Round 2

Jill slept in on Saturday, and I got up early to finish some church stuff before we left.

Another 'nother 'nother story. Let's just say some people aren't good at meeting deadlines.

Took the Bolt Bus from DC to NYC. Way better than our last bus trip to NYC on Greyhound (although, interestingly, the DOT info on the side of the bus said Bolt was operated by Greyound Lines; I've learned since that Bolt is a 50/50 venture by Greyhound and Peter Pan). The bus was new, the seats were nice, the ride was smooth, and overall it was pretty enjoyable - as far as 4-hour long bus rides go.

Except, don't sit in the exit row. Our seat rocked a little bit--like it wasn't bolted all the way to the ground--when the bus started and stopped.

We wandered up Avenue of the Americas, looking at stuff along the way. This trip--and last year--NYC threw a street fair for me. =) You can pretty much guarantee the same stuff on each block, but we found the occasional unique stall. Picked up a Christmas present for someone. Saw a Tigger running loose in the wild. And other furry characters that made lots of little kids excited.

Decided to forgo the fair-style food for a sit-down restaurant. Our email reminder about the concert recommended a few restaurants nearby and we decided to try Heartland Brewery. Our burgers were pretty yummy and the onion rings came with an awesome spicy fry sauce (no overwhelming horseradish taste like some onion dipping sauces), but apparently anything more than lettuce and a pickle (e.g., cheese, onions) was a high-priced addition to the ticket. Something to remember for the next time (if there is one). People watched for a bit from our restaurant perch, then took a quick stroll before heading to the theater.

Walked up to MoMA, but it had already closed. Which was ok, since we're kind of spoiled by all the free art museums here in DC. But the gift shops were still open and we had fun wandering around in there. Saw some cool salt-n-pepper wobblers; serving utensils designed not to touch the counter; nesting doll measuring cups; nesting bowls that include mixing bowl, sieve, and colander; cutting boards and holder with "filing tabs"; awesome crack-and-grow eggs (flowers or herbs); a birdy paperclip holder; propeller pens; books about custom bicycle makers (highlighting one in Portland, OR); the alarm clock that will hop off your dresser and roll away; an interesting magnetic perpetual calendar and clock; the blue sky umbrella; and the Spacepak toiletry bag.

The store started to close so we figured we'd walk back to Radio City Music Hall. Grabbed a quick picture with the poster on the way in and gave up our water bottles at the security check point... Grabbed our seats and waited for the show to begin!

Although Howard Shore wasn't here this time to talk about it, it was still a great concert. Some of the audience were annