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Laverne, Shirley and Lucy do New York
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Thursday, May 1, 2008 We got up at 0-dark:30 and all met at the airport, bleary-eyed. Our 6:30 a.m. flight took off right on time and arrived early in Detroit. We had just enough time to stop for a Mexican breakfast (along with a bloody mary for Pat) . . . it was really good for an airport restaurant! We had just enough time to catch our flight to New York, and surprisingly, all of our luggage arrived with us!! Imagine that! Barb immediately started snapping pictures and even took some pictures in the back of the cab. We had gotten in the cab line – even got there before a rush of people! – got a friendly driver, and, before long, found ourselves dropped off at the New York Hilton (1335 Avenue of the Americas).
HILTON
PHOTOS
We checked in after lunch (1:00-ish), and wandered over to Rockefeller Plaza to check out what we had to do to get our Conan O’Brien tickets. We saw the skating rink – or what would be the skating rink in winter – from all sides. Sharon was surprised at how small that area is. It’s very deceiving when seen on TV. They must use their very-wide-angle lens when filming the skating events. We got turned around many times in the big Rockefeller Plaza building, and on every floor!
We had our first stop at a New York deli. There can be no better delis in the whole world! Fresh fruits and salads, sandwiches and wraps, cheesecake and baklava, even hot dishes like lo mein and sesame chicken, for example, were everywhere! We then ate our choices in the street next to Rockefeller Plaza. Everything was so delicious! The day was sunny, but cool. As it turns out, we would have been happy with this kind of weather in exchange for the cold, windy temps that were in our future. Today was our day to see the taping of Conan O’Brien. We arrived early, knowing we’d be lost sooner or later. We finally found where we had to go to exchange our email reservation sheet for the actual tickets. When we finally got in there, we were surprised to see how small the studio was. The desk area where Conan sits is very small, and the 2-seater couch and guest chair were crammed in close to his desk. When we were taken in to be seated, we were given a Conan O’Brien tee-shirt that said “Audience Member” on the sleeve. We were shown a video that was sort of The Best of Conan to get us in a laughing mood. It really was pretty funny! We were instructed to laugh every time the “Applause” light came on, and, of course, we did! The guests that day were Sigourney Weaver. (She was okay, but not great. She was very pleasant, and wore clothing like we would wear – light-colored pants, a colorful shirt and jacket – nothing glitzy or fancy.) The next guest was Darrell Hammen. (He too, was okay, but not great.) He either had a bad cold or had put something unmentionable up his nose, because he kept sort of brushing his hand past his nose during Conan’s interview with him. Hmmmm? The visiting band that night was an older band called “Was (not was)”. Really. That was their name, even the part in the parentheses. They are trying to make a comeback after 20 years and have put out a CD. Actually, they were pretty good. We had a great time watching the studio full of camera men, producers, producer assistants, cue card holder, cable mover, props movers, etc. etc. There had to be at least 20 people – maybe more – crammed in on that small set. Conan uses the old-fashioned cardboard cue cards, not the television-style ones they have near the cameras. It was fun watching the camerawork. They switched easily from one camera to another to catch all angles of Conan and his guests. Max Weinberg, who is the leader of the Max Weinberg Seven” orchestra was not there that night, so the drums were being played by someone else, but he was just as good. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed for the taping, so I have nothing to show. After Conan, we stopped for a beer (or two) at an Irish pub called Connolly’s. I think we all might be Irish, rather than German, because it the first of many Irish pubs where we would find a good time. Then we walked up to Trump Towers where we met with Sharon and Barb’s niece, Abby. Abby works as a waitress in the Trump Tower lounge.
It was really good to see her. (She’s as pretty as ever!) Barb got a chance to try Sharon’s Cosmo (Cosmopolitan martini), and Barb thought maybe she could drink those too! We had three drinks with Abby, which, she cordially told us, were “on Mr. Trump”! She even gave us each a bottle of “Trump Ice” (Mr. Trump’s brand of water.) After a couple hours of drinks and laughs we headed home. By now, it was getting colder, and was even raining a little. We got home relatively early (10:30 p.m.) that night, because we knew we would be getting up early the next day for the taping of The Today Show. (The temps tomorrow are supposed to be in the high 50’s. We’ll take it! The high 40’s and low 50’s is simply too C-O-L-D!
