New York hit 20degrees C, our skin was like 'whats this'! Of course we spent most of the day inside sweltering studios, however walking to and from gymnastics was beautiful as well as catching some dinner before the show, sitting outside!
Daisypath Vacation tickers
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Flip-Flops!
It was the FlipFlops first outing of the summer today...and no it wasn't because we got pedicures!
New York hit 20degrees C, our skin was like 'whats this'! Of course we spent most of the day inside sweltering studios, however walking to and from gymnastics was beautiful as well as catching some dinner before the show, sitting outside!
New York hit 20degrees C, our skin was like 'whats this'! Of course we spent most of the day inside sweltering studios, however walking to and from gymnastics was beautiful as well as catching some dinner before the show, sitting outside!
Spiderman!
We spontaneously thought , 'lets go see Spiderman the musical this week' and ended up getting student rush tickets this morning, for tonights show.
It is the most expensive show on broadway and the most famous for its very long previews, and controversy!
Spider-Man, Turn off the dark; is a rock musical with lyrics by U2's Bono and based upon the famous Marvel comics. It is known as the most technically complex show on Broadway with 27 Aerial sequences, and the characters flying and engaging in aerial combat. The set is phenomenal, launching the audience right into the middle of the action, with many moving pieces, trap doors, and amazing projections. Most of the set is drawn like the original comics and it is drawn perfectly in perspective. The most amazing part of the scene changes is when us the audience is looking down on New York from the top of the Chrysler building and the characters are falling, the chrysler building comes our horizontal to the stage and Spiderman and Greengoblin are fighting over the top of the audience.
Five performers were injured while working with Spiderman in the beginning, one spiderman broke both wrists, another broke his ankle one jumped with out the second safety cord, luckily just receiving a concussion, one got hit in the head by scenery and another, stage crew member, got knocked out by a spiderman as he flew into the wings! Health and Safety reviewed the show and alterations were made!
This show has mixed reviews. The choreography is very modern, contemporary with a slant of hiphop, not exactly the aerialist and musical theatre dances forte, the singing is mediocre and acting a little pantomime-ish however the effects make up for this 10 times over.
We sat in the front row of the upper circle, one would usually say the 'cheap' seats, yes they were cheap, and no way would we have paid the $130 dollar fee for the top price tickets, however we were right by one of Spiderman's landing plinthes. The first time he flew, at speed, no wonder people have been injured, he landed literally on Sam, as he was nearest the plinth, I thought he was going to keep going! Having been in numerous Peter Pans' flying on stage is normal, but never have I seen anything so mind blowing as the aerial tricks that were going on hanging above this massive audience. The costumes and other special effects were also mind blowing.
Of course the famous kiss...happened right at the end!
A must see show for anyone who likes a bit of thrill...and if theatre is like this is 2012....where can it go next!
It is the most expensive show on broadway and the most famous for its very long previews, and controversy!
Spider-Man, Turn off the dark; is a rock musical with lyrics by U2's Bono and based upon the famous Marvel comics. It is known as the most technically complex show on Broadway with 27 Aerial sequences, and the characters flying and engaging in aerial combat. The set is phenomenal, launching the audience right into the middle of the action, with many moving pieces, trap doors, and amazing projections. Most of the set is drawn like the original comics and it is drawn perfectly in perspective. The most amazing part of the scene changes is when us the audience is looking down on New York from the top of the Chrysler building and the characters are falling, the chrysler building comes our horizontal to the stage and Spiderman and Greengoblin are fighting over the top of the audience.
This show has mixed reviews. The choreography is very modern, contemporary with a slant of hiphop, not exactly the aerialist and musical theatre dances forte, the singing is mediocre and acting a little pantomime-ish however the effects make up for this 10 times over.
We sat in the front row of the upper circle, one would usually say the 'cheap' seats, yes they were cheap, and no way would we have paid the $130 dollar fee for the top price tickets, however we were right by one of Spiderman's landing plinthes. The first time he flew, at speed, no wonder people have been injured, he landed literally on Sam, as he was nearest the plinth, I thought he was going to keep going! Having been in numerous Peter Pans' flying on stage is normal, but never have I seen anything so mind blowing as the aerial tricks that were going on hanging above this massive audience. The costumes and other special effects were also mind blowing.
Of course the famous kiss...happened right at the end!
A must see show for anyone who likes a bit of thrill...and if theatre is like this is 2012....where can it go next!
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
We love NY...or do we!
After looking endlessly on Right Move for the 'perfect' yet affordable (oxymoron if there ever was one) London pad...we began to notice the random things that we don't exactly love about New York...we have been very lucky that our apartment is 'clean' and in a nice area but it still holds some rather annoying attributes...
