Destination: Tourism!
My dad and stepmom, Dana, came into town last weekend to experience the glorious sights, sounds and smells of my fair city. They stayed at a small but swanky hotel on the UWS, with a nice view from the shared balcony, too:
They arrived on Wednesday, but each night that we got together during the week I forgot to take pictures, so I'll start with the weekend. Saturday we met up in Times Square because they, after having already gone to the Natural History Museum, the Met and the WTC Site, wanted to see something wacky. Thus, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.
I had secretly been wanting to go for awhile now, so I was up for it. It was weird to see people standing right next to "celebrities."
Everything was meant to be as realistic (and life-size) as possible. So this was pretty cool - The Hulk.
One of the first rooms you walk into is supposed to be like a Hollywood party, so you just see all these figures everywhere and you don't know which is wax and which is tourist.
OMG, Brangelina!!
It was so freaky!
Dad hung out with John Travolta and the uncannily realistic Morgan Freeman.
... while Dana had a convo with Robin Williams.
I think Dad really liked the Salma Hayek sculpture, although we all agreed her boobs should have been bigger.
The whole party was overseen by RuPaul, hovering above the crowd like a tranny angel.
Next was the Presidential room...
... where Dana gave George Bush a piece of her mind and $5 to go get a clue.
Hey! It's Tom in 20 years!
This guy with the video camera did the most amazing impression of Satchmo.
Later, in the disco room, a tourist was getting very friendly with Beyoncè.
Having this picture taken with Marilyn made me feel the least feminine I've ever felt.
Check out Mick Jagger's lips!
And at the end of it all was Britney Spears, which was disgusting.
That night we met up with Dustin for sushi.
GREAT snooch.
The next day we went to Ellis Island, by way of long lines and ferries.
.... oh, and one charicature drawing of me and Dustin that Dana insisted we get (very inaccurate on Dustin's teeth).
We saw the Statue Of Liberty, which I hadn't seen since I was 8 years old and too afraid to go to the top. Back then, my dad forsook the opportunity to go up so he could stay back with me. I figured I owed him one trip to the top. Unfortunately, since 9/11, no one can go up now. It was still beautiful though - sort of thrilling to imagine the way millions of immigrants felt as they saw Liberty and the NY skyline beyond it, after weeks on a crowded boat.
Inside the museum was many charts and graphs pertaining to the statistical information of who, when and from where everyone came.
On display were many relics of old journeys from lands far and farther.
Then there was the big room that everyone had to come through when they registered.
It was cool.... but a little disappointing, as I always thought Ellis Island was a place you could come to to look through old registries that your ancestors signed when they came to America. It wasn't like that at all. The closest thing they have to that is the giant silver wall outside where you can have your relative's name engraved... if you make a donation. I think I found the Patrick Stapleton I was looking for: my great great great grandfather.
I didn't see Katie Skehan or any Selittis, in case you are related to me and were wondering.
Back to the ferry we go!
And back to America!
That night we got to do another cool thing we had been wanting to cross off our NYC list: see a Broadway show. I never thought I would accomplish this, because I don't like the theatre (oddly enough for a former theatre major) and I hate musicals, but we got tickets to the one show I wanted to see: Monty Python's "Spamalot."
It was hilarious! I actually really enjoyed it.
Apropos of nothing, one night while I was sitting in the hotel lobby, I picked up a magazine ("Blackbook") and the very first page I turned to made me flabbergasted and forced me to rub my eyes like cartoon characters do when they can't believe what they're seeing.
Do you see it? Click on the picture to enlarge if you have to. Or, just scroll down.
I would recognize that mustache anywhere. Apparently Dustin has a friend from college who works for Blackbook, and she asked him months ago to use his image to illustrate the upcoming World Beard & Mustace Competition (unsurprisingly). However, I never heard about it and was blown away to see him in a magazine so randomly! Ha ha.... ha. Crazy.
love,
*jenna*
They arrived on Wednesday, but each night that we got together during the week I forgot to take pictures, so I'll start with the weekend. Saturday we met up in Times Square because they, after having already gone to the Natural History Museum, the Met and the WTC Site, wanted to see something wacky. Thus, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.
I had secretly been wanting to go for awhile now, so I was up for it. It was weird to see people standing right next to "celebrities."
Everything was meant to be as realistic (and life-size) as possible. So this was pretty cool - The Hulk.
One of the first rooms you walk into is supposed to be like a Hollywood party, so you just see all these figures everywhere and you don't know which is wax and which is tourist.
OMG, Brangelina!!
It was so freaky!
Dad hung out with John Travolta and the uncannily realistic Morgan Freeman.
... while Dana had a convo with Robin Williams.
I think Dad really liked the Salma Hayek sculpture, although we all agreed her boobs should have been bigger.
The whole party was overseen by RuPaul, hovering above the crowd like a tranny angel.
Next was the Presidential room...
... where Dana gave George Bush a piece of her mind and $5 to go get a clue.
Hey! It's Tom in 20 years!
This guy with the video camera did the most amazing impression of Satchmo.
Later, in the disco room, a tourist was getting very friendly with Beyoncè.
Having this picture taken with Marilyn made me feel the least feminine I've ever felt.
Check out Mick Jagger's lips!
And at the end of it all was Britney Spears, which was disgusting.
That night we met up with Dustin for sushi.
GREAT snooch.
The next day we went to Ellis Island, by way of long lines and ferries.
.... oh, and one charicature drawing of me and Dustin that Dana insisted we get (very inaccurate on Dustin's teeth).
We saw the Statue Of Liberty, which I hadn't seen since I was 8 years old and too afraid to go to the top. Back then, my dad forsook the opportunity to go up so he could stay back with me. I figured I owed him one trip to the top. Unfortunately, since 9/11, no one can go up now. It was still beautiful though - sort of thrilling to imagine the way millions of immigrants felt as they saw Liberty and the NY skyline beyond it, after weeks on a crowded boat.
Inside the museum was many charts and graphs pertaining to the statistical information of who, when and from where everyone came.
On display were many relics of old journeys from lands far and farther.
Then there was the big room that everyone had to come through when they registered.
It was cool.... but a little disappointing, as I always thought Ellis Island was a place you could come to to look through old registries that your ancestors signed when they came to America. It wasn't like that at all. The closest thing they have to that is the giant silver wall outside where you can have your relative's name engraved... if you make a donation. I think I found the Patrick Stapleton I was looking for: my great great great grandfather.
I didn't see Katie Skehan or any Selittis, in case you are related to me and were wondering.
Back to the ferry we go!
And back to America!
That night we got to do another cool thing we had been wanting to cross off our NYC list: see a Broadway show. I never thought I would accomplish this, because I don't like the theatre (oddly enough for a former theatre major) and I hate musicals, but we got tickets to the one show I wanted to see: Monty Python's "Spamalot."
It was hilarious! I actually really enjoyed it.
Apropos of nothing, one night while I was sitting in the hotel lobby, I picked up a magazine ("Blackbook") and the very first page I turned to made me flabbergasted and forced me to rub my eyes like cartoon characters do when they can't believe what they're seeing.
Do you see it? Click on the picture to enlarge if you have to. Or, just scroll down.
I would recognize that mustache anywhere. Apparently Dustin has a friend from college who works for Blackbook, and she asked him months ago to use his image to illustrate the upcoming World Beard & Mustace Competition (unsurprisingly). However, I never heard about it and was blown away to see him in a magazine so randomly! Ha ha.... ha. Crazy.
love,
*jenna*
posted by jenna at 1:00 PM
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