Greetings from NY!

[ZWarrior]

Yepper, I am in the Big Apple this week.

Had a busy day.

Got up @ 0515, and left the house @ 0630.
The flight left for CHicago at 0850, but we had mechanical problems so we sat on the runway for  about 25 minutes while they sorted that out.

I get to Chi-Town and have 10 minutes to catch my connecting flight.... in another concourse.  SO I go running down the C concourse, take a left into the tunnel that runs UNDER the taxiway and appear in B  concourse right by my gate.  They had just about finished boarding.

I arrive in NYC 20 minutes early (gotta love tailwinds) and wait for them to get a guy out to move the jetway out to the plane.  We WERE early after all!

I wait 20 minutes and catch a shuttle to the hotel and find out that I am probably the lowest paid person in the entire hotel.

I then ask the concierge for assistance in getting a resteraunt in the area and she tells me of a great restaraunt 2 blocks up that servers awesome Italian.  I bite.  It was incredible, and it was real Italian style.  Non of this Olive Garden type stuff.  The waiter was shocked when I skipped the first 3 courses and went to the pasta.

I return from that and spend time surfing and reading up on what I want to do tomorrow and Monday.  After all, class doesn't start until TUESDAY!!

I decide around 10pm to wander down to the bar and see what is going on.  I meet an Investment banker from England, a Rugby player from Australia, a couple from LA, an executive with Rite-Aid, and a salesman from IMS corporation.

  Not to mention an awesome bartender named Robert.  I don't frequent bars anymore, but this guys was the tops.  He spent his time chatting up all the customers and never missed a refill for anybody.  Plus he was knowledgeable about everthing that people were talking about.  Really knowledgeable, not that "I need to play nice with the customers"  knowledgeable.

I ended up with the salesman buying me a round, and then Robert buying the 3 of us (Rite-Aid, IMS, and I) a round.

  Just about close 6 cuban ladies walk in and start chatting with us while they wait for everyone to show up so they can go clubing.  IMS is a little far gone and buys them a round and the ladies must have been as well.  We end up getting pictures with them, and find out that they are from California, all in there 30s, and looking in there 20s.  Amazing what they can do in the granola state isn't it?

So here I am back in the room typing on my laptop and contemplating my pillow.

I will keep you all updated on the NYC trip for training and we'll see what comes of this.

If any of our gentle readers are from NYC, drop a message and maybe we can meet up.

BTW, Yes, I can play CoD on this thing, as well as use GV.  It only has 512MB of RAM though so have mercy on me.

Heck, the wireless connection is faster that my cable connection at home, and I have a borderline signal!

[opiesilver]

Cool!!!  I'll be whipping your butt online tonight then.

[ZWarrior]

Make sure that you have a GV host on, as I cannot host one.

But I am willing to look for you and beat you.

[ZWarrior]

Yesterday was a pretty good day.

I left the hotel around 1330 and caught a cab to the west end docks.  There I bought a ticket for a 3 hour tour of the island of Manahattan.  Yes, I realize the danger of taking 3 hour tours, they may end up being shipwrecked on an uncharted island with the skipper, a movie star, the millionaire and his wife, the professor and Mary Anne.  Fortunately, there were no storms.  

But before that I had 2 hours to burn.  I went next door to the .Intrepid Land, Air, and Space museum.  This place was awesome.  A retired WWII aircraft carrier, a retired cold war submarine, and a retired Concorde.  It was just too cool.

Then the tour left.  They motored us past the Statue of Liberty and then around the island.

Come to find out that there are still building at ground zero that need to be removed or repaired.due to damage to them. Hoping to visit ground zero today.

I will try and get the pictures scanned and posted after I get back.

Something else I learned was that the south end of Manhattan island is the part that is developed.  The extreme north end is actually a park, and it felt like I was just cruising down a remote section of river, until we rounded the north end and started heading south toward the developed section again.

We saw the pier where the Titanic was to have docked, and the piers where the survivors were brought in.

I saw the United Nations comlex from the river...  what an aged looking dump.   ANd we are supposed to be supporting this place?  I think I will skip my trip over there.

Well, it's time to take a walk down to the Empire State Building and see what there is to see.

Have a good day!

