Between A Pie And New York City

There are raging battles amongst the folks in NYC regarding their pizza. On Your Humble Observer's brother's recent trip to the Big Apple he decided to do his own personal Man vs. Food: Pizza NYC, with visits to various Manhattan and Brooklyn pizza joints. YHO accompanied him on a few of those trips.

On one such excursion, we visited Bleecker Street Pizza where YHO enjoyed a great slice of their original Nonna Maria pizza.

YHO's brother indulged in a fantastic meatball hero...

When all was said and done...

...

...

...

Well...you know.

On The Softee Side

Most exciting day of the year...

...first Mister Softee sighting of the season.

NYC Blizzard 2010_Part 5 - Footprints And Fun

Part 5 - Footprints And Fun

And now...a little fun...

...

...

...

...

...

And quite possibly the best picture of YHO...ever.

NYC Blizzard 2010_Part 4 - After & Before

Part 4 - After & Before

Pile 'em on high atop the cars and street

The shrubbery of 85th Street covered in snow

A shot down my block

NYC Blizzard 2010_Part 3 - Snowy Streets Of Brooklyn

Part 3 - Snowy Streets Of Brooklyn

NYC Blizzard 2010_Part 2 - A Moving Tribute

Part 2 - A Moving Tribute

A video from the streets of Brooklyn during Snow-Day 02/10/2010

NYC Blizzard 2010_Part 1 - Inside Looking Out

A running photoessay documenting Snow-Day 02/10/2010:

Part 1 - Inside Looking Out

These were the sights that YHO awoke to early this morning.

Day Of Thanksing 2009

With the approach of the most autumnal of holidays, Your Humble Observer decided to try his hand at cooking his first every turkey. The results....well, you be the judge:

Thanksgiving dinner was enjoyed with the participation and help of friends H.A. and S.A. We ate until we were stuffed to the giblets. Much fun. On to Christmas...

Rise Of The Fall #3 - The Return of the Magi

Amidst all this color, weather, and clothing change, how does one recognize the end of the fall season and the beginning of the winter holidays? Well, thankfully, the Brooklyn holiday street decorators take care of that for you:

Rise Of The Fall #2 - The Fall Colors Strike Back

As with all times of the year, autumn in NY brings with it a unique feeling. The chilly air, the smell of smoke from the chimneys, and of course the flavors of the season: pumpkin pie, fresh ripe apples of the northwest, and cinnamon and spice lattes.

Though difficult to convey this feeling in words, some of my fellow Brooklyners (or is it -ites? I digress) have found a way to make the feeling come alive in decoration.

Rise Of The Fall #1 - A New Hope

This city (That's New York City for those who may not know) has so many things to offer that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. While I can sit here and enumerate this list, let me focus on one aspect that I truly love about the Big Manzana: Autumn.

That's right, Californians, listen up. In this part of the world, the leaves actually DO change color and fall from the trees, exactly like they used to teach us in those big science textbooks. You can actually feel the summer days wane, slipping into brisker weather and shorter days. There is a palpable feel that is difficult to describe, but you know it's there when you're walking down 3rd Ave in Brooklyn on a chilly October Saturday afternoon.

In this post, Your Humble Observer attempts to document, through poor-quality cell phone photos, this change in seasons. I've tried to capture the color and the feel as much as possible, but realize that there are limitations even to the best technology has to offer (not to mention I leave the house at 6 am when it's dark and don't get back until 7 pm...when it's dark). So here we go. The first photos are taken serially from roughly the same spot on my block in Brooklyn.

Treks & The City - Episode #5

Ride It...My Ferry

Pictures from me riding the Staten Island Ferry for the first time. May I say, "Woo" and add, "HOO!"

Treks & The City - Episode #4

Out There Having Fun In The Warm Coney Island Sun

As a staunch Cali boy, Your Humble Observer equates summer with sun, 3-digit temperatures, swimming pools, lake trips, and khorovadz (BBQ). Now, while I'm sure all that is possible in this concrete jungle, I've experienced none of that as of yet. Let's face it between birthing babies, studying for Step, and mending the broken-hearted*, there hasn't exactly been much time for summertime activities. So what a breath of fresh air it was to take the short drive to Brooklyn's historic Coney Island for a day of boardwalks, beach, amusement park rides, and, of course, hot dogs and lemonade.

For those who don't know about Coney Island, here's a quick and dirty Wikipedia explanation:

"Coney Island is a peninsula, formerly an island, in southernmost Brooklyn with a beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The area was a major resort and site of amusement parks...Today, the amusement area contains various rides, games such as skeeball, ball tossing, and a sideshow...

Three of the rides at Coney Island are protected as designated NYC landmarks and recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

-Wonder Wheel, opened in 1920. This steel Ferris wheel has both stationary cars and rocking cars that slide along a track. It holds 144 riders, stands 150 feet (46 m) tall, and weighs over 2,000 tons. At night the Wonder Wheel's steel frame is outlined and illuminated by neon tubes.

-The Cyclone roller coaster, built in 1927, is one of the nation's oldest wooden coasters still in operation. A favorite of some coaster aficionados, the Cyclone includes an 85-foot (26 m), 60 degree drop.

