After a breezy 3.5-hour drive a week ago, I was transported from the cozy confines of MoCo to the real, "The City." I played tourist during the day and surprised my dad for his 65th (!) birthday at night, before visiting Philly for brunch with a friend from college. It was a whirlwind 36 hours, but hot damn it was worth it!
Somehow nobody's making eye contact with anybody else.
The new pedestrian walkway was much appreciated in Times Square. I still had to fend off five-year-olds who didn't know how to get out of the way. I stepped aside instead of getting hit in the groin.
Let's travel all the way to this city of great restaurants just to eat at the Olive Garden. Sadly, the place was packed.
Long live the TKTS booth! A haven for me, el Cheapo Depot, I landed orchestra seats to "Chicago."
Bianca Marroquin was awesome as Roxie. This prohibited video doesn't even do her justice.
Blasphemy! Who dares to advertise Canadian bagels in NYC when there's H&H, etc.??? This is the rarest of all things, a Tim Hortons this far south so of course I went inside.
Thought I must admit that the Tim Horton Timbits were better than Dunkin Donuts' munchkins.
What ever shall we call this park in the center of the city?
"The meeting isn't until three, but I always like to come a little early. This is where I do my haunts. Oh, look! [points to a Sbarro's] My favorite New York pizza place. I'm going to go get me a New York slice!" -- Michael Scott
Time for some legit NYC pizza. Broccoli on pizza was awesome.
Perfect! Go to Flash Dancers, now offering a sushi and sake bar. Nice warning above the entrance that warns about bed bugs. These are the things I notice.
The House of Brews was like every bar in midtown, an Irish bar with an Irish bartender and Irish customers. "That was a bloody yellow card!" was heard often.
A bike lane signal. At least bikers are safe in one Manhattan intersection. Just a few thousand more to go.
Just about as clean as you'll find for a food cart.
A great miracle happened at the Empire State Building...no significant lines.
It was really cold up that high, but it was sooooo worth it.
Tall buildings to the northwest.
Taller buildings to the north.
Tallest buildings to the northeast.
Don't drop your camera!
Your typical NYC street: school buses, taxis, livery cabs, tourist bus, luxury sedan from the NJ suburbs, and commuter bus from Connecticut.
Rolled to Philly for a hot minute the next day and enjoyed Rittenhouse Square.
I tossed a penny over my shoulder and wished for peace on earth. Yeah right!
Postcard weather made Philly look good.
I rocked some solid challah french toast with ricotta cheese and blackberry sauce at Marathon on the Square (the freshly squeezed OJ was not so solid). It looked like this except it for the whipped cream and ugly plate. I was stuffed completely for the drive back to Maryland.
Two weeks ago I left the confines of the east coast and visited my sister and her boyfriend who live in another country. Fortunately, my passport isn't required for entry just yet as it expired 10 years ago. What is this great land called? Why, it's California of course. Onward with the pictures!
As a randomly selected person for a full body scan at BWI, I sure hope I put on a good show for the TSA tech.
For the 2nd time in a row, I flew to LA on Southwest, sat in the first row, and had a crazy woman (this time talking about aliens landing in her home state of NM) sit in my row. Fortunately, someone sat between us. The lesson here as always, if you fly Southwest, accept that you're going to be trapped with more crazies than normal.
Will.I.am (or more likely his twin) was on the plane. Boom boom pow!
The next day we made the pilgrimage to a shrine for one of California's proudest exports - Ronald Reagan. I learned many things about Reagan this day.
Once an actor always an actor. Reagan seemed to act the part of president, but never was a true president making his own decisions. His library even played a few clips about his lack of political aspirations, be it for governor or president. He voted democratic for many years and then changed to republican practically overnight for no ideological reason in the late 60s.
Reagan was a natural fit as the Gipper after his athletic career.
Reagan was a true example of an outlier. He was what the country wanted for a president; a straightshooter, someone who simply came across as a nice guy, and wouldn't break into a hotel room to steal campaign secrets. He won the White House on charm and simplicity and the public was okay with that, nevermind that all of his policies, speeches, and decisions were made by terribly important handlers. Heaven forbid he had his own thoughts.
This out of focus picture is of two model boat kits he put together. An entire display for this? I suppose with a library dedicated to a single person, everything gets added. The exhibit cards throughout were infinitely positive - these boats showed Reagan's dedication to finishing a project he began and his tremendous amount of patience to complete every task.
His successful acting career was as much about his ability as being in the right place at the right time. He had many moments in which he was literally thrown behind a mic to do sports play-by-play or DJ as a fill-in. From there, he was a star on radio just as TV came into its own. Thanks to the right timing, he made a smooth transition to TV.
When my library's built, I promise that it'll at least hide the speaker wire.
Turns out, the president's plane wasn't named after the shoes, it's the other way around.
How did anything get done on board without a laptop? HDTV? Touch screen phone?
Then, with his acting career on the decline a friend suggested that he run for governor. Reagan explains at the library that he didn't want any part of politics, but just did it on a whim. I suspect politics came easy for him because he could just act the part and fit right in with the hot air and phoniness of the profession.
Finally, a museum that should have an authentic section of the Berlin Wall on display, unlike say, the Newseum. Of course, saying, "Tear down this wall," could have incited the launch of nuclear missiles, I approve of Reagan's piece of the wall.
The miniature White House model was cool.
The view from the library was nice, if lacking vegetation that makes mountainside pictures really great.
The next day we walked the beach in Palos Verdes near the Trump National Golf course. The course offers views of the ocean on every hole and costs half as much as Pebble Beach, making it Pebble Beach's ugly stepsister. Really, if you're going to play a course along the beach, Pebble Beach is the one and only. Spend the extra money.
"This is the finest putting green and clubhouse on the entire west coast of North America."
"These are the finest ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayonnaise packets in the state. The heating tray is the best money can buy."
One unwritten rule: You may drive nothing worse than a BMW or Mercedes to the golf course.
It sure looks nothing like the 2009-10 winter in DC.
It only gets better as you get closer to the water.
I doubt this dog appreciates the life he has out here.
Let's be honest, having four real seasons is soooo overrated on our coast.
Yeah, it's a tough sell on why moving out here makes sense. Too bad we didn't feel the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck just as we were finishing our walk.
I ain't scared of no rattlesnakes. I watch Man vs. Wild.
Just before heading home, I took in la Marina de la Marina del Rey.
On the flight back over Indiana, I caught a faint glimpse of the northern lights. It almost made up for not being at the beach anymore and missing an exciting men's NCAA basketball final game.
Hey kids, ever wanted a cool way to practice your Bar/Bat Mitzvah prayers and Torah portions? Then Torah Hero might be just what you need. Here's how I'd design the game as a parody of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band videogame franchises. Neither the people nor companies nor places mentioned have endorsed or agreed to the game...yet. And as you know, now that it's posted here, I own the copyright to the idea...suckas!
For the uninitiated, Torah Hero allows you to sing songs and play plastic instruments to make music. Singing is done like karaoke with words scrolling across the TV. "Music" is made by hitting a colored button on the guitar and "strumming" when a shape of the same color moves down the screen and across a marked line. When you hit the correct button (or drumpad) you'll make a note. The more accurate you are, the better your music will sound, resulting in a higher score and more money.
Be a Mensch and pickup a copy at your local Temple...it's tax deductible and pays me for designing this logo.
Gameplay Playing alone or in a group, use the instruments to get through prayers, songs, Torah portions, and minigames. When bandmates fail out of a song, they're revived by Jewish penicillin (matzah ball soup). For more points, activate L'Chaim power with a double drum cymbal hit, guitar master button, or by turning the wiimote and nunchuk like you were scrolling through a Torah.
Difficulty Levels Game difficulty is determined by the ratio of English-Hebrew content and game speed. This means a player may choose a Conservative level of English-Hebrew content and play it at an Orthodox game speed. Game speeds increase from Reform up to Chasidic.
Reform - English/Hebrew equal split
Conservative - A little more Hebrew
Orthodox - Almost all Hebrew
Chasidic - All Hebrew as possible
Just think of how proud you'd be of your son when he not only chants prayers and sings songs perfectly, but also plays guitar.
Venues As you progress through the game, you'll play at many great Jewish locations in the U.S. and Israel, including:
Generic Temple Name - Temple Shalom Beth Shalom Har Sinai Shalom Beit Israel
Instruments You can play the game with up to two plastic guitars (that sound like acoustic and electric when possible), a microphone, set of drums, and a special shofar attachment.
The drumkit doubles as a set of bongos!
Downloadable Content You may download yamulkes, mezzuzahs, menorahs, talises, and weekly Torah portions not included in the original game.
Create-a-Character Create you and your bandmates using one of these baseline characters:
Your character abilities improve as you progress through the game. Many clothing and decorative options are available.
Create-a-Shul Torah Hero allows you to create your own shul! You'll begin with a small shul for which you must hire an inexperienced, fresh out of school Rabbi and Cantor; you're too small to attract talented service leaders let alone afford them. The better you perform songs the more money you'll earn in the form of donations to the temple.
As you play more songs, you'll attract more congregants allowing you to upgrade and expand the building with a nursery and Hebrew school classrooms. This also means hiring an education director and letting a president of the Temple board take over operational duties if you didn't use them to create your character earlier.
Of course running a Temple isn't for everyone. Among the issues that you'll face include:
Someone mixed-up the grape juice for Manischewitz for Shabbat services so now lots of middle schoolers are drunk.
A cardiologist who's pushy, wealthy, and an important donor wants his son's Bar Mitzvah date changed just three weeks before the agreed original date.
The sisterhood's membership levels are low.
Nobody's buying the junk in the Temple gift shop (not that anyone does).
As the shul expands you run low on Gates of Repentance copies.
Nobody's following carpool pickup rules.
The Lowensteins brought their triplet toddlers to the adult Rosh Hashannah service again.
The entire nursery school is infected with the swine flu.
Someone leaked a copy of the Rabbi's high holiday sermon to the elderly congregants and they're already complaining.
The accounting office misplaced a family scholarship endowment fund.
Rampant high holiday ticket forgery, StubHub posting, and eBay scalping.
You continue losing to the rival Temple across town in the Maccabi games.
Design and construct your shul like Phelps Construction Group did for Beth Am Shalom.
Jewish Guilt Loading Screens Because there's a delay while the game loads each song, you'll pass the time reading the many passive-aggressive themes of Jewish guilt. You may have done nothing wrong, but your mother thinks you did, including:
Why haven't you called your mother today?
Would it kill you to visit your aunt Ruthie? She's only 10 minutes away.
Your grandmother made matzah pancakes, can you at least try eating a few to make her happy?
If you keep eating like that you'll never find yourself a nice Jewish boy.
Now that you're 18 years old, when are you finding a nice Jewish girl, getting engaged, getting married, and having my grandchildren?
You should come to the brotherhood meeting, it's full of guys like your old man.
Come over for dinner tonight; we have extra brisket and we never see you anymore.
You ARE going to Shabbat services even though you're no longer living with us, right?
I'm sure you have some time to at least volunteer at Shabbat and hand out challah. Don't make me look bad in front of the Rabbi and ruin the family name. We've only been going for generations.
Why don't I see you wearing that argyle sweater I got you for Channukah?
Being a rocket scientist is good an all, but I'd be prouder if you had become a doctor, lawyer, or Rabbi. To be honest, I'd only be proud of you if you had become a Rabbi.
Don't worry about me, I'm just your mother.
Remember that girl you had a crush on in nursery school? Well I ran into her mother at the store and she says hello. You know she's married now, you missed out.
Did you make me those grandkids yet?
