OK BACK TO WORK DAMMIT!
The table top at our Chelsea loft was blanketed with maps of Manhattan, brochures for broadway musicals, books about NYC, cameras waiting to be abused and a macbook pro which stood as the backbone of our entire stay. Take heed, when you travel with Cecile Marie Fortun Tecson - you will be prepared.
We began each day with a picture of a happy group of friends who were ready to carpe diem the hell out of our short, but worthwhile vacation. This photo of smiles marked Day 1.
Day 1 began with a hearty meal at a famous fish 'n chips place called A Salt and Battery. Catchy, isn't it? The people behind the counter all had English accents, and rightfully so. After all, who makes better fish 'n chips than the Brits?
A few blocks to walk off our delish meal, we took a moment to hang out at Washington Square Park to be one with New Yorkers. People were reading, walking their dogs, having an ice cream cone, chit-chatting, etc.
Again with the maps. We NEVER left the loft without one.
There is something about cherry blossoms that makes me so happy. I have yet to see the earthly clouds of faint pink that surround Washington, DC in the spring (until April 2008 when Leia and I are DETERMINED to go no matter what, that is. WHO WANTS TO JOIN US?!), but seeing NYC in the spring was just as satisfying.
A short subway ride after, we found ourselves at Ground Zero. Honestly, I don't know if anyone who hasn't been there since before 9/11 can prepare themselves for this. The rubble remains still, along with the shock.
Before the destruction stands a small Episcopalian chapel that survived that awful day. The only damage was the fall of a giant tree which came upon the cemetary ground, protecting the tombstones which lay beneath.
The day got cold very fast, forcing the unprotected (namely, James and Cile) to find refuge in a small souvenir stand which sold sweatshirts, t-shirts and NYC-themed gifts. Our next mission was to visit the Statue of Liberty. But when the wind began to blow, and Cile began to shiver, she pouted, "Who's idea was it to come all the way over here to see..." and then she saw that famous lady in the water. Suddenly...
"THERE SHE IS!! LOOK JAMES!! IT'S HER!!!" - Cile
We braved the rainy ferry ride to the Statue and forgot how cold and tired we were.
Emma Lazarus' famous words engraved on the statue's book do say, "Give me your tired, your poor,/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Tired we were, poor (certainly after all these trips, yes), we huddled on the ferry for warmth and when we arrived...
...we jumped and posed and BREATHED freely...
When we got to our home subway stop, we had one of many "pizza snacks." There's literally a pizza place on every street in NYC.
After a nap party, we headed back out and had a real dinner at the famouse Gray's Papaya. Don't be fooled by imitators when you get there. No "Papaya Dog" will ever do.
After hot dogs and papaya drinks, we got back on the subway to find dessert and ran into an old friend. RANDOM! We were getting out of the subway and Dennis (a friend of the UCLA peeps) was getting on. Talk about serendipity (see 4/26 entry) because...
A full day of walking deserved rewards in the form of frozen hot chocolate at the famous Serendipity.
It's a small cafe made even more well-known after the movie of the same name was released. One thing NYC is not short of is famouse landmarks.
After dessert, we headed back towards the subway station when it turned midnight - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CILE! She turned 29 at the Lexington stop.
Each day ended with a session on the Mac to upload photos, check email and do research for the next day.
It was Day 2 in the city of bright lights and we were still all smiles! And how could we be otherwise? We were about to embark on a tour...
THE TOUR OF SHOES!! Each of us had a request/mission on this trip. This tour, was Randy's. Each of those letters marked a shoe store that Randy wanted to visit. I don't think we got through all of them, but he came out with 2 pairs of Nikes so I'm guessing the mission was a success.
That day, we began with a breakfast at the Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant. All I have to say is, thank goodness there's always a lot of walking when we travel!
To walk off THAT meal, we went in search of a well-known basketball court - Rutgers. This was one of James' missions.
By the court was a playground. For every pizza place in NYC, there exists a playground/park. Typically they're filled in the afternoons with kids and parents.
But this place was empty so we went at it; climbing, hanging, sliding, etc. In the middle of me trying to take a picture of James through this short tunnel, a security guard walked up and told us to leave...
So James just ran. Dude, I was already on "2!" You couldn't give me one more second, Jaime?!
We went on our way, headed towards the HUGE Macy's where James and Randy got lost. I can't believe how big that department store is. After walking around, doing some shopping, we walked up 5th Avenue and 'lo and behold, what did we see in the distance? A Philippine flag!
