New York, New York: So Good They Named It Twice?

Everyone seems to love it, yet I can’t find an ounce of awe in New York City.

People’s eyes light up when they hear the words New York City. Glamorized images of Fifth Avenue, Times Square, and the Statue of Liberty cross their minds and most are overcome with a desire to visit the city. But when I hear New York City, I think of traffic, smog, and the occasional Mets fan who actually thinks the Mets matter.

Back when I lived in upstate New York, the city was only good for cheap flights to Europe and Yankee games. Other than that, it was a waste of time. At that point I was speaking as a country girl, but now that I’ve traded in my country roots for a blatant love of city life, I still feel a certain detachment from the NYC hype.

A weekend excursion this summer sustained my anti-NYC feelings, but I did lighten up a bit when it came to accepting the city for what it is; I warmed to the fast-paced groove on the packed out sidewalks, I craved the grub from the myriad of curbside pizza places, and I felt humbled by the grandiose skyscrapers surrounding me.

My brother Mark and I hitched a scenic ride on the train from Albany-Rensselaer straight to Penn Station. A few hours in the comfortable coach flew by and views of rolling green hills turned to graffiti brick walls in no time.

Picking a hotel in New York City can be a challenge, so be sure to have hotels.com and tripadvisor.com both up and running while selecting where to stay. The candid traveler photos will be your best friend and could save you a nightmarish experience. We booked The New Yorker Ramada a few months in advance for a reasonable rate of about $150 a night. The location was perfection, as it was across the street from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station.

This midtown Manhattan hotel, like others, may fool you with a glamorous lobby, but the rooms are no where near impressive. The space was passable, however, and the views 26 floors up were spectacular.

We took to the streets the moment we arrived and found our area was bustling with a variety of restaurants. The food can range from oober expensive to cheap dollar meals, so your best bet is to walk around and try to find an interesting/affordable posted menu.

Halal Pizza & Bakery Inc, 521 8th Avenue (between 36/37th Streets), was an absolute God-send. This 24-hour walk up pizza place has amazing New York style pizza for about 99 cents each. It beat the Pizza Tour of Vancouver with Alicia & crew tenfold. If you’re looking for a sit-down slice, look no further than a few doors up… you’re surrounded by glorious pizza in this city.

A set menu meal was also had at a charming new fusion Asian/Indian restaurant on 8th Avenue. Spring rolls for appetizers, tikka masala for the main course, and a delectable mango mousse for dessert totaled $20, a steal for dinner in midtown Manhattan.

We met up with friends on Sunday and roamed Times Square where we caught a glimpse of the MTV studios, stopped by the Virgin Megastore, and took in the onslaught of outdoor ads above our heads. Mark got in a hilarious row with a misinformed Mets fan after he spotted all of our Yankee hats. Then we made our way down to the subway and tried to figure out the system.

For a few dollars we zipped underground from midtown to lower Manhattan to see Ground Zero. Seeing this area was emotional on many levels, and the site itself was huge and piled high in construction. The mood was quiet and somber as people looked through chain-linked fences to see what remained of the World Trade Centers. A sign was posted of what the new Freedom Tower will resemble and there are mixed feelings about the design. Here’s a live web cam of the area so you can keep track of its progress.

We made the trip to NYC for a concert at Madison Square Garden. Dispatch, a folk/rock/reggae trio from Vermont, had broken up in 2002. They announced in January 2007 their intent to reunite for one night only to raise money and awareness for Zimbabwe. Within a half-hour of the pre-sale, they sold out the first night’s show. They added another night and then another, for which we snagged two tickets, with all the proceeds going to Zimbabwe charities.

MSG was brimming with loyal fans and the energy reverberated all the way to the last row (yes, unfortunately that’s where our seats were). With the strum of each note and the pound of each beat, the concert was an amazing display of familiar songs and impressive showmanship.

After the concert, the crowd poured out of the arena and surrounding shops were busting at the seams. We hit Halal Pizza and retired to the Ramada. The next day we made the trek across the street to Penn Station and grabbed a train back up to Albany. If you have a chance to visit Albany, hang out around St. Rose to get the college feel. Many thanks to my friend Alana who let us stay at her fantastic apartment near the college. Take in a slice at I Love NY Pizza on Central and grab a drink at one of the many bars this drinking town has to offer.

The two-day tour of NYC ended with me giving it a few more notches on the likeability scale, but it still ranks pretty low in my all-time favorite cities. There’s just something about NYC that lacks appeal, though my trip there was full of fun. For young people, we may revel in the nightlife, but we can’t afford it in this overpriced city. Two days in NYC and I almost had to take out a second mortgage on my non-existent house. Maybe when we make our millions I'll rank it higher, but until then, New York verges on unaffordable for this college student.

