Happy New Year!  It's January in the Big Apple, and man, is it ever cold.  No snow on the ground right now, but the wind can really go straight to the bones.

None of that stopped us last weekend when we went back to the Statue of Liberty.  It was my third trip, but this one would be extra-special.  Mr. E. and I had tickets to climb up into the crown of the statue.  I had reserved the tickets back in September.
                                                               

It was the experience of a lifetime.  It was so amazing walking into the base of the statue through huge copper doors.  Since we held 'crown tickets', we were two of the day's 240 VIPs.  We were ushered to the front of every line (including two separate security screening lines), and put into a group of 10 for the climb up.

After a short introduction from the park ranger, we were on our way, 354 steps up the spiral staircase.  Except for the sturdy and narrow staircase, and the occasional piece of plexiglass safety wall, there's nothing between you and the copper skin of the statue.  I reached out to touch it many times.  I climbed slowly, wanting to see everything I could, marveling at the incredible achievement of the many artisans who built this back in the late 1800s.

Before you know it, you're at the top, in the crown.  There's a little platform right by the crown's windows.  There are also two park rangers stationed up there.  Their job isn't as cool as I first thought.  "She", as they refer to the statue, gets super hot in the summer and really cold in the winter.  No insulation up there.  She also 'dances' in the wind, swaying wildly back and forth. 

After we climbed back down, we went through the excellent museum in the base of the statue.  They have the original torch on display in the lobby.   It had become too corroded from the elements and was replaced in 1984 with the 24k gold leaf covered torch we see today.

My trip to the crown was most definitely one of the highlights of my extended stay in NYC.

It's been awhile since I've been to the blogosphere.  I've been assisting Mr. E., working the 9-7 office shift, coming home exhausted and not wanting to look at a computer.  But now I've had a day off and am glad to be back!

I'll bring you up to speed on one of our day trips and the sights seen...

We headed over to Coney Island on a beautiful, sunny Saturday.  Our first stop was the Coney Island Museum.  Looks like a crumbling warehouse from the outside, but inside are hundreds of pieces of kinda-creepy memorabilia and a fantastic movie about the history of Coney Island, including its previous incarnations as Luna Park and Dreamland.



After a stroll on the famous boardwalk, where we witness the monthly meeting of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, we went for lunch at Nathan's Famous hot dog joint.  Mr. E. orders chili dogs.  I, the purist, order the traditional, with grilled onions.

Next, we take the train to the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn.  They've made a defunct subway station in to a museum.  The place is fantastic, with subway cars dating back to the early 1900s.  Great exhibits too on how they built the subway and Manhattan's vital bridges and the mysterious 'money train' that used to ride at night and pick up the cash from all the stations.  I am intrigued by the metro, I love it.  A strange thing to love about a city...ooh, I feel a new blog topic forming.

Last night, Mr. Expiration Date and I debated going to a Broadway show we want to see.  We've agreed on the show: 'Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps.'  We've agreed on the date: Next Wednesday. (He gets Veterans Day off from work.)  What we debated, was how we'd get the tickets and how much we'd pay.  At the theater box office, they're over $100 apiece.  You spend that kind of money, you get peace of mind.  Tickets in hand ahead of time, an ability to plan the whole day.  Mr. E. prefers this kind of ticket procurement.  But I want to go a different route - the TKTS Booth in Times Square.  A friend of mind recommended the TKTS Booth, where you can get a same-day discount of up to 50%.  50%?  I'm intrigued!  We can go to twice as many plays and musicals!  We can be young, hip, urbanites who decide to 'catch a show' on the spur of the moment!  It sounds so affordably glamorous.  You wait in line in the early a.m. for the matinee, or you wait in line in the early afternoon for the evening show.  The problem, according to Mr. E., is the waiting in line (in forty degree weather) and the uncertainty if you'll even get tickets.  We might end up having lost his entire holiday to waiting in line, with nothing to show for it.  "But," I said, "50% off!."  Debate to be continued...

We caught 'the bug' about three weeks ago.  I'm talking about the Broadway bug.  Mr. E.'s family was in town, and we went to a matinee showing of 'Wicked'.   It was spectacular - the packed theater, the huge set, iridescent costumes and the powerful, beautiful singing that you could feel vibrate through you.  It was infectious.  Mr. E. still sings 'Popular' (sung by Galinda in the musical) around the house sometimes.  We now scour the listings of the Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway listings in the New York Times.
Check back next week to read our review of 'The 39 Steps'.