1. The windows don't open, for 6months we have had no 'fresh' (as fresh as it can be in NY) circulate our apartment. The windows for us , and looks like everyone else who doesn't live in a $2000per week condo are nailed down. I see why in skyscrapers but on the 2nd floor? Each apt window has a air conditioning unit in it and that has meant the window is slid up for the air con to fit and then a piece of uneven plastic is hammered in next to it, ours doesn't fit to well, so some news paper is filling the gap! We have definitely missed a bit of a 'breeze'.
2. The heating cannot be changed. Reading above about the Newspaper fitting the window you'd think there had been a horrible draft...but thank goodness for that cm of cold winter air filing into the building.
The colder it is outside the hotter the central heating gets. Once again this is nailed into a radiator cover which cannot be touched, so the temperature in the apartment is usually sweltering, we have had our ceiling fans on even when it is snowing! This temperature seems to be the same in every building as well as BDC, I remember someone telling me once that it was controlled by law or something...glad our apt was utilities included or that would have cost a bomb!
3.The Phantom Roach...when we first moved in something scuttled once, twice and maybe a third across in the shadows. We saw it only once, a cockroach...which to New Yorker are completely normal...Sam chased it around the apt with the bug spray and the next day we found him conked out on his back. We've never seen him or his pals again but something tells me they are watching!
A a couple of other things to be aware of in NY,
'An empty subway car is not a good thing' - On a packed train, an empty subway car probably means either; someones thrown up everywhere, theres a hobo thats not moved in months or could be dead?, someones wet themselves...or something along those lines. The subway is way cheaper than the london underground but its completely obvious why! You can nip through gates without paying, there is a hobo singing, rapping, dancing, coughing, or attempting to sell gone off candy in every car and station, it runs all night, and of course the rats love the subway stations...!
'If your meal on the menu cost $15...you will pay at least $19'- On absolutely everything there is sales tax. It really confused us at first as we had added everything up as we went round the supermarket to find an extra $12 clocked up somewhere! I do not know why they don't just put the tax already on the prices,but them some places I swear if they think your american they don't add it on, depends on what the item is, who knows its confusing but always budget 2 or 3 dollars more on everything! And thats before the MANDATORY tipping...but lets not go there!
'Apple iPad for $200'- To me this screams SCAM, but obviously not to the numerous tourists you see being conned into buying electronic goods from the numerous electrical stores, similar to those on Tottenham court road. One of our friends bought a blackberry from one, 6months on the battery is dead and going back into the shop with the receipt that says '12month warranty' they say that she has to take it to Blackberry, and its nothing to do with the shop...! Same with another girl who bought a camera from them and cannot find a USB port that fits it anywhere!
'You'll see the whole of Central Park for $50 on this badly shoed horse and trap'- Lies, you'll see about 1/16th of the park, and only the bits on the roads! Walk around it instead, but I suppose its iconic and you have to do it once!
'Don't eat the nuts from the nut vendors'- They smell heavenly...but in the summer we watched a vendor smack a mosquito on the head, it fell into the nuts and he continued pushing them about and putting them in bags. Gross.
Some area's you might want to steer clear of also;
West 4th Station
A,C, E Subway line , its the worst smelling one!
Union Square, apart from Peridance and Lululemon
Fashion district...between 8th-9th, 42nd-34th, no more fashion than BHS.
125th st + Central park north station, only go in day time.
Washington sq park, is not half as exciting as it sounds!
Roosevelt island.
Fulton street mall is not a mall at all, go shopping in Cobble Hill if you go to Brooklyn.
Olive garden resturant is vile, over priced and boring, as well as the 3hour wait if you go to the times sq one.
Port Authority bus station. get out fast.
Coney Island, if its not nice weather!
and on that note, the list of things you must do in NY and our favourite things will be blogged about next week!
1. The windows don't open, for 6months we have had no 'fresh' (as fresh as it can be in NY) circulate our apartment. The windows for us , and looks like everyone else who doesn't live in a $2000per week condo are nailed down. I see why in skyscrapers but on the 2nd floor? Each apt window has a air conditioning unit in it and that has meant the window is slid up for the air con to fit and then a piece of uneven plastic is hammered in next to it, ours doesn't fit to well, so some news paper is filling the gap! We have definitely missed a bit of a 'breeze'.
2. The heating cannot be changed. Reading above about the Newspaper fitting the window you'd think there had been a horrible draft...but thank goodness for that cm of cold winter air filing into the building.
