We had a quick two day jaunt to NYC to see a concert this week. NYC at Christmas time is usually entertaining, with all the over the top decorations and throngs of shoppers in this mecca of materialism. We drove to the Hamilton Train Station, but by 10:00 am the parking garage was full. We had to go back to lovely Trenton and catch a NJT train there into Penn Station. Nothing like immediately being swarmed upon by a grifter selling a sob story about just being released from the hospital, blah, blah, blah. His well rehearsed show didn’t work on me. I told him to beat it and proceeded to position himself for the next sucker.
The train ride was uneventful and on time. We departed Penn Station and got a cab. The 15 block ride resulted in at least 5 near accidents, dozens of honked horns, and a feeling of relief when we arrived in one piece. After dropping our bags off at the hotel – no room ready, we proceeded to find a place for lunch and then see the usual Christmas sites. NYC survives strictly on tourism and Wall Street criminal banks. Every block has at least six restaurants or bars. How they survive, with what must be huge rents, is beyond me. The truth is, most don’t survive and are replaced every year or so.
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After lunch, it was time to wander around. We had no master plan. We figured Rockefeller Plaza to see the enormous tree and the ice skating rink was a logical first choice. Nothing like getting a picture in front of the tree with a heavily armed NYPD officer in the background.
Of course, he wasn’t the only one. There were dozens of armed to the teeth security forces “keeping us safe” from the terrorists. Christmas trees, carols, glad tidings and your friendly SWAT team. What more do you need to get that Christmas spirit?
I insisted that my wife take as many pictures as possible of our protectors. She was a little freaked out, worried they would have a problem with being photographed. They weren’t deterring anyone who might want to blow up Rockefeller Center. They were there to show the ignorant masses who was in charge. The joy of the holiday season was overcoming me, knowing our police surveillance state had everything under control.
Next we headed over to 5th Avenue, where the beautiful people shop. We were staying in the Hell’s Kitchen area, where the lowly masses shuffle along trying to survive. The ostentatious displays of materialism on 5th Avenue are enough to take your breath away. Once there, we couldn’t not head to the NYC White House – Trump Tower and observe the hub-bub and see if we could get a drink in the Trump bar. I joked that I was going to tell the elevator guy my old buddy Steve Bannon was expecting me.
Trump Tower is between 56th and 57th on 5th Avenue. As we approached 56th, there was an NYPD checkpoint where they questioned you on where you were going. We said Trump Tower and they let us through. Then you fought through the crowds in front of Trump Tower. It was time for another photo-op with my heavily armed buddies from the NYPD, making Christmas Great Again. I felt so much safer, knowing they had my back.
Once inside the doors, you now had to run the Secret Service guantlet, with all bags being searched and going through an airport like scanner. After that you were in the main lobby in front of those elevators which have been on TV for weeks. The press corp, with their TV cameras pointed at the elevators just wait for whoever famous might show up. Earlier in the morning Donald and Krazy Kanye did a photo-op in the lobby. No one famous arrived or departed while we were there.
The two Trump bars in the lower levels were packed. We didn’t get the privilege of purchasing over-priced Trump alcohol. It was a little too cold to buy over-priced Trump ice cream. And I didn’t feel like paying $35 for a Make America Great Again hat.
Everything in Trump Tower is gaudy, bright and gold. He doesn’t worry about offending the delicate sensibilities of libs or muzzies. If a yuuge Christmas tree offends anyone, then they can hit the road. The festive decorations made the place quite enjoyable to behold.
After departing Trumpville, not to be confused with Hooville, where the Hillary Grinch and her lib minions try to steal the election, we sauntered over to Central Park and walked up the West Side observing where the beautiful people lived. There appears to be two thriving occupations in this neighborhood – nannies and dog walkers.
We witnessed dozens of black women pushing expensive strollers holding white babies around Central Park. I suppose the elite are too busy making money to actually raise their own children. It must be fashionable to have a cute little dog in your outrageously expensive apartment overlooking Central Park. We saw dozens of less well off people walking three or four dogs simultaneously. One lady had a key ring with at least 100 keys on it. That’s a hell of a way to make a living, but it is a living. We sat down on a bench to people watch and I looked across the street to see what was made to look like a fancy light post, but was really surveillance cameras. I’m sure warning lights were going off at Surveillance Central when they spotted me on their streets.
A few hours later we arrived at the venue where the concert was being held – City Winery in Soho. My wife is a Third Eye Blind fanatic, and Steven Jenkins – the lead singer and songwriter – was doing an intimate acoustic performance in this small winery/restaurant. I like Third Eye Blind’s hits that you hear on the radio, but I am no fanatic. The people at our table were even more fanatical than my wife. He probably played fifteen songs during the 90 minute performance and I knew three of them. They knew all the words to the songs I’d never heard. It annoys me when musicians refuse to play their hits. After a couple of over-priced glasses of wine and a humus tray (yuck) appetizer, I was ready to go.
We took a cab back to our hotel area and it was my turn to pick the venue. In a surprising turn of events I chose the Playwright Celtic Irish Pub. We walked in and immediately knew I was going to like it. There was an Irish guy playing an acoustic guitar and singing his heart out. We sat at the bar, ordered drinks and stayed for the next three hours. The singer’s name was Sean McCabe and he arrived from Ireland just a few years ago. He alternated between Irish folk songs and popular American songs you would hear in an Irish pub. He had a great voice and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, singing along as we drank more.
