its operations and investigation into 9/11 on-board the Intrepid after their offices at the World Trade Center were put out of action. I'd never known that, but what a weird and wonderful solution to a strange and terrible event.<br />
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Next on our to-do list was to explore the Growler submarine, but a sign outside said that anyone who needed assistance walking was not allowed onboard. Doh! It turns out that it was for good cause: we had thought there was some kind of security line you had to go through before you were admitted entrance, but it turned out to be a replica of the cramped little doorways between the different sections of the submarine, which you had to prove you could get through on the relative safety of dry land before you were allowed to try it out in the submarine itself. There was no way I was getting through more than one of those without a struggle, so I again took to a bench (luckily it was a lovely day) and waited for the Yorkshireman to explore on his own. He apparently found it interesting, which was good.<br />
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We still had a little time to kill so we decided to go and watch the short film. It was very, well, patriotic, shall we say. Also a bit fighty for my liking (sorry, I'm a self-confessed, unrealistic pacifist - the unnecessary violence mankind inflicts on each other during times of war horrifies me). But it was interesting nonetheless and worth watching to round out your knowledge and experience of the Intrepid. It might actually be the best place to start if you're there, so you understand the significance of the exhibits as you go round.<br />
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When the film finished we made our way down to the gift shop and had a look at the cool stuff for sale. We bought our traditional souvenir fridge magnet (I fear our magnet collection will soon weigh more than our fridge) and then abandoned ship, strangely enough to go and board another, somewhat smaller ship.<br />
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We walked back to the Circle Line terminal and showed the tickets we had bought earlier for our three hour <a href="http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises/browse.aspx?type=&productid=1">Full Island Tour</a> around the whole of Manhattan, then joined the line. Our feet were still sore from our previous days' adventures so we were looking forward to the long opportunity to sit down, but we had to suffer for it first, namely by queueing for half an hour while the boat's previous sightseers disembarked and our own group had to pose for official photos in front of the boat. The Yorkshireman and I, never ones to pay good money for something we can do ourselves, declined the invitation.<br />
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Eventually we got on to the boat and claimed two seats in the open air portion of the top deck on the left-hand side of the boat (or the port side, as I think the nautical terminology has it). It was a mild day, with the sunshine in the clear skies warming the otherwise crisp winter air, but we had wrapped up warmly and were willing to brave the cold for the uninhibited views. Our tour guide introduced himself and gave us all the information about life jackets, refreshment facilities, etc, and then we were off!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6939610917/" title="Circle Line terminal and Empire State Building from Hudson River by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6939610917_e334daf7ae.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Circle Line terminal and Empire State Building from Hudson River"></a><br />
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I won't go into detail of every little thing we saw, but there were some memorable parts worth specific mention. We got a lot closer to the Statue of Liberty than we had on the Staten Island Ferry on our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/theres-no-stopping-to-sound-of-new-york.html">last trip</a>, which was cool.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6793498626/" title="Statue of Liberty New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6793498626_c147be23a3.jpg" width="358" height="500" alt="Statue of Liberty New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6939611325/" title="View of Lower Manhattan from New York Harbour by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/6939611325_dd3d8b8a4c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View of Lower Manhattan from New York Harbour"></a><br />
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We got a closer look at <a href="http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ellis_island.asp">Ellis Island</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governors_Island">Governors Island too</a>. I also really enjoyed sailing under all the bridges, especially the Brooklyn Bridge, since we'd walked over it last time, and the Queensboro Bridge, since I just think it's a pretty quirky as bridges go.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6793499090/" title="View of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge from the East River by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6793499090_a240c06689.jpg" width="500" height="368" alt="View of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge from the East River"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6793499350/" title="View of Manhattan from the East River by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6793499350_889638fd82.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View of Manhattan from the East River"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6939612279/" title="Ed Koch Queensboro / 59th Street Bridge from the East River by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6939612279_0ed1ecfcc3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Ed Koch Queensboro / 59th Street Bridge from the East River"></a><br />
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I thought the north tip of Manhattan was really cool too because it looked nothing like you would ever imagine Manhattan would do, with still waters and trees and no skyscrapers in view at all.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6939611995/" title="Northern shores of Manhattan by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6939611995_2ffbab4bda.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Northern shores of Manhattan"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6793500184/" title="Northern tip of Manhattan from the Hudson River by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6793500184_34bace0c45.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Northern tip of Manhattan from the Hudson River"></a><br />
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I also really only took in how much of Manhattan there is beyond Central Park when I saw it for myself at a relatively slow speed - for some reason in my head the park is pretty much the top of the island, save for a few blocks, but in reality that couldn't be further from the truth. Granted, if you draw a line from Tito Puente Way (which runs east from the top-right of the park) up 1st Avenue straight up to the shore of the island, it's not even 1 mile. However start at 110th Street (which runs west from the top-left of the park) and go up 11th Avenue and onward as the crow flies to the shore, it's over 5 miles! That's actually a longer distance than from the south of the park to the southern tip of Manhattan at its longest point! I hadn't realised that at all.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6942479581/" title="Google Map of Manhattan - distances from park to shore by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6942479581_46166a2651.jpg" width="500" height="351" alt="Google Map of Manhattan - distances from park to shore"></a><br />
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By the time we'd rounded the northern tip of the island and were passing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloisters">The Cloisters</a> on our left, we were starting to shiver a bit. I'd already had a warming cup of coffee and a warming cup of what was supposed to be chicken noodle soup but actually seemed to be pasta bow broth with two small, dry chunks of indeterminable meat in it. Even our tour guide gave up for a while and had a bit of a break from the cold, only returning to tell us about <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/dep_projects/cp_north_river_plant.shtml">North River Wastewater Treatment Plant</a> some time later.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6793500464/" title="The Cloisters from the Hudson River New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6793500464_77aac3fc5e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The Cloisters from the Hudson River New York"></a><br />
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By the time we were on the final stretch back to the terminal, the sun was beginning to set, casting a lovely orangey-red glow over the Hudson, Manhattan and New Jersey. It was still flipping freezing, don't get me wrong, but it was still very beautiful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6939609991/" title="View of Manhattan at sunset from Hudson River by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6939609991_91ed32cef4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View of Manhattan at sunset from Hudson River"></a><br />
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By the time we disembarked from the boat, we couldn't really feel our extremities any more. I may have fallen a little bit in love with the hand dryer in the ladies' restroom.<br />
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The next stage of our itinerary was to find a sports bar and settle in with some bar snacks and a few beers on time for the NY Rangers game against Tampa Bay Lightning, facing off at 7pm that evening. We'd heard good things about an Irish bar called <a href="http://lansdowneroadnyc.com/">Lansdowne Road</a>, which was within walking distance of the Circle Line terminal and so made a (rather numb) bee-line in that direction. It felt a bit strange to come all the way from Northern Ireland to the USA to go to an Irish bar, but I'll give anything a try once.<br />