The Other New York: Revisiting Upstate

I grew up in a place most people think is mythical.

Best described as a charming village with one stoplight* and a school K-12, Morris is full of memories and this summer I had the chance to revisit my childhood hometown.

Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you they’ve heard all about the legendary village. Where a ten-minute walk to the post-office can last an hour because you run into so many people you know; where your culinary entertainment comes in the form of an ice cream store, pizzeria, or coffee shop; and where there are only two seasons: winter and construction.

Upstate New York has thick leaf laden woods, stretched out rows of corn, and strong wooden fences along miles of farmland and rolling hills. In the few months snow takes a vacation, it is the most beautiful place in the world.

I spent fourteen years in Morris, a driveway’s length away from the school and minutes away from all the downtown action. It’s a place where everyone knows everyone and you wouldn’t want it any other way. Winters consisted of shoveling snow, sledding, and snowball fights, while summers were laced with bike rides, walks through the woods, and laying poolside.

Before a jaunt to New York City for a concert, my brother and I ventured back to Morris, in the heart of the Butternut Valley. If you’re flying into upstate, consider the Albany, Binghamton, Syracuse, or Buffalo airports, depending on your final destination. We snagged a cheap deal to Albany, the state capital, for $99 one-way from El Paso via Southwest. Sign up for the Click ‘n Save e-mail updates for spotlight destinations and deals on flights.

We stayed with great friends of the family in Morris for two nights (many thanks to the Birdsall and Bourgeois families!). Hotel accommodation is hard to come by if you’re looking to stay in a small town. Bed and breakfasts are the way to go if you want to avoid the cities. Here’s a useful site full of B and B’s in New York.

Any town you go to in upstate will have a resident pizza place and Morris is no exception. Though we didn’t go this time round, if you’re in the area, you need to check out Nina’s Pizzeria. We’ve been told it has gone downhill, but back in the day it had superior pizza (plus, it’s all good to me considering I live in the Southwest, where acceptable pizza is hard to come by). Order anything, you can’t go wrong: from the BBQ Rib Pizza to the hot wings, pepperoni rolls to the garlic knots, this local legend has it all. We rocked the very similar New York Pizzeria in New Berlin, a neighboring town, and it lived up to all glorious expectations.

Upstate is all about the day trips. Pick a home base and plan on driving to nearby points of interest—the most important one being Cooperstown, home to the Baseball Home of Fame. I use it as a point of reference when people ask where I’m from because this tourist attraction is merely 30 minutes away from Morris and world renowned. You can easily spend a day here wandering in and out of baseball themed shops, eating at little cafes, or taking advantage of photo-ops at Otsego Lake or Doubleday Field.

Or you can pull a Vic and go see a terrific tarot-card reader. I’m not the feng-shuing, incense burning, Ouija board playing type, but trust me on this one…the psychic was incredible. For forty dollars she can unfold your future and shed light on your present. E-mail me for further details.

If baseball isn’t your thing (shame on you), but you still want a dose of sports, you can visit the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. The 40,000 square foot museum was reconstructed in the 90's and I was there in June 1999 when it opened its doors. Haven’t been back since, but at the time it was full of memorabilia and interactive activities.

Our stay in Morris was a pleasant one as we caught up with friends around a bonfire and revisited old familiar sites. We left on a Friday for Utica, an hour north of the village, for a Moe concert at the Saranac Brewery. If you can manage to catch a show there, it’s worth it as the venue is fun and the brews are tasty. Otherwise, I would suggest skipping Utica—or any other major city in upstate. Except for Albany, which proved to be a nice stop in our tour of NY.

It was great to visit, but I’m glad to keep upstate in my past. Next stop: New York City, a place I love to hate.


*Morris now has two stoplights, sparking my qualm about its apparent rise in modernity.


(Pictured right: my old house, The Grove, in Morris, New York)


These videos were made for Alicia, who sadly couldn't make it to Morris, but has always wanted to experience that small town feel. Video 1 of Morris:



Video 2 of Morris:

The So-What of So-Cal: Food, Fun, and Sun on the Left Coast

In San Diego, surfboard toting beach dwellers aren’t uncommon and bleach-blond girls in bikinis tend to roam the sand covered streets down at Mission Beach, but there’s more to So-Cal than the stereotypes suggest.

Eleven hours west on I-10 landed my family and I in La Jolla for reasons we never anticipated. Instead of escaping for a sun-bathed summer adventure, we headed to Cali for a second opinion. In June, my mom was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and so we got an appointment at Scripps, a cutting-edge facility for cancer care and research.