-The Parachute Jump was the first ride of its kind. Patrons were hoisted 190 feet (58 m) in the air before being allowed to drop using guy-wired parachutes. Although the ride has been closed since 1968, it remains a Coney Island landmark and is sometimes referred to as "Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower."

With my trusty companion S.A. (see Living for the Today) at my side, the day began with a quick lunch at Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs where I enjoyed a corn-dog and a lemonade. The hot dog stand is the site of the annual 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.

After a quick stop at the "Shoot The Freak" stand (please don't make me explain this, it pains me just to think that it exists) and a bit of walking around the amusement park area, we took a quick tour of the New York Aquarium (and may I just say...God Bless Monterey, CA).

The day was rounded out with some serious walking up and down the boarwalk, and a 200 oz vanilla ice cream cone. It was great to finally get out into the sun, enjoy the weather, and see what Jerry Seinfeld was talking about (see "The Subway").

*More on my Cardiology rotation later

Mind Boggling Phenomena - Expectorating Too Much From People

I don't know what it is about being in an underground subway station that allows people to lose their decency and intrinsic humanity, but somehow people regress to a primate-like state when they get down there.
Case in point:
It's not uncommon to witness the inhabitants of this city rear back and spit off the platform onto the tracks, like there's something about an electrified rod of steel that says, "Please aim fluids in my general direction." Frankly it's disgusting and a bit curious as to why these individuals can't seem to keep their bodily fluids to themselves...or at least between them and their Dunkin' Donuts napkins. The gravest offenders are the serial spitters. For example, a few days ago I was waiting at the 86th Street station of the R line on my way to work when suddenly the crudest sound in the world hit my ears. Some "gentleman" was repeatedly digging way down deep into his terminal bronchioles to draw up as much sputum as he could physically muster and letting them loose all over the tracks. Over, and over, and over, and over and....well you can imagine.
Seriously? Just because I have to be in proximity to you, must I really be subjected to the sounds of your projectile mucoid secretions. For the love of Obama, just give your airways a break! I'm headed in to work to deal with moans, bones, groans, and stones. I don't need your ronchi at 6 am to wake me up. That's what my Dunkin' Donuts coffee is for!

Simply mind-boggling!

Christmas Sights - The Hood

Here are the decorations from a typical Brooklyn/Queens avenue. The symbol in the middle changes depending on the persuasions of the neighborhood, but the design is fairly constant.

These pictures in particular are from 4th Avenue and 86th Street in Brooklyn.
The first picture says "86th St. Bid Welcomes You" Now, I realize that makes no sense, but I think they were going for some variation of a welcome message. "A" for effort, not so much for execution.

Treks & The City - Episode #3

September 6, 2008

Windows To The Spirit

Part of the joy of spending Christmas in New York City is being able to walk around in a true winter wonderland. From the heart of Jamaica Queens to 5th Avenue in Manhattan the season is alive and it is breathing Christmas at 20 breaths per minute (terrible med student joke, I apologize)

Part of the Christmas tradition in this city is the department store window displays. The stores all pick a theme and set up displays in consecutive windows that are meant to dazzle the eyes and warm the soul. Some are fun, some are cute, some traditional, and one in particular that's just straight frightening.

A couple friends and I decided to take the walk, beginning with Bloomingdale's and ending up at Macy's in Herald Square (34th St. & Broadway). The night ended up being as magical as it gets, with people walking around, trees, lights and decorations everywhere, and to top it all off, the first snow-fall in the city. I was practically giddy...I even clicked my heels at one point.
Many pictures were taken, but I've picked only a representative sample as this post would be a mile and a half long were I to include all.

Stop 1 - Bloomingdale's (59th St. & 3rd Ave)
A cute, simple display based on the songs from a Tony Bennet Christmas album


Stop 2 - Bergdorf Goodman (58th St. & 5th Ave)
Excuse my French, but what the HELL? In case you're wondering, no you're not hallucinating, those are two polar bears boxing, a walrus photographer, and a wolf announcer. What about this says Christmas?


Stop 3 - Saks Fifth Avenue (48th St. & 5th Ave)
A fun display describing the life and times of a snowflake wanting to be more than just a regular old snowflake and trying to express his individuality.



Detour --> Right across from Saks is Rockefeller Center with its amazing Christmas display. We were momentarily (or perhaps longer) sidetracked by the allure of the Granddaddy of all trees (see below).

Detour --> Dinner near Rockefeller Center, then a short trip through Times Square...just for fun.

Stop 4 - Lord and Taylor (38th St. & 5th Ave)
An exercise in elegance; very classy display with traditional themes.


Stop 5 - Macy's (48th St. & 5th Ave)
Another fun and cute display inventing creative stories about how various elements of Christmas, such as snow, tinsel, etc. are made.



Favorite Display Award - Lord and Taylor for their beautiful, innovative design and use of traditional Themes

Most Fun Display Award - Saks Fifth Avenue for their cute snowflake story

Most Innovative - Saks Fifth Avenue. Because it takes some creativity to take a new story and turn it into a living creation in window form.

Scariest/Least Relevant Award - Bergdorf Goodman. First off, your name reminds me of Lyme Disease. Second, scary looking animal/human mutants don't quite give me the warm fuzzy feeling I'm looking for.

All in all, lots of fun, and I can only hope I get a chance to do it again...