Here goes!
Monday:
We had class at 10 with an incredibly enthusiastic historian who gave us the low down on NYC from it's founding to about 1900. I had no idea it had switched hands so many times from the Dutch to the English and back and forth until the Revolution. Really interesting stuff. Especially coming from someone who Really. LOVES. History.
Next we traveled to lower Manhattan to visit the Tenement Museum, basically the antithesis of the Merchant House that we visited last week. The Tenement Museum, predictably, focused on the dismal living conditions of immigrants in the early 1900s. It was probably the most interesting and interactive museum I've ever been to, because instead of walking around in a single file line, making forced "ohhh" and "hmmm" noises to uninteresting facts spit routinely from a bored volunteer's mouth, we got to role play with an actor portraying an immigrant girl from 1916. We were led by a museum employee up to a second floor apartment that was decorated just as it would have been if a Jewish family of 10 had lived there in 1916, and told to assume the identity of a large Italian family, fresh off the boat to America. An actress playing the role of the Jewish family's 14 year old daughter greeted us and invited us into her home. Here, the museum employee left us, and our entire group squeezed into one of three rooms of the apartment to talk freely with the immigrant girl and ask her anything we wished. It was so cool, and I learned so much more than I think I would have in a traditional museum set-up.
After the museum, the group walked to Babycakes, where Danielle treated us all to cupcakes. Cupcakes, I've noticed, are to NYC what corndogs (or anything deep fried) are to the Midwest. All the rage. We walked our cupcakes off on our trek across the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn. It's not as fun as it probably sounds to you. But I'm being negative. It's cool to be able to say I've done it. There. Positivity!
Once in Brooklyn, we got pizza at Front Street Pizza, and then took the subway (thank god!) back home.
Tuesday:
Was our day at the Met! As mentioned before, the places is MASSIVE.
We got a guided "fashion" tour from the classiest old lady I've ever met (see picture and video below), before being convinced by the amassing crowds that we should get the hell outta there. Vanessa and I found a nice and affordable cafe on Madison Ave to have lunch at (how very SATC of us!) and then caught the bus home with Olivia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NcC8VqxKUyU
Tuesday night brought the most delicious and memorable meal of my life when Cara invited Caitlin, Vanessa and I to partake in an incredibly generous offer from her Uncle John - a dinner on him at Ninja New York, where the waiters are dressed as ninjas, and scare you throughout the entire meal with swords and ninja stars. Awesome. (Photos c/o Vanessa)
I couldn't resist the soup, being a little sick and seeing the chance that I might find a prize inside of it. Plus, truffle oil - nuff said. Here she is, a thing of beauty:
And guess what? I did find the prize! A "poison" carrot, which earned me a $20 gift card next time I go to Ninja New York (you ready, Mom?). I also had the buffalo monk fish, because you all know I can't resist something soaked in hot sauce. Ahhhh so good.
This place was so much fun. I can't count the number of times we screamed and were scared by our ninjas. Almost all of the dishes were lit on fire or had dry ice in them, so they were extra exciting. It may not have been the most authentic Japanese dining experience, but I have a hard time believing it isn't the most fun in the city.
And oh yeah, check out this video of Cara headbutting her meal open:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDxbrRq1YWc
Sorry for the delay, my people! Tonight I'll try to post Wednesday/Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment