Down with Big Oil!

Yay! Jenn got a new car and we love it!

She finally traded in the 99 Passat (what a lemon) for a 2004 Toyota Prius. I really like the color and the 40mpg average we get is awesome :) To give you an idea of the gas savings, a full tank lasts about 360 miles and it costs about 18 bucks to fill it up (the tank holds around 10 gallons). My 92 Acura Legend, on the other hand, holds twice as much gas so it costs twice as much to fill up and the tank lasts just about the same amount of miles. Plus, the interior of the Prius is surprisingly roomy.
More pictures to come!

We can't think of a personalized license plate, can you help us out?



Jenn's green "I Leaf NYC Parks" shirt is especially fitting in this shot, isn't it?

Random

I think I took this when I was still in school and had just gotten the camera. That's the computer that I use to write this blog.

Nike Airs and Achilles Tendinitis

Hey, I like Nike Airs as much as the next guy, but according to Dr. Pribut, they can contribute to Achilles Tendinitis:

The second contributing shoe design factor which may lead to continuing achilles tendon problem is excessive heel cushioning. Air filled heels, while supposedly are now more resistant to deformation and leaks are not good for a sore achilles tendon. The reason for this is quite simple. If you are wearing a shoe that is designed to give great heel shock absorption what frequently happens is that after heel contact, the heel continues to sink lower while the shoe is absorbing the shock. This further stretches the achilles tendon, at a time when the leg and body are moving forward over the foot. Change your shoes to one without this "feature".

I mention this because after walking around Manhattan for a week, I now have a severe case of achilles tendinitis. Trust me, you don't want this to happen to you. Just so you know...

Times Square

Bright lights, big city!

To many New Yorkers, midtown IS New York and Times Square is the heart of it all. We were lucky enough to arrive on a Tuesday, which thinned the crowds a bit, but still, there was people everywhere. Even in the thirty degree weather!

Looking left.



Then right.



I'm struggling to take it all in.



The flag is actually the side of an Armed Services recruiting station. This station has transformed more civilians into servicemembers than any other recruiting station in the country.



You can tell tourists apart from New Yorkers because we're always looking up and turning our heads instead of looking where we're going.
Sorry to everyone I kept walking into!



I was told that leasing signage in Times Square is more expensive than leasing space and I believe it.



Really, you can't help but look!



I put the camera on the concrete divider in the middle of the street and turned the timer on.



The subway station on 42nd in Times Square was only a couple of blocks from our hotel.



We mainly used the subway to get around, plus the occasional cab. Jenn's holding the Metro Card. They don't use subway tokens anymore. Check out the tile work.



This was IN the subway station. These guys are breakers entertaining commuters as they wait for their train.



Check out the move this guy is doin.
They got a pretty big crowd to watch them, but as soon as they stopped dancing, turned the music off and passed the collection plate around, everyone prentended they had just gotten there or were just passing through.



I heart the fuzz. Notice how I'm bringing the head band back. So eighties!

The United Nations Complex

For the second half of the week, we stayed at the UN Millenium Plaza Hotel, part of the UN complex. This was where Robert Kennedy maintained his residence when he was running for Congress and it's right across from where the UN buildings are.

The view from our room.



Why do I look all dressed up? I think we were goin out for a fancy dinner. Indoor bocci court!



Love the view.



Out the left from our window. The slant roof on the left is the Citicorp building. The tall, thin monolith rising up out of the frame on the right is the Trump World Tower building.



To the right. The grass near the bottom of the picture is the UN park. That's Roosevelt Island in the East River and the Queenboro bridge in the background connecting Queens to Manhattan.



The United Nations buildings across the street. This is international territory. I still don't know why they don't build a casino here or have monkey knife fights or something.



I pretty much agree with the general message here.



Nowhere near the UN, but I gotta give a shout out to Warren and the people over at Big Apple Greeters for taking us around Greenwich Village. If you're visiting New York, I recommend getting in touch with them. Thanks again, Warren!

Greenwich village is home to Washington Square and NYU.





Random picture of Grand Central Terminal.

A Night on the Town in NYC

It was pretty easy to find stuff to do during the day in New York since everything is open and there's daylight out. Once museums and businesses started to close, we found some other fun things to do like go to a Broadway show, go to a nightclub, or have dinner in Chinatown.

Don't I look like I'm in a hurry? Everyone in New York has this same look.



Is this like the girl's version of a football stadium or something?



Another NYC must-see. Yeah, we went at night. Yes, it was FREEZING on the roof.



Nighttime view of the Chrysler building's lights. Taken from the Empire State Building.



What it looks like from the ground during the day.



The GE building where NBC studios is located. Part of Rockefeller Center. The rooftop observatory was recently reopened as "The Top of the Rock".



At The Top of the Rock. We made it there right as the sun was setting, which made the view extra magical. Ground temperature was around 32 degrees F; I'm sure with the windchill, it was around 10 degrees F on the roof. Seriously, the wind was vicious. Jenn ended up getting windburn and her cheeks were rosy the next day!



The coolest thing about The Rock is that you can get a REALLY good view of the Empire State Building. Here it is on the left backlit with the sunset. I think the other big tower on the right with the spire is the Rueters building.



A view slightly to the left of the above picture. This time, the Empire State is on the right and the Chrysler building is partially obscured by the MetLife Building on the left.



Another one of the Empire State.



Yeah, I know I look like a ninja, but I'm telling you, this was probably the coldest weather I've ever been in in my life.
Since NBC started broadcasting the Sunday night games, they've been picking a player of the week and putting their picture up at The Top. Notice the Chargers headband with Brees,a former Charger, on the left and LT, the Chargers' league MVP, on the right.



I told you it was cold! Do you see the Chrysler and the ESB in the back?



At the base of Rockefeller Center is a mall and the office workers of the building were just getting off work as I took this picture. This is something I've never seen in my life. I guess this is what culture shock feels like?



Our hotel came with a pair of tickets for some really awesome seats to Wicked!, a broadway musical. The show was amazing and the experience of going to a broadway show in NYC is absolutely a must-do.



This was the curtain for the stage.



They take their theatre seriously on Broadway.



Exiting the theatre. Reality straight ahead. Caution!



Right after the show.



You never know what you'll run into when you go for a walk in NYC. Streets is watching!




Chinatown in NYC is where you can find good deals and a lot of vendors whose wares spill out onto the sidewalk. It's kinda like a swap meet, but with nicer stuff.

Probably one of the few places in the country where you'll see these signs in Chinese.

McDonald's


WaMu



The best places to eat are always the small, hole-in-the-wall restaurants that only the locals know about. I found this one that had a bunch of good local reviews. The soup dumplings (shao lum bao?) were the best! New Green Bo forever!!!!



Down the street from Chinatown is New York's longest continously operating bar, McSorley's. Aside from bar food, the only thing they serve is McSorley's beer, either light or dark.
So I walk in there, step up to the bar and the barkeep ask me what I want. After looking at me trying to make up my mind, he says, "We either got light or we got dark."
That made my decision easy. Sometimes you can have too many choices.



Inside an NYC nightclub.



Outside getting some fresh air. Look, a couple of genuine New Yorkers! Thanks for showing us around town, Cara and Joe!