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New York City, NY 9/18/04
September 22, 2004 - Comments
Many know New York City, NY, as “The Big Apple” There is much speculation as to where this term came from. Some say New York is called the “Big Apple” because it was once the site of one of the most prestigious horse races in which apples where given out as prizes. One jockey may have taunted another with, “You may have won a few apples, but you still haven’t won the big apple.” Traveling Jazz musicians would call NYC the big apple meaning that it had the biggest venues to play at. “There are a lot of apples on the tree, but only one big apple” Some argue that the big apple stems from a 1970’s tourism campaign in which images of apples were used to gives us a more pleasant image of a city that often times reminds us of guns, trash, rats, and violence. This term is open ended. To me, New York, NY is a big apple because it may take you a while to reach the core of the city, but even just scraping the surface will always make for a sweet adventure. 
My brother, a real life resident of New York, looking like a featured member of SNL in this snapper. (I’m going to start calling my snap shots, snappers from here on, I think I’m on to a hip new little buzz word here. It wont be long before people start lining up to say, “hey nice snapper!” Oh what a wonderful world it would be if one had to stand in line before using a buzzword or catch phrase. This way, not everyone would use them at once.
I was in New York City for a few nights. The first thing I did was see the band Cause Co-Motion in a small bar called Roth Co. in what I assumed was the lower east side of Manhattan.
They didn’t cause as much co-motion as I had hoped
However it was still a very enjoyable show. Every band that has ever meant anything at all got their start by playing in bars in the lower east side. I saw the Ramones documentary the second night I was there and I recommend it to everyone.
It was time to do some exploring, walking around this city can be difficult to the inexperienced. There are so many people walking in so many directions. One false step can cause a person behind you to bump into you forcing a chain reaction that could possibly destroy our planet. You can never guess how much is at stake in such a busy city. The best bet for a novice pedestrian like me is to follow the lead of someone in front of you.
Just don’t follow these lunatics.
Time Square
I went on a tour of the Rockefeller Center and found it to be condescending and uninformative. Throughout this tour I was by myself with a group of 25 students who were all visiting from a high school in Tennessee. I didn’t learn much about NBC, but I did gain great insight of the anguish one can feel being the loner in a southern United States high school. I wasn’t in any of the cliques, I didn’t have the right accent, everyone was looking at me funny, I just didn’t fit in. Leave me alone!
I got off the hectic streets for a moment to explore central park and came across a small zoo,
These guys are more my pace.
Here stands the Trump Tower, I couldn’t find the standing line for “you’re fired”
I felt it was about time I conquered my fear of heights by journeying to the top of the Empire State Building. Unfortunately I was not ready to conquer my fear of waiting in 75-minute lines.
I saw another band play in a lower east side bar. Side Walk was the bar and The band was Mo’ Matching Drapes Both were outstanding, with the exception of some machismo person in the audience who kept rudely cheering.
Some may say I was asking for trouble by going in to Yankee Stadium to cheer on the opposing team who just happened to be a bitter rival, but nobody in Yankee stadium was mean to me at all. In fact they all had big smiles on their faces as the pointed at me. Red Sox lost 11-1. And I sat through it, took it like a true fan.
Sports are such a waste of time, I wonder how the patriots are doing?
Overall New York City was great, I had so much fun and I wish I could have stayed even longer. If you love people, pizza, and the theme to the Godfather, you will love New York City.
I feel like there was so much more to see and do, and there certainly was. I’ll just have to try again another time. So long New York City, you truly are an Amazing place.
 I apologize that it has taken me so long to update this log since it’s inception, I have been away for quite some time on a few amazing adventures. Read about one of them right here right now. Las Vegas, Nevada is often referred to as “Sin City” due to its world famous, fantastic debauchery, but did you know that Las Vegas is actually Spanish for “land of many malfunctioning coin machines?” The area that we love to call “Vegas!” was once inhabited by a group of Mormons who fell in love with the region’s delicious spring water. Just after the Mormon settlers were chased out of the region by the sasquatch, a bunch of gangsters started showing up to race snails across the hot desert sand. It didn’t take long for these outlaws to start placing bets, and thus modern day Vegas was born. I was anticipating that this Las Vegas adventure might involve heights, so I felt that the first thing I needed to do was to conquer my fear of them by jumping off the top 171-foot tower attached by a rubber cord.
