New York Musings

One month ago, I was in New York and it feels as though a year has gone by. A lot can happen in a month, and so it has - mostly on the work front. To cheer myself up, am thinking back to the action-packed four days we spent in the Big Apple.

The first day we arrived, we did some site-seeing in the immediate neighbourhood (37th street west, between 5th and 6th Avenues). We were immediately struck by the sheer volume of people on the sidewalks, something we only see if we go to Robson Street in downtown Vancouver and that seems rather tame now.

Our first outing was to Rockefeller Plaza (or as it is called '30 Rock'). We did a quick tour of the NBC store and then got our tickets and wristband to attend a live taping of the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show. The guests for that night were Anna Faris and Michael Emerson with musical guests MGMT (Pink Floyd tribute week). It was a great experience, the show is taped fairly close to real-time, no retakes - started at 5:30pm and was over by 6:45pm. Jimmy Fallon is a gracious person, he is very down-to-earth - quite tall and very cute :)

We walked a lot! Probably, more than what we should have done and found out why the locals take the subway or other forms of transportation. However, our exploration gave us a great introduction to New York and we saw many sites that otherwise we may have missed.

We also took part in the 'Sex and the City' tour, which was great fun! So many people from all over the world, it makes you realize how small the world really is. It was neat to see some of the restaurants, stores, etc. where the show had filmed some of the iconic episodes.

Of course, a trip to NYC is not complete without taking in a Broadway show, we saw 'Wicked' at the Gershwin Theatre. Having seen this show in Vancouver in June, it was thrilling to see it where it all started and to be able to share it with my friend who was seeing it for the first time. The production was grand and did not disappoint.

All to soon, our trip was winding down and we spent our last day having lunch at Serendipity 3, the restaurant featured in the movies 'Serendipity' and 'One Fine Day'. We actually sat at the 'One Fine Day' table :) We also observed two, what appeared at first to be secret agents, they turned out to be bodyguards. They ushered in a distinguished-looking family who were seated across from us. My curiosity was just too great not to ask the waiter as to who they were...he smiled and asked "have you heard of a small sports team called the New York Yankees?", duh yes. He continued "they are the Steinbrenner family (the owners)." A brush with local celebrities, quite cool.

Later that night, we had dinner at a local Italian restaurant, where we saw the actress Rutina Wesley (Tara from True Blood) at supper! Very exciting. She was with friends and didn't make eye-contact so I did not approach her, ever the polite Canadian.

I really miss the bagels, so so good. Never knew that bagels were to be fluffy and light. Really hoping that an Au Bon Pain will open up in Vancouver. It became our go-to place in New York, all the food tasted amazing whether it was a simple meal or a more formal dinner - it all tasted great. New York was a lot of fun, I highly recommend it. It is true what they say, there is no other city quite like it.

NYC

Mid-town Manhattan from La Guardia Airport

There are a few places in the world that I wish to explore, suppose you can call it a 'bucket list' of sorts. One of these places is New York City, 8 million people call this city their home. My friend and I have been planning this trip for a few years now, initially it was just a discussion and then it became a reality.

We started off with an ambitious itinerary, which was scaled down considerably as people told us it would be impossible to squeeze that much into 4 days. True enough. I think we did manage to do everything we had on the final itinerary except for maybe a couple of things.

There are many stand-out moments, it is difficult to choose just one, so in no particular order here are some of my favourite New York moments:

- Seeing New York as we landed, a bit surreal.
- My friend opening the drapes of our hotel room and seeing the Empire State Building (our neighbour).
 

Taken from hotel room-no zoom required :)



- The water towers everywhere. Love them, so rustic for such a modern city.




- Seeing many of the buildings that have become iconic as featured on television and feature films.


30 Rockefeller Plaza aka 30 Rock



The new One World Trade Centre tower and complex.
Will be 104 stories tall.

- Central Park

The Bow Bridge in Central Park

There are just so many things to see and do in New York, we didn't even scratch the surface. It was a great first visit and look forward to another visit where we can explore even more sights and sounds of this world-class city!

It's here...'Breaking Dawn-Part 1' Official Trailer

The trailer for 'Breaking Dawn-Part 1' was released on Bella's birthday, September 13 - very appropriate. I hope that this is the only trailer that is released as it will leave a bit of mystery as to what we will see in the movie. Twihards know the books well, so we don't need umpteenth amount of trailers which basically constitute the entire movie.