The colder it is outside the hotter the central heating gets. Once again this is nailed into a radiator cover which cannot be touched, so the temperature in the apartment is usually sweltering, we have had our ceiling fans on even when it is snowing! This temperature seems to be the same in every building as well as BDC, I remember someone telling me once that it was controlled by law or something...glad our apt was utilities included or that would have cost a bomb!
3.The Phantom Roach...when we first moved in something scuttled once, twice and maybe a third across in the shadows. We saw it only once, a cockroach...which to New Yorker are completely normal...Sam chased it around the apt with the bug spray and the next day we found him conked out on his back. We've never seen him or his pals again but something tells me they are watching!
A a couple of other things to be aware of in NY,
'An empty subway car is not a good thing' - On a packed train, an empty subway car probably means either; someones thrown up everywhere, theres a hobo thats not moved in months or could be dead?, someones wet themselves...or something along those lines. The subway is way cheaper than the london underground but its completely obvious why! You can nip through gates without paying, there is a hobo singing, rapping, dancing, coughing, or attempting to sell gone off candy in every car and station, it runs all night, and of course the rats love the subway stations...!
'If your meal on the menu cost $15...you will pay at least $19'- On absolutely everything there is sales tax. It really confused us at first as we had added everything up as we went round the supermarket to find an extra $12 clocked up somewhere! I do not know why they don't just put the tax already on the prices,but them some places I swear if they think your american they don't add it on, depends on what the item is, who knows its confusing but always budget 2 or 3 dollars more on everything! And thats before the MANDATORY tipping...but lets not go there!
'Apple iPad for $200'- To me this screams SCAM, but obviously not to the numerous tourists you see being conned into buying electronic goods from the numerous electrical stores, similar to those on Tottenham court road. One of our friends bought a blackberry from one, 6months on the battery is dead and going back into the shop with the receipt that says '12month warranty' they say that she has to take it to Blackberry, and its nothing to do with the shop...! Same with another girl who bought a camera from them and cannot find a USB port that fits it anywhere!
'You'll see the whole of Central Park for $50 on this badly shoed horse and trap'- Lies, you'll see about 1/16th of the park, and only the bits on the roads! Walk around it instead, but I suppose its iconic and you have to do it once!
'Don't eat the nuts from the nut vendors'- They smell heavenly...but in the summer we watched a vendor smack a mosquito on the head, it fell into the nuts and he continued pushing them about and putting them in bags. Gross.
Some area's you might want to steer clear of also;
West 4th Station
A,C, E Subway line , its the worst smelling one!
Union Square, apart from Peridance and Lululemon
Fashion district...between 8th-9th, 42nd-34th, no more fashion than BHS.
125th st + Central park north station, only go in day time.
Washington sq park, is not half as exciting as it sounds!
Roosevelt island.
Fulton street mall is not a mall at all, go shopping in Cobble Hill if you go to Brooklyn.
Olive garden resturant is vile, over priced and boring, as well as the 3hour wait if you go to the times sq one.
Port Authority bus station. get out fast.
Coney Island, if its not nice weather!
and on that note, the list of things you must do in NY and our favourite things will be blogged about next week!
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Central Park Zoo!
Today we visited Central Park Zoo, everyone said we must, and The Bronx zoo seemed a bit of a mission away so we headed to this small 6.5acre zoo located in Central Park with its three major exhibit areas, tropic, temperate and polar!
The zoo is home to an indoor rainforest, a leafcutter ant colony, and a chilled penguin house and polar bear pool. It also coordinates breeding programs for some endangered species: tamarin monkeys, Wyoming toads, thick-billed parrots and red pandas. There are also fruit bats in the rainforest and an anteater exhibit. In June 2009, a snow leopard exhibit was opened, making it one of the few zoos to present this rare species to the public. Sad story about the Polar bear, his life partner of 25years had to be put down last year, he looks so sad and lonely, we hope they find him another friend, in the mean time it says he has weekly therapy.
The tropic zone , fabulous indoor rainforest, with birds and monkeys everywhere was brilliant, as well as the penguins! Sam particularly liked feeding the goats, in the Children's petting zoo, although I thought the sheep were the most unkempt and feral sheep I have ever seen...but then when you've been woken up by reasonably wild sheep for 21years of life, ones in the middle of New York would be quite drab!
The Sea lion show was rather good too, although its not the biggest zoo, for $12 it was very entertaining, in the 3hours we had free!!
The zoo is home to an indoor rainforest, a leafcutter ant colony, and a chilled penguin house and polar bear pool. It also coordinates breeding programs for some endangered species: tamarin monkeys, Wyoming toads, thick-billed parrots and red pandas. There are also fruit bats in the rainforest and an anteater exhibit. In June 2009, a snow leopard exhibit was opened, making it one of the few zoos to present this rare species to the public. Sad story about the Polar bear, his life partner of 25years had to be put down last year, he looks so sad and lonely, we hope they find him another friend, in the mean time it says he has weekly therapy.