When he took a break, he mentioned that he was also a novelist and he had copies of his latest novel for sale up front. I was a little tipsy and liked him so much, I decided to buy his novel. He seemed surprised that someone was actually interested. He offered to sign it, so I had him sign it to my wife. When he’s a famous writer some day I’ll have a collectors item. The novel is called Pubs of New York, and here is the back cover.
The next day we had an excellent breakfast at the Route 66 diner and proceeded to do some more walking around. As an example of how locked down NYC has become, the restaurants have to protect their toilet paper from being stolen. My wife snapped this picture in the bathroom stall of the restaurant we went to for lunch.
On the final leg of our journey, we finally ran into someone famous. I am always observing my surroundings to try and see something interesting. As we departed our cab and approached Penn Station I noticed a guy walking towards the station from the right. I immediately thought he looked like General Patraeus, but I wasn’t 100% sure. I told my wife I thought it was General Patraeus and she rushed ahead of me directly behind him on the down escalator. Then she blurts out “General?” He turned around, smiled and said hello to her. He didn’t seem very imposing without his uniform. He’s about 5 foot 9 and 170 pounds. He is easy to miss in a crowd, but I spotted him.
We’ve had more adventuresome NYC episodes, but this one was a nice short getaway from real life in our locked down surveillance state. NYC is having a very merry Trump Christmas.
I’m surprised any display of Christmas decoration at all hasn’t been banned in NYC to avoid offending Muslims (and Atheists).
Oh please. I’m an atheist; I could not care less about Christmas decorations. Why should I give a shit?
Well, the FFRF is an Atheist organization that represents Atheists and maintains constant hostile pursuit of things like this.
I never heard of them before, but looked them up. It seems their position is based in not having tax dollars supporting Christian displays, which I agree with. I don’t want to support Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or atheist displays either. Government ought not to be in the business of promoting any religion. I think that might be in the Constitution somewhere. But if any private concern wants to display a tree, nativity scene, or anything else I got no issue.
Their position is based on opposing and supporting Christianity on every level.
Notice that Christianity is all they ever oppose?
Not Islam, not the Satanists, not…….. well, not any other religion.
Why do you suppose this is?
Admin.,
I just love the story of you and your wife having a fun time in NY!!
The pictures are great and I really appreciate them. All the “all in
black” police clustering around are scary looking…but, they may have
kept you safe. I also love that your wife has the spontaneous spirit
we all admire, demonstrated by her calling out to the general. That
could have been me, then to be met with my husband’s eye roll, and “you
shouldn’t have done that.” Ah phooey…girls have got to have FUN.
And you are a fun husband! Merry Christmas, and thank you for
sharing your experiences with TBP readers.
Suzanna
She should have said to you (but loud enough for him to hear), “that guy looks like General Petraeus. I hear he is a world-class brown noser.”
I’m upset about the hummus comment. That said, seems it’s getting a little too complicated to travel to New York.
Hummus was developed in the 1950’s as a food for rats.
With those sun glasses you could pass for a terrorist .All middle Eastern terrorist wear sunglasses.No Wonder you were being watched so carefully. I’m glad you didn’t get beat up or arrested by New York’s finest. Wouldn’t that have been embarrassing.
A wonderful day in the neighborhood
I’m surprised they still have benches in Central Park. Most places where tourists go to have removed them. The idea, of course, is that if you want to rest or sit down you must go into a business and spend money not lollygag outside for free.
Even in my little burg of Sarasota the benches were removed from the parks to prevent derelicts from reclining on them. Back in 2008 I was in Seattle and decided to walk from my room in Belltown to the Amtrak station. It was further than I thought and when I got to ‘Pioneer Square’ I thought I would stop and rest for a bit. I couldn’t. Every single bench was occupied by a reclining derelict!
I suppose Manhattan is so heavily policed that were you to try and recline on a bench in Central Park you would be told to sit up or move on.
They have their own places to stay in New York, such as over air vents, under bridges, behind dumpsters, etc.
A surefire way to determine the underlying economic health of any area, is the TP locked up?
How bad is our economy if fellow citizens have to steal toilet paper?
As for an organization that “represents” atheists, puh-lease.
Does the Catholic Church doesn’t speak for all Christians?
Do all white mouthpieces/organizations always speak for you?
What a small minded way to live life.
Fellow citizens, huh?
Mad dog meathead ,you and I are going to have to have a long talk about God ,Satan ,this universe , evolutionary theory , Jesus Christ, Christmas and then math.As a so called engineer you don’t seem to able to Cypher like Jethro on the Beverly Hillbillies.He had life all figured out.All he ever wanted to be was a double knot agent like James Bond.What do you want to be ???
“What do you want to be ???”
Husband, father, productive member of society.
Check, check and check.
The wide angle lens Avalon used to take the photo of the Trump Tower sign was a nice touch. Otherwise she would not have been able to fit the Admin in the frame.
Nice article. Avoid NYC sounds like the moral of the story.
I went to NYC in the early spring of ’80 and don’t remember seeing very many cops. We went to 5th Avenue and visited all the ritzy stores, and even Trump’s hotel. I thought it was pretty gaudy to be honest. Had a fake waterfall in the lobby. Went to Central Park, saw what we used to call hobos (now homeless I guess) laying in the ditch. Saw John Lennon’s apartment at the Dakota’s. This was months before he died (highlight for this Lennon fan.) All around a good visit but, again, few cops.
Lennon fan, huh? Read this:
http://mileswmathis.com/lennon.pdf
“Christmas trees, carols, glad tidings and your friendly SWAT team.
What more do you need to get that Christmas spirit?”
Small town USA is the best place for Christmas tourism.