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When we got there we ordered some beers and, eager to try some real American bar food, some hot wings and a side of fries. The Yorkshireman and I love hot and spicy food, the hotter the better (challenge accepted!), so we of course picked the hottest ones on the menu. For our first few bites we thought, hmmm, these aren't <i>that</i> hot. Then the heat began to build. We went from being chilled to the bone to having rather pink faces pretty quickly! We did really enjoy the hotness of them actually, but I was disappointed they just tasted like Tabasco sauce to me, which I don't like the flavour of, although I don't know what else I was expecting really.<br />
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After our food and another beer we sat back and reflected on the atmosphere of the bar. Compared with the Flying Puck <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-four-tuesday-7.html">a couple of nights before</a>, we found it lacked the right atmosphere for ice hockey and weren't particularly keen to stick around. Instead we paid up and headed back towards the now-very-familiar stretch by Penn Station and into the Flying Puck. This time we sat at one of the tables instead of the bar and a petite blonde server presented us with a menu.<br />
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We'd originally planned to watch the game and then walk to a diner afterwards for something to eat, but since we were now across the road from our hotel and didn't fancy doing much more than stumble back there after a few beers and some good hockeyin', we decided to top up our fries and hot wings with another shared portion, this time of chilli fries. Chilli fries aren't something we see on menus here very often but having sampled the Flying Puck's offerings, this is something which now disappoints us greatly - the fries were nothing special but the chilli more than made up for it. Yum!<br />
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Another few beers later (the staff at the Flying Puck are certainly attentive when your drink is running low!) and it had been a feisty game. The score was tied 3-3 and we were going to overtime. When, after only 2 minutes 37 seconds of overtime, NY Rangers scored, the bar erupted with the sort of unadulterated joy that only a sports fan whose team has just won and a small child on Christmas morning possess.<br />
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Quite merry now, in both the happiness and alcohol related senses of the word, I decided to grab a slice of pizza on the way back to the hotel, or specifically from a place on the opposite corner called <a href="http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/new-pizza-town-ii-new-york">New Pizza Town II</a>. I went for a slice of vegetable pizza but it was actually pretty rubbish, especially given the price, which was nearly $5 - I hadn't realised until I had to pay. What a rip off! I felt ashamed to have paid more than $1.50 for it - what am I, a <i>tourist</i> or something?<br />
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Back in our wonderful hotel room, it was time for the Daily Show and Colbert Report in bed once again. Tomorrow we would check out of our lovely room and go get to know another part of the city a bit better. I was sad to leave behind the comfortable bed, amazing view and handier-than-anticipated kitchenette, although I was looking forward to a bit of a bigger bathroom. We decided to leave packing until the morning and went to sleep.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-66604627672779069272012-02-27T22:45:00.001+00:002012-03-10T22:54:43.712+00:00Back to Manhattan - Day Five - Wednesday 8 February<i>"Wow, it's Wednesday already?"</i>, was my first thought as I woke up after our second night in our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-three-part-two.html">lovely room</a> at the Affinia Manhattan. <i>"Coffee... now!"</i>, was the second.<br />
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Suitably caffeinated, I once again admired the view from our window and tuned into NY1 to see what was up in New York City that day. The Yorkshireman soon joined me, bleary-eyed but eager to go exploring once again. We knew this day would be a busy one, especially since we once again had time-bound plans, but we knew it would be an interesting one.<br />
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We headed over to Penn Station once again and caught the 1 train down to Rector Street. Since the southern tip of Manhattan was the first area of the island to be settled (called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Amsterdam">New Amsterdam</a> at the time), there is no grid system for the streets there. It's more like the other major cities I've visited. Being honest I prefer the grid system for getting around but there is a certain charm in all the different street names instead.<br />
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Stepping out of the subway, we used one of the big tourist information maps posted around the financial district to get our bearings and then set off to see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charging_Bull">Charging Bull</a>.<br />
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We found him pretty quickly. He was all fenced off and we weren't sure whether this was due to the NY Giants' homecoming parade <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-four-tuesday-7.html">the day before</a> (there was still confetti everywhere and some city workers were doing their best to clean it all up with leaf blowers) or because too many tourists were wearing down his, erm, "boy parts", by rubbing them too often. We've since learned that <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/wall_streets_charging_bull_sta.html">apparently</a> he was actually fenced off last year during the Occupy Wall Street protests. The more you know. Regardless, we were content to take a few photos of him instead!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6787070908/" title="Charging Bull New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6787070908_2a026e918d.jpg" width="373" height="500" alt="Charging Bull New York"></a><br />
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After that we just wandered around the area, taking in the famous sights, including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Stock_Exchange">New York Stock Exchange</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Church_(Manhattan)">Trinity Church</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_International_Building">American International Building</a> (the tallest building in lower Manhattan; we thought it looked like a smaller, stubbier <a href="http://www.esbnyc.com/">Empire State Building</a>) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Hall">Federal Hall</a>. I hadn't known George Washington had actually been sworn in as president on Wall Street back in 1789, so that was interesting.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6933186959/" title="New York Stock Exchange by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6933186959_91d3b32ccf.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="New York Stock Exchange"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6933187721/" title="Trinity Church New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6933187721_44db53355b.jpg" width="361" height="500" alt="Trinity Church New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6787072048/" title="American International Building - 70 Pine Street New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6787072048_a61ff3c0b0.jpg" width="360" height="500" alt="American International Building - 70 Pine Street New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6787071392/" title="Federal Hall Wall Street New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6787071392_0847726965.jpg" width="500" height="389" alt="Federal Hall Wall Street New York"></a><br />
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We did however notice that his statue outside Federal Hall, from certain angles, made him look a bit camp (I hope its not some kind of treason to suggest that). There are actually <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-wasserman/was-george-washington-a-g_b_167159.html">rumours</a> about his preferences and I think it would be fabulous if he had actually been gay. That'd show the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)">Republicans</a>!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6933187499/" title="Statue of George Washington outside Federal Hall Wall Street New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/6933187499_394306f8ca.jpg" width="364" height="500" alt="Statue of George Washington outside Federal Hall Wall Street New York"></a><br />
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We also stumbled upon a <a href="http://www.tjmaxx.com/">TJ Maxx</a> on Wall Street. I always enjoy bargain-hunting in the UK version, <a href="http://www.tkmaxx.com/">TK Maxx</a> (I wonder why they changed the name..?), and have gotten some amazing stuff there before (my record thus far is a pair of pink boots originally marked as £199, reduced to £2 - I think it might have been an error on their part but I wasn't about to question it; pity they were at least one size too big for me!). So in we went.<br />
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Twenty minutes later we emerged with a huge bag of stuff. I'd found a lovely box that looked like an ornate book to house a rather academic friend's birthday gift, a pair of great jeans and a black <a href="http://www.tommy.com">Tommy Hilfiger</a> sweater for my granddad, a fleece jacket for me since the Sloat (sleeping-bag-coat) was turning out to be quite bulky and a bit too warm to wear all the time, and, the pièce de résistance, a beautiful black leather <a href="http://www.fossil.com">Fossil</a> bag.<br />