The tropic zone , fabulous indoor rainforest, with birds and monkeys everywhere was brilliant, as well as the penguins! Sam particularly liked feeding the goats, in the Children's petting zoo, although I thought the sheep were the most unkempt and feral sheep I have ever seen...but then when you've been woken up by reasonably wild sheep for 21years of life, ones in the middle of New York would be quite drab!
The Sea lion show was rather good too, although its not the biggest zoo, for $12 it was very entertaining, in the 3hours we had free!!
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Groupon!
We love Groupon! If you have never tried it, check it out at groupon.com. Coupons and discount vouchers for everything, anywhere!! Ever so often a cinema ticket deal comes up, two tickets for £6! considering 1 ticket is usually about $16 this is amazing!
Tonight we headed to AMC Lowes theatre at 83rd street, to see Dr Seuss' 'The Lorax' ...a packed theatre full of kids...but a great film, a lot of singing, and of course completely politically correct!
An old fable..
An old fable of New York, written in many articles and books, is that if a resturant has a 'line' (or queue as we call it!) outside...it's worth the wait!
So today we headed down to St Mark's place, an area in the 'trendy' East village, a similar vibe to Camden.
There seem to be a lot of cafes and restaurants in NY that seat maximum 20 people! Tea and Sympathy , the English restaurant in the West Village is one, and today we found The Crooked Tree, a creperie, where we waited half hour to get in...the other restaurants around it had no lines...but it was so worth it!
So today we headed down to St Mark's place, an area in the 'trendy' East village, a similar vibe to Camden.
There seem to be a lot of cafes and restaurants in NY that seat maximum 20 people! Tea and Sympathy , the English restaurant in the West Village is one, and today we found The Crooked Tree, a creperie, where we waited half hour to get in...the other restaurants around it had no lines...but it was so worth it!
We had a relaxing late lunch, after visiting a book store to get our Vegas and LA guidebooks!
Enjoyed a cappucino and a hotchocolate browsing what there is for us to explore! Followed bya reasonably priced crepe, none of this 'boutique french make it while you wait over priced rubbish' a propper crepe, I had S'mores and strawberrys (s'mores, are these creations I believe made from Graham crackers; similar to digestives, marshmallow fluff; jam made from marshmallows and melted chocolate, that americans make on the open fire!) and Sam had a savoury crepe, chicken, feta cheese and some pesto!
We then bumped into Mary as we strolled around a park down in the 'Alphabet city' Avenues A ,B, C etc ...and Mary bought her first Ice Cream of the Summer ....although it's not that warm!
A lovely early evening engulfed (ooh alliteration!) Manhattan and so we strolled through Central Park before heading home!
Friday, 2 March 2012
My Birthday!
So yesterday was my birthday, and Rosina as usual did a great job of making it very special!
Thank-you to everyone that sent cards to NY it was really nice to be able to open them here, Rosina got me tickets to see the New York Knicks basketball game next weekend at Madison Square Garden which I am really excited about as well some little things and a Lego Woody Alarm Clock!
Thank-you to everyone that sent cards to NY it was really nice to be able to open them here, Rosina got me tickets to see the New York Knicks basketball game next weekend at Madison Square Garden which I am really excited about as well some little things and a Lego Woody Alarm Clock!
As it was a weekday, we still had some classes to take so we headed into BDC for the afternoon, after an amazing breakfast, homemade cinnamon buns...still warm from the oven!
After the classes I was warned not to come home until after 6.30pm so Rosina left me with her iPad and i continued to flat hunt in London, a few promising options are coming our way, but we are very picky and as were going to be there for hopefully a good few years to come, it has to be right!
Arriving home at 6.30pm I was then hustled into the bedroom and told to stay there. Rosina, Suwan, Danni and Kelsey were tarting themselves up and the apt was beginning to smell really good!
Finally I was allowed out, the apt had been decorated with balloons and lots of food and drinks, the girls had bought all my favourite foods, and the buzzer went many times, with more and more people arriving into the apartment, all of my friends from BDC came along, as well as the lovely Mary!
A few party games followed, the best being Pin the Tail on the Donkey, supplied by Danielle! with the average age of about 22, this game went down surprisingly well!
Then came the cake, Rosina had bought a 'Colossal Cupcake'!
The laughs and chatter went on til about 1am...the apt...well were still tidying it up now!
A great night and a wonderful birthday in New York!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)