Friday, May 2, 2008 We willingly set the alarm for 4:00 a.m. so that we could get over to The Today Show by 5:30 a.m. to wave to everybody and also for the Neil Diamond concert. It was still dark when we left. We were jammed in like sardines for more than three hours! It was a real adventure trying to keep your place without stepping on the person next to you. Barb had a real doozie next to her. The woman was as rude as she could be. She nudged, elbowed, pushed, shoved, and, at times, even laid on Barb. She was definitely a big b-word! We got to shake hands with Al Roker, the weather guy, and Neil Diamond was as good as always. Later, we headed over to Gray Line Bus Tours to buy our three-day bus tour tickets for $115 each. A few blocks before we got there, about four or five guys swarmed us and wanted us to buy the same type of tour from a different bus line, City Sights Bus Tours, for only $80. After we grilled them to make sure the deal was legit, we bought the City Sights three-day passes and each walked away $35 less poor. We took the downtown tour first. Omigoodness, we saw so much, including, the Empire State Building,
Times Square, Macy’s, the Flatiron Building, Greenwich Village, Soho, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, South Street Seaport, Lower East Side, United Nations (found out that if the flags of all the nations were all the way to the top of their staffs, that meant the UN was in session. . . they were), Waldorf-Astoria, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park, and so much more! We were so cold! The temps hovered around 50-degrees, and there we were on the upper level of the bus where the wind took your breath away, shivering!
We were freezing and looked for a restaurant or café where we could sit and enjoy a nice, warm place to eat. We happened upon an upscale Italian restaurant called Alfredo’s. We got a table in the front window where we could watch the passers-by. Our table, unfortunately, was right next to the front door, and every time (often!) the front door open and closed, the cold air whooshed in on us! It was warm only when the door was closed! We decided on a bowl of soup, for two reasons. Reason #1, a hot bowl of soup would warm us since we were so cold, and reason #2, it was the cheapest thing on the menu at $9! It was a pureed mushroom soup that was served in a huge bowl with only about an inch of soup in it. Two of us liked it, one of us didn’t. Then Sharon and Pat had tiramisu at $10/serving for dessert. That was out of this world delicious! Later we took the NBC tour, which started with a short movie about the beginnings of NBC television. Then they showed us how they did the weather and news, the set of Saturday Night Live, and how they manage remote broadcasts from the New York studio. For example, when the Olympics in Beijing are broadcast, it will all be done through the New York studio. Right after the tour, we went downstairs in the Rockefeller Plaza building, got lost a little (again!), and enjoyed some ice cream at a table by the window where the ice rink is in winter. We hit the street vendors on the way back to the hotel and bought some really nice pashminas (long scarves) for only $5 and – oh yeah!—got lost a little. The scarves would easily sell for $30 around here. They’re 80% pashmina and 20% silk. (We think “pashmina” is Pakistani for “acrylic”!) We toured St. Patrick’s Cathedral and enjoyed the beautiful workmanship all over. From the chiseled marble on the many altars, the carved heavy wooden doors and woodwork, the handmade Waterford crystal crucifix with relics of St. Patrick to the actual cathedral itself, each was more beautiful than the next. The main altar was stunning, and the many side altars – approx. 20 or more – were exquisite.
On the way back to our hotel, Pat stopped at an OTB (off track betting) place to place a bet on the Kentucky Derby. We had a good laugh there! Pat asked the guy at the window if you place a win/place/show bet on a horse, do you win all three ways if the horse comes in first? He didn’t know! He laughed and said, “I just work here, I don’t gamble, ask that guy over there!” So we did. (And yes, it would have paid all three ways, but, unfortunately, Pat’s horse did not win at all!) Fortunately, the place was not busy, and they were very patient and understanding with us. We took the bus for the nighttime tour around Manhattan. We absolutely froze our butts off! By this time, we had been so cold no matter where we went, so we bundled up in everything we could find. The tour bus passed out “raincoats” (thinner than the thinnest garbage bag), but we put them on to help to keep out the wind. Anything helped! Barb was making believe she was Plastic Lady, bundled up with all the clothes she brought along, a scarf wrapped around her neck, her coat – all this wrapped up with the yellow plastic garbage bag raincoat. Barb was wishing she had brought her long johns! It was so-ooo cold! While on the bus tour, Barb saw a sign for Sleepy’s Mattress Company and wanted to “go to Sleepy’s”. (We were so cold and so tired by then, it was indescribable.) After the tour we stopped at the Pig and Whistle for more food and more beer. The food and the beer were great but we had a b-word of a waitress. Pat asked her if she was from Ireland, and her rude response was, “No! Long Island!” She never did get any friendlier, but everyone else there was very pleasant. On our way back home, we stopped at one of the tourist trap stores (aka junk store) so that Barb and Sharon could each pick up a sweatshirt. If they would have had parkas and long johns for sale, I know where they could have sold three of each! Did I mention? . . . it was absolutely freezing. The temperature was cold, and the wind was even colder. Before we went back to our room (on the 17th floor) at the Hilton, we stopped off at the 2nd floor to check out the Business Center for computer use. When we got off the elevator, we turned the wrong way – imagine that! We should have turned left, but turned right instead, right into the big empty conference room hallway that was one of the closing scenes of the movie “Michael Clayton”. Sharon recognized it first. We were imagining George Clooney walking toward us in that long open hall. We were so happy to get back home, where we could warm up. The temperatures today never did reach the high 50’s as forecasted! It must be a story the weather channel makes up on cold weekends! They are, however, promising high 50’s tomorrow! We’ll see!