It was an eerie feeling standing on top of this tower. I didn’t feel the fear that I had imagined I would feel before making the jump. I was deeply focused on something and in another world, but I’m not sure what it was all about. All I can remember was that I did not want anyone to break my concentration in fear that it would bring me back into the reality of my situation. I had written a note to give to the jumpmaster to read to me before I jumped, it said: “You have just been indicted for the embezzlement of 500 thousand dollars from a charity that helps to save the lives of lovable old people and kola bears. The Red Sox have fallen out of the play off race. And that killing device you invented is responsible for the death of 50% of the world’s population.” The plan was to convince myself that I wanted to commit suicide in hopes that this would make the jump easier. I decided that this didn’t make any sense being that I was up there to conquer certain fears and by no means was I up there to practice suicide. They bounded my feet together and I hopped over to the edge of the platform. As soon as they asked me to get my toes over the edge, I looked down at my feet and the zone that I had been in for the entire time that I was a top the tower had suddenly vanished. “Heights! Why did it have to be heights?!?” I whimpered to myself.
The jumpmasters counted down from five, but I was ready to go on four just to get it over with. I began to move forward but decided it was premature and I painfully waited for them to say one. I could not jump, I just leaned forward until I was no longer on the platform. For then next couple of seconds I unleashed a colossal scream. I was terrified of two things, #1 hitting the ground and #2 not hitting the ground and my body cracking like a whip as the bungee cord became tense. Neither of these things happened as I came within what seemed like 10 feet from the swimming pool at the bottom. The cord pulled surprisingly gently on my feet as I began to fall forward. I came to a stop and then felt myself going back up and let out a little laugh of relief. I went back up another 50 feet or so and began another terrifying free fall. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the first fall but it was enough to twist my heart up once more. After thhe second fall, the fear was all over. I bounced a few more times but there was never a lack of tension in the cord, so I felt very secure. I began laughing and yelling “I’m Spiderman” as I dangled helplessly upside-down waiting for a man to pull me in with a plastic ring on a pole.
I had been to Vegas once before but I didn’t get a chance to see too many of the casinos. Beginning at the Mandalay Bay, the southern most casino on the Las Vegas strip, I had planned to see how many casinos I could go into in one night with two of my friends who attended Adventure Academy with me, oh so many years ago.
This adventure started at 9pm and didn’t end until 6am, a lot of messy things happened but I had to leave many of them behind. The boarder patrol around Los Vegas makes it very clear that “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” as you leave the city. Here are some of the things that I was allowed to bring home with me.
The back end of a ferocious lion.
The fountain at the Bellagio. Jets of water were shot off into the night set to great patriotic songs such as, “Proud to be an American” as we gazed into a nice view of Paris.
This is I, totally embraced by he lights of Paris. You can almost hear them saying come inside and give me all your money. Is there a man on this planet that can’t resist going inside Paris Hilton?”
Ceasar's Palace was pretty empty, so I thought I might get away with taking a few snap shots of the inside.
There was just one man running around to all the tables, I really hope he becomes a high roller.
I had never been inside the Venetian, but I hear it is lovely. We walked up a long ramp towards the casino and then down a long hall that sent us back out to the strip on the other side of the casino. We could not backtrack! we blew it! Curse you Venice! I will get you next time!
I think we may have been getting a bit sluggish.
But we still had a bit of awesomeness left inside us.
Hmmm…maybe not that much.
So long Las Vegas, You truley are an amazing place.
Here is where you can read about my adventures. Upcoming adventures include, Las Vegas, NV: Am I brave enough to jump from a 171 ft tower outside the world famous rat hole, Circus Circus? and an Adventure in New York City, New York. Am I brave enough to root for the Red Sox from behind enemy lines? Amazing Adventures right here! -Rob |
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