A Reporter's Life

Live from New York

This weblog update is being posted from the third floor of a New York City apartment building near the campus of New York University. It is being typed by someone who has taken 154 photos and written 3,800 words since she boarded a plane in Oakland last night. (Laptops are wonderful, wonderful things.)

I think I forgot to mention this New York trip earlier, so the basics are as follows: I'm seeing the city -- and state -- while visiting my sister. I fully intend to drag her along on various touristy adventures, including Times Square for the ball drop on New Year's Eve.

However, since I've only slept for three of the last 40 hours and we're getting up early tomorrow to make an attempt at getting discount Broadway tickets, that's all folks.

Posted by Layla at 9:54 PM, December 25, 2003

— Comments —

Sounds exciting! Have fun!

Posted by: merlaan at 10:24 PM, December 25, 2003

TKTS! Try down by South Ferry. The lines are shorter there than at the TKTS up in Times Square.

Posted by: Thomas at 8:19 PM, December 26, 2003

Oh, and if it wasn't ass-cold up there right now, I'd suggest going to Chelsea Piers to see if the Screamer is running. Oh heck, here's a repost of something from that place you don't go to anymore:

[For a view of the city], go to the Empire State Building. At the ESB, when in the room to buy the tickets, get in the right line, not the left one no matter how much shorter the left line looks. It's actually longer.

Head to Chelsea Piers and take the Chelsea Screamer speedboat tour in the evening. You'll get a great view of the Statue of Liberty with a neat sunset behind it.

If you really want to go up to the crown at the Statue of Liberty, get to Battery Park (where you get the tickets) early in the day. The lines getting to the Statue on the island and the lines getting back to the ferry to get off the island are very long. If you don't want to climb the statue, take the speedboat tour -- you'll save a lot of time in line and you'll get a great photo of the statue.

Also on the water: Outside of the World Financial Center (just north of Battery Park, across the street from the World Trade Center) on the river is a white tent. This is the ferry to Hoboken. Take the ferry at night, go through the terminal and go to the park on the pier. At night, this is an excellent view of the Manhattan skyline. Then just take the ferry back.

You want to see a broadway show? Over at Times Square, there's a discount ticketseller called TKTS. They offer 25% to 50% discounts off of tickets for that day's performances. The Times Square location is very crowded, everyone knows about this one. Don't go there. Instead, go to the TKTS office in the World Trade Center (in 2 WTC): lines are a fourth the size and it's indoors (something important if it's raining). Know what you want when you get to the window, or they'll kick you out of line. [Since I wrote this, the downtown TKTS moved to South Ferry. I don't know if it's still there or not.]

No matter how easy it looks, you'll never pick the Red Queen. Just keep walking.

Get a Fun Pass Metrocard. These are $4 subway pass cards, good for all day long on the subways (best way to get around the city) and the busses (the worst way to get around the city). Avoid the green line during rush hour.

Don't make eye contact on the subway.

You know that "Walk/Don't Walk" sign at intesections? Merely a suggestion. Instead, watch for oncoming traffic when crossing or your fellow pedestrians for cues. Never walk in front of a taxi. In midtown, never stop walking just because the "Don't Walk" sign is illuminated -- you'll be trampled by the people behind you.

Oh, and get some Belguim french fries at Pommes Frites, just two blocks north of Times Square on Seventh Avenue. Try the rosemary garlic mayo topping or the Hawaiian pineapple mustard (tangy!).

Posted by: Thomas at 8:25 PM, December 26, 2003

Wow, lots of suggestions. (I'd read them a long time, but had since forgotten all about it.) I learned about the crosswalks, and you're definitely correct.

I love the Hoboken ferry idea, because I'm already bugging my sister about going to New Jersey. Why? So I can see another state. ;-) And I always love good views.

As for the Broadway tickets, I guess the 50 percent discount still isn't that much compared to my sister's student discount. The catch, though, is that you have to get to the box office very, very early. My sister's going to try tomorrow and if that doesn't work, we'll go even earlier on Sunday.

The Belgian fries sound interesting, except for the whole "mayo as a topping" thing, which sounds positively gross. My sister says there's a Pommes Frites around the corner from her apartment, so I may investigate.

Oh, and I did make eye contact on the subway (when I was riding it by myself without my sister). Today I was chatting with an older couple because the guy asked if my camera was digital. He used to have a Nikon and thinks the digital thing is pretty cool. And that led him to tell me that their son recently got married -- to someone he met online.

Posted by: Layla at 9:44 PM, December 26, 2003

If you decide to do that dinner thing on Bleeker St, then over to the dessert place thing I mentioned [elsewhere], you will be very close to the Christopher Street station for the PATH train. Take that to Hoboken if you don't want to head all the way down to the WTC area to find the ferries. Then come back and head to Chumley's.

I don't know if they've permanently moved the ferry port to somplace else after the whole WTC thing a few Septembers ago. Immediately after, they had the ferries leaving from the other side of the island. If it's still there, you can get to it by walking down Wall Street all the way to the East River, at the pier just south of the South Side Seaport. (Pier 11?) But as mentioned, I don't know where the PATH ferries are these days.

Call me if you get turned around.

Posted by: cartoonlad at 1:12 PM, December 29, 2003

I did see the WTC site, and I think I'm going on the Staten Island ferry tomorrow or Wednesday, but I don't know if I'll get to Hoboken, after all. Time sure is fun when one is having flies.

Oh, and my sister is convinced that Chumley's does not exist. (I'm sure she's reading this.)

Posted by: Layla at 4:38 PM, December 29, 2003

Well, I've been there several times, so she's wrong.

Posted by: cartoonlad at 8:10 AM, December 30, 2003

LMAO – too funny

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