Saturday, May 3, 2008 We slept in today! Woo-hoo! . . . until a little after 7:00, that is! Earlier that morning (or I guess it could still be called ‘night’), a funny thing happened. About 3:30 a.m. we all awoke to a high-pitched “beeeeep” . . . (pause) . . . “beeeeep” . . . (pause) . . . more . “beeeeep” . . . (pause)s, etc. After all of us sitting up in bed and listening to try to figure out whose phone was beeping, we finally figured out that it was Barb’s computer running out of battery power! She “fixed” it and jumped back in bed. About five seconds later, we heard another little “beeeeep . . . ” and got a good giggle out of that before Barb really did “fix” it. (We did think about wrapping a towel around the computer and putting it in the bathtub for the night!) Awhile after the “beeeeep” incident we heard a sort of muffled pounding. It was about seven or eight of pound – pause – pound – pause, etc., etc., etc. We never did figure out what that was. As mentioned, we got up around 7:00-ish and headed out about 9:30 for our first subway ride to Canal Street to buy “treasures”. Along the way, we marched (okay, only three steps . . . just enough to say we did it and for Barb to snap our pictures!) in the Revlon 5K walkathon for Breast Cancer Awareness. It was very moving to see so many (literally, thousands) people marching with either pictures or names of their lost loved ones on their shirts, hats, or signs. Soon we got to the right subway station, bought our Metro passes (after much confusion at the Metro-pass machine on what to buy and how to do it), and headed to the subway platform – looking very much like Laverne, Shirley, and Lucy! After looking dumbfounded and lost for several minutes, a very pretty lady (early 40’s or so) came over to us and asked us if we needed help. The answer was a definite “Yes!” After asking us where we were going, she told us we were on the wrong track! She tried to give us instructions on how to go up and over the tracks (up and down some steps, then up and down more steps), but we must have still looked very, very confused. She was so kind to us and walked us up and over the tracks herself and brought us where we should be going. Then, she actually got onto the downtown train with us to make sure we were on the right train. When Pat asked her where she was going, the lady told her she would be getting off at the next stop (34th Street) to catch the train she needed to go uptown to 72nd Street where she was actually headed!! Who says New Yorkers are cold!! It proves that guardian angels come in all sorts of packages.
We arrived safely – thanks to our new friend – at Canal Street and decided that the subway was a great way to get around. We were now ready to change trains if we needed to! Canal Street was a vendor/tourist paradise. A couple of weeks back, police seized about $100,000,000 worth of merchandise, so the vendors were very wary. Many of them showed us pictures of the purses, instead of having the real thing on display. One of them even tried to get Pat to “come to my van” to see handbags (say “handbags” in a heavy Jamaican accent), to which Pat replied, “No way!” and moved along to another vendor. We found lots and lots of good buys, including dresses, wallets, tee-shirts for the kids, handbags, and belts. Barb even found leggings (no longer called “long johns”) and earmuffs to help to warm her up. She paid for the leggings and put them on immediately! Lunch was at a deli in the Canal Street area. Again, the food was great! It wasn’t long before it was time to catch the subway back home. We got a little mixed up – but not too bad (for us!) – and soon found the right train. After arriving at our train stop, we did eventually manage to get turned around when we climbed the subway stairs to the street. In our uncertainty about where we were, we stumbled on a bar called Iguana. The sign out in front said they served 26 flavors of Mojitos. That just happens to be Sharon’s favorite drink of the summer! We went in and enjoyed two rounds of those Mojitos. We had another really good laugh at this place, because Barb was going to buy a round of drinks, so that she could get change for her 50-dollar-bill. Sharon and Pat gave Barb the money for their drinks, so that Barb could pay the whole bill. She put her $50 out on the bar, and when the bartender gave her her change – a whole $2.00! – we all busted out laughing that it was only $2. She even had to add money to the change from the $50, so that the bartender could have a tip! We chuckled about that incident throughout the day.
