Touring your Own Town

The bad weather from the South is entering NYC, so instead of getting out of town this weekend, we have opted for staying home. Much more to do here.

After services yesterday morning, we had lunch at our favorite local haunt, Sant Ambroeus. We bumped into our friends there who had also just left services. An added bonus since the food is always good there. I prefer breakfast and lunch just due to the vibe but dinner is good too. There is where we plotted our day.

We walked home, changed and walked down to Soho. We are in the market for a new laptop so the Apple Store is the best place to go. The store is architecturally very cool. Also, there are classes to attend, advice to be had and information wherever you turn. Brilliant really. It was packed, as usual, so we just picked up a new Mac game for my son and decided to return early Saturday morning before the crowds start.

We jumped on the subway and hiked it up to Times Square. We went to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum on 42nd street. The place is cheesy beyond and the cost to get in there is atronomical but there are some benefits. The kids love it. Also, the room where the historical figures are is actually educational. It is interesting to read about them, who the kids recognize, who they don’t or who they now will recognize in the future. The game my son got is loaded with historical figures so now he knows who they all are if he didn’t before.

It was getting late and we needed to eat dinner before our evening activity. We walked up Broadway to Blue Fin. Personally, I think Blue Fin is the best restaurant and least touristy in that neighborhood. We got a table and had the ceasar salad which is really good there and a variety of sushi rolls. Perfect.

We then strolled over to Radio City to see the Liberty play Indiana. The games have been played at Radio City since July. Last night waas the last one before they move back to Madison Square Garden. It is really wild to walk into Radio City and see a basketball game happening on the stage. It is pretty cool. As for the Liberty, if you have never been to one of their games, I highly recommend it. The crowd is fantastic. The fans are die-hard. To see the women play ball is inspiring. It was a great game. We went into overtime and Becky Hammon, as always, saved the day.

We left exhilerated and exhausted from the day. We walked through Rockefeller Center on the way to 5th Avenue. We got in one last bit of NYC before we grabbed the cab. The latest installation from the Public Art Fund at Rockefeller Center is Jonathan Borofsky’s “Walking to the Sky”. It is a large pole, literally jutting up into the sky with statues of people walking up it. He has done a variety of public installations. This one in particular, although it was not conceived with 9/11 in mind, it is very relevant to our times. If you are in the area, definitely go and see it. I really am glad we did.

It was a great day. The last glimpse of art before grabbing a cab is one of the many things I love about NYC. Everywhere you go, there is something to be discovered or something going on that you might not have known about. There is always a hidden gem right around the corner.