In a New York (Long Weekend) Minute

 Friday:

 

  Our gate (J26) wasn't announced until 1:04pm when the train was scheduled to leave at 1:15pm.  There were just a bunch of people waiting by the monitors until it was announced and then all moved at once, like a large flock of birds.  I thought we had assigned seats, but you just find one you like in the Coach area.

  We rode the Northeast Regional Amtrak for a fairly quick three hour and forty minute trip.  I got the turkey and Gouda sandwich, it was pretty good.  There was a really good squirrel mural near Baltimore, it had a purple background and showed the squirrel eating from a bird feeder.  I didn't manage to get a picture or find one online of it.

  Steven managed to get a seat-mate that liked Star Wars.  He told him about the 501st Legion.  The new guy's lady-person also liked Star Wars and she had a Darth Vader suitcase.  The lady behind me from Delaware was blown away when her seat-mate from New York told her about Cat Cafes.

  On our walk from the train to the hotel we saw a bunch of very fashionable people.  One girl had a horizontal slit peek-a-boo t-shirt cut super short and it looked really edgy with a blazer on top.

  Our Homewood Suites room looked like an apartment.  I like how there are so many space-efficient pieces of furniture exist now.  In our room the couch folded out to be another bed.

  Tony's Pizza sounded good for dinner before the show.  I got the veggie, Bill got the pepperoni and bacon, and Steven got one BBQ and one bacon.  They were thin and just the right amount of floppy while not being too greasy.

  Since we got to the venue for Stomp early, we did some people watching while we waited for the doors to open.  We did get to hear someone warming up for the show when we picked up our tickets.

  The stage and seating area had a bunch of city things all over.  There were street signs, a crossing signal, hub caps, a traffic signal, and so many other bits and bobs.

  The show was amazing.  I love how many characters there were, like the one who wants to be the center of attention, the chill guy, the cool girl, the tough girl, and the awkward guy.  The awkward guy was my favorite.

  The scene transitions were super fast.  Even when it took longer to get set up they had something for you to watch.  One scene even looked like stop motion animation.  I recommend going to see it, I know I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Saturday:

  I had wanted to go to The Bagel Store to get the original rainbow bagel, but they were temporarily closed.  I then found Liberty Bagels Midtown who also have a rainbow bagel.

  I got the rainbow bagel with spinach and artichoke, Bill got the rainbow bagel with strawberry, Steven got the sausage egg and cheese on sesame.  It was good enough that we talked about going back again before the trip was over.

  I was really hoping to see Swatch since he is starting to look a bit old when they show him on Project Runway.  I wondered around but didn't see him.  The employee said that the best time to see Swatch is around summer because that's when they film Project Runway.  It was a bit weird that he also told me twice that Swatch was still alive, just at home.  Since walking all three floors I'm so confused how the Project Runway contestants manage to find what they need in so little time.  The store is organized so well, but there are just so many fabric options.

  The Ghost Busters Headquarters.  It's a working fire station, so the gift shop isn't always open.  It was fun to stop by and see.

  We went to frenchette for lunch, it was just a short walk down the road from the fire station.  I got the duck haché with Chiara Vigo to drink, Bill got the poulet roti, and Steven got the tartare frites.  Everything was a bit pricey, but so good and worth it.  I even had some leftovers to take back to the hotel.  When you get a box for extra food, they give you a playing card to turn in before you leave.

  Everyone else took a nap, but I went out to get a Geocache.  This one was a bit hard to pull out of the hiding spot because of how strong the magnet on the container was.  It was a nice walk and helped me to digest all the food I had eaten.

  On way to the show, we saw a guy pulling his food cart and just walking with the traffic.  He even got a Taxi to back up for him because he had to get through that spot.

  We wanted to see one show on Broadway and Beetlejuice won.  The show was really good and now I want to learn all the stage magic.  I also got a bit emotional when everyone gave them a standing ovation because everyone's hard work came together to make a great show.  There was a mic issue at the beginning, but that didn't ruin the show at all.

  For a midnight snack we got some more pizza.  2Bros Pizza had a line out the door, but they were working quickly.  The cheese pizza slices were only $1 and very good.  I would go there all the time for a late-night bite if I lived nearby.

Sunday:

  While waiting in the line to check our bags at the train station the guy at the front of the line was having problems with his credit card and then the other people didn't have their tickets available to scan easily.  The poor employees were trying to get through the line as quickly as possible.

  We then went to the The Fans Strike Back Exhibition.  I took a million pictures of everything.  Steven and I did the VR experience.  I really like flying in space, but I probably would have made a few different flight path choices.  It was also really cool to be able to see some of the costumes up close and see what they were made out of.

  Osteria 57 won for lunch.  We got the Truffle Ricotta Toast for the table and sparkling water.  I got the Poached Egg and the Body Language drink, Bill got the Papperdelle and the Perfect Darkness, and Steven got the Spaghetti and the Vodka Lemon.  I really liked the little outdoor building they made for seating.  A bunch of restaurants had them and though it meant that there was less street parking, it was really cool.

  Steven had been requesting that we get ice cream at some point.  Bill did a quick search, and I knew I wanted to come here.  He showed me one picture of the ice cream flower and I wanted one.  Amorino is where you should go if you want to get your own ice cream flower.  They also have cups for ice cream.  I saw that they just get tiny slivers and press them on the outside to make the flower, so it isn't too hard, but it is fiddley and would take practice.  I got mango, mascarpone & fig, and banana with a pistachio macaroon.  She forgot to put it on top, so I just got it on the side.

  We were trying to think of things to do, so I suggested sitting in a park and people watching.  The nearest park was Washington Square Park.  I wondered around to see if I could get another Geocache and while trying to find it there were suddenly a ton of people on bicycles riding through the middle.  After a bit I saw a different group go down one of the streets next to the park with three LAPD officers on scooters behind them, it was really cool.

  Steven had been to the Museum of Sex the last time he was in NYC but said he wouldn't mind going again with Bill and me.  It was both educational and amusing.  I would go again some time and try and win a prize.  The girl in front of us won one and I was jealous of her.

  We still had some time to kill and were feeling a bit hungry.  We had planned to stop by a roadside stand but kept having meals that were too big or they were all closed for the day when we wanted a late-night snack.  This was the last chance we were going to have before the trip was over.  It was so good and I was glad we were finally able to get one.

  While waiting for the train I saw someone with an MTA Homeless Outreach bright orange jacket that had Magikarps embroidered onto the cuffs of her pants.

  Shane hooked us up with some business seating upgrades.  We got in just a bit too late to take the Metro back home, so we waited in line for a taxi.  The one we got was a bit small, but we had been managing to get all three of us in the back of the NYC taxis, so we did one more New York Squish.  This taxi driver ran a red light soon after leaving the station and was not comfortable driving on winding back roads at all, but he was really nice.

  It was a really good trip overall.  I will have to remember to pack some Band-Aids or something for a next trip because the sides of my little toes got rubbed raw.  We got all the things we really wanted to get done in and had some time for a few more things.  We even have something we want to try and do the next time we are in town.

For another time:

  The NYCRHPS show for that weekend was on Saturday, but it was happening at 9pm which was only an hour after Beetlejuice was supposed to start.  We would have tried to go if it had been a midnight showing.

  Houndstooth Pub was near our hotel, and we kept meaning to try it, but the timing was never right.  We were either too full or arriving too close to closing time.

  We had also planned to try and find somewhere where we could buy some of the Rogue River Blue cheese by Rogue Creamery.  We had found a few shops that carried that brand of cheeses but ran out of time to stop by one of them.