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I love Fossil handbags and often stare longingly into the shop in <a href="http://www.victoriasquare.com/">Victoria Square</a> in Belfast as I walk past, but there is no way I could justify the cost of one here. Even the original price of the one in TJ Maxx was lower than any of the ones in the Fossil shop in Belfast, and then it was reduced again by over half! I still couldn't really afford it by myself but the Yorkshireman stepped in and offered to pay for it. My <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lPQZni7I18">Independent Woman</a> morals (<i>"The shoes on my feet, I've bought it"</i>, etc) wouldn't allow me to let him just buy it for me, but we eventually settled on paying half each (he is rather awesome, as husband types go). I transferred all my stuff over to it less than two hours later and haven't been without it since. I luff it.<br />
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Frivolous purchases aside, it was then time to make our way to our first, rather more serious appointment of the day, as we had reserved tickets to see the <a href="http://www.911memorial.org/">9/11 Memorial</a>. On our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/journeys-end-lies-over-brooklyn-bridge.html">last trip</a>, in November 2010, we had visited St Paul's Chapel and the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, which we found very moving. We had also stepped out into the graveyard at St Paul's and looked across the road at the big gaping space, where it was difficult to imagine the huge towers had once stood, especially since we had never seen them in real life. This time it was a different experience.<br />
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Admission to the 9/11 Memorial is free, but generally you have to reserve timed tickets on their website ahead of your visit. There is then an airport-like security process to go through on the way in, but it was very efficient. In no time at all we had entered the site and spent some time looking at the memorial fountains, the famous <a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/12/23/hardcore_911_tree_survivor_gets_bac.php#photo-1">"Survivor Tree"</a>, etc. It was very peaceful and it was also very poignant seeing all those thousands of names along the sides of the fountains, some seemingly family members right beside each other.<br />
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Hence I also found the people grinning and taking happy happy holiday snaps of each other in front of the fountains a bit distasteful (all that seemed missing was a big thumbs up), but the less said about that the better. We took some photos, but tasteful ones of the memorial and its environs with no people in them.<br />
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I think the plans for this area are really well thought-out though. The victims of the horrible tragedy are remembered in a beautiful, moving and public way, but yet the ever-determined spirit of New Yorkers is also evident in the ever-increasing height of the new One World Trade Center amongst other buildings right next to the memorial. It just seems to me to be the right mix between acknowledging the past and moving towards the future. I'd really recommend a visit there if you have the opportunity.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6787072816/" title="9/11 Memorial Fountain - Names by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6787072816_89d5cb075e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="9/11 Memorial Fountain - Names"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6933188435/" title="One World Trade Center building progress by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6933188435_87ee061bfe.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="One World Trade Center building progress"></a><br />
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The only bad thing about the 9/11 Memorial was the lack of public restrooms; I know it's a superficial problem given the gravity of the purpose of your visit, but the fact remains that when you've gotta go, you've gotta go. Given the signs put up by local retailers that <i>"restrooms are <u>not</u> available to the public"</i>, it seems to be a common problem for visitors to the site.<br />
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In the end we went to McDonalds on Broadway and also used the opportunity to load up on some caffine and free WiFi, whilst listening to a talented gentleman gently manipulating the keys of a grand piano raised on a mezzanine above the doorway. It was the most relaxing visit to McDonalds I've ever had!<br />
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Rather than a Big Mac we had decided to go a little more upmarket for our lunch that day, as we'd made another Restaurant Week booking. First though we had to make a quick photo stop.<br />
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When we'd been coming up with our "bucket lists" for our trip, one of the few things that the Yorkshireman really <i>really</i> wanted to do was go and see the <a href="http://www.bigwaste.com/photos/ny/ghostbusters/firehouse.shtml">"Ghostbusters Firehouse"</a>. Having only seen the movie once when I was quite young and having been underwhelmed by it, I didn't even know the significance of the place, but the Yorkshireman explained it to me as I took photos of him looking suspicious outside Hook and Ladder 8 on the corner of Varick Street and North Moore Street. Bless.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6933189001/" title="Hook and Ladder 8 New York City - Ghostbusters Firehouse by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6933189001_ed3924820b.jpg" width="355" height="500" alt="Hook and Ladder 8 New York City - Ghostbusters Firehouse"></a><br />
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Then it was off to lunch, this time at <a href="http://www.noburestaurants.com/new-york/experience/introduction/">Nobu New York</a> on the corner of Hudson Street and Franklin Street. Nobu, for those who don't know, is one of the restaurants owned by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobu_Matsuhisa">Nobuyuki Matsuhisa</a>, a celebrity chef who has even had a few bit part roles in films such as Austin Powers Goldmember and Memoirs of a Geisha. I'd actually heard more about the food than the man and was eager to sample his wares. However, after our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-to-manhattan-day-three-part-two.html">first (disappointing) Restaurant Week experience</a> a couple of days before, the Yorkshireman was wary about our lunch plans.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6787073268/" title="Nobu New York sign by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6787073268_695fe4be96.jpg" width="500" height="455" alt="Nobu New York sign"></a><br />
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I have to say, Nobu was entirely different and entirely wonderful. We had made the effort to dress up a little that day (<a href="http://www.opentable.com">Open Table</a> had suggested "smart casual" as the dress code) but given our sightseeing plans for the day we had been unwilling to do without our comfy, casual, now somewhat abused footwear to accompany our business-appropriate attire, so between that and the Sloat I'd been worried we might have been given some condescending looks. However we needn't have worried. They welcomed us without a second glance and led us to our table straight away.<br />
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The food was absolutely delicious. I had sashimi to start and the textures and combination of flavours were perfect. For my main I had Teriyaki beef, which was again perfectly cooked. Unlike Frankie and Johnnie's, they also provided a side dish of rice, even with the Yorkshireman's fish and chips "Nobu style", which didn't seem to require it. For the life of me I can't recall specifically what the dessert was, but I remember it was light and delicately flavoured.<br />
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The service was also just right, with attention when you wanted it and space to enjoy your meal and have a conversation when you didn't. For three courses it had only been $24.07 each, which is less than the price of one entrée on their regular menu. We left over a 20% tip and deemed it worth every penny and more.<br />
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Suitably fed and watered, we made our way to <a href="http://www.southstreetseaport.com/">South Street Seaport</a> to visit the <a href="http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56">TKTS booth</a> there. One our last trip we paid two visits to TKTS at Times Square and waited in line for half an hour <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/give-my-regards-to-broadway-day-6.html">one time</a> and an hour <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/looking-for-fun-and-feelin-groovy-day-8.html">the next</a>. This time we'd thought about buying online on a site like <a href="http://www.broadwaybox.com/">Broadway Box</a>, but there always seemed to be a booking fee of about $11 per ticket and when you took that into consideration, TKTS seemed cheaper. Plus we've since learned that the lines at the TKTS booths at South Street Seaport and Brooklyn were shorter, so we figured we'd give those a try instead.<br />
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At South Street Seaport we walked in, checked the boards to see that tickets for our chosen show were definitely on sale and then walked straight up to the man behind the window. There were four other people looking at the boards and deliberating but no line at all. It was great! We procured two tickets for <a href="http://www.newsicalthemusical.net/">Newsical the Musical</a> that evening for $40.25 each within about 3 minutes. Job done!<br />
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After that we were kind of tired and decided to go back to our hotel room for a little rest before our evening activities began. We watched a bit of TV and I read my book whilst the Yorkshireman wrote in his journal and then we watched New York once again go from daylight to dusk out our window. However before it got truly dark, it was time to leave again.<br />