Songlist Tiers of songs are played in the order they appear on the calendar. As available, you may choose different melodies and Ashkenazi or Sephardic pronunciations. The following are the default song and prayer versions. Do pity me by checking all song links because I spent many, many unhealthy hours finding just the right ones. Think of this as your one stop site for basic Jewish songs on YouTube.
Tier 1 - Shabbat Location - Temple Shalom Beth Shalom Har Sinai Shalom Beit Israel Song 1 - Wine Blessing (and in sign language) Song 2 - Bread Blessing Song 3 - Candle Blessing Song 4 - Dovid Melech (with hand gestures from "Grease" as I learned in Hebrew school) Song 5 - Shema Song 6 - Shecheyanu Song 7 - Adon Olam Song 8 - Lecha Dodi (or an acapella version from Brandeis Encore - Shabbat Shalom Extras - Song background includes 12 and 13-year-old kids not paying attention at the back of the sanctuary; party scenes include the electric slide, Coke and Pepsi races, and Hart to Hart performing.
This rock version of Adon Olam is great!
Tier 2 - Debbie Friedman (unlockable character) Location - Temple Sinai of Bergen County Song 1 - Mi Shebeirach Song 2 - Miriam's Song Song 3 - Aleph-Bet song Song 4 - Not by Might, Not by Power Encore - Lechi Lach (quicker acapella version) Extras - Unlock kugel to improve guitar skills Unlockable minigame - using the wiimote and nunchuk, flip and cross strands of dough to make challah
Tier 3 - Rosh Hashannah Location - Washington Hebrew Congregation Song 1 - Mi Chamocha (or this band version) Song 2 - Ein Keloheinu Song 3 - Sim Shalom Song 4 - Shofar prayers (tekiah, teruah, shevarim-teruah, and shevarim) using the shofar attachment Encore - Tekiah Gedolah (play the shofar attachment as long as possible) Extras - Unlock apples and honey to improve singing
Tier 4 - Yom Kippur Location - Temple Oheb Shalom Song 1 - Hinei Ma Tov or the techno version Song 2 - Shalom Rav Song 3 - Gevurot Song 4 - Kol Nidre is only listened to and not played (Yo-Yo Ma and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) Encore - Kedushah Unlockable minigame - Drive to beat the Kol Nidre doors before they close Extras - Unlock alternate talises
The race to get to the Temple before doors close for Kol Nidre will be based on OutRun's game engine.
Tier 5 - Sukkot and Simchat Torah Location - Valley Beth Shalom Song 1 - Torah blessing before and after reading Song 2 - Torah Tziva Song 3 - Haftorah blessing before and after reading Song 4 - V'ha'er Ein'einu Encore - Current Torah portion Extras - Unlock a Sukkah as playable venue Unlockable minigame - "Don't Drop the Torah" has players pressing buttons to balance the Torah as congregants get pushy trying to touch their prayer books to the Torah (the Torah is never shown hitting the ground, but a dropped Torah means replaying Tier 5).
Tier 8 - Tu B'Shevat and Purim Location - JCC purim carnival Song 1 - Mein Hut Der Hat Drie Ekken (My Hat, It Has Three Corners) Song 2 - Etz Chaim (It's The Tree of Life) Song 3 - Chag Purim (or the more popular party version) Song 4 - Once There was a Wicked Man (lyrics found here) Encore - JCC carnival minigames: basketball free throws and bean bag target toss for the same lame prizes offered every year at every JCC Purim carnival Extras - Activate star power by shaking the wiimote like a grogger; get trees planted in your name in Israel after finishing Tier 8 Unlockable minigame - Press button combinations to part the Red Sea
Tier 9 - Passover Location - Shaarey Tikvah Song 1 - Dayeinu (use wiimotes during song to dab drops on plates for the 10 plagues) Song 2 - Mah Nishtanah Song 3 - Let My People Go Song 4 - Chad Gadya (Two Zuzim/An Only Kid) said as fast as possible Encore - Oseh Shalom (also available in Beach Boys style) Extras - Unlock brisket to improve drumming ability
Earn extra points chanting the four questions in Yiddish.
