In a New York State of Mind Day 1

One of the lessons my current job has taught me is to always have a back up plan. Whether it be working a delayed flight, flying stand by or improvising loading bags, I always make a Plan B. I was originally planning to fly out of Champaign at 7:50am on Saturday May 20th. Unfortunately for me, the flight filled up about 12 hours before leaving. Luckily I found an alternate routing that brought me from Bloomington, IL (about an hour drive from my house) to Chicago's O'Hare , to Cincinnati, OH to New York's John F Kennedy airport.  Boyfriend was kind enough to get up at 4am to drive me to my 6am flight. 

Since I got this job I've gotten a lot better at flying alone (which I used to hate and only did a hand full of times before), eating alone and reading. All thanks to overnight layovers, sleeping in airports and taking 2-4 planes to get to my destination. Having a Kindle and smartphone doesn't hurt either. On my layover from Cincinnati to JFK I finished the third Sophie Katz murder mystery novel and stopped for a bite to eat at the airport. 

My guilty pleasure books are food related or murder mysteries set in the Bay Area. Who knew?

The only restaurant in CVG that normally wasn't situated in a food court at the mall was named The Local. They seemed to specialize in sandwiches and burgers, but I wanted to try something different.

Menu shot

My lunch: appetizer charcuterie plate

Once I landed in JFK I felt an immediate sense of urgency. Maybe it was the New York City air, or the fact that my family had landed roughly 8 hours before me and I couldn't wait to see them. Either way, I was ready and rearing to go.

The big apple, literally

Yes, I am a true tourist. Yes, I take pictures of every mundane activity I do on vacation because at the time it seems like a once in a lifetime activity. Yes, I took of picture of myself in my first and only New York City taxi ride. Besides, I paid $60 to get from JFK to Manhattan and I got motion sickness from the crazy weaving in and out of traffic, so I felt the least I deserve is a picture to capture the experience. Please don't judge me.

#selfie

My first look at the city that never sleeps

After getting dropped on on Broadway right in front of the Marriott Marquis hotel, I met my Dad. Even though I had seen both my parents and my brother about a month earlier, they're always a sight for sore eyes. We took a fancy elevator up to room, dropped off my luggage and walked across the street for a late lunch at Junior's. 

I had heard of Junior's before, probably from my mom in some random food conversation, but knew they were famous for cheesecake. After my stomach was taken for a roller coaster ride in the cab, the last thing I wanted was to chomp down something creamy. So what's a girl to do? 

When I travel I like to eat regional foods and see local monuments/ buildings. Therefore going to Junior's meant eating New York style cheesecake, but I'd have to ease into eating with something more comforting. Question: What is a regional NYC food that soothes the soul and a queasy stomach? Answer: Matzoh ball soup. Ding ding ding!

Our little sides of coleslaw, kosher pickles and beats

Mom's deli sandwich with Russian dressing

My Matzoh ball soup, delicious!

Our first Junior's cheesecake in New York

Our hotel is located smack dab in the middle of Time's Square. It literally takes just as long to ride the elevator to the lobby as it does to walk to Time's Square. My family had done some walking around before I arrived since they had a few hours to kill before I got there. They even took a long shortcut (a term we often use for thinking you're taking the short way, but in fact lengthen your travel time significantly) to find a local office of the accounting firm my brother works for. Ah the classic memories you build on a vacation.

They humored me and went back to all the sights they already covered so I could snap some pictures. After all, I'm a tourist and a vacation is not complete unless you have pictures. Ground we covered: Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, 5th Ave shopping, some of Central Park and Columbus Circle. Approximately 40 blocks round trip.

Radio City Music Hall

NBC Studios

Rockefeller Center

Mom and Dad at Rockefeller Center

Beautiful decor on the buildings

Ross, Dad and Atlas

Brother and I at the fountain in front of the Plaza (under construction)

It seemed like a lot of the classic New York buildings were under construction or renovation while we were there. Or maybe the city has so many classic buildings that a few of them are bound to be revamped at your time of visit. Either way I have a few more reasons to revisit this city of beautiful landmarks.

Hope they don't get pooped on

Central park

Brother harassing ducks in the park

Little waterfall

If you ask my Dad, the best part of the trip was finding a little raccoon in Central Park. Keep in mind, my mainland friends, we do not have wildlife like this in Hawaii. The closest thing to "critters" that are in the islands is wild chickens and cats. When we were young and vacationing in California we used to spend our time taking pictures of rabbits and squirrels, instead of beaches. This was just another reminder to me how my perspective on things have changed since moving to the mainland. 

Our little friend

Love the contrast between architecture and foliage

Big rocks everywhere

The view from inside the Columbus Circle Mall

While walking on our way back from Central Park, my mom saw a little bagel shop called Pick A Bagel. I love bagels. If they weren't so heavy and dense, I would get then more often, but they're so delicious and classic New York. The thing I was most fascinated by was they displays of schmear... or cream cheeses. YUM!

So many options

We did a lot of walking that day but my family was jetlagged and we had just eaten lunch at 4pm. It didn't seem very clear on if we were going to eat dinner. But I rallied the troops and we all walked around the theater district to find some nosh. The closest solution that had the shortest line: Guy's American Kitchen & Bar. 

I'm a fan of Guy Fieri, as painful as it may be to admit that. I remember watching him win the second season of The Next Food Network Star and really liking him. He's a little cheesy and goofy, but has a real passion for food, flavor and fusion. I used to watch Diners Drive In's and Dives all night at the dorms until Boyfriend's roommates were ready to pull their hair out. I didn't even know he had a restaurant in New York and was pleasantly surprised that we were able to get in on a Saturday night. 

The restaurant is a mixture of in-your-face and understated. The food is complex but approachable and the decor is flashy and bordering on gaudy, but we are in the theater district.

Mom and Dad's Chinatown Chicken Crunch

Brother's Bacon Mac and Cheese

My grilled yellow fin tuna with corn salsa and watercress

Oh how I've missed seafood

My glass of pinot with our Salted Whiskey Caramel Fool dessert

Day one of a vacation is always the roughest. The flights, the taxi, unpacking and getting your bearings. Then again my family's flight was 10 hours long and they had to check into the hotel and do more unpacking. But there's more to come from the concrete jungle. Stay tuned.

-Akemi-chan