Big Apple Adventures: Fun for Free

I spent last weekend inside my apartment resting because of a cold, so I was anxious to get back out and explore.

Summy and I met up to take advantage of the free admission day being offered by many Smithsonian museums in the city. Since we were already in Times Square around lunch, we decided to make a pit stop to get some food.

She suggested Shake Shack, and since I’ve never had it, I wanted to give it a shot to see what all of the hype was about. Every time I’ve walked by the place, there is always a line out the door. Who wants to wait that long for just a burger?

Luckily, our decision to go at 11:30 proved to be wise; no line and we actually got a seat!

I admit the burger and cheese fries were heavenly. Okay, Shake shack, you win.

Our first museum stop was The Museum of Arts and Design located at Columbus Circle. It had a wide variety of objects on display from unusual jewelry pieces (like the necklace made of firecrackers, pictured below), fabric pieces, and even furniture.

I particularly enjoyed the display of mannequins, although I couldn’t help but think about the episode of Seinfeld with Elaine’s look-a-like mannequin.

The museum was definitely different than a modern art museum and although it was not something I would have normally visited, the free admission was a perfect excuse to check it out.

We then walked about a mile to the Upper East Side to visit the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators. Neither of us really knew what to expect but we were both intrigued by the description we read online.

The museum mostly featured paintings that had been used in national magazines throughout the years (most before the 60’s), either to accompany fictional stories or be featured on the cover. Summy and I were both stunned by how large the actual paintings were, especially compared to their scaled-down size in the magazine.

The upper level of the museum included a temporary exhibit called “Batman Black and White,” which was a collection of sketch covers by famous illustrators. All of the unique styles and interpretations by each artist made the exhibit memorable!

I was especially thrilled by this cover by the artist of the Nickelodeon classic “The Ren and Stimpy Show.”

We then made our way back towards Central Park while admiring all of the aesthetic buildings in the Upper East Side and imagining what it would be like to have a doorman. I wonder what it’s like to actually get packages delivered…

Although Central Park is normally busy on a nice day, it’s never quite like this:

No, it was not the Pope this time…all of these people were waiting in line for the Global Citizen Festival, which included a concert by artists like Coldplay, Beyonce and Ed Sheeran. Nearly every entrance to the park was packed with a line of people, waiting for what I can only assume was hours on end. I guess I shouldn’t judge them though; I’ll be doing the same thing at the upcoming New York Comic Con….

The rest of the park was quite peaceful and I couldn’t help but snap a shot of this particular view. If I remember correctly, a similar angle was featured at the end of the movie “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”

We also happened to pass by a horse show taking place in a fenced off arena. Did I let that stop me from sneaking a photo? Nope; I stuck my camera through an open spot in the fence, something I learned from my mom, an avid photographer.

Last but not least, we made a final stop to indulge at Pinkberry. I was craving some pumpkin froyo (an autumn must!) but was disappointed that the flavor was weak and the texture caused it to melt so fast. Plus, they weren’t offering any marshmallows as toppings, which was a missed opportunity!

So to recap what I learned this weekend:

Shake Shack is worth the hype.

It is possible to visit museums in NYC for free.

People will wait in ridiculously long lines for just about anything.

Pumpkin belongs in ice cream, not froyo.

And thanks to the 5 different people who complimented me on my shirt yesterday, I was reminded that the Rugrats will always be cool. 

Big Apple Adventures: Fossils, Fiction, and Football

Labor Day Weekend

Sept. 5

Out of all of the museums NYC has to offer, I was most anxious to visit the American Museum of Natural History. Besides the fact that it was the inspiration for the movie “Night at the Museum,” I knew that being in New York, it had to be quite impressive.

The lobby was nothing like the one seen in the movie, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t photo-worthy!

Since it was a Saturday, I was expecting the museum to be painfully crowded. While it was far from empty, I never once felt claustrophobic because of crowds. I’m sure the fact that the museum is spread over four floors helps with that!

I admit I was pretty overwhelmed by the museum’s size. My family and I have been to Cleveland’s natural history museum on more occasions than I count, and we could always get through it in a few hours.

I knew that there was no way I could stop and read every single sign posted at the museum, or even take pictures of everything there. My dad, on the other hand, would have had a field day in there. He’d be so busy reading everything that he never would have made it past the first floor.

My plan of action was to visit every exhibit and take pictures of what I found most interesting.