Friday 10/30...
Today was a clear, sunny and warm (mid 50s) day, perfect for walking around town.  I hope this weather holds until tomorrow night.  The 36th Annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade will be taking place just a few blocks from our apartment.  I've heard this is the largest Halloween parade in the world.  I can't wait!  I love Halloween.

So today was the day for the long-awaited tour of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York!  The highlights of the Bank were the amazing architecture, the incredible metal and wrought-iron decorative work and the tour of the underground vault.  In this vault are gold bars.  $190 billion in gold bars...approximately. The bars don't oxidize or chip, so I didn't go home with any gold dust in my pockets.

There are also exhibits on The History of Money by the American Numismatic Society and on the Federal Open Market Committee. What really amazes me is the location of the bank.  You'd think that this symbol of American might would stand apart from other buildings, be more like a monument with large lawns and a huge fence.  But rather it seems to have been squeezed in between other buildings, given no more space than it absolutely needed.  The streets surrounding it are narrow, with cracks and ruts from decades of traffic.

Saturday, 10/31...
A cloudy day, with the promise of drizzle by nightfall. 

Mr. Expiration Date and I do errands.  One of them is getting him a haircut.  We go to the Astoria area of Queens for the old school experience:  Shave and a haircut at Andreas barber shop.



The Halloween Parade brings thousands of people to our neighborhood in the evening.  Music and loud voices outside our windows remind us that bars here don't close until 4 or 5 a.m.  After the rain does begin, it's fun to be able to look outside our living room window and see the costumed partiers walking by.  My favorite is a guy dressed as a giant box of Franzia White Zinfandel.

Sunday, 11/1...

A beautiful, sunny All Saints' Day dawns.  And what better thing to do than visit Hoboken, New Jersey, home of baseball and Frank Sinatra!  We walked along the Hudson River and took in the sights of the Manhattan skyline and the trees changing color.

Getting hungry, we headed towards main street and had 'the best hamburger in Hoboken' @ Zack's Oak Bar & Restaurant, according to Yelp.com.  After that, it's back to the apartment for a 4 o'clock football game.  Something about Brett Favre and Minnesota, big rivalry, etc.  Pretty big game, I guess. 

Yesterday was a terribly rainy and blustery day.  So, I played the home-maker and did the laundry, did some cleaning and made some chocolate chip cookies for Mr. Experation Date and his office staff.  What a comforting thing to do on a cold and rainy day. 

Today I ventured out to Trader Joe's.  The ONLY Trader Joe's in Manhattan.  I did better today than the first time I went.  I left the house at 8:30am for an 9am arrival time.  The store was only moderately full.  When I went two weeks ago in the afternoon, OMG!  Imagine your TJ's on its busiest day, then double the people in the store.    It was chaos.  They don't even have full-sized shopping carts.  They use mini-carts.  Thank goodness, or it would be grid-lock.  Everything is an adventure!

Tomorrow, I visit the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.  Exciting!  I had to reserve this tour a month in advance.  It must be good.  I'll report back, and let you know more about some other sights I've seen recently.

Every day I think we are so very, very lucky.  We've got a superb place to live in NYC - a one-bedroom apartment in the heart of Chelsea.  It's so centrally located.  I love that I can hop on the subway and get anywhere.  Or, if I feel like it, I can just walk.  15 blocks ain't nothin' here.

I've been here two and a half weeks and have been on a sight-seeing binge.   The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Museum of Natural History are awe-inspiring.  The walking tours of Central Park, Grand Central Terminal and the Stephen A. Schwarzman Library on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street are just plain fun.  The docents are the best - native New Yorkers who are darn proud of their city and the history behind it.

If there is a sight that you think I shouldn't miss, let me know!  I'll put it on my list and when I do go there, I'll report back on my experience.

I once read that a person should experience living on each of the coasts in their lifetime.  I never thought I'd be brave enough to live on the East coast.  Even so, I'm finally here, living the life of a New Yorker!  Well, a recently transplanted Angeleno who's still learning the ropes.

I'm Wife on Location.  My husband, "Mr. Expiration Date", is the reason I'm here.  He's come to New York to work on a television project until January of 2010.  That means I get to tag along and experience NYC firsthand.