I’d say this wouldn’t be your typical travel blog dotted with tasty restaurant ideas and hotel tips, but it is. Despite the reasons behind the trip, we still managed to see the sites and get in touch with this tourist-haven. It seems life handed us lemons and we just made lemonade…and what better place to sip a pint of refreshing lemonade than the So-Cal coast in the summertime?

Arriving at our hotel couldn’t be easier with the help of a GPS navigator we purchased before the trip. The nuvi system from Garmin took us from point A to point B without zigzagging through points C to Z. You can choose from a sexy computerized British voice to whatever the Romanian accent happens to sound like. With the mysterious twists and turns found on the California highway system, the GPS was a lifesaver. Plus, it let us skip the agonizing folding process of the antiquated maps found in the glove compartment.

The Residence Inn La Jolla is a trendy destination for families and it’s easy to see why; free breakfasts, happy hour on the weekdays, volleyball and basketball courts, pool and picnic areas, and the ever-so-spacious suites make this hotel the place to stay.

You can’t expect to be low-rolling when you’re in the So-Cal area; hotels don’t come cheap and nice restaurants will have you ordering based on the right-side of the menu. But if you’re willing to spend some extra coinage (or if you’re traveling with the rents), the La Jolla area knows how to mix fun with sophistication.

One of the best meals out of my life came in the form of a German restaurant. Before entering the Kaiserhof Restaurant and Biergarten (2253 Sunset Cliffs Blvd), I could only assume we’d be inundated with sausages and sauerkraut, but being German, I should have known better. Instead, there was an extensive menu with homegrown delights that would tempt even the most unadventurous of eaters. About $15 will get you the Kasehahnchen (chicken coated in grated cheese and paprika sauce), which comes with potato leek soup, and a choice of two sides, my selection being the bread dumpling and a potato pancake. Delicious.

If you’re feeling less foreign and more like fermentation, there are several breweries to choose from in the La Jolla area. The Rock Bottom Brewery is mere steps away from The Residence Inn and offers a great beer and dinner selection. If you check out Karl Strauss, a local brewery, stick with the beer and skip the mediocre food. Same goes for The Spot (1005 Prospect St), which gave my brother a bout of food poisoning, but offers good drinks and a lively, young atmosphere.

San Diego’s nightlife knows how to entertain. The world famous Comedy Store in La Jolla often has recognizable acts on the weekend. Same goes for The House of Blues in downtown San Diego where a variety of bands rock the premises nightly. Check out this site for some tips on where to go or the one for even more must-see clubs.

As great as the nightlife proves to be, the daylife is just as exciting in San Diego, but with better views. Stop by SeaWorld and say hi to Shamu, or Free Willy, or whatever famous whale happens to be on display. Or you can scale it down and explore the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, which is full of fascinating aquatic creatures. $11 for adults and $8 for students, the Birch Aquarium is interactive and fun for about an hour. I met up there with my Cruces friend Weslie who was also on vaca and we saw everything we needed to see in about 45 minutes. If you’re looking for a day-long underwater adventure, stick to Sea World.

If golf is your game, you’re in luck. Torrey Pines Golf Course (11480 North Torrey Pines Road), the site of the 2008 US Open, is right by Scripps in La Jolla. Certainly not cheap, Torrey Pines offers amazing views and two courses. If you’re looking for a better deal, check out the Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club (14050 Carmel Ridge Rd) and their Web site for specials on green fees. In the words of my brother Mark, the course is embedded in a residential community with views of the surrounding mountainscapes and it provided tight fairways and difficult greens that would challenge even the best golfers.

If swinging clubs at an overpriced golf club or watching dolphins perform in a tank aren’t your thing, the simple pleasure of roaming the beach is always an option (and free). Get mesmerized by the Pacific waves or throw a frisbee along the sandy shores. Mission Beach is packed with the young and the restless, so I’d suggest the beach located off Prospect Drive in La Jolla. After a jaunt on the shores, have lunch somewhere along Prospect, there are dozens of choices, but godspeed trying to find a parking spot.

So while I don't fit into the typical So-Cal persona (being a blond just isn’t for me), I found La Jolla to be an entertaining piece of America that’s a must-see for travelers. The beauty in the landscape and the variety of activities available will make it an enjoyable vacation—but I’d cut it short there. After five days in So-Cal, I was craving to be back in a land of normalcy…

Where parking spots are wide enough for any vehicle bigger than a golf cart, where prices for a latte wouldn’t break your wallet or your spirit, and where people don’t throw elbows when in line at Trader Joe’s. It was a great place to visit, but I’d never want to live there. I like living in a world where the only bikini-clad beach bums you’ll see are on MTV’s Spring Break and where surfboards on roof-racks just look silly.