The Big Apple, first visit! First off there is an overall noise rumble, a cacophony that permeates everything. Plenty of light but all diffused so everything is a muted palate, in the air is a odd confusion of smells, pizza, bread, coffee, perfumes and body cologne, oddly enough Subway Sandwich shops are easily identified by nose. Energy though, lots and lots of it, your sense kick into overdrive just to keep up, your heart rate is increased and the feeling not unlike your late for something vibrates your core as you walk through midtown.
We left our all too comfortable house in the wee hours of Tuesday Morning and drove the hour fifteen to the airport (PNW hour driving means 65 miles.) Sans shoes we appeased homeland security and made it to our turbo-prop commuter plane that took us to PDX, for a wait and breakfast. Nice options to choose from, seeing as how my last plane flight was fifteen years ago things have changed some. Continental Airlines flew us to Newark in five hours 30 minutes. Now in a warmer bleak unfamiliar place we had to locate a car that was being sent. There were three levels to choose from. I went for the one near baggage claim, good choice. About the time we started calling a black Lexus with our last name on a card in the window pulled up.
We had to convince the driver and then we were off across Secacus, via the Jersey Turnpike, through Weehawken and then into the Lincoln Tunnel. Lots of bathroom tile and amazing dynamics to get that many vehicles into that small of a tunnel.
Now we are in midtown Manhatten and get dropped off at 42nd street between 7th and 8th. All locations in NYC are easy to find as long as you have three points of reference. We go upstairs and meet the post production people and Diana gets set up to do her voice overs (VO). I get some really bad directions from a well meaning guy and head off to check into our hotel.
Throngs of people receive its proper definition in my mind. Tall buildings, lots of distractions and I see where the TGIF web cam is located, various other landmarks. At one point I decide to cross the street and notice that I am in times square. that spot where 7th and Broadway create that triangle you have seen so often. That's when it really hit me, no longer surreal.
I keep walking and looking and about the time I see Carnegie hall (I made it without practice ma!). I talk to one of New York's finest and I am told to head back the way I came 25 blocks. *sigh*
So I turn around and head back, again marking mentally what I see as I go. My feet are feeling the fatigue as I see Macy's and just a block past that, my hotel!
The Hotel Penn is across the street from Madison Square Garden, which is cool to see. Inside there is a queue of about thirty people and the check in folks seem surly. Oh, if your in a line waiting for someone, stand at the front and wait to be recognized. If you just walk up to the next available person, they will ignore you and walk away. There was the poor couple of ladies who did that twice. Nice clean room, a tad sparse decorum wise but large enough with views of the sides of buildings.
The hotel was quite clear about anything you do outside of a limited list would be charged to your Credit Card. This included picking up the phone and dialing anything over four digits. My brief rest did not do much to stop the aches in the various joints of my apparently aging body. Still I had formulated a plan, I would get my daughters cell phone and they could call me when it was time to retrieve her. So I headed over a block and went up 8th Street to 42nd and back to the studio. As it turned out Diana was all but done with the VO, they did need to shoot some additional footage and planned on using Central park as a substitute for Oregon. No, it didn't work for me either but it was about as close as you could get I guess. I grabbed a couple slices of NY pizza and we hailed a cab.
I got to tag along and run around the area watching an adult kick-ball game, seeing the playground and Wollman Rink. I stayed a strong desire to head deep into the greenery. Oh yeah, Lots and lots of People, jogging riding, walking, sitting.
A taxi ride (wow) back to 42nd street and we headed back to the hotel. By now it was apparent that I needed some pain relievers and we were just both so damn tired that it made perfect sense to fall asleep around 9:30PM NYC time
It was a decent nights sleep, I awoke around 6:00 AM, and showered and watched the morning commuters lined up for the Bus. There is a definite respect for lines and personal space. An order to chaos. You walk with a stream of folks heading your direction. You wait your turn in line with detached patients. On an escalator you stay to the right unless your walking down as you ride.
We headed out in search of various locations that Diana wanted to see. Mostly stores that have Manga. First off, I wanted to get a fresh NYC bagel, I wanted something that the locals recommended. 'Bobby' the doorman at the Hotel instructed me to head down into Penn station and make a left. Sure enough a little alcove with lots of fresh bread and bagels. When you enter the store you are in line for the cashier, you have no other route to take. Someone behind the counter asks if they can help you and you damn well better know what you want. When you hit the front of the line you tell the lady what you ordered and pay. She never sees or seems to care what you ordered. We got our bagels and headed back up to the sunlight.
Mmmmmm, fresh bagels with cream cheese...
Book store next, then to midtown comics, which was not opened, so we hit Burger King for some soda's. Diana took advantage of free wi-fi, until the store opened. Nice comic shop. Diana found a book on using Flash.
We went for lunch at the Hard Rock, as the studio did not need Diana until 3:00. We got Tina a shirt and gawked at the various cast offs by musical entertainers.
Next we headed over to sixth street to a store that has manga in its native language. Diana got very excited at this point and bought some stuff that she couldn't read. Bryant park was across the way and the Empire state building was looming high into the air. Someplace along this journey we went into Macy's up to the 9th floor and took some old wooden escalators back down. Stopping for a brief look see at each level.
We headed down to Rockefeller Center, this is a confusing inner maze of starwells and guys in uniform that really are not that helpful. We found the rink and the big golden guy and got some pictures. That put us 10 blocks away from the studio and about 15 minutes to get there.
We went to 8th street for a change of pace, hit the M & M's factory store, along the way. Got to see a bunch of theaters with shows that will, no doubt, make it to Eugene at some point in time. Finally back to 42nd and up to the studio. I went to the lounge while they got a final few VO pieces together. We got a phone call for our car to the airport and sure enough another black Lexus took us back to Newark.
So if you need a guide through Mid-town. I'm your man!!!
While in Canada Connor and I spent a lot of time together. We travelled the city on foot and by Bus to the City park, the Mall, and the local park.
