The Concrete Jungle Part II

Even if Jesus was coming, I wouldn’t have to ‘look’ busy. I am busy. So busy that suddenly it’s been over 2 weeks and I realised that I haven’t written a blog post because I haven’t had the time. 

Where is the time flying, and most importantly WHY is it flying!? Slow down! I was talking to one of my American friends and she thinks this term is going snail’s pace – give me snail’s pace so I have time to see more of everything!

And then you have those snarky ‘whole year exchange kids’ with there ‘I’ll do it in the Spring’ quote … ugh… my distaste for them is obviously not driven by jealousy 😉 

Well, today in a snatched bit of spare time before dinner, I thought I would write up about the second part of NYC, since you all loved the first part so much + because I want to 😉

ALSO because I just booked another 5 days with my exchange friends in New York DURING THE MASSIVE THANKSGIVING CELEBRATIONS! But no… don’t think of that because that is going to be one helluva thunderous post in its own right! 😉

For now ladies and gents, allow me to whisk you away to the world of singing, dancing and taking a trip on the wild side with a wooden rollercoaster over 8 decades old…

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But that comes later!

No, no, sorry, no, I can’t believe I haven’t written about this amazing place yet so it comes first. Raise your hand if you like musicals – everybody I assume? I can’t see you but I’ll take a general consensus of 100% 😉

And the best thing about musicals are, of course, the songs right? The crazy bursting into songs at every second moment, voices soaring through the audience and giving you goosebumps! My only issue is that it is hard to not feel distant from the singers – they are so emotionally involved in this romanticised world while I am sitting in a plush leather chair wishing for more than anything to be right there on the boat with them (for example 😛 )

But now… I can be… at Ellen’s Stardust Diner. Official home of the singing waitstaff, who sing songs ranging from Marvin Gaye to Coldplay, while you dine on classic American breakfast food.

You can literally be pouring syrup while your waiter is crooning a love songs in your ear. IS THERE ANY BETTER WAY TO EXPRESS YOUR PURE LOVE FOR BRUNCH?

And it’s not just ‘oh cool, a singing waiter.’ I mean, karaoke in America refers to singing in front of strangers, it’s basically the same thing thing right, but with a bit more training or something?

WRONG. NOPE. NADA. These are trained Broadway amateurs, that while waiting for their big break, take beautiful classics, requests and more and give their own little twist to the tune to create melodies of EPIC proportions! Whether they are walking along a runway made of tables or your own waiter singing (in which case, you get more of their gorgeous voice!), it is the most engaging experience ever! 😀

And the food ain’t too shabby either. Jokes, it was actually very delicious – can I say multitalented or should you? Why not both?? 😀

The croissant and fresh fruit were so daintily served and so pretty, I absolutely loved it! Flaky and golden, with rich chocolate, the croissant was delicious!

Although I have got to know – who the hell puts extra jam on a croissant filled with chocolate? 😛

My friends took the more fried american side of life and ordered hulking pieces of… some kind of meat…. on pancakes with sides of eggs 🙂

And no meal is complete without a solidly delicious fruit salad. How cute does it look, ammirite or what!?

Now imagine eating all this lovely food, with waiters around you singing in their beautiful musical-opera-high voices, and making you feel like your morning radio has come to life! 😀

I can’t put them up here, but as I watch all the videos we took of hearing all these singers, it just brings the biggest smile to my face, a genuinely huge grin which I couldn’t remove the entire time we were in this diner.

And it really kickstarts the positive vibes and the energy needed for the rest of the day 😛

Now… since I was talking about magic and singing, let’s skip over the entire day to the night. The night of watching A REAL LIVE BROADWAY MUSICAL IN PERSON. No screens to block my outstretched hand. A huge crowd to stop my inevitable crappy singalong.

We watched THE ORIGINAL MATILDA. And Mrs Trunchbull  WAS PLAYED BY A MAN. And by SOME sorcery of the theatre department, they managed to pull off the iconic plait-spinning scene which forever made me wary of plaited pigtails in front of mean authoritative figures.

Mean… psychopathic… whatever 😉

And in that scene where the boy guzzles down an entire chocolate cake. They showed it. How? Obviously with Harry Potter magic, cake can’t just disappear into thin air otherwise! 😛 😉

I’ve been watching musicals since the age of 11-12 years since my parents introduced me and didn’t see the love affair that was coming, and when I saw a proper Broadway production of Matilda, it just hit me like Cupid’s Arrow.

Straight in the heart, the childhood and everything, it was absolutely incredible 😀

Yeah musicals first, men second. Or was it food first? But that’s a discussion for another 2000 word or so post (and you know they are coming!) hehehehehehe…

But would you believe one of my friends and I didn’t even almost make it to the Musical!? It was by some special timing that for once, we had a wonderful ticket booth guy who smiled at us and quickly ushered us in, even though we arrived at 7:02 (I remember, the stress enhanced my memory in this instance!) 😛

So we got perhaps the crappiest taxi driver in all of New York. Walking down Brooklyn finding a taxi, we got one and away we went. Until my friend noticed he was taking the longest route possible to Times Square-Broadway area. Hmm. When questioned?

“Ah, nah, misses, there’s a crash on the Brooklyn Bridge. Head-on collision. I take you longer way but still shorter. I go bridge, you won’t make show, I take you shorter way actually!”

He certainly expressed the final sentence enough times, ugh. And driving at a damn leisurely place, getting stuck behind traffic almost as if on purpose, and showing off every NYC landmark, which like any good tourist,  WE ALREADY KNEW OF, before finally we pull up to Times Square area with 3 minutes to spare.

