The third and final full day was spent in New York City. We woke up around 7:30 and I could have slept another two hours. Maybe that's because it took two hours for me to fall asleep. It just takes me so long to fall asleep on a mattress I'm not used to. It's like I have to date mattresses for a night or two to find out which ones I'm compatible with. I guess this was just a weekend fling.
We headed to the Metuchen train station and Mom and I had to stop for some good bagels. We both got sandwiches, mine with sausage and Mom's with bacon. And it was so refreshing to see the eggs get cooked on a flat grill. Every place I've been to in Chicago, they pour the egg from a carton into a Tupperware, and microwave the thing up. On a poppy bagel along with gooey, melting American cheese, this sandwich just tasted so real for a change.
So after a 40 minute train ride into Penn Station, we took three subways up to 86th St in Manhattan. From there, we walked five blocks in a steady rain to the Guggenheim museum on the Upper East Side. As we approached the building, we realized what we were in for. The line was already at least 150 people out the door, not moving at all, and the museum had already been open 20 minutes.
After 15 minutes or so of not moving, Mom came up with a brainstorm. She walked around the corner toward the main entrance and got us into another line and there were only about 20 people ahead of us. So we thought we were in good shape. We had no way of knowing, but we were standing in the line for pre-paid and members admissions. Nobody told anyone in line that there were separate lines, but when we reached the fromt, we were were told we would have to go back in the GA line. We all thought their approach was very unprofessional and inconsiderate. Not willing to wait another hour, we decided to take off. So we walked down 5th Avenue, the Museum Mile, and found the Met Museum of Art. I'm not the biggest art guy, but I thought it was neat. We explored Egyptian artifacts, South American gold, and Midieval armors. I particularly liked the American paintings gallery from the 1700's and 1800's as well as the Roman and Greek sculptures. There were some cool works in the Modern section, particularly the "5" painting. Paul Klee's works also caught my eye. We wound up spending two hours in the building. As we walked out, we barely had room to move. Seems the Mets was the place to be.
Then with the rain pouring down, we hitched a cab to take us to Pig Heaven, which is a pretty well-known Chinese restaurant. Dad had been there maybe ten years prior. This place is apparently known for Peking duck and BBQ pork butt. Not tofu. The place was essentially empty at 2 p.m. but it certainly wasn't because of the quality. It was a tiny little place with maybe 12 tables, though I think there was more space around a curtain that was closed off at that time. We ordered fried shrimp rolls and pork dumplings to start and they were gone in minutes. The shrimp rolls came with a hoisin/Asian BBQ sauce that had a little smoke and sweetness to it. It was quite unique. We then got General Tso's chicken, one of my favorites. The meat was tender, crisp, and very spicy and came served with bell peppers. I think I made a good call suggesting that one. We all agreed had to get duck, but we went with the cheaper Cantonese roast duck option which was $16 as opposed to the $36 Peking duck. The meat came pre-sliced in small chunks. The meat was incredibly flavorful and juicy and the skin was very crisp. I have not eaten much duck in my life, but that was the way it should be cooked. We also got BBQ spareribs, which were loaded with meat and had a sweet Asian BBQ sauce. Excellent stuff. I also ordered crisp pan fried noodles with meats and veggies with the brown sauce you spoon over the noodles. The sauce was remarkable and big chunks of broccoli, onion, mushroom, etc. were a great complement for the meat. Unfortunately, they don't serve fortune cookies. And with fresh pineapple costing $5.50, we took a pass on dessert.
So then with the rain not letting up, we took a cab from 86th and 2nd to 31st and 7th (Penn Station). I got a good laugh when we passed right by a huge Turkish restaurant and I had to think about J-Schu. We took a 2:55 train back and a mom with four kids sat down right next to me. She had pizza slices for each of them and was doing her best to give them out, but mroe than that, just keep them under control. I hope those kids have a dad that they know.
So we went home and watched Julie and Julia. Yeah, it was a cute little story that Mom might to be able to use on her bus tours where the clientele is all over 60 years old. And Meryl Streep is just a tremendous actress, no question about it. But I was bored for most of the film. For a movie that advertises itself as a comedy, the one and only time I laughed was when they showed an old SNL parody of Julia Child slicing her hand open and the blood spilling everywhere. All over the poultry, all over the cutting boards, all over her clothes.
Not wanting to go out again, we ordered some LaRosa's pizzam which was phenomenal as always. Mom was breaking down how she liked it a lot, but she wanted just a little more crunch in the crust as opposed to chew. I argues that Chicgao doesn't know the first thing about shew in a pizza crust. Because the fact is whether you order thin crust or deep dish, you're biting into a hard crust.
Got the pizza delivered just in time for the beginning of the Rangers-Islanders game at the Garden. I was thrilled when the Blueshirts tied the game in the final minute and disgusted when Okposo won it with a fluke in overtime. It was 9:45 at this point and I knew I'd be waking up around 3:00 AM to head to the airport. So I retired to the bedroom.
Well, sleep did not come easily again. And this was the first night I did not read a book or play my Ipod. And though there is always some noise around Dad's neighborhood, the outside distractions on this night just never seemed to go away. Ambulances and fire trucks seemed to flying right outside our window all night long. After a ton of tossing and turning, I think I fell sound asleep somewhere around 11. Unfortunately, I woke up at least four times between 11 and 3:30 a.m. and kept checking the clock. I think I saw 1:15, 2:10, 2:45. It was a pretty tough night.
But we woke up and got to the airport around 4:15 AM. We made it onto the 6:25 flight without a problem, and got into Chicago by 8, thanks to a good tailwind. Then came a visit to Wheaton Bible Church (saw a ton of old friends) there and finally, we made it home around 11:30 and unpacked. Then Week 16 of the NFL was set to kick off...
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