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Our first stop of the day wasn't very far away - in fact it was across the road. We had intended to visit <a href="http://www.macys.com/">Macy's</a> again at some point on our trip, but we'd seen their one day sale advertised over the previous day or two and figured it was worth a look.<br />
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We started in menswear, which was good because one of the main purposes of our going there was to look for a jumper for the Yorkshireman to replace one that had been covered in someone's spilled Coke at the ice hockey game <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/welcome-to-dc-day-two-sunday-5-february.html">we'd gone to</a> at Verizon Center in Washington. He found one he liked soon enough, which had been reduced substantially and we moved on. Shortly afterwards I found a couple of gifts for my dad's upcoming birthday and the Yorkshireman found a pair of <a href="http://www.calvinkleininc.com/">Calvin Klein</a> socks he liked. I also found a Converse t-shirt that both my brother and sister would have liked and opted for sister dearest, since I'd already bought not-so-baby brother a Hollister hoodie.<br />
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Then it all started to go wrong. It turned out that, as well as the one day sale pulling in the crowds, one of the Super Bowl winning NY Giants was in the store to sign merchandise. Of course we happened to be in the sportswear department at the time it all went mad. We escaped as fast as possible and then had a quick look at the other floors, starting at the top via elevator and working our way back down via the famous wooden escalators.<br />
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The Yorkshireman <i>hates</i> shopping, particularly in busy department stores, and he was getting tenser by the minute beside me. I decided to have one quick look in the women's accessories department for a birthday gift for our aforementioned academic friend and then head to a cash register to get him out of there as soon as possible. Having decided on a lovely blue, green and gold scarf and a multi-coloured, chunky beaded bracelet for our friend, we attempted to find somewhere to pay.<br />
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We eventually found a register and I paid for my bargains, reducing the prices even further with another 10% discount by showing the cashier our hotel room key (some deal the Affinia Manhattan has with Macy's I guess!). The total would originally have been $165.06 and I got it all for $66.66, which is a saving of $98.40! I saved more than I spent! That's <i>my</i> kind of shopping!<br />
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Unfortunately the Yorkshireman's purchasing did not go quite so smoothly: a tag was missing from his jumper and the cashier said she couldn't sell it without a tag since it wasn't from her department. So off we went back to menswear... except, where was it? For the life of us we could. not. find our way back to where we had come in. Eventually, after wearily wandering up and down between floors 1 and 2, we came across a kind of tunnel and went through it. Finally: success! In our defence it <i>is</i> supposed to be the world's largest store!<br />
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We located another jumper that actually had a tag and went to wait on line to pay. We had to wait for about 15 more minutes and the Yorkshireman was getting grumpier by the second, but eventually he got to pay, he got his discounts (which cheered him up a little) and we exited the shop, hot and bothered, into the cold, crisp air. Ah, that was better! There was even some drifting snow around, which was soothing to our overheated and overtired bodies.<br />
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Newsical was due to start at 8pm but we had plenty of time to go for dinner yet. Time for another supposed "best in New York", this time burgers. Every time I read about burgers in New York, someone, without fail, mentions <a href="http://shakeshack.com/">Shake Shack</a>. They also have custard-based desserts, which appealed to our sweet teeth and so we put it on the list.<br />
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Man that was one busy fast food joint! We ordered our food, got one of those pager things that lets you know when it's ready, and tried to look for a table. My order was ready before a table became available but eventually, through luck and persistence, I spotted a group leaving over by the window and swooped in (as much as one can "swoop" with a crutch and sore feet).<br />
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The Yorkshireman joined me soon afterwards, as did a guy and a young boy who shared our table. We determined that it was a big brother (probably twenty-something) taking his eager and inquisitive little brother out for a burger and shake. I had to conceal my smile as big brother explained to little brother how much money it costs to take a lady out on a date in the city. "Lots" was the general consensus.<br />
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I must say I did enjoy my burger at Shake Shack. It was juicy and still pink in the middle, which suited me. However I later had a better burger elsewhere so I don't think I could agree it was the "best" in the city. The fries and shake were good too, but it was very much fast food, not fine dining. You get what you pay for.<br />
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Not wanting to take up a table unnecessarily when it had been so hard to find one ourselves, we left and made our way to the Kirk Theatre, which is actually part of a group of theatres under the one roof called <a href="http://theatrerow.org/">Theatre Row</a>. It reminded us of New World Stages, where we had seen Avenue Q on our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/looking-for-fun-and-feelin-groovy-day-8.html">last trip</a>. We grabbed a beer in their bar (happy that they had <a href="http://brooklynbrewery.com/brooklyn-beers/perennial-brews/brooklyn-brown-ale">Brooklyn Brown Ale</a>), used the restrooms and then made our way into the theatre.<br />
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It was a small theatre but the intimate surroundings suited the show well. I'd read that Newsical was like the Daily Show set to music, which appealed to us greatly, being that we love both the Daily Show and musicals. And it didn't disappoint.<br />
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Obviously some of the numbers were better than others but the show was up-to-date and entertaining, whilst the cast were talented and able impersonators, which really added to the show. Since we've been following the Republican G.O.P. race (mainly in disbelief that anyone would legitimately <i>want</i> to vote for any of the candidates on offer), my favourite song was one about the Republican Carousel. I went around saying, <i>"I'm Mitt Romney and I'm still here!"</i> every so often for the next couple of days.<br />
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The show was relatively short (although enjoyable throughout) and soon we were back on the street. We had intended to go to <a href="http://www.juniorscheesecake.com/">Junior's</a> for cheesecake after the show but we were still full from dinner (the Yorkshireman in particular, as he had eaten about three quarters of a pint of frozen chocolate custard) so we decided to postpone those plans.<br />
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However while we were in the area, we decided to head over to the <a href="http://www.thehersheycompany.com/about-hershey/visit-hershey/retail-stores/times-square.aspx">Hershey's store</a>. Normally we would avoid the shops in Times Square like the plague, but sister dearest had requested that we bring her back some confectionery called a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_5_(candy)">Take 5</a> bar, which was apparently made by Hersey's and which we had been entirely unsuccessful in tracking down thus far, no matter which department store, pharmacy or bodega we'd looked in (or even which city!).<br />
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On the way we passed the <a href="http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/">EarthCam at Times Square</a> and gave anyone who was watching a little wave. I love it when I'm watching it and passersby know it's there and acknowledge the camera, but it rarely happens (it's usually just busy New Yorkers with takeout cups of coffee striding past and lost-looking tourists looking at maps).<br />
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When we arrived at the Hershey's store it was already closed. Doh! We peered into the windows to see if we could spot Take 5 bars from there, but alas we could not. We gave it up as a bad job and headed back to the hotel, where we watched the Daily Show and Colbert Report in our big comfy bed and fell fast asleep. The next day promised to be a little more relaxed (just as well since my feet were about to fall off) but just as interesting.Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-55190536394548023842012-02-26T02:25:00.002+00:002012-03-03T22:49:39.105+00:00Back to Manhattan - Day Four - Tuesday 7 FebruaryOur first morning in New York City began bright and early and I decided to accompany my morning coffee (hotel rooms should <i>always</i> have coffee makers in them by the way) with a little local TV. <a href="http://www.ny1.com/">NY1</a> became our regular wake-up during our time in New York. It's both entertaining <i>and</i> informative. For example that morning it advised us that there was to be a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/07/new-york-giants-victory-parade-photos_n_1259577.html">homecoming parade for the New York Giants</a>, what with them being Super Bowl champions and all. The Yorkshireman's plans for the day were still pretty, shall we say, "fluid" at that point, so he earmarked it as a possible activity.<br />
