My weekend in Manhattan trip report.d

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The girlfriend and I didn't get out of JFK till 11:00 pm friday night so by the time we got out of our hotel (Hilton @ Times Square)it was close to midnight and we were hungry and thirsty. Her brother suggested "Cafeteria" on 7th/17th which was a pretty hip place me thinks. The food was good, i had a steak sandwich and she had the lox/bagel. Holy Chit are drinks expensive in that city. By the time we got back to Times Square I think every black guy north of the Mason/Dixon line was there. Scarrrry. I think i did the "touch the wallet to make sure its still there" every second.

Come Saturday we (I) decided we were going to Grimaldis under the Brooklyn Bridge for lunch. After an "ok" buffet breakfast at the the Hilton (included in price of stay) we were on the way. Saturday the weather was picture perfect. It took roughly 3 hours to get there after numerous stops to see the different parks and such on the way there. Its awesome how the neighborhoods change depending on the streets you take. Pretty much stuck to Broadway all the way. The Farmers Market at Union Square was great. Amazing to see something like that in the middle of the city. The trick to walking in the crowds is to look like you live there so all the street vendors don't harass you w/ flyers and crap. Finally made it over the Brooklyn Bridge without getting run over by a guy training for the Tour de France. About a 20 minute wait for the pizza and was well worth it. We (I) ate a large pie and it was by far the best pizza i have ever had, actually lived up to the hype which was surprising. Walked back over the bridge because we couldn't find a subway near there and then took the subway back to Times Square, the "7 train" i think it was. Time to get a nap before the Sens game.

So we make it across the street to Port Authority to catch the bus to Continental Arena a la someones suggestion here on 2+2, big thank-you to whoever that was. I figured i'd be the only Sens jersey there, wrong, Sens fans came out of the woodwork to say the least. I have never seen that many at one time. We had hoped there would be places to eat around the arena but that place is in the middle of a swamp or something. Terrible location. We had to eat inside the arena and the food was typical arena crap.They had Guiness which was a plus but that was good as it got food/drink wise. My girl and I were 8 rows back/ section 111 and we were surrounded by Devils fans which sucked. The Devils came out "on fire" in the first then the Sens owned them from 2nd period on. Great game. By the time we got back to the city we crashed for the night.

Come Sunday it was Central Park time. After another so-so breakfast buffet we took a cab to Columbus Circle and walked around the park for a few hours. It part partly cloudy and the wind made it pretty damn cold. Its amazing how there is a park that size in the middle of that city. Guys were playing softball and all i could think of was how much the team registration fees were in order to play in that park. There was a huge Jew parade or something going on 5th ave and i think every cop in the city was standingguard over it. Never seen so many guys in those special "hats" in my entire life. We found a Deli and i ate a great Pastrami and my girl had some funky Monte Cristo sandwich. Made our way back down 6th to Times Square. Is there a Starbucks every 100 yds or is it my imagination??? And what is up with all the Duane Reeds on every corner???

We took a quick nap and headed out for a good dinner. Blue Water Grill on 16th across from Union Square was our choice. The place was very, very good. Ate in the jazz room downstairs. Had a dozen oysters to start with and she had the sea bass while I went with the red snapper. Both were excellent. The wine was good (can't remember the name, it was suggested by the server)and the dessert was a 9/10. She had the Molten Chocolate something and I had the Lemon Tart w/ Kiwi salsa. It was a great way to end the weekend. That city is probably the best city in the world to visit but there is no way i could live there. Too much $$$$$ to maintain my standard of living.

Condensed version: Ate at some great places, spent waaaay to much money in 3 days, scared by all the "minorities" in Times Square and took advantage of the great public transportation and watched my Sens clinch.