Tonight would be our first night taking a taxi (other than the one from the airport), so we left our umbrellas and raincoats home. Less than a minute after we got in the cab, it started to rain. We got another good giggle out of that one. We had carried our umbrellas everywhere faithfully. That was our insurance policy to prevent the rain, I guess. We met Abby for dinner at Heartland Brewery and enjoyed still another great New York meal. Sharon and Pat had – what else! – New York strips! The food was excellent! They also enjoyed The Sampler, a tray of the six brews (5 ounces each) that Heartland produces, ranging from lagers to ales. Each one was great in its own right. We walked home that night, and checked out another pub called O’Flaherty’s. It was enjoyably warm in O’Flaherty’s, as they had their fireplace going. They had a guy playing a guitar and harmonica for entertainment, but he didn’t play Irish music. We spoke with a couple who told us they heard that it snowed six inches in Wisconsin that day. (They had us believing them, but it turned out not to be true!) We were home around midnight or so. Sunday, May 4, 2008 Today is Robyn’s birthday, so we called her to give her a wake-up “happy birthday”. Looking down from our window we could see the many bicyclists who were participating in the 5-borough bike run. When it first started, we could look down and see the bikes moving at a comfortable pace. Within the hour, we saw all the bikers on our corner (there were thousands) absolutely stopped in the street. From our 17th floor window, they looked like ants with helmets! We found out that when they left Battery Park (the start of the run), they were only allowed out in groups of 10,000! There were more than 30,000 bikers who participated. I don’t know how many miles it would be to cover all five boroughs, but late afternoon when we were in Battery Park, some of them were straggling in, looking very, very tired. We were going to meet Abby for breakfast near 86th Street but were unable to catch a taxi from the taxi line in front of The Hilton because of the swarm of bikers. We walked just a little ways and Sharon did a hail-a-cab move (one raised arm) and got one for us right away. The weather is finally nice and when we met Abby at Popover Café (on 86th and Amsterdam), we could stand outside and chat in the sun and warmth while waiting for our names to be called for our table. Check out www.popovercafe.com for more info. We enjoyed a perfectly marvelous breakfast! Abby and Pat had Eggs Benedict, which was served over – what else! – a popover. (Pat said it was the best hollandaise sauce she ever tasted!) Barb and Sharon had flopovers, which is a popover with no air! They looked like an omelet, but the ‘omelet’ part is an eggy, baked pancake like a hearty crepe (their words) – a sort of cross between a crepe mixture and a scrambled egg mixture. They were filled with good stuff, including ham, cheeses, sautéed apples, pears, and currants.
After breakfast we went to a street fair on Broadway (probably about 10-12 blocks from approx. 80th to 90th streets or so). They had higher quality “treasures”, and once again we bought more than we needed, like socks, jewelry – who can beat $2 for a great-looking necklace or a set of 400-count queen-sized sheets for $20! – more handbags and tote bags, and more! There were food vendors everywhere, but it wasn’t even tempting, because we had just had the best breakfast ever! Besides, raw chicken marinating in 75-degree or more sunny temperatures was a guaranteed trip to stomach crampville! We then took the subway to Battery Park. We had passes to take the harbor tour around the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, the last boat had just left, so we had to look at Lady Liberty from a distance. It was a clear day, so we actually did see her, always a moving sight. We wandered around Battery Park – which is so beautiful in spring with pretty flowers everywhere – for awhile and enjoyed ice cream on a park bench. Barb fed some of her ice cream sandwich to the pigeons, and we all enjoyed seeing them swoop in to peck at their treat. They seemed to come from everywhere, and we wondered how the pigeons saw those crumbs from so far away. We walked out of the park and toward Ground Zero. It was chilling to realize that the World Trade Center buildings had stood in that empty area. (A total of seven buildings had to be taken down because of the damage of 9/11.) We could only imagine the horror the people in the buildings adjacent to the WTC must have felt as they observed the catastrophe happening around them. STATUE OF LIBERTY AND GROUND ZERO Once again we had trouble finding the subway. (no surprise, huh!) We did discover that three minds almost equal one full one, because among the three of us, someone always knew the right way to go. She just had to convince the others! We finally found our station after a lot of walking.
