Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York!
With the help of my good friend, amateur restaurant-blogger, and tour guide extraordinaire, I explored new areas that revealed NYC to be more than just wall to wall concrete and traffic. Marie Cassandra Masters deepened my appreciation for the Big Apple as we steered away from the onslaught of advertisement and consumerism: the art of manipulation that encourages greed, instant gratification, and fiscal irresponsibility. I will now step down off my soap box.
One of our first stops was an obsolete above-ground Metro, converted into a beautiful garden with a stunning view. I loved the contrast of converting this symbol of noisy industrialism into a peaceful park, complete with water feature and a small performance area for mini-concerts. Besides enjoying the serene walk and admiring the flowers, we observed a man struggling up the massive flight of stairs with two kids; one on his back and one in a very heavy-looking stroller. Sweat stains were forming on his shirt and his face was red with straining. Marie didn't have the heart to tell him there was an elevator.
As we walked, we stumbled upon an exposé for Iron Chef. I don't follow the television show, but I gladly ate the free food on offer. The Korean noodles were tasty, and if that wasn't treat enough, we received a free DVD to have our photo taken! Double score.
Eating was really the highlight of the trip. I lost so much weight eating rice and beans in Guatemala, I had no problem making up for it with pizza and cupcakes. The NYC cupcake competition is vicious, and they have to go to extreme measures to attract your attention and woo your sweet tooth. See exquisite example below from Crumbs Bake Shop.
In addition to walking and eating, Mike, Marie and I put on our dancing shoes and sashayed over to the swanky Swing 46. We drank dry martinis (tres apropos), listened to a great live jazz band, and nibbled overly-priced appetizers. Mike and Marie really cut a rug, while I had a Swedish girl as my partner. She was a great lead, just not my type.
To close the night and alleviate my chocolate craving, we taxi'ed it over to a bar- the only place open on a late Sunday night (damn you, chocolate store for closing!). Mike had dinner round two, because he's training for an Iron Man and burns a hundred-million calories a day. I can't remember what chocolate delicacy satisfied my addiction, because the night's focus was on my trip to Egypt. I was scheduled to travel from Athens to Cairo at the disapproval of most friends and family. Marie and Mike supported my desire to get an inside view to the revolution and hear people's opinions during this monumental period of political transition... until we started talking to the Egyptian waiters in the bar. Their words of warning coincided with my concerned parents. Risk is a part of life, and danger can be factored with an equation, but I can't give an accurate probability assessment for a woman on her own in Cairo. Well, as they say, when one door closes, another opens... and the pyramids will still be there for next time.
On Monday, 23rd of May, Marie and I took a little yellow taxi to JFK. I was loaded with snacks from the Masters' place of business. They work at an impressive building overlooking the best of Manhattan, but more importantly there's a ping-pong table on their floor and all the free Kit-Kat's, DDP, and Nature Valley granola bars you can stomach. Hmm... maybe I should get back on my soap box about how brand loyalty is one form of manipulation, but my video doesn't help my case... oh well, enjoy!
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