NYC • 7 comments • Alex waiting for some Shake Shack in their predictably long lineup. This trip to New York felt easy and great. Much like our Mexico City trip, we did very little planning. We returned to places we loved, discovered spots we'd never heard of, and purposely/unexpectedly met up with friends. Although my time in New York was limited to a summer and a few short trips, I feel more comfortable there than I ever did in Montreal (where I lived for 3 years). Something about all the characters in NYC suddenly makes you feel very normal. Once confused about the pairing of chicken and waffles, it's now commonplace and something we'll seek out. If you go to Cafeteria on a warm day, you can sit outside and people watch. While waiting for our table, we decided to wander around and found The Rubin Museum. If you're planning on visiting, it's free on Friday evenings. The restaurant next to the gift shop smelled delicious, so pop in there and report back, okay? I was lamenting that we wouldn't be able to go to The Doughnut Plant on this trip because it was so far away. Moments later, we serendipitously walked by their newish location in Chelsea. This place has forever ruined regular doughnuts for me. We looked into Airbnb and Roomorama accommodations for this trip, but they were pricey compared to our Hotwire deal for King & Grove (now called Martha Washington ?!) Part of it was under renovation, so the cost was reduced and it was in the perfect location for our short trip. It was also near the Museum of Sex which we peeked into but ended up wasting all our time at the Empire State Building... I can't wait to go back.
Empire State of Mind • 9 comments • The queues are ridiculous. The crowds at the top are worse... but you'll forget the nuisance for a moment when you see the view. We opted to climb a few stairs to avoid claustrophobia and nixed a few minutes off the waiting time. It's definitely a tourist trap, but it seemed silly that we'd visited NY so many times and never went up to the top of this iconic building, so we did.
Saturday Night Live! • 4 comments • The fun pros outweighed the reasonable cons of flying across the country just for a taping of SNL. Since it was the season finale, we figured there'd be some good cameos and that it would be worth it. The number of special guests almost exceeded the cast: Maya Rudolph, Seth Meyers, Bill Hader, Martin Short, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, 2 Chainz, and Paul Rudd. Despite the fact that Andy Samberg was the host, there was no Dick in a Box reprise, but it was a solid episode (here's a good recap). Seeing the work that goes into one episode is inspiring. It's a well-oiled machine. Watching the camera people, the lighting, and the sets coming together was fascinating. Some notable moments: We saw Kenneth Parcell/Jack McBrayer backstage. I saw Brooks Wheelan pacing and looking stressed, and he was ultimately fired. Bobby Moynihan clearly loves being a cast member. He was casually sucking on a red lollipop before the show and stayed around after the end credits hug-fest to film the band with his phone. During a summer we spent in New York, it was decided that queuing up in the stand-by line was a waste of time / only for locals or die-hard fans (even if it was for Betty White). There's a never ending list of things to do in New York and waiting around for the chance to see an episode wasn't my idea of a good time. Every August, we entered the lottery thinking that it would be a short train ride from Montreal. Of course, we got the email when we moved across the country. There's still time to enter this year - we recommend it! - Mina P.S. You can watch a bunch of vintage episodes, as well as clips from the finale on Yahoo Screen