Must admit, this trailer looks good. Like how Bill Condon has switched from the sweeping aerial shots, to shooting from the ground up. Love that opening scene of swooshing along the river (think that was shot in Squamish).

November 18, the countdown continues :)

An Afternoon with the Vancouver Canadians

A week ago, I attended my first Vancouver Canadians' game and loved it. I have always enjoyed baseball so am not to sure why it took 17 years for me to go see a Canadians game...guess the important thing is that I finally went!

It was very entertaining, I was told it had elements of the movie 'Bull Durham' and it sure did! Mascot doing the chicken dance; Smart Car driving around the outfield; grounds keepers with rakes doing a dance; even a Sushi race...yes, a sushi race (people dressed as pieces of sushi racing each other) you have had to been there to believe it!

The Canadians team consists of young men from the US, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. It was especially entertaining for me to hear them sing the Canadian anthem and doing it very well I may say.

We lost 6-4 to the Tri City Dust Devils but that didn't matter - it was a fun afternoon and I highly recommend it. Will definitely go again!

The Canadians Line-Up

"Batter, batter, batter, swwwiiinnngggg batter!"

Yeehaw!

It's Snowing in August...Wellington, New Zealand

It's no secret that I adore New Zealand. Since visiting that country in 2008, I have been planning a return trip, hopefully within the next couple of years.

On Monday, August 15, the biggest snowfall for that day took place in Wellington, New Zealand. This video captures some of the images of the snow set to Claire de Lune, very well done. It also made me wish I was there right now, ah NZ why do you have to be half a world away?! :)

Adele Wows in Vancouver

Last night, I attended the Adele concert at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. She was in fine form and we, the fans, certainly appreciated her artistry. After a bout with laryngitis which literally left her without a voice for several weeks in June/July, she admitted that she didn't think she would ever sing again.

The stage was set as a livingroom, warm carpet runners, standing lamps and hanging lampshades made us feel as though she was singing to us from her home. The first song 'Homecoming' was dedicated to her hometown, London, England, as it reels from 3 days of continuous rioting.

Her voice is indescribable live, it is so powerful, poignant, emotional, raw, sweet - truly one of few artists that sound better live.

Intermittently, Adele would regale us with stories - inspirations and insights, into why she wrote certain songs. She is very down-to-earth and it was almost like a friend was speaking to you. She admitted to a few nerves but the crowd's warm and enthusiastic reception put her at ease and told us that she "was enjoying herself".

There were many highlights for me, too many to list really as it is difficult to just pick just one. However, hearing her sing 'Set Fire to the Rain', 'Someone Like You' and 'Taking It All' was absolutely stunning. I caught a few people wiping away an errand tear or two (might have been me too).

A very special moment at the end of her concert was a tribute to Amy Winehouse when she sang 'To Make You Feel My Love' by Garth Brooks. Adele and Amy attended the same school of the arts. Adele would only say that she and Amy had known each other for several years and will always have a special place in her heart.

Adele's future looks bright, she has been credited for single-handedly saving the music industry from a total meltdown as she has held the top spot on the music charts for most of 2011. I certainly hope that she will be around for a long, long time.



Adele with her band



Adele - amazing

BC Place Stadium Open House

BC Place Stadium Roof under construction, July 31, 2011


















On July 31, 2011, I visited the Open House at BC Place Stadium. In May 2010, the era of the familiar sight of the 'marshmallow' roof for BC Place came to an end when construction began on a new roof structure.

A lot of hours of planning, engineering, work and money have gone into creating this roof and new interior for BC Place. It will look like a brand-new stadium because it will be a brand-new stadium.

I was very impressed with the look of the new roof and all the modern amenities that are being added. Wider seating, cup holders, a new sound/lighting system and score board. It is a feat of engineering. Just standing on the floor of the stadium looking upwards, I had a bout of vertigo. To see the workers move in and around the roof structure was amazing.

The completion date is set for fall, the first home game of the BC Lions is September 30, 2011.

Roof taking shape as panels are being lifted into place.
The colour will fade to white in the sun.



 





The new score board, sound & lighting system. Workers were
walking around in it - no fear.

New concrete, new private suites and new, roomier seats with cupholders.