Day 4

Prior to coming to NY, I had made a brief list of things that I wanted to see that included, the UN Headquarters, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square and…the “Restaurant” featured in many Seinfeld episodes. That was my Mecca, and Day 4 was my pilgrimage to the sacred site.

As I walked through the streets of the Upper West Side, flashbacks of many episodes came to mind. The “Big Salad”. George’s nail scratcher cashier. The creation for “a show about nothing”. All of these and more took place in the Restaurant. As the warm sun shone down on me while the cool crisp air blew my hair into a havoc, I peered across the heads of scurrying New Yorkers, and saw that I had arrived. There she was, in her neon red lights across a blue banner. There shone the words I had longed to see…“R-E-S-T-A-U-R-A-N-T”.

[ta-da!!!)

I walked in to the quaint little diner and soon realized that it looked nothing like the tv show, but I had a sensed already that it wouldn’t. I said, “one, please” and was seated at the counter. I parked myself in a corner seat so as to maximize my view and take in the entire experience as best as I could. I ordered up a veggie burger with mushrooms, side of onion rings and a chocolate milkshake – a good ol’ American meal. The mediocre burger with greasy onion rings were no match to the thick, chocolatey goodness of the milkshake. As I ate, I saw posters of Kramer, Jerry, Elaine, and George. It strangely felt like I was at home. For a brief moment, I thought I was sitting next to Larry David – the co-creator of Seinfeld, but soon realized that I was now trying too hard to celebrity spot. I ate, I reveled, and then I left. It was great.




As I made my way towards Central Park for my urban hike, I briefly walked thru Columbia University as well as past the CBS Studios for the David Letterman Show. I wondered, “hmm, is the ‘Hello Deli’ close by?” and around there corner, there she stood! I also later walked into a Mac store...apparently THE Mac store of Mac stores across the US. I browsed for a bit, checked my email and thankfully walked out with no more new devices in hand ☺

[Columbia University]

I’ll describe Central Park as a few things – massive, varied, and grand. It was massive as it took up over 800 acres of land that spanned across what seemed to be 10 blocks across 50 blocks. It was varied in that it contained within its perimeter the Metropolitan Art Museum (affectionately known as the MET), a tribute to John Lennon and the Beatles at Strawberry fields, a large baseball field of recreational ball, Belvedere Castle which provides unobstructed views of the city, Del Corte Theatre which houses free summer Shakespeare plays (!!). And finally, it was grand because everything seemed to be meticulously spotless, as even its washrooms were disguised to not appear as a washroom. As I searched high and low for where it was supposed to be according to a park map, a bypasser advised me that I had walked passed it and that it was “over there”. “Over there?” I said, “you mean where the stoned castle looking thing is? THAT’s the washroom?” yes, everything was grand.

[Entrance to Central Park]

[view from Belvedere Castle]

[Tribute to John Lennon, at Strawberry Fields]

From there, I took a stroll down 5th avenue to the “Top of the Rock” – the observation deck of the Rockefeller Centre. I’m generally not really into going up buildings/architectures for a view. I didn’t go up the Eiffel Tower, or the Statue of Liberty, but this was one view I apparently had to see. The “Top of the Rock” provided me with an incredible lay out of the city. While most go up the Empire State building for a view, the Top of the Rock provided me with a gorgeous view OF the Chrysler Building, the Empire State, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park and the surrounding boroughs of Queens, the Bonx, Brooklyn etc. It was a spectacular way to see the city this way, after having actually walked thru the streets for hours on end.

[view of Chrysler Building, and itsy bitsy Statue of Liberty in the distance]

[view of Central Park from the top of the Rock]

My intention was to spend a couple of hours at the New York Public Library resting, journaling, and catching up on email. Unfortunately, I arrived only to find its doors closing just as I made my way up its grand staircase. Bummer. Oh well, off to Times Square as I had a date with Bonnie for the Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre. Before meeting up with her, I ate some dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Trust me when I say that it was not a desire of mine to dine at one of the most tourist-ridden restaurants in the city. But, when the clock is ticking and I needed a quick bite, the HRC came thru.

Our night at the Majestic Theatre for the viewing of the Broadway’s longest running musical, the Phantom of the Opera, was truly an unforgettable experience. From the elegance of the theatre, to the detail of the set, to the melodious voices and the sweet-sounding orchestra – everything about it was wonderful. To be honest, going into it imagined that it would be similar to watching a Disney film, but with real people…you know…the fairytale-like storylines with a lot of singing? Well, I wasn’t far off, but what I saw can be described as the primo version of it all. The Phantom of the Opera moved me and evoked different emotions in me than I had anticipated. This may have been my first musical, but having now tasted a real musical, I think I might need to check out more than come thru Vancouver.






Before jumping on our bus back to Livingston, we walked around Times Square for awhile and experienced a sensory overload. The sounds, the lights, the traffic, the people, the moving screens, and building-sized ads…it was nuts.





dL