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I, on the other hand, had my day planned down to the last bus gate number and subway stop. I'm semi-accepting of a half-assed itinerary when I know the Yorkshireman will be there, firstly because I'm not stranded alone, and secondly because of the aforementioned internal GPS he seems to have. However when I know I'm going to be left to my own devices, I take off my glasses and become Super Neurotically Organised Woman! Not sure how to get from Penn Station to Wall Street? Fear not, my friend, for Super Neurotically Organised Woman has a subway map in her handbag! Not sure how much that admission cost will be? No worries, Super Neurotically Organised Woman is strong in the art of Google-Fu!<br />
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Super Neurotically Organised itinerary in hand, I bid adieu to the Yorkshireman outside our hotel, but not before he requested that I take some photos of my day's adventures. Given that I only have a rubbish phone camera and a hand so unsteady my pictures look like I've taken them from a vibrating plate, I was not confident about my ability to relate my day through the medium of photography. However I acquiesced (I will share the rubbishness with you throughout this post, you lucky things!) and headed off down into Penn Station…<br />
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… which was absolute <i>bedlam</i>! It was a veritable <i>sea</i> of NY Giants fans, all dressed in their team's colours and heading down to the parade. I had anticipated no problems at all buying my 7 day unlimited Metrocard, but I had not anticipated the mile-long lines to all of the machines!<br />
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A very helpful Metropolitan Transport Authority employee was trying to tell people that one of the machines was only accepting cards and the other had no change, so they could buy Metrocards at the Long Island Railroad windows instead. If more people had paid attention to him we might all have gotten out of there a lot quicker but as it was I stood and watched at least three groups ahead of me get to the machine and then look bewildered by the fact that they had to get a card with $20 minimum on it.<br />
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Eventually I made it to a machine, paid for my 7 day Metrocard with my <a href="http://www.fairfx.com/">FairFX</a> card and was done within about 30 seconds. See, it's not that hard - even a dumb tourist can do it! All I had to do now was join the huge crowd of people now trying to get down to the subway platforms and try to squish on to a train.<br />
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In the end it wasn't so bad (I think people pushed me a bit less because of the crutch, which was a courtesy you'd be unlikely to receive on a Belfast bus let me tell ya!) and before I knew it I was outside Port Authority Bus Terminal. Before I set about actually getting a bus, I had a quick pit stop to make just around the corner.<br />
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You may recall last time I was in New York, I fell in love with the cupcakes. And that my quest for the world's best cupcake has taken me to <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/give-my-regards-to-broadway-day-6.html">several stores</a> in New York, <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/london-baby-day-one-part-one-funky.html">several</a> <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/london-cardiff-baby-day-three-part-one.html">stores</a> in London and even <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/cardiff-baby-day-four-cardiff-afterlife.html">one</a> in Cardiff, not to mention my own city of Belfast (which is sadly disappointing on the cupcake front). This time, having read loads of <a href="http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2010/07/the-best-cupcake-in-new-york-city-cupcake-shops-bakeries-nyc.html">articles</a> and <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k4945458-Where_to_find_best_cupcakes_in_NYC-New_York_City_New_York.html">forum threads</a> about "the best cupcakes in New York", I decided further research was required in person and set about making a list. Many of the cupcakes I wanted to sample were sadly just not going to work with our itinerary but I did manage to fit a few into the trip.<br />
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The first cupcake on my hit list was from <a href="http://www.cupcakecafe-nyc.com/">Cupcake Café</a>. What a strange little place. When I hear "cupcakes" I automatically think pink and fluffy and homely, but this little coffee shop was almost depressing inside. I also could not immediately see any sign of cupcakes until I looked right at the back of the shop where, amidst the gloom, was a display case housing a rainbow of the most delicately decorated little cupcakes. I kinda liked it - it was like finding hidden treasure.<br />
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<i>"You want cupcakes?"</i>, a gruff-voiced man asked me. Clearly I just look like the type. <i>"Yes please"</i>, I squeaked. We went to the back of the shop and I purchased a vanilla one (my baseline flavour for comparison purposes). Gruff guy gently placed the delicate little cake into a box and deftly tied it with string. He then thanked me for <i>"coming to the ends of the earth"</i> in a dry tone. He seemed surprised when I said it was because they had a good reputation.<br />
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Cupcake purchased, I headed across the road and into Port Authority. Thanks to our little trip out to Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken on our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/looking-for-fun-and-feelin-groovy-day-8.html">last trip</a>, I already had some experience of this huge bus station and indeed with NJ Transit buses. And thanks also to my Super Neurotically Organised itinerary, I knew that I wanted the 111 bus, which would depart from Gate 222 and that I could buy my return ticket from a NJ Transit machine for a mere $13. Easy peasy, or as we would say in Belfast (perhaps more aptly given my purchase only a few moments before), "wee buns!". And then it was off to my first destination of the day: <a href="http://www.jerseygardens.com/">Jersey Gardens Mall</a>.<br />
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Firstly: a defence. Yes, I know, there are a million and one stores in New York. That there are in fact lots of discount stores in New York. That the branded products you buy in these outlet malls are often of a lesser quality than in the actual brand's main stores. However, I'm not into brand names, especially the ridonculously priced ones. Why would I want to spend $200 on a pair of jeans (even if they were originally $500) when I can buy a pair for $30 that are just as good? For me, the thrill of shopping is in spending next to no money on something I will actually be able to wear and machine wash time and time again and not panic when I inevitably spill coffee or drop mayo on it. No, mes amis, I did not go to the outlet mall place for cheap designer goods, I went for bargains!<br />
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And so, first, I went through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest, then I went past the sea of twirly, swirly gumdrops and after that, I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel. ('Lil quote from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319343/">Elf</a> there for those who think I've gone nuts(er)). Actually though I took the bus through the Lincoln Tunnel instead. Then we passed Newark Liberty International Airport; you get very close to the planes on the New Jersey Turnpike, which I liked (every time I see a plane land or take off I shout "plaaaaaannnnneeeeeee!!!", much to my family's simultaneous amusement and shame every time, especially when we go to the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/">Ikea</a> café in Belfast, which overlooks the runway of the airport next door).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6783940920/" title="Newark Liberty International Airport from the New Jersey Turnpike by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/6783940920_76f705aac3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Newark Liberty International Airport from the New Jersey Turnpike"></a><br />
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I also ate my Cupcake Café cupcake on the bus. It was… interesting. First off, it was kind of small, more the size of what we would call an iced fairy cake here, than a proper, cover-your-nose-in-frosting-when-you-bite-into-it sized cupcake. It was however beautifully decorated. The frosting was completely smooth except for a little frosting rose on the top. The cake was more like a pound cake than the lighter muffiny texture I like. The frosting just kinda tasted like cream to me; sweet cream, certainly, but cream nonetheless. Sadly I am not really a fan of cream, so it doesn't really rate amongst my favourite cupcakes ever. However I can see why they are some people's favourite - if you find most cupcakes too sugary but still enjoy a sweet treat occasionally, these are probably perfect for you.<br />
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And then suddenly there we were, at Jersey Gardens. It wasn't even 10am when I arrived and the place was kind of empty. I decided a good place to start was breakfast. I had actually been intending to go to <a href="http://www.ihop.com/">IHOP</a> for breakfast, purely for the novelty value since we don't have them in the UK, but it turns out the IHOP is actually not in the mall itself, but rather a trek through the huge car park and across two roads. With such a busy day ahead of me and my poorly hip, I decided to Starbucks it instead and enjoyed my multigrain bagel with cream cheese and white chocolate mocha whilst perusing the store directory leaflet.<br />
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I picked up some great bargains in the end actually. For myself I got a great rust-coloured top for $7, a lovely black and grey chunky knit jumper for $19.99, a chunky, stretchy belt for $8 and a pair of gorgeous flared jeans for $16.19, which were actually a size too big but which I have since been able to shrink with that old wash-them-on-a-boil-wash-to-make-them-a-size-smaller trick. I also bought my teenage brother a bright green Hollister hoodie for the remarkable price of $13.93 - the one he got for his birthday last year here in Belfast was like £40, so it was about a quarter of the price!<br />