It was a random, but pleasant encounter with something I didn't expect to see.
The tourist part of this day came to fruition when we arrived at Rockefeller Center where we took an elevator that shot us up to the 67th floor so we could see this...
The "Top of the Rock" gives you a 360 degree view of NYC. We were lucky to have picked such a beautiful day to see the city. You can see all of Central Park, the Chrysler building, the Empire State Building, the UN building, the Statue of Liberty in the distance. It was, in one word, wow.
I thought I was scared of heights, but Christine I think, has it much worse. She could barely look over the railing - yet she found it in herself to jump! haha!
Cile, you're my travel homie forever! Like my scarf? It was the only purchase I made for MYSELF the entire trip. $10, thanks very much!
All that shopping and walking wore us out so I got on one of my missions: coffee from Dean & Deluca for mom and dad. We sat for a few minutes to gather some strength for the evening that lay ahead.
Most of you may have heard about our experience at Ninja New York. It's a blessing in disguise that Cile made reservations at the Morimoto in Philadelphia, otherwise we may never have found ourselves at such an adventurous birthday dinner.
I don't think I've ever seen food that necessitated a samurai sword and dry ice, so this was wow!
Food was not inexpensive here, but every dollar was seriously worth it.
James was so excited to eat, I think he wanted to use 2 pairs of chopsticks! Dude, relax...
Fantone, as always, was a happy camper. Drunk Fantone doesn't come out often enough. The drinks asked her to come out and play - and she did!
Randy got his ninja star!
And Cile got a birthday that I'm sure she will never forget.
Remember how Cile used to sleep in the top/sweater that she wore that day, plus her pajama pants? Well, after how many sake shots and all that food on her 29th birthday, she almost had a relapse. hahaha!
Our 3rd day was a rainy one, but we Southern Californians couldn't have cared less. After the Duane Reed's (equivalent to a Rite Aid here) across the street profited from a few umbrella purchases, we took on the city like New Yorkers would...except for Chris who almost got trapped in the subway. Hahaha...TOURIST! jk!
Our first meal of the day was comprised of...FRENCH FRIES! There is a restaurant that ONLY serves french fries, along with its signature gravy and a slew of other sauces and seasonings that any fry-lover would die for.
A few blocks back to the subway, we came upon this cafe. What began as a mere bathroom stop/coffee break, turned into a promise to return the next day. 
After standing in line at TKTS to buy some tickets to a broadway musical for our Friday night, a pirate ship-like boat in the distance caught our attention so we walked towards it and, by the dock sat a brewery...BOOZE BREAK! Aaaarrrrrrrrgggghhhhh!!!
A round of beers and cider for everyone!
A sampler for Randy!!!...and an iced tea for me please. I was on Naproxyn and Prevacid. Damn you traumatic arthritis!!! Actually, truth be told, my foot/ankle BARELY bothered me at all. Dang, drugs are amazing!
So after a few drinks and some well-deserved hanging-out time, we headed towards the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Going from one section of New York to another provide worlds of difference. We went from walking around narrow one way streets, brownstone buildings with a wall of firescapes, and a pretzel/hot dog vendor on every corner, to Park Avenue, where an island of tulips line the middle of the street and the sidewalk is lain with hexagonal brick tiles.
We gave ourselves 45 minutes to get in and out of the MET. It's a museum, reminiscent of a hotel, where a grand lobby, complete with a concierge posing as the info desk, promises kernels of knowledge to anyone who dare to ask for it:
Every student lugging a notebook, every tourist with a fanny pack on, any passer-by who strolls in for an impromptu visit; anything you want to know about the infamous NYC center of art and culture, they will know. All this greets you...after the metal detectors say it's ok.
The walk over here was a bit much, so Cile, Chris and Randy had some snacks. Seriously...FOOD EVERYWHERE YOU TURN.
And most areas allow no-flash photography, so I took advantage and took this picture of a Van Gogh masterpiece. I'm no expert in classic art, but Van Gogh paintings always look so dreamlike, images in an eternal softglow setting.
THIS PLACE IS HUGE! We all disbanded for half an hour and I did as much writing as I could, but the MET is so massive that I made a silent promise to return next time and spend a whole day roaming each gallery and hallway.
Next up was the Guggenheim. The first time we TRIED to visit this museum in 2000, it was closed. This time, it was packed! The "Space of Things" exhibit with the colored-tile floor? - Clever! We did a quick run and got on our way again...
We were starving from the day's events so we stopped for a pizza snack (again) before the show.