We throw no-tip money at his sleazy, awfulness and booked it (American speak for ‘ran’) to the theatre, running like maniacs through Times Square and I am sure, disrupting hundreds photos 😛 before just reaching there – NOW THAT is a New York experience 😉

And believe you me, he wasn’t the only awful driver we got – it is WAY too common, you yellow cabbies you!!!

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Now, I would like to introduce you to a very special place in my heart. The historically besotting, the salty yet sweet world of Coney Island NYC!  

Now I don’t know how much I have raved on to you guys about this, because anyone who is a friend of mine certainly knows that I am a cautious, sensible person in life. But when it comes to rollercoasters, horror movies and all insanely non-cautious, bloody pumping, adrenalin surging activities in which I am guaranteed not to die, I am a junkie.

I could go on a rollercoaster 10 times (it has been done before…), after eating two burgers, fries and a drink and still not throw up. If anything, I am the person screaming ‘FASTER!!!’ 😀 I want to go upside down, turned around, I want to be *excuse my incoming French* batshit crazy to epic proportions on a ride!

And Coney Island, being a manmade beach-playland of the early 20th century just adds a retro vibe for me, beckoning me with its historical… um… history!!! 😀

It is truly, my ideal place to be.

And this is RC – she is my official huge rides soul sister!

To quote her ‘I went on one really big rollercoaster, then I couldn’t stop’ – were truer words ever spoken? I think not.

We were quite literally children. Going on upside down, spinning rides 3 times, and since we only had 4 hours or so at the park, we were running from ride to ride as well! S
mall children were looking at us. 5 year olds were judging us. Ugh. What an expression of the unreasonable community we live in.

When you see something you like, you run for it. End of story. 😛

I also love that it reminds me of the Boardwalk Fair I went to in California, because being New York, they need to have everything, including a beautiful beach off of Coney Island, complete with a perfect boardwalk, tons of stalls and ice cream.

Who am I to say no that? If New York can, New York will, that is truly the impression I get from this gorgeous city 😀

We also paid a little extra to go on the historic rollercoaster still running here from 1927! 1927, I can’t even fathom but this SURELY must be one of the oldest rollercoasters running at the moment – right!?!?!

We sat in one seat as well, because we assumed that was the correct way of doing it – apparently it should be one per seat because if you go on a bending, curving, viciously rattling old wooden coaster, please be warned that both people will be inadvertently participating in a severe game of corners, squishing each other in the process.

For those who have never played corners, you obviously had no friends or siblings. JOKES omg, corners is where three people are sitting in the backseat and you exaggerate your sliding when the car turns right or left to squish the person on that side. 😀

After our teeth were left chattering and our whole body was rattled, it was time to refresh and devour. Pure carnival style.

LOOK AT THIS MAGNIFICENT LEMONADE. Freshly squeezed, in a too-cute bottle AND so refreshing, it took my breath away. And gave me life at the same time. I still remember, we were so overheated, it was the best thing we could have drunk 🙂

And the food was so greasy and delicious, it was exactly what anyone wants after being hurtled safely through the sky multiple times. To be honest, even writing about it now makes me want to book a ticket to Jersey and go on the largest rollercoaster in the world there.

Ugh. Junkie. Addiction is so real for adrenalin rushes 😛

I would like to point out our excessive junk food eating and drink mixing was also a result depression eating since our other three ‘friends’ betrayed us and went to The original Shake Shack without us. I was so shocked I could barely speak I am pretty sure!!!

But we made them take us there after Matilda, so I guess no harm done 😛 😉

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I thought maybe after all this hyper singing, adrenalin filled post, I would wind it down with a nice relaxing few shots of Central Park. I am once again in awe of New York.

It is a sprawling Metropolitan full of skyscrapers and buildings tucked into every corner they can find. And despite it all, they still have space to put a ridiculously gigantic park which is not just a park, but a hub for activity, movie shooting, gondola rides, bridges and scenery.

How, what, where, the city was constructed for perfection. I swear.

We didn’t do many of the activities, more so walked around the park as much as we could, and of course, stole the swings from small children daycare groups. In our defence, we don’t get to enjoy the central park everyday so I think we are justified!

 

We also got a bit of a shower courtesy of the park – aaah memories (it was SO hot and humid that day, it was much needed!)

I am so coming back here at Thanksgiving. Maybe it’ll have snowed. OMG, Central Park dressed in white.

Oh. My. God. 😀

We also ended up going to the Museum of Natural History from Central Park (walking cities just win!!!) but didn’t really take any photos. I feel like inside museums, you can’t take photos, otherwise you don’t enjoy the exhibits in their own right. And I would also have a million photos if I took one of everything I saw – ce n’est pas possible pour moi, non!!!

If you want to see the inside, feel free to watch the magnificent movie that is Night at the Museum. Ben Stiller remains golden all day, everyday 😉

Unfortunately, the impressive dinosaurs didn’t come alive for us *regrets of not sneaking in at night* 😛

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Now I know what you are thinking – surely, I must be done with New York since I have written two incredibly long posts right?

Wrong. We were in New York for 5 days. And boy, did we take advantage of that.

I do believe that my next post, will legitimately be the longest of the three.

And then after Thanksgiving, I will have to show you even more of my beautiful, beautiful New York City – yes, I now consider myself a part of it, and it a part of me 😉

Au revoir mes amis, till we speak again (a.k.a till you ‘hear’ my words again) 😉

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