[JollyRoger]

Dude, That Pretty cool! Some day i'll get to NYC but for now I'll Let you fill me in:D
Have a blast!

[ZWarrior]

Well, I am back from the ESB and dinner at TGI Friday's.  The first was great, the second SUCKED!!

I went downstairs and asked the concierge how to get to ESB and the estimated wait time to get to the top.

"Take a cab and 1 hour right now.  It's lighter in the morning, and probably longer later."

"How do I walk there?"

"Walk?  Why not take a cab?" ( I told you I was in an exclusive hotel )

"I need the exercise, and it is a lovely day."  ( translation:  'cause the NYC cabs are to freakin' expensive and I have to watch my dimes! )

"Oh,  then go out the door and hang a right.  Go to the end of the block, and hang a left.  Just keep going, you can't miss it."

So I did.  20 minutes later I almost did miss it.  When the buildings are ALL tall and you are acting like a true New Yorker and not looking up all the time, you miss that you are standing in front of the 7th tallest building in the world.

I enter in and realize something that I should have figured out by now...  In NYC, nothing but the Staten Island Ferry is free.

I walk in with the rest of the tourist and do the lemming act.  Follow the head in front of you and gawk at the incredible interior.  In the building down an escalator, and join the queue.

  5 minutes later you round a corner and have to put your bags on the x-ray to make sure that you aren't carrying something that might hurt the other poor lemmings around you.  Nobody asks me about checking my jacket.

But huh, wouldn't ya know it, the line is still going.  Ugh.  after a bit more shuffling down hallways, I arrive in the ticket room.  Great more lines, even longer now.

15 minutes later, I have worked my way around the room and heard piches for several things, a virtual flight around NYC, an audio tour system, and other tour packages outside the building.  I get up to the window and ask about getting the skyride, access to the observatory, and the audio tour.  Total cost?  $27.  OK, I'll pop for that, after all, I am only eating 2x a day anyway, and that is the cost of a meal here.    ( Gotta see of there is a Mickey Dees around here somewhere.  Need to get the price on a Big Mac. )

SO now I have my tickets and it's time to head up right? right?  Just head up that escalator...

Well, there is the SkyRide...  I wander over, hand them the ticket, and stand at the theater doors.  10 minutes later the doors open, but it's not the ride yet, just the preshow.  4 minutes later we move on.  Still another preshow.  Nice theme decorating though.  ( Ambush! partners need to query me on what I saw.  )  Finally, the second preshow is over, we start walking around a few corners and... wait a bit more. *sigh*

Yes the doors have opened!  We enter the ride, and take a seat.  There is this bar that you have to lower into your lap.  Only thing is, it runs across the WHOLE row!  There are kids in the middle that want it tight.  SKINNY kids!  Me and the heavy lady beside me are glaring at the little twerps and asking them politely to QUIT FREAKING LEANING ON THE BAR!!!

THe show begins, and I am treated to a 22 minute helicopter ride around NYC, emcee'd by none other that Kevin Bacon.  ( Man, that guy is EVERYWHERE! )

Good show, not as high quality as a disney ride, but still.

The ride ends, and I am the last out the door to find my way upstairs.  This means I am only minutes from seeing the city from 1000ft up!

  WRONG!  go get in line monkey-boy.   Yep, another LONG line!  20 minutes later I see a ticket taker.  Woot, this has to be it! Nope, there is another security checkpoint.  Please place all your bags on the conveyor for x-ray please, then walk through the metal detector.  Last time I walked through one with my jacket on I set the dang thing off.  This time, I take the jacket off and put it on the belt.

"Is this your jacket?"
"yes"
"Please remove it and take it through the detector." *sigh*
"Sir, if I take it through it will set off your detector."
"Try walking through first, sir."
BEEP
"I told you so."
""Then remove all the things in it, put them in the bucket and then walk through."
*sigh*
*Zip; rip ( velcro ); shuffle; rummage; etc. *
 *Walk through)
BEEP

"Crud."

"Did you remove everything from your pockets?"
"Lemme check.  Nope, forgot this pocket knife."
"You have a knife?  He has a KNIFE!"
( Guy shaped like me, with NYPD on his ID badge, looks at the tiny little aluminum pocket knife, looks at me, looks at the guy )
"Put it in your pocket, go ahead and go."

