Takin' a Bite From the Big Apple

SoHo Rocks…

Took the subway south to Houston and Broadway for some exploring. First on the list was SoHo, which as mentioned before, rocks. Small cobbled streets, tall brick buildings posh shops, and quaint cafes all added to the very Euro atmosphere. I stopped in on a very cool art exhibit by the Artist-Craftsman Alliance of New York. The Alliance is essentially an artist cooperative, which I am all about. I think I was the first person to view the exhibit, even the curator said she hadn’t had a chance to look at the collections.

Tourist Trap

I was excited to see Little Italy, and, unfortunately, Little Italy was all too happy to see me. The many, many tour busses were my initial tip off, but I chugged on, hopping to see something really Italian. You know, like a Truman Capote or at least a Euro cologne shop or a pair of tight jeans, or someone speaking Italian. Instead I saw gift shops, wood fire pizza and super expensive Italian restaurants, and…tourists. I checked it off my list and continued on to Chinatown.

It's What's for Dinner...

The Chinese really do eat anything. Especially if it comes from the sea—turtles anyone? Dried squid? Fish heads? Giant snail things? You know what else is weird about Chinatowns worldwide, and I am convinced that this is a worldwide phenomenon, is they all smell the same. I can’t even place it, but if you have been to one, you know what I’m talking about. Chinatown seemed to stretch on forever, and even seemed to be engulfing Little Italy in places. There is also a very funny commentary about Chinatown here.

*Now with pictures!*

Here's some pictures to better illustrate what I'm talking about food-wise; just think about talking a biiiggg juicy bite of these things...










My Pack is too heavy.

That’s really all I have to say, I will have to work on figuring out what I don’t need. I didn’t pack a TON, but it’s just a bit heavy to be carrying around day after day. Of course the most glaring excess is my laptop, which besides adding weight to my pack adds a security liability. It is VERY convenient though, so I think I will suffer its weight in silence. The good thing about having a heavy pack in NYC is you are forced to stop once in a while. For me this meant I got to people watch at a few of the cool inner city parks, which seem to be everywhere. Definitely earns Will’s Seal of Approval.

Did someone say art?

I think the Chelsea district did. After a very cheap and very tasty lunch at the Chelsea Market (used to be the Oreos factory), I headed up to the Chelsea art district. There is a cumulative twelve blocks of art galleries. Seriously, and that is a conservative estimate. There is everything from Andy Warhol to Student exhibitions. I was impressed for sure. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and didn’t see even half of what is there.

Central Park…in the dark.
So yeah it was dark by the time I made it up to central park. So it was kinda sketchy. I pussed out and just walked along the main drag through the park. However, it was super cool to see the hundreds of dedicated cyclists and runners getting in some after work exercise. It was a really nice evening, but it still blew me away at the amount of people out there. I actually got in quite a workout of my own as I got lost and had to find my way back to the subway so I could make my train out of the city. It all worked out in the end, but I am super tired and very sore right now. Think I’ll call it a night.