Champion's Award - You've Earned a Dual Degree as Rabbi and Cantor Character presented with certificate at Hebrew Union College (Reform), Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles/Rabbinical School of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York (Conservative), or Yeshiva University (Orthodox).
On the first weekend without snow on sidewalks in the DC area in a long, long time, I jammed my feet into overused skates, with their dull edges and ratty laces, and sashayed around the National Gallery's Sculpture Garden ice rink without falling. I actually enjoyed being outside in the mid-40s; however, my sister was quick to reminded me that LA weather allows her to enjoy the beach in February. Whatever.
I got in the ticket line around 3:45 p.m. for the 4-6 p.m. session. Of course that session sold out before I could get my ticket so I stayed in line for the 5-7 p.m. session and warmed up in the sculpture garden's pavilion eatery. Suddenly paying $7 for a garden salad didn't seem so bad when it came with heat, glorious heat. As cheapo depot, I just sat a table reserved for customers and left with the same amount in my wallet as I had coming in.
Another thing off my DC bucket list.
Within minutes, the line for skate rentals reach 1/3 of the way around the rink so I left the warmth to grab my spot. I struck a conversation with some folks in line and realized that everyone skating here is required to say that they haven't skated in at least 10 years as the woman and her daughter said they haven't skated in 17 years. Quite an exact number.
I grabbed my skates and started laced them twice for maximum ankle stability that made no difference in the quality of my skating, but the piece of mind was nice. I talked to the folks on the bench across from me who hadn't skated in 14 and 11 years. Of course they hadn't in 10+ years.
Plenty of free shoes to take in the heart of DC. I'm not sure taking this picture was worth the strange looks I received.
One woman stopped after a few laps because her ankles hurt while her friend, who owned skates, said it was a good idea to stop because the ice rink was small, the surface was awful, and "people are out of control out there." Thanks for the reassurance before I head out. Sure sounds like a swell time! What a way to sell the experience I already paid for.
I rammed my shoes in a locker that was designed using the Smithsonian's collection of foot binding shoes. The lockers were raggedy and made me wonder if the peeling paint gave me a dose of lead for good measure. It was still worth knowing that my shoes were safe instead of leaving them under the benches and walkway. A locker's only $0.50 so why risk things to a rogue criminal with a shoe fetish.
Size 12 sneakers don't fit in the lockers nicely.
I walked to the ice and joined the parade of skaters, circling counter-clockwise like vultures over the carcass of a metro DC resident's bucket list - mine. I was finally skating in DC. I skated five years ago, but didn't want to be called out so I was ready to say it had been 15 years if anyone asked.
The flock of blades tore the ice and made it bumpy after 10 minutes of laps. At times my blade struggled to push off the slush, but come on, I'm slowly skating on the Mall! It's about the experience and not the ice quality. It's also about watching hot dog skaters fall on their tailbones. There are five types of sculpture garden ice skaters:
Experts - there are experts who pirouette in the center ice and cause no harm and experts who skate backward quickly, dash and dart among amateur skaters, and think wearing hockey skates gives them the right to violate the first two rules of the rink.
Non-expert backward skaters - backward skating defines good skaters from average ones and a few folks showed they can still fit into their hockey skates from high school. My mediocre skating skills developed from a handful of suburban rink experiences allows me to go backward very, very slowly; a skill I wasn't about to demonstrate here.
Tag Along Couple Kinetic Yuppie (TACKY) - the majority of couples around the ice had unbalanced skills; one person was walking on skates while the other partner was comfortable and could go faster. One couple was annoying as the guy pushed too quickly for her liking and created a human battering ram to toddlers everywhere.
Teenagers - decent teenage skaters took after the rude experts and skated too quickly for the rink's flow and also took spectacular falls onto the ice, against the rails, and into each other that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Parents with kids - in what made for many Kodak moments (how dated is that reference? maybe it should now be a "digital moment"), a parent shuffled along the ice holding their kid's hand, never losing touch.
Not even this Zamboni could keep the surface bump free after a resurfacing.
