Day 3: Start spreading the news
Day 3: Start spreading the news
SOHO -- Another full day in the City began with a walk on the High Line, the reclaimed railroad track that's now a walking path over the Chelsea neighborhood. While the path runs for 18 blocks, I only lasted for seven in the 25-degree weather.
But I was rewarded with an Athenian omelette for breakfast at the Chelsea Square Diner (23 St @ 9 Av).
And now some random thoughts regarding the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular:
Two guys played dueling Wurlitzers.... After Christmas, Santa apparently turns into an emcee.... When they say "no flash photography during the show", that means turn off your flash, people.... I hadn't seen a live camel in years, and today I saw two in the live nativity.... Third-mezzanine seats weren't as bad as I thought....
After lunch and picking up my luggage at the hotel, I dropped it off at tonight's hotel -- the room was available at 1:00 when I showed up -- and headed off to the first of two basketball games.
St Francis College hosted Brown in front of a small but vocal crowd of 743. In a battle of the Ivy League vs the street, the Terriers mauled the Bears, 66-49. Most notable was a 30-foot three-pointer by St Francis at the first-half buzzer. (I tried to get the crowd to sing "Baby Baby Baby" any time Brown's #2, Josh Biber, touched the basketball, but no go.)
Then came dinner next door to the hotel at Parigot.
As the French kids would text, OMD. I ordered the navarin d'agneau printanier, which translates to spring lamb stew with vegetables. Given the small portion size, I then moved on to dessert, ordering crème caramel, with a grape-shaped tangerine on top.
For the second game, I took the long haul to the northern end of the 6 in the Bronx, then hopped a westbound bus to the Fordham University campus.
On paper, their game against Georgia Tech would seem one-sided toward the Yellow Jackets. But the Rams, representing the 14-team Atlantic 10, kept close in the first half and then pulled far enough away to hold on for a 72-66 win. (Alas, nobody rushed the court.)
Fordham's arena (Rose Hill Gymnasium) is a 3200-seater, dating back to 1925. But with a sellout crowd using what seemed like only one concession stand, the halftime line literally stretched upstairs. But as the line snaked past the cashier at the end of the table, I asked him for just a Coke Zero. Although he worried that he (and maybe I) might get lynched for subverting proper concessionaire behavior -- whatever that is -- I paid my $2.50 and went back to my seat.
The return trip was another thing of a beauty. I caught the same bus (Bx12) that brought me to campus and delivered me to the Fordham Rd Station on the 4, which was an express line through Manhattan.
By the way, tonight's hotel is the Solita Soho, a hotel so upscale, there's only four rooms per floor, and they're numbered *20-*23. (And to think I picked the place because its phone prefix -- 925 -- matched my hometown prefix.)
SOHO -- Another full day in the City began with a walk on the High Line, the reclaimed railroad track that's now a walking path over the Chelsea neighborhood. While the path runs for 18 blocks, I only lasted for seven in the 25-degree weather.
But I was rewarded with an Athenian omelette for breakfast at the Chelsea Square Diner (23 St @ 9 Av).
And now some random thoughts regarding the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular:
Two guys played dueling Wurlitzers.... After Christmas, Santa apparently turns into an emcee.... When they say "no flash photography during the show", that means turn off your flash, people.... I hadn't seen a live camel in years, and today I saw two in the live nativity.... Third-mezzanine seats weren't as bad as I thought....
After lunch and picking up my luggage at the hotel, I dropped it off at tonight's hotel -- the room was available at 1:00 when I showed up -- and headed off to the first of two basketball games.
St Francis College hosted Brown in front of a small but vocal crowd of 743. In a battle of the Ivy League vs the street, the Terriers mauled the Bears, 66-49. Most notable was a 30-foot three-pointer by St Francis at the first-half buzzer. (I tried to get the crowd to sing "Baby Baby Baby" any time Brown's #2, Josh Biber, touched the basketball, but no go.)
Then came dinner next door to the hotel at Parigot.
As the French kids would text, OMD. I ordered the navarin d'agneau printanier, which translates to spring lamb stew with vegetables. Given the small portion size, I then moved on to dessert, ordering crème caramel, with a grape-shaped tangerine on top.
For the second game, I took the long haul to the northern end of the 6 in the Bronx, then hopped a westbound bus to the Fordham University campus.
On paper, their game against Georgia Tech would seem one-sided toward the Yellow Jackets. But the Rams, representing the 14-team Atlantic 10, kept close in the first half and then pulled far enough away to hold on for a 72-66 win. (Alas, nobody rushed the court.)
Fordham's arena (Rose Hill Gymnasium) is a 3200-seater, dating back to 1925. But with a sellout crowd using what seemed like only one concession stand, the halftime line literally stretched upstairs. But as the line snaked past the cashier at the end of the table, I asked him for just a Coke Zero. Although he worried that he (and maybe I) might get lynched for subverting proper concessionaire behavior -- whatever that is -- I paid my $2.50 and went back to my seat.
The return trip was another thing of a beauty. I caught the same bus (Bx12) that brought me to campus and delivered me to the Fordham Rd Station on the 4, which was an express line through Manhattan.
By the way, tonight's hotel is the Solita Soho, a hotel so upscale, there's only four rooms per floor, and they're numbered *20-*23. (And to think I picked the place because its phone prefix -- 925 -- matched my hometown prefix.)