New York City: Day 2

Sorry for the long-ass delay, everyone. Let's get back to doing this!

Previously on this program...
(All of the pictures here, unless otherwise indicated, were taken by me)

The day began with us rising from bed and getting some breakfast. Our hotel was about three-four blocks away from a Starbucks (the same one we found on the first day), so naturally we went there. We got some foodstuffs and sat in the nearby park (Theodore Roosevelt Park) and ate, watching schoolchildren and their vigilant adults pass by, heading towards the American Museum of Natural History. Part of the reason we chose the hotel was because it was a hop and a skip away from the museum, along with it being a brisk walk to Central Park. We paid for convenience really. Totally worth it.



Our plan was to waste as much time as possible inside the museum before it was time for the concert. And so, we did!

The museum itself!

Dinosaurs!

More dinosaurs!

The museum was separated by continents, and we went through Africa first, and the last stop was North America (or was it Asia, I don't remember exactly). All of the animals were real, though dead and went through taxidermy. It was surreal to go through essentially "a zoo of the dead", but I guess the alternative (fake stuffed animals) would've been pathetic.

We went to the space portion and watched this narrative thingy with Liam Neeson talking about the stars and all that. At one point, my sister asked, "Hey, isn't that Aslan?" (Yeah, it was, sis.) You had to look down at this round screen and watch the whole thing. It was pretty cool. Then again, I have proven over time that I am a space nerd.

After an exhaustive tour of the museum (we went through everything at least once and even revisited some areas to kill time), we took a break outside and grabbed some food. Well, mainly me. I had to get a street hot dog (it was great, by the way).

What? You didn't believe me?
(photo taken by my sister)

It was past three and we decided to head down to Brooklyn for the main event. My sister was determined as hell to get a good place in line so we could be close to the stage. What was I gonna tell her: "nah, I rather sit on the grass?" Eff that. We headed down the stairs to the station, bought our one-time passes, and hopped on the train. It was a long ride, but we sat there, in an air-conditioned car, and watched Manhattan turn into Brooklyn.

Prospect Park was quite lovely. The weather, as usual, was very nice and temperate. We sat in line, waiting for the gates to open. My sister people-watched while I pulled out my e-reader and tried to finish Chris Cleave's Gold (which, by the way, was an underwhelming soap-opera fest. And I always hear that blasted Spandau Ballet song every time I see the title. Damn you, NPR! You just had to play that song every time you talked about the effing Olympics?!).

And now for the concert. It was Sigur Rós. Sold-out show. Major fortunate we were able to score tickets (then again, I'm such a badass and got them THE MOMENT they were sold to the public) Yep, we flew out from the Lone Star State to the Empire State for an Icelandic post-rock band. But it was that or Portland. Obviously, our time and money were best spent on an adventure instead of staying with relatives (my aunt lives outside of Portland). Plus, my sister swore we would fly anywhere to see her beloved band. Well, you can count on her for living up to her words.

I bought some food there and my sister got enough concert merchandise to keep her for a few years. While waiting for the show to start, I was browsing Twitter and found out that the very concert we were at was going to be streamed live on NPR Music. If you want to hear it yourself, here it is!

Near the beginning of the show.

The lighting was neat,
especially when the sun went down.

Arm yourself with a bow,
Jimmy Page-style!

No, the fog machine wasn't
malfunctioning...

After the show, we headed back to the subway station and headed back to our hotel. It was a long ride, but still full of people. We had a packed car on the last few stops to the hotel! New York City is truly the city that never sleeps. After that, we grabbed some snacks from a nearby convenience store and fell asleep to The Godfather (AMC was having a "Mob Month" at the time, how fitting) while munching on potato chips.

~~

Next time on the program: Frustrated Lady Writer and her sister wrap up their touring with some last-minute stops. Will they find a record store that is actually open? How many mafia movies will they catch on TV? Will the Met live up to their expectations? Are New Yorkers are as rude as the movies show? And by golly gee whiz, will there be a damn Starbucks in the area?!

Tuned in next time (hopefully sooner than last time) for the exciting conclusion to Frustrated Lady Writer Takes on New York City!