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By the time I'd finished looking around all the stores I was interested in and had convinced my inner-shopaholic that I had neither enough money to buy much else, nor room in our luggage, my feet and hip were aching. After a <a href="http://www.cinnabon.com/goodies/beverages.aspx">Chillata from Cinnabon</a>, which I hoped would give me a simultaneous sugar rush and caffeine high to get me through the rest of the afternoon, I headed back to the bus stop with my purchases, where a 115 heading back to Port Authority was already waiting for me - joy!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6930059081/" title="Distant Manhattan Skyline from the New Jersey Turnpike by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6930059081_095c65aa01.jpg" width="500" height="398" alt="Distant Manhattan Skyline from the New Jersey Turnpike"></a><br />
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Back in Manhattan, I set off towards my next destination: Union Square. I walked over to Times Square (*shudder* we took agin' this horrendously tourist-filled area on our last trip) and jumped on the subway.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6930058801/" title="Times Square sucks New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/6930058801_36b9a84a77.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Times Square sucks New York"></a><br />
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I only realised when I jumped off it again on 14th Street that I'd automatically gotten on the 1 instead of the N/Q/R, which meant I was over on 7th Avenue instead of Broadway and now had to hobble the extra three avenue blocks with my crutch and sore feet. Doh! I put my error down to learned behaviour, since our hotel on our last trip was close to the 1 line, so I was used to getting on at Times Square and heading straight for the 1. Alternatively I just wasn't paying attention, especially since my Super Neurotically Organised itinerary specifically told me I had to get the N/Q/R. That's what I get for ignoring my own forethinkage!<br />
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I eventually made it to Union Square and had a bit of a poke around a few shops there, like <a href="http://www.dsw.com/">DSW</a> and <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/nordstrom-rack">Nordstrom Rack</a>. However those stores were more on the $400 reduced to $150 side of things, than in my league of $80 reduced to $5. There were some really pretty and interesting things though.<br />
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Eventually, without any further bargain finds and with my feet now pulsating with hurtiness, I limped my way across to Starbucks (yes, I have an addiction, I <i>know</i>), this time for one of my old favourites from my last trip that we don't get in the UK, namely a <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/kids-drinks-and-other/caramel-apple-spice">caramel apple spice</a>. Yum! I also bought one of those mini <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/menu/food/bakery/petite-vanilla-bean-scone?foodZone=9999">vanilla bean scone</a> things but it was just meh, like all Starbucks food (with the exception of the yummy Thanksgiving pumpkin muffin I had <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/journeys-end-lies-over-brooklyn-bridge.html">last time</a>). I took my snack over to <a href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/unionsquarepark">Union Square Park</a> and sat on a bench to rest my feet and enjoy it.<br />
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Union Square Park was... odd. The park itself was pretty but it seemed to be full of strange people (I include myself in this statement). There were at least two complete crazies wandering around talking to (or rather <i>at</i>) people. At least only one was asking for money. The other just seemed to be in the mood for a snarking match with whoever would take him on. Whilst he settled his cross-marks on the rather heavy man sitting next to me, I snuck away, as inconspicuously as possible for a shuffling, overweight, auburn-haired Irishwoman, dressed in a black sleeping-bag-coat, clicking a crutch along on one side and carrying multiple shopping bags on the other.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6783943760/" title="Independence Flagstaff (Charles F. Murphy Memorial Flagpole) Union Square Park New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6783943760_78970d3c5c.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Independence Flagstaff (Charles F. Murphy Memorial Flagpole) Union Square Park New York"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6930056949/" title="Union Square Park New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6930056949_dfb6abc4a8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Union Square Park New York"></a><br />
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When I left the park I came across two guys dressed as a red dog and a blue cat, just chilling out and having a chat on the corner opposite. I'm hoping they had some connection with the Petco store behind them or else that's just plain weird.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6930061841/" title="Petco Red Dog and Blue Cat Union Square New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6930061841_45ab69a8db.jpg" width="500" height="358" alt="Petco Red Dog and Blue Cat Union Square New York"></a><br />
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Next I had a look around a few more shops, including <a href="http://www.fishseddy.com/index.htm">Fishs Eddy</a>, which I loved and wanted to buy everything, but was not confident in my ability to get them home intact, not to mention afford it in the first place. I do actually need some big pasta bowls but I'm afraid they'll more likely be £3 ones from Ikea than $20 ones from Fishs Eddy, no matter how cute the <a href="http://www.fishseddy.com/browse.cfm/4,827.html">New York skyline ones</a> were (*sad face*).<br />
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By then my feet really were begging for mercy and my stomach was demanding to be fed something more substantial than three bites of mediocre scone, so I made my way to my next stop, <a href="http://www.grimaldis.com/">Grimaldi's</a> on 6th Avenue. My choice of eatery came from yet more of those "best in New York" discussions, this time for pizza. I know most of the places on these lists are tourist hotspots and that, really, pizza is pizza - it's pretty much all good (unless you're the Yorkshireman who oddly does not like pizza - weirdo!) - but since New York prides itself on its version of the stuff, I figured I'd give a "famous" one a try. <a href="http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/">John's</a>, <a href="http://www.firstpizza.com/">Lombardi's</a> and Grimaldi's seemed to be mentioned most frequently and since Grimaldi's was right near my current shop-fest area, my choice was made for me.<br />
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Grimaldi's is actually inside an old church building, which was kind of weird but kind of cool. I was seated at a red and white checked table in the narrow space between the door and the main part of the restaurant and ordered a small regular pizza with pepperoni and a cream soda. My meal duly arrived with great ceremony and I took my first bite.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6783944168/" title="Grimaldi's Pepperoni Pizza and Cream Soda New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6783944168_8a06b6e2bd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Grimaldi's Pepperoni Pizza and Cream Soda New York"></a><br />
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It was… good. Not OMG where have you been all my life fantastic, but tasty nonetheless. I liked the fresh basil especially, although there was a little too much cheese for my personal tastes; I'm a saucy kinda girl at heart! I've definitely had better pizza before but if you were in the area and looking for somewhere to grab some 'za (no, I can't get away with that at all, can I?), I would by all means recommend it.<br />
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I managed 4 of the 6 slices in my "small" (ha!) pizza and asked if I could have the rest to go. The rich smell followed me around for the rest of the afternoon, which was no bad thing really.<br />
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After lunch, I had a look in a few more stores in the area. I contemplated buying a cute art print in <a href="http://www.papyrusonline.com/">Papyrus</a> for a friend and then didn't, and I found the New York Rangers' third jersey that I knew the Yorkshireman was hoping to buy in <a href="http://www.sportsauthority.com/">Sports Authority</a> and made a note to tell him about it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6930057555/" title="New York Rangers Third Jersey 2011/12 by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6930057555_3639fb2bc0.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="New York Rangers Third Jersey 2011/12"></a><br />
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On my last stop of the day, <a href="http://www.modells.com/">Modell's</a>, I finally tracked down some red <a href="http://www.converse.co.uk/#/landing/create">Converse</a> for not-so-baby brother under my mother's strict budget of "under $40" (the Converse store at Jersey Gardens had been a complete bust) and then limped, broken, back to the subway.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6930059761/" title="Tired shopping on the subway with the crutch by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6930059761_17a16b8382.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Tired shopping on the subway with the crutch"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6783942894/" title="Subway train, New York by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6783942894_e98c8a3dcf.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Subway train, New York"></a><br />
