it's ok to be a tourist

Work still hasn't much gotten under way yet, but I've been getting around the city a bit this weekend. Getting out of the neighborhood can be a little difficult sometimes on week days, so weekends provide the perfect opportunity to explore the parts of the city a little farther from home. This weekend, we went to the American Museum of Natural History, which you may remember it from "A Night at the Museum." (It's the museum.) It's also referenced in the fabulous off-Broadway musical The Last Five Years (a favorite of mine), so it was really exciting to finally see the dinosaurs. And there were SO many, complete with an introduction to the floor by Meryl Streep (not in person, unfortunately.) There was no Sacajawea (who does Teddy Roosevelt hang out with at night?!?) but there was an awesome view of Central Park from the east windows when we wanted to see something that was still alive. We took a nice walk through the park to get there and got to see all the locals and tourists enjoying the fine weather and some fresh air. We also spent some time taking in the sights around Midtown like Bryant Park, Rockafeller Plaza, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was nice to kind of be tourists for a few hours and get the map out or ask directions as needed. I also got to use my camp counselor skills in the Park, which pretty much made my day. We were watching the rowboats and one was trying to pick up a friend standing on the steps that lead into the pond but they clearly had no idea what they were doing, so I, the waterfront-certified-sans-waterfront-training lifeguard, stepped in to stabilize the boat so the girl could step in, then pushed them back into the pond. It may not seem like much, but it kind of felt like my little chance to save the day as they clearly had no idea how to safely pick up another person off the shore.

I've also had a great time trying out pizza at different places and have definitely picked my favorites. Pretty much every block has it's own pizza place with classic New York style pizza made to be folded in half and eaten on the go. "A slice" (plain cheese) is famous for not just its size but also its price: its supposed to be about the same as a ride on the subway. Usually it's 2.50, but it's fun to find the pizza that's even less and still good. The winner is hands down Two-Brothers, which has a slice for $1 or two and a pop for $2.75. And it's definitely the best pizza in town (at least that I've tried so far). Of course, pizza with toppings costs more and sometimes is nonexistent, but I'm fine trying to find the best slice in town without getting too fancy about it.

Meghan