We got off at Macy’s corner and checked out Macy’s. It is huge! It covers two full city blocks of nine stories of department store. Our tour bus driver told us that the 5th floor actually has its own ZIP code! Barb asked a Macy salesman how to get to the Bargain Basement. He replied (with a snooty, arrogant attitude), “Macy’s does not have a bargain basement. The sales are throughout the store!” (We looked at the price tags on the sale items. We found out that the sales were not sales!) We took another subway ride, and this time – eee-hah! – did not get lost. We couldn’t make it all the way home without a beer, so we stopped at Rosie O’Grady’s (another Irish pub . . . they’re everywhere!) for another pint or two. It tasted extremely good, since we had spent a hot (we loved the warm temps!) afternoon in New York. For dinner, we met Abby at one of the Blondie’s (a sports bar where she works) for a great supper, and then headed to the other Blondie’s for drinks later. We had a chance to meet some of her friends and favorite patrons and had a really great time. We all left with the makings of a possible hangover tomorrow!
Monday, May 5, 2008 Because we were out late with Abby last night, we slept a little later this morning before we got moving. Before we went out for the morning, we packed up all our things to get ready for our return home. We were all a little worried about our suitcases being too heavy, so we came up with a plan. Pat said, “Maybe the Hilton has a place where we can weigh our luggage.” So Sharon called the Bell Captain and asked just that. He told us that they did. Sharon said, “Will it weigh out luggage? The suitcases are kind of heavy.” He replied, “That scale could weigh an elephant!” So off we trudged – with our bulky suitcases – to the business center where packages are sent out. The guy in the business center sent us off to the loading dock, which we finally found with the help of another nice New Yorker who showed us the way. When we told the loading dock guy what we wanted he had a good chuckle out of it, but cheerfully weighed each of our bags. We weren’t as overloaded as we thought! Our bags weighed in at 37#, 38#, and 42#. Barb even snapped a quick picture of our newest helper, the loading dock guy.
We had another deli breakfast. You just cannot beat the fresh foods of a New York deli. It doesn’t matter what you’re hungry for at what time of the day, the deli has it, and it will be great! Among other things, our breakfasts that day included macaroni and cheese, turkey and gravy, fresh fruit, cheesecake, and Death by Chocolate cake.
After breakfast, we walked over to Rockefeller Plaza and purchased our tickets to The Top of the Rock, which is the rooftop observatory on the 67th floor of that skyscraper. It was another beautiful, sunny day in New York with temperatures well over 70, finally! The day was clear, so we had beautiful views in all directions and enjoyed the Top of the Rock immensely. We could clearly see both the East River and the Hudson River, Central Park, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and even the Statue of Liberty. We were even able to see our house (the Hilton), which Barb snapped a picture of. Next came our stroll over to Tiffany’s. Sharon wanted to go in, but Barb and Pat were too chicken! Pat said it was the black suits, grey silky ties, and crisp white shirts of the two men standing in the doorway that stopped her. She felt a little intimidated in her jeans and black sweater! So Sharon passed on going into the store too, and it became a window-shopping-only trip. Alas! The time came for us to check out of The Hilton and catch a taxi to the airport. Our taxi trip was a smooth one, with only a minor traffic delay in the area of JFK. We checked in and headed downstairs to wait a couple hours for our flight. We allowed extra time in case of traffic problems, but we didn’t need it, so we people-watched at the airport for awhile. Barb got to see a guy with a turban tuck in his shirt. The only thing was, he dropped his trousers to his ankles to do it! There he stood in all the splendor of his bright, tightie-whities for the world to see! Did Barb get a picture? Not this time! Both flights were uneventful and on time, and we actually arrived at our destinations – Detroit and Appleton – early! Dave and Tom met us at the airport for the official end of our whirlwind New York weekend! A very, very good time was had by all.
Love Lavern, Shirley and Lucy
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