THANK YOU MISTER NYPD!!!

Things so freaking dull I can't even cut butter!

So now I rejoin the line... again.

10 minutes later, I am to the elevators!  Whoopey!!!

5 minutes later I am on an elevator.  It goes so fast it is counting in 10's!!

1 minute later I step out on the 80th floor.  80th, the obs desk is on the 86th!  Oh yeah, I read somewhere that the elevators don't go all the way to the OD.  No problem, I will just join this line over here...

And get my picture taken.  But the view out the windows is pretty cool.  And I can see where I pickup my audio tour device.

5 minutes... lines moving
10 minutes... still moving
15 minutes...  I have reached the other side!

Let's claim my device.

Hand her the ticket and she asks what language.  Duh, Japanese?

"English, please"  My mom would be so proud, I used the magic word!

She explains it to me..."There will be numbers posted around the OD, just punch in the number and hit the play button.  here you go, and it is already playing for you."

I put it on my ear, and listen to this italian sounding "taxi-driver" named Tony welcome me and give me some background on the city.  Cool enough, it's something to do while I, yet again, wait in line.

15 minutes later I board another elevator.  the doors open again, and I am NOT looking outside!  Hey, they lied to me in "Sleepless in Seattle"!  Face it buddy, Hollywood lies.

I exit the room and I am in the gift shop, looking out over the OD.  Now we're cooking!

[ZWarrior]

*figured I had better it the post before I get in trouble for too big a post *

I finally figure out how to get outside, and start walking around taking pics and listening to Tony as he tells me what is what out there in city I am looking at.  Pretty good idea this audio tour

I get a bunch of pics from all around the buidling and even a shot of the comm tower above me.  Then I head in to go back.   guess what...  another line.  Surprise, surprise.

15 minutes later I am still listening to Tony and stepping off the elevator on the 80th floor again.  But he has informed me that there is a website for the building.

Here is a link for the webcams at the top of the building.  Sorry, it does require a registration to see them.

So now I join yet another line to go downstairs.  Remember that picture they took of me while I was waiting earlier?  well they run the line through the gallery and offer you 2 copies for $15 dollars.  Sorry, I am not wasting my hard earned cash on that.

10 minutes more and I am boarding an elevator.  Somewhere around 53 seconds later and several ear pops, I am on the ground floor and headed out onto 5th Avenue, making like I live in this city.

Word to the wise, if you are going to visit, bring shades, and make sure that they are reflective.  That way the others on the street can't see that you really ARE gawking at the buildings and such.  it just looks like you are walking along.

There are several rules that I was informed of yesterday.  I had a nice chat with a worker bee at the cruise lines.  OK, so he looked me in the eye and told me... "Don't look like a tourist" and proceeded to tell me how to look less like a tourist and more like a native.  Turns out I had most of it, just didn't know how to flag a taxi.   Hey, like I need to do that in OMAHA!!!  I drive everywhere there!

I will post his rules sometime later, for now, back to the daily story.

So I exit the building and start heading up the street to get back to the hotel before dark.  The thing is, when the buildings are this tall, it starts getting dark faster at ground level than up above.  Now I have to take off the shaeds and start ignoring the upclose sites.  Gotta view it all from several bblocks away now. bummer.

Getting hungry, time to get back and see what is on the menu.

hey, there's the New York Public Library!  I am walking right down the street that the oil tanker came down in "Day after Tomorrow"! Funny, it doesn't look like it fit, and there are higher buildings around here than in the movie.  Helloooo, earth to ZW, Hollywood lies!!!  Oh yeah.

Snap a quick pic and move on.  Hey look, a TGI Friday's!  Let's eat something we know and it's bound to be cheaper than the hotel..

Only thing is, the service was slow, and 20 minutes after ordering they come back and tell me that they are out of what I ordered!  Argh!  I pick something else, and the manager gives me a free soup for the trouble.

I get it all and eat.  pay the bill.  Same as eating at the hotel on the company dime!  Dang.

Head out and walk by Rockafeller Center.  Now how did I miss that on the way out?  It's so much smaller than in the movies.

*Ahem, see above?!?*  Oh, yeah, right.

So I snaps some pics for Mrs. ZW to scrap and head on my way.

Go thing she wasn't here and had money, there's Versace and all the other famous lables.

Take a right and go half a block to the hotel.

Safe at home!  Now to relax and type up the day.  Class starts tomorrow at 0900 sharp.

That sucks, I haven't been awake before 0940 so far.  Guess I need to go to bed before 0200 tonight, huh?

See ya'll tomorrow!

-- ZW

[(A!)Rico]

wow sounds like your having a blast (except for lines) cant wait till i go on vacation!:rolling

[snauzberries]

I have always wanted to go to new york new york.........YOUR RUININ IT FOR ME Z!      someday i will be a bartender like robert.....i might even be able to type by then...
:hat:

[JollyRoger]

Dude you'd snauz the drink,
They'd ast for a scotch and water and you'd hand em a bud light...Stick to playing video games. its what you're good at. sheesh.:lol

[opiesilver]

LOL!!!  ZW stars in "New York Tourist", coming to theatres and pc's next week.:compute:

[Wolverine of Ambush!]

I would like to go out there too!  Someday!...  

Glad you are having fun out there Z! Come back safe and sound.

[ZWarrior]

Well, i's een a few days since I posted, but mostly because I have been pretty busy with classes and there isn't much to post about that.  All talk and no fun.

But there have been other New York happenings for me.

First of all, I did make it to Central Park.  I went over there on Wednesday for Lunch and grabbed a couple hotdogs to eat while I wandered around.  Not bad, only $1.50 each.  For NY, that was cheap!!

I wandered around or about 45 minutes and saw the site, the lake on the south end, the amusement park, and the woman that was changin into a bikini on the lawn.  A WHAT?!?

Yep, she took off her top, put the bikini top over her brassiere and took off the bra.  I was in total shock.

Turns out that the thing to do over lunch is to go over to CP and get some sun. There were a LOT of people there, and they were doing so many things.  Sitting on the grass eating, sitting on the grass sunning, laying on the grass sunning, sitting on the bench eating/talking/reading, walking the paths, etc.

I figured I walked most f the park and was looking forward to seeing how far I had actually gone on a map.

  I should figured that nothing is as it looks in NY.  Turns out that I had only gone about 1/16th of the way into the park.  Man this thing is big!

So I head back and joined the class.  But what to my wondered eyes did I see in the guy next to me's hand???

STARBUCKS!!!!

Oh YEAH, the SOURCE of all that is caffiene is across the street!  Next break, it's me and the StarBucks, for a Cafe' Vanilla Frappacinno. MMM, so sweet, so creamy, so caffieney!

Did I mention that it is in the Sony US Headquarters building and there are Spidey things all OVER the place?  Including a 4 story spidey in the atrium.  They had a technology center with all the latest computers and other electronics.  Plus a technology museum.

I finished the frap and class, then headed back across the street to the museum, but it closed at 1800 and the last ticket would be issued at 1730.  What time is it?  1735.  DOH!

OK, tike to head over to the Park and see how far I can get this time.  More sun worshipers and something really familiar about this rock sticking into the lake.  Hmm, what could it be?

I know!  The end of Home Alone 2.  This is the rock that they were standing on the end.  I walk out on it and turn around.  Yep, there is the exact same view of the hotel as they saw at the end of the movie.

A little further on, I come across the rocks that the bird lady was standing on earlier in the movie when Kevin first met her.  Cool!

Keep walking.  There is a sand volleyball area, and here is a mall dedicated to the great explorers, and the bandshell, and tons of people looking like they are going to be running in a marathon or something.

Hey look, there is a statue dedicated to the sled dogs in Alaska, caled Balto.  Remember the movie?

I finally check my phone and I have been walking for over an hour.  Man this has been a long walk, better head back.  Oh yeah, the run?  Corporate Challenge.  People had meeting places all over for their teams.

I decide it's time to head back to the hotel.

Hey look, it's the ABC studios!

Hmm, I'm hungry.  There's Burger Heaven!   I'll have 1 burger with mozzarella and bacon, add fries.  How much is that ( $50? )

$12.11?!?  SOLD!

Time for relaxing!

I'll fill the rest later, I need to get ready to leave in the morning.