New York, New York, it's a helluva town...

Back in the big city for Indoor Track and Field Championships. A little track first,

a whole lot of sightseeing later....

All trips begin with a Bloody Mary, no? 

The Athletic Complex at Ocean Breeze on Staten Island:

Classmate Kelly told me of a friend Susan, who was running sprints in the Masters division.
So I tracked her down...

Isn't everything?

My all-star umpire crew!

The meet was fun....now, the REALLY fun stuff!!

Walk to Brooklyn over the Bridge; great view. 

A little birdie told me to try pizza at Grimaldi's on the waterfront. Ok, fine....after 3-4 miles 

of walking in the cold... 

Closed for renovations. A google search turns up the definition of 'renovations': 

health code violations (mouse droppings), bad plumbing, non-payment of taxes. 

They might be down for the count. 

Ferry ride from Hoboken...nice view. 

Buying a house back home; in the middle of my trip, I'm sending changes to the builder...

For my Navy friends: On Broad near Wall Street:

The following gem at Trinity Church might come in handy later: 

Two USNA grads and friends: Bill and Ron.

Now I know what an 'oculus' is: 

Anyone know the significance of 180 Varick Street? Sam and Martha used to hang out there..

(Former HQ of ImClone Systems; I worked at the NJ site for 6 years. CEO Sam tried

to sell stock when the FDA was about to reject the company's drug product. Problem was,

the news wasn't public yet. His broker told his other client Martha (as in Stewart), who did sell 

her stock. And lied about it. Both spent time in Club Fed....it was surreal to sit in a conference

room with my colleagues and watch our CEO taking the Fifth in front of Congress).

SoHo shoes for Zoe? 

Sauteed octopus? Yes, please.

We all need to eat more vegetables!

Navy classmate Craig owns this magnificent Theater District restaurant. Put it on your list!!

For real? The owner's table?!?

This glass of Chianti was as big as my head..

Exquisite carbonara

Homemade tiramisu? Gawd...

I implore you: visit Da Marino on your next trip! One of the three best restaurant experiences
of my life.

Then there's this:

Yep. Not giving away my shot!

Times Square needs a Delorean, right?

Found this guy on 2nd Avenue. Made me want to play chopsticks with my feet...

While out for coffee, I just happen to look up and see this. And I smile...

The Public Theater, founded by Joe Papp. Joe and Savion Glover got together

to create "Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk" back in the late 1990s. Tremendous musical.

Somewhere in the middle of this chaotic trip, I scribbled some Chemistry problems and texted
them back to Zoe.

 
Found some Portland Coffee in the middle of Manhattan!

The Larry David: a whitefish breakfast sandwich with pickled cucumbers.

My new friend who was also waiting for the Ferry...

Enoteca Maria, a Staten Island fixture. The kitchen is literally staffed by nonnas: 

one Italian, one free lancer. Comfort food at its finest. 

A repeat performance from last year! Cut-rate tix an hour before the show.

Lincoln Center...

Natural History...

Harlem knows how to welcome a guy!

Zoe is into wigs...

The Goog...

More for my daughter...

Had to have a drink at the Carlyle...

 (the drink was water from the lobby carafe)

Pianist Bobby Short was the resident musician there for years...

Grand Central Station...

Incredible pizza at Chelsea Market

No words needed...

I think this store was named after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade...

Bryant Park rink, adjacent to NY Public Library

Gotta have me a NYC hot dog, right?

The MVP of my NYC trip...


A 7-day unlimited Metro Pass! I wore this sucker out: my per-trip cost ended up
being around a buck.

Too bad my hometown received four straight days of snow in the meantime; my
final flight was cancelled, so I ended up with two days in Seattle.

While my friends were digging out, I was looking at this in the lobby...

sorry, everyone!

Breakfast in Seattle naturally means Spam and Eggs, courtesy of Ludi's...

But not this...

Breakfast on my final travel day? Not nearly as good as the meals in the 

previous week...this time, it's PF Changs leftovers in SEATAC. 

One short, smooth flight later, I'm in Oregon. And this is what my car looks like...

Fortunately, I planned ahead. In the Seattle Target near Pike Place Market, I bought a
sturdy dustpan and a hard cover binder. Good enough to move lots of snow quickly!

Game, set, match.

What a trip!