Day 1 - My Arrival to the Big Apple

The early morn broke to me waiting for my good, non-member friend Keith to drive me from the mountain town in which I reside to the Alewife T station. Upon arrival, I took the time to have the first of many smoke breaks along the way, enjoy the warm and seasonable weather, and, of course, take pics.



I was soon on the subway and on my way to South Station, to ride the rails further and arrive in NYC.







My trip via Amtrak was pleasurable, and gave me time to relax, play some Nintendo DS, and also indulge in one of my more...unorthodox activities.

I don't know what caused it, but whenever I travel, I have this innate desire to take pictures of bathrooms. Toilets, to be more precise. So, the first stop on thefreak's Toilet Tour, is of one of the Acela Express's offerings.





I enjoyed a couple of Heineys along the way, which, of course, led to more trips to the bathroom. Breaking the seal just sucks, am I right, kids?





If memory serves, these two were taken in Connecticut and New York, respectively. Where, exactly, is what escapes me.

Upon my arrival to Penn Station, I then proceeded to speak w/the lovely Rachel (aka Sharona1881) via phone and go through the step-by-step process of navigating that monstrosity and get on the Long Island Railroad, make my way to Queens/LI, and take a cab to her domicile. Given that I arrived in the late afternoon, the rest of the day was used for rest. We relaxed, smoked up, and watched both No Reservations (not my cup of tea, but not terrible) and Zodiac (a decent flick, which IMO bordered a bit on black comedy...don't ask me why or how). We soon retired to bed, ready for my first trek into the city of this vacation.

Day 2 - Big Buildings, Japanese Mascots, and a Non-Useless Baldwin

Now, before we left for NYC, I decided to take another smoke break and walk around the neighborhood.



It's a quite lovely and quiet slice of suburbia, yet only a hop, skip and jump to the general hustle and bustle of the city. Somewhere I could see myself residing, even w/some of the random and, lets be honest, garish houses popping up.



Yes, kids...it's pink. And I didn't even get a picture of the CHROME(!!!) gate out front.

Pretty soon, we were @the LIRR station waiting to make our journey.





It's nice to know they're willing to warn upstart, amputee stickmen w/urges to kick passing trains.



As we rode, I started to plan out my day, for I would be going @it alone, as my host had a previous engagement babysitting. I was up to the challenge, granted I didn't get mugged and/or molested.

Upon our arrival to Penn Station, we said our quick goodbyes, and I prepared my small-town self to venture forth. First off, what better way to start the day than taking a jaunt to Madison Square Garden?



For those of you who've never been, they have this area w/several picture walls showcasing some of MSG's most memorable moments? Of course, being the dork that I am, what did I instantly gravitate to?



Hulk Hogan...



...and Elvis.

After soaking it in, I realized I was in dire need of some food. So, it was time to walk back into Penn Station and find some num-nums.



A natural-casing hot dog, salty fries, and a refreshing lemonade did the trick.

And yes, I wholeheartedly admit to reading The New York Post. I'm not ashamed of it, either.









I have a hard-on for cityscapes, which is painfully obvious.

I soon made my way to Rockefeller Center, which is always a sight to behold, especially on a day where you couldn't ask for nicer weather.





Now, this next picture I just have to share the quick backstory on, simply because of my unhealthy obsession w/monkeys.



I found a 20-something tourist couple (German, I believe) snapping a picture of this cheeky specimen. And I nearly peed. After asking permission to get photographic proof, I took the above, thanked the lovely couple, and headed on my way again.

I soon found myself @a crossroads. Do I, as a Conan O'Brien fan (and fellow Masshole), visit the revered NBC Studios...



...or the equally revered Radio City Music Hall?



I think we all know who wins...



That's right, baby. Into the Cone-Zone we go!

Now, as I'm perusing the wares of the NBC gift shop, I see a small group of people gathered around a large window with cameras, cell phones, and the like. This piques my interest. So, I make my way to join them, and what do my eyes see?



Wait...is that...



Why, it is! Mr. She's Having a Baby and Miami Blues himself, Alec Baldwin. Turns out they were filming 30 Rock (which I haven't watched myself, but I hear good things) right outside, so I was rather giddy to have my first celebrity sighting in NYC.

Wow, good goin', FAG. You really made the world a better place, didn't ya, FAG?

That Team America quote was just for you, sillyokio.

I then proceeded to join the NBC Experience tour. Though, sadly, no cameras were allowed on the tour (I believe copyright concerns were cited), it was an interesting little romp. I wasn't able to visit the Late Night set due to taping (BOOOOOOO!), we visited the NBC Nightly News set, the Today set, as well as the Saturday Night Live set (which is really quite small in person, very surprising how much show they do in such a confined space). I also got the chance to ham it up a little Freak-style, as I volunteered to read a mock news report for the rest of the tour group (I had a desk! And a Teleprompter! EEEEEEEEEEE!) while one of the other gentlemen did an honest-to goodness green screen weather report. Fun times were had.

After I exited, I made my way to a familiar stomping ground...



That's right. I'm that much of a dork. For those of you curious as to my Nintendo World experience, feel free to read the entry from my previous NY trip in April of last year. Pretty much the same, just different games and whathaveyou.

Now, if memory serves, it was about this time I started feeling the pangs of hunger yet again. So I decided to go Mexican.





I'm sure many of you NYC lifers reading this blog want to slap my dome for going to such vanilla eating establishments. What can I say? It was in my path of walking. Bring me out to the city again, then you can help me atone for my culinary faux pas.

I also found myself in the middle of Times Square. Neon and video screens as far as the eye can see. I nearly peed (I really should get that checked).







I made my way into the above Virgin Megastore, and proceeded to peruse the three floors of various electronic goodness.

Now, kids, I feel the need to stop here and go onto a little side story.

As the hours ticked by, I started to get a little lonely.



But I would not be alone for long, for what did I come across but an absolute rarity on this side of the globe...



A wild Domo-kun! It appeared he was trying to relax in a close approximation of his natural habitat...



...outside the Comfort Inn. I approached cautiously, not wanting to startle him. But once he took a look @the shirt I was wearing, he realized I meant him no harm.



We quickly became the best of friends.



As a gesture of our newfound respective travel companionship, we made our way to O'Briens Irish Pub to grab a cold one and rest my weary feet (keep in mind, I was doing all this traversing on foot).

My little friend tried to buy some refreshment of his own...



...but it turns out he's more of a lightweight that I am.



I was more than happy to finish it off.



My hetero life-mate and I soon made our way back to Penn Station, and sat down to rest.





The time soon came to meet up w/Rachel as well as fellow Masshole turned NYC transplant KaiKai and make our way back home. Much preparation was in order for Rachel's impending birthday festivities...

PART 2 COMING SOON