After a 45-minute skate, I waited to grab a few more laps on what should have been smooth ice thanks to the Zamboni. The ice was improved, but only for five minutes as long as I avoided areas the machine missed. I'm no Zamboni driving expert, but I'd like to think you want to resurface the entire ice in one pass.
After my right ankle was tired from constant left turning, I grabbed my shoes, returned my skates, and took a final glance at the rink only to see one more assclown skater eat the ice. Good times.
During Thanksgiving dinner, I talked to my parents about plans for my 30th birthday taking place this month. I should take a trip to a warm climate like LA or head south for some beach time. Then it hit me; I'll combine a Super Bowl party with my birthday all with the purpose of showing off my HD entertainment purchases. I called it my Super Super Bowl and Birthday Party Party.
2+ feet of snow in 24 hours reminds me why having a winter birthday party is tough to pull off.
Fast forward to last week. I chose to ignore predictions of increasing snowfall and went to Sam's Club in Virginia one week before the Super Bowl to stock up on copious amounts of food, booze, and silverware. Here's what I had for the big game and party:
120 frozen buffalo wings
40 bottles of beer
10 liters of wine
8 liters of Coke, 30 cans of Coke Zero, and 24 cans of Diet Pepsi
6 pounds of tortilla chips, 1 large bag of sour cream and onion chips, and 1 large container of pretzels
6 pounds of guacamole and salsa dips
150 shrimp
1 Transformer cupcake cake
Vegetable platter, fruit salad, and cheese and sausage plate
60 bottles of water
20-person sandwich platter and 15-person chopped salad
45 jalapeno poppers
Pistachios
Dozens of my mom's famous homemade cookies
Mom's homemade cookies included: chocolate nut, cranberry shortbread, and Russian tea cookies.
So yeah, I bought a lot of food for the 30-person party. I held out hope that parking wouldn't be an issue by Sunday afternoon because the roads would be fine with 24 hours of sunny skies and plowing. It's just snow after all. This was my Super Bowl and 30th birthday party and damn it, it was going to happen come hell or high water (in the form of snow).
The snow made chilling drinks easier. It also prevented anyone from showing.
Turns out the roads weren't that great and parking was impossible. The cancellations poured in as I became friendly with my neighbors shoveling our parking spaces. Realizing that none of my friends would make it, I invited 10 neighbors, 4 of which showed. At least my parents and their dog made it to the DC area before the storm, right?
Not all was lost because of my no-show party; it spurred me to paint the living room, install 5.1 speakers, hide the wires inside, and even clean the house. Collectively known as the most home work I've ever done.
In this week since the big game and big party that didn't happen, I've done my best to eat the remaining cold cuts (ham, roast beef, and turkey), shrimp (mercury overdose anyone?), cookies (constant sugar high), and salad with an occasional Transformer cupcake for dessert. Despite quality meats, I'm at the point of cold cut exhaustion. Mixing toppings like tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers with mayo and mustard is appetizing only so many times.
Few got to see the Transformer cake actually transform into 30 cupcakes.
Of my pre-party purchases, I've knocked out 1/2 of what remained of the cold cuts, 2 cans of Coke Zero, two dozen cookies, 3 cupcakes, and the remainder of salad and shrimp. Here's what remains:
9 liters of wine
10 pounds of chips and chip dips
32 bottles of beer
Much of the soda and water
20 cupcakes
Pistachios
Many cookies
All of the jalapeno poppers
110 buffalo wings
Could my plate be more non-Kosher? Shrimp, ham, roast beef, and cheese on the same plate!
Not one to binge eat forever, my party purchases will be made available for an NCAA Tournament basketball party in mid-March. Knowing my party weather luck, it'll be the weekend of a freak DC hurricane.
During this morning's metro ride, taken because the federal government opened on time despite the 5 inches of snow on my sidewalk, two women from the midwest quipped, "I can't believe the schools around here are closed; DC can't handle it like back in Chicago."
At what point is it wrong for me to rebut publicly-aired opinions on a Metro train? I turned to these snowqueens and told them the following in so many words (of course I didn't, but they'll read this later and apologize, I'm sure).
To everyone who has ever turned their noses up at another metropolis because it can't handle X inches of snow, stop talking now. It is annoying that every winter someone must feel better about their home turf by disparaging another city's inability to handle as much snow nearly as well as their childhood local DPW.
A very scientific chart. The X-axis is snow fall and the Y-axis is arrogance. And yes, DC averages 22.3 inches of snow each season.
When it snows in Charleston, SC, for example, that's a major event because, um, it's the south where it doesn't snow. So most residents don't know how to drive in the snow because they have little opportunity to get experience. Even if a Charlestonian felt compelled to hit the road, I'd bet that most roads aren't plowed and treated because the local budget doesn't account for snow because, again, it doesn't snow there.
So you have two factors, inexperienced drivers and DPW budgets ill-equipped for more snow than the average amount. Take that and add a few inches as you head north and the scene repeats itself. The farther north you go, the more towns there are to look down at when boasting your area's civic snow handling pride. I'm sure DCers have wondered why Raleigh shuts down after two inches of snow.
Just what good is it for you to boast about your city's snowhandling skills? You're actually happy that you receive a foot of snow so regularly that it’s nothing, but routine? By all means enjoy being inundated with snow for 12 weeks and never seeing greenery until March. It isn't such a bad thing to have sunny days and dry lawns in January. This winter hasn’t been as kind though.
I admit to getting upset when area drivers go slower than necessary on snowy days, but I recognize residents don't drive enough on slick roads to get any better, just as a New Englander may think I don't go fast enough. It's all relative. Imagine what a Buffalo resident thinks when lake effect snow comes barreling through.
To everyone north of some city "that just can't handle snow like we can," take your civic snow pride and keep it to yourself unless you want someone south to visit in the winter and mention the warmer days you're missing out on because for some reason you don’t want to live in a nicer climate.
Somehow nobody's making eye contact with anybody else.
The new pedestrian walkway was much appreciated in Times Square. I still had to fend off five-year-olds who didn't know how to get out of the way. I stepped aside instead of getting hit in the groin.
Let's travel all the way to this city of great restaurants just to eat at the Olive Garden. Sadly, the place was packed.
Long live the TKTS booth! A haven for me, el Cheapo Depot, I landed orchestra seats to "Chicago." 
Blasphemy! Who dares to advertise Canadian bagels in NYC when there's H&H, etc.??? This is the rarest of all things, a Tim Hortons this far south so of course I went inside.
Thought I must admit that the Tim Horton Timbits were better than Dunkin Donuts' munchkins.
What ever shall we call this park in the center of the city?
Time for some legit NYC pizza. Broccoli on pizza was awesome.
Perfect! Go to Flash Dancers, now offering a sushi and sake bar. Nice warning above the entrance that warns about bed bugs. These are the things I notice.
The House of Brews was like every bar in midtown, an Irish bar with an Irish bartender and Irish customers. "That was a bloody yellow card!" was heard often.
A bike lane signal. At least bikers are safe in one Manhattan intersection. Just a few thousand more to go.
Just about as clean as you'll find for a food cart.
A great miracle happened at the Empire State Building...no significant lines.
It was really cold up that high, but it was sooooo worth it.
Tall buildings to the northwest.
Taller buildings to the north. 
Tallest buildings to the northeast.
Don't drop your camera!
Your typical NYC street: school buses, taxis, livery cabs, tourist bus, luxury sedan from the NJ suburbs, and commuter bus from Connecticut.
Rolled to Philly for a hot minute the next day and enjoyed Rittenhouse Square.
I tossed a penny over my shoulder and wished for peace on earth. Yeah right!
Postcard weather made Philly look good.
I rocked some solid challah french toast with ricotta cheese and blackberry sauce at Marathon on the Square (the freshly squeezed OJ was not so solid). It looked like this except it for the whipped cream and ugly plate. I was stuffed completely for the drive back to Maryland.