I really loved the various halls dedicated to animals around the world. Although this is something common in natural history museums, this one did an excellent job capturing every animal’s habitat.

Below: This is the closest I’ve ever been to a bull moose. I’d hate to run into one of these things in person!

Inside the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall (nope, no mannequin like in the movie!), I was actually pretty interested in this display about Native Americans in the NYC/NJ area. There’s a city in NJ called Hackensack, but I never really thought about it being named after a tribe!

At some point I decided to break for lunch in the museum food court/cafeteria, which meant I was expecting cardboard pizza and shriveled up hot dogs. (We always avoided the food at the Cleveland museum like the plague). I guess being in NYC they knew they had to make the food at least somewhat decent. While I’ve certainly had better pizza, it was far from bad.

I was in absolute awe of their hall on ocean life! How could you not be, with such a massive blue whale hanging in the center of the room? The smaller exhibits around the perimeter also made you feel like you were underwater (and for someone who might as well be allergic to water, it’s the closest I’ll ever get to life under-the-sea).

One obvious exhibit in the museum that made it into the movie was this Easter Island head. I was surprised that it was something that actually existed! Every single person leaving the exhibit was saying “Dum-dum. You give me gum-gum.”

The top floor was easily the most crowded, but I can’t say I was surprised! The mammal and dinosaur fossils/bones were definitely eye-catching, and there was a nice variety on display.

Although the visit wasn’t cheap (including the new keychain to add to my collection, pictured below)  I definitely felt it was worth it. Now I can cross another item off of my NYC to-do list!

Sept. 7

I made the effort to get all of my errands done on Sunday so that I could enjoy a relaxing Labor Day. Although I’m no stranger to Central Park, I decided to go there to enjoy the holiday just by lounging outside in the nice (albeit hot) weather.

Before I made it to the park, however, I made a run into a nearby CVS for reasons I can’t even remember. I was giddy to find that they had a display of Disney Halloween items on sale and I knew I’d have to return before heading home; I’m a sucker for all things Disney holiday.

I decided to find a spot in the park close to Columbus Circle, figuring there was no point in wandering far from the subway station. I laid out my blanket next to a shady tree so that I could have some back support, but the immediate area was sadly lacking in comfy grass.

For the 3 hours I was there, I ate a picnic lunch (nothing fancy, but even the most mundane options are more exciting when you’re eating outside), finished the fiction book I was reading, listened to my iPod and people-watched. Manhattan is certainly not short on people, so that last item was highly entertaining. I actually saw a couple wearing Ohio State jerseys, though they were too far away to yell out an “O-H!”

Eventually nature calls and you have to sacrifice your spot for a run into the Time Warner Center to use the bathroom. At that point, I discovered it was 90-some degrees outside and figured it was time to head home.

But not without first running into CVS to pick up a bunch of Disney Halloween items, including two stuffed Minnie and Mickey door greeters that warranted a lot of stares on both the subway and the bus back. I wasn’t embarrassed; just amused!

Sept. 12

After I braved the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to get a New Jersey ID, I headed into the city that afternoon to watch the OSU vs. Hawaii game at the Iron Bar, the official venue for the Ohio State Alumni Club of Greater New York. Anyone who knows me is well aware that bars have never been my thing, but I decided to give this a shot to hopefully meet people and enjoy the game with other Buckeyes.

I ended up with a seat at the bar, which of course had a one drink minimum. My parents aren’t really beer drinkers and neither am I, so I honestly had no idea what to buy. I settled on a Coney Island Hard Root Beer and surprisingly found it delicious.

The venue actually has a whole menu dedicated to Ohio State fans on Saturdays; how awesome!

Being an introvert, I genuinely struggle with starting up a conversation with a random stranger. (Once you get me to talk though, I never shut up.) But who wants to quietly sit at a bar watching a football game? So I actually went against my natural tendency to sit there in awkward silence and struck up a conversation with the guy next to me. I’m glad I did! He was an alum from 2010, and we ended up talking throughout most of the game.

[I’ll leave out the details of when his Mom, who was visiting the city, showed up and was pretty much trying to set me up with her son; by far the hilarious highlight of my evening]

I ended up leaving at the end of the third quarter (and of course missed a few more touchdowns) but had no regrets about going. Between listening to the DJ play OSU’s fight song prior to kick off to shouting “O-H!” with fellow Buckeyes of all ages, it was nothing short of a positive experience, and I’ll definitely be doing it again.