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Back in our lovely hotel room I broke out another beer, unwrapped my Grimaldi's leftovers and settled down on the sofa to enjoy my book and the amazing views from the window at the same time. After about half an hour, the Yorkshireman arrived, equally exhausted from his own day of adventure and eager to tell me what he had been up to. We swapped stories and photos for a while (his were better than mine on both counts, but I still won on the bargain shopping stakes dammit!) and then decided it was time to go watch the NY Rangers game.<br />
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Sadly we didn't have tickets to go to this game in person but we figured a sports bar would be a good alternative. We'd spotted a bar across the road from our hotel called the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Flying-Puck/115973785092366">Flying Puck</a>, which sounded like an ice-hockey friendly bar if ever there was one. It actually turned out to be a New York Rangers bar and being only one block away from Madison Square Garden was perfectly situated for its theme. We actually really liked this bar and ended up going back twice more during our trip, once even when we were no longer staying across the road, we enjoyed it so much.<br />
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That night the NY Rangers were robbed of what should have been their victory against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils were leading 1-0 right up until a few seconds before the end, when the NY Rangers scored! We were going to overtime where we would surely score again and win the day!Everyone celebrated in the bar and on the TV... it was joyous! Then someone noticed that the referee had determined it was not a proper goal! Say whaaattt? They ruled that there had been interference with the goalie but from what I saw none of it was intentional and it was, in my humble opinion, a bad call.<br />
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So of course the Devils won, leaving the bar full of people shaking their heads and fists at the TVs. A very vocal and colourful girl appeared beside us who had clearly been at the game and announced to the bartender that she was angry. We shared her sentiments and decided to at least cheer her up a little by bequeathing our seats to her and her friend in the increasingly crowded bar.<br />
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Then we left, slightly buzzed from all the beer (including a free one thanks to the nice guy behind the bar), still irate and now also a little hungry, so we went in search of dinner. We remembered the lovely Chinese food we'd had from <a href="http://www.gingers5127.com/">Gingers</a> on our <a href="http://isitfridayyetblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-york-new-york-its-helluva-town-day.html">last trip</a> and so made our way north. I was delighted that I had even remembered the cross-streets from last time (my brain works in mysterious ways) and it was still there, exactly the same as we remembered it. We ordered our food and took it back to our lovely hotel room.<br />
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We ate (very nice once again) whilst watching late night TV (The Daily Show and Colbert Report again the shining stars amongst the other poor to mediocre comedy shows on) and then retired to bed. Another day gone already and another action-packed day ahead of us tomorrow!<br />
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EDIT: I forgot to mention, that at face-off of the Rangers/Devils game, this happened... it was was awesome:<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nZIyExMdJx0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-74292491700492592252012-02-22T13:11:00.003+00:002012-02-22T13:11:00.560+00:00Back to Manhattan - Day Three, Part Two - Monday 6 FebruaryThe train from Washington DC to New York was actually pretty great. I've heard Americans complain about Amtrak a lot but clearly they haven't had to deal with the conditions on NI Railways or National Rail! The seats were big and comfortable, there was plenty of room for baggage, the toilets were clean and the café car wasn't outrageously expensive. I don't know what else you can expect from a train really! The journey was interesting too, as we passed through places we'd heard of but never visited, like Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia and Trenton.<br />
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Three hours and fifteen minutes after we boarded in DC, the train pulled into New York Penn Station and, as silly as it sounds, it felt like coming home. We'd stayed close to Penn Station on our last trip to New York, so we knew exactly what to expect when we finally found our way out of the maze that is Penn Station. And you know what? It was exactly the same as I remembered, from the <a href="http://www.dbcca.com/dbcca/EN/press-room/about_the_carbon_counter_1499.jsp">Carbon Counter</a> outside Madison Square Garden, to the Sabrett hot dog carts on the street corners, to the intruding glare of the bright lights of Times Square, just a short walk or one subway stop away.<br />
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It was actually a relief to be there. In Washington DC, I'd been bobbing along in a sea of unfamiliarity, relying on maps and getting frustrated at every turn, whereas when we stepped off the escalator at Penn Station, I knew exactly where I was and knew how to get around on the subway or on foot from place to place. I felt like I was back in efficient civilisation, no offence to DC.<br />
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Happily when we emerged from Penn Station we also knew that our hotel was just across the road. I'd read about the <a href="http://www.affinia.com/New-York-City-Hotel.aspx?name=Affinia-Manhattan">Affinia Manhattan</a>'s recent renovation and when I saw the photos of their new one bedroom suites, I quite fancied the idea of staying in one of those little apartment-style rooms.<br />
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For a while we were intending to stay more uptown at <a href="http://www.ontheave-nyc.com/">On The Avenue</a> but recent reviews had reported the furnishings and décor being a bit worn and dated and I'm unashamedly an advocate of Barney Stinson's rule that "<a href="http://www.barneystinsonblog.com/landmarks/">new is always better</a>", so when the price for the one bed suite at the Affinia Manhattan dropped to below our On The Avenue booking, we cancelled the latter and snapped up the former.<br />
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It turned out to be a great decision - our room was again fabulous! A little smaller than the Helix had been but with a fully functioning kitchenette and an absolutely awesome view of lower Manhattan from the window behind the sofa. The only downsides were that the bathroom was a little small and that it took us a while to figure out how to work the air conditioning (you have to physically plug in the separate wall units apparently). Again pictures speak louder than words, so here are a few photos:<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6905295197/" title="Affinia Manhattan collage by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img alt="Affinia Manhattan collage" height="308" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6905295197_2c20159376.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6905883921/" title="20 view affinia day by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6905883921_8e7686aa6e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20 view affinia day"></a><br />
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After we settled in and squeaked with joy (ok maybe that was just me) at our amazing room, we decided to venture out in search of supplies to fill our fridge. We knew <a href="http://www.kmart.com/">K-Mart</a> was just across the road and so off we went... except it wasn't quite that straightforward. There was a queue of screaming teeangers right around the block and even though we could get in to the floor at ground level, there was seemingly no way down the escalators because of the hordes of people everywhere. Eventually we gave up and walked back to Penn Station, where we recalled there was another entrance to the lower floor, i.e. where the beer lives.<br />
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After getting lost in Penn Station again (to become another common theme of our trip), we eventually found it and procured ourselves some beer and snacks. We remained ignorant of what the big queue upstairs was in aid of until we returned home, at which point Google kindly informed us that some boy band called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c6oFPNZ2_g">Mindless Behaviour were apparently there</a>. They look like eight year olds to me but if nothing else it reminded us that there really always <i>is</i> something going on in New York!<br />
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Back across the road we stocked our little kitchenette and then changed for dinner. It was <a href="http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek">Restaurant Week</a> in New York and we'd made reservations for <a href="http://www.frankieandjohnnies.com/steakhouses/frankieandjohnnies.html">Frankie and Johnny's Steakhouse</a> on West 37th Street.<br />
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It wasn't the best meal experience to be honest. Our table was upstairs, which was pretty inconvenient for me on my crutch, although our waiter at least did pull the table out so I could get in to the booth a bit easier.<br />
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I quite liked our lobster cake starter but the Yorkshireman wasn't that impressed. The main course (or entrée as our American friends would have it) was a bit silly though - with the Restaurant Week menu, it literally was a case of what you see is what you get, i.e. if you order the salmon, you literally get a small piece of salmon in the middle of the plate. You get no sides unless you order them separately, which to me defeats the purpose of have a prix fixe menu in the first place - I mean, who just eats protein for their main meal without at least a vegetable or potato with it? No-one, that's who.<br />
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My steak (what little there was of it) was nicely cooked but the Yorkshireman found his salmon only so-so. Our fries (which cost an extra $8 for the one portion we shared) were ok too but again nothing special. For dessert the Yorkshireman was underwhelmed with his chocolatey dessert (so underwhelmed we forget what it was) and my key lime pie was good but not great.<br />
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My tiny steak really was the high point of the meal and we left thinking that, when you took into consideration the extra side dish, the wine, tax and tip, the $130 check was a bit of a rip-off for what started as a $35 prix fixe menu. It was the most expensive meal of our entire trip and probably actually one of the worst. Plus, our waiter kept stalking us. There's a difference between attention to detail and staring at you while you're eating. We won't return and I wouldn't recommend it - if you're willing to pay a fortune for a good meal, there are probably a thousand better places in New York.<br />
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Dinner finished, we wearily stumbled back to our hotel and settled in with a beer each and some snacks (since we were still hungry after our modestly portioned dinner) to watch <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/">The Daily Show</a> and <a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/">The Colbert Report</a>, which are two of our favourite shows; it was especially a treat to watch them in the same city they're recorded and at the time they're normally broadcast rather than the next day online, as we poor UKers must now do after their <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/20/more4-daily-show-stewart">deal with More 4 went south</a>.<br />
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Suitably amused and caught up with current affairs, we took one last look at the mesmerising views from our windows. The city was now in darkness, but all lit up, including the Empire State Building, which peeked out at us from one of our side windows (dressed all in blue in honour of the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory the night before).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6905884557/" title="21 view affinia night by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6905884557_a5931c5e29.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="21 view affinia night"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6905885155/" title="21 view affinia night esb by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6905885155_3fa58d91b3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="21 view affinia night esb"></a><br />
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Some of the people in the office building across from us had only just gone home for the night but for us it was definitely time for bed. The next day would be interesting, as we each decided to go our separate ways and explore New York for ourselves...Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-47416507435233004042012-02-21T17:07:00.003+00:002012-02-21T17:07:00.475+00:00Welcome to DC - Day Three, Part 1 - Monday 6 February<i>A brief interlude from my self-indulgent reliving of my recent travels just to acknowledge that this is apparently my 100th post on this blog. When I consider how many posts I've written on forums and Facebook and the like, 100 doesn't seem like all that many, but I never knew I had 100 unique thoughts in my head, let alone any I could discuss at length, so, I guess, go me, or something... Happy century, little blog!<br />
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We now return to our feature presentation...</i><br />
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We woke up on Monday morning to a bright and crisp morning in Washington DC. We finished packing up our belongings into our suitcases once again (it hardly seemed like any time at all since we'd originally packed them in Belfast) and decided to go for a walk to enjoy the beautiful morning before we checked out.<br />
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We grabbed some more free tea and coffee from the hotel bar and set off outside with our takeout cups. The Yorkshireman's internal GPS told him that our hotel actually wasn't that far from the White House and, having stared at Google Maps for long enough myself, I concurred. We made our way along to 16th Street and, hey, whaddya know, there it was at the end of the street. It was about a mile's walk in all from the hotel to the railings surrounding it but it was a pleasant enough walk, even passing the <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/about/">National Geographic Society</a>'s building on the way (Mecca for a geek like the Yorkshireman - he even took a photo bless him).<br />
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I was surprised by how few tourists there were outside (the White House, not the National Geographic Society) but then maybe 9.30am on a Monday morning isn't peak sightseeing time. We took a few photos and admired the fountain and columns (you're really into your classical architecture, aren't you DC?).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6905882509/" title="17 white house by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6905882509_af8a1ed70a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="17 white house"></a><br />
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Next we took a look at <a href="http://prop1.org/conchita/">Concepcion Picciotto's anti-nuclear protest</a>, conspicuously sitting right between the White House and General Andrew Jackson's statue in Lafayette Park. Concepcion herself was not present at the time, but her tent was attended by a bearded friend. I'd remembered seeing the protest in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361596/">Fahrenheit 9/11</a> and our trolley tour driver had told us about her again the night before, so it was interesting to see it in person. I haven't really looked into what the protest specifically stands for (other than its anti-nuclear sentiments) but regardless of whether you agree with her or not, you've got to admire her staying power - she's been there since 1981!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/77002295@N02/6905883269/" title="18 protest by Is It Friday Yet Blog, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6905883269_c0927677df.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="18 protest"></a><br />
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As we left the White House we crossed Lafayette Park and marvelled at the grey squirrels' complete lack of fear of humans... one came right up to my hand (probably thinking I was feeding it) but I didn't fancy being bitten, so we left and went in search of our own breakfast. We stumbled upon a Starbucks and I had a bagel with cream cheese and a skinny white chocolate mocha (which was to become my breakfast of choice throughout most of our trip).<br />
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We headed back to the hotel via <a href="http://www.cvs.com/">CVS</a> again, this time to buy some medicated lip balm - something about the air in the USA always seems to give us chapped lips and dry hands for some reason, even though it might have been colder in Belfast. Strange.<br />
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At the hotel we took advantage of the free $10 credit we got for the mini bar as <a href="http://www.kimptonhotels.com/intouch/KIT_overview.aspx">Kimpton In-Touch</a> members and I got myself a little tube of cheese stick things (kind of like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nik_Naks">Nik Naks</a>) and a Diet Coke for our onward journey. Then it was time to leave our beautiful suite and check out. Check-out was again perfectly efficient with no issues or problems, so I left with a fantastic impression of the hotel and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone, especially if you can get a good deal on one of the suites like we did.<br />
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Outside the hotel with our backpacks on and suitcases once again in hand, we realised we were once again reliant on public transport to get to the station. Sigh. A little research had revealed that our best bet was a bit of a walk down to K Street and get a bus directly from there. The <a href="http://wmata.com/">WMATA website</a> had suggested getting the D6 bus from there, but when we arrived we came across a <a href="http://www.dccirculator.com/">Circulator</a> bus sitting at the stop that said it was going to Union Station.<br />
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We'd seen these Circulator buses going around during our time in the city but had no idea what they were or how they worked, just that they seemed a heck of a lot more regular than the Metrobus buses. We confirmed with the driver he was going to Union Station and hopped on with our cases. It was only $1 compared with Metrobus' $1.70 fare. So, more regular <i>and</i> cheaper <i>and</i> less exact change needed. I wish we'd figured this out earlier!<br />
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We arrived at Union Station and found our way to the <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/">Amtrak</a> self-service ticket machines, scanned our barcodes and collected our tickets. Then we went down to the food court again and bought a foot-long sub each from Subway. We had half each in the food court (while I huffed at the Yorkshireman for mocking my inability to manoeuvre myself, my backpack, my suitcase and my crutch on to the fast-moving, narrow escalator down into the food court without falling to my death - how caring and sympathetic my husband is!) and saved the other half of our subs for the train.<br />
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Then it was time to bid adieu to Washington DC and take the midday train going anywherrrreeeee. Or, more specifically, New York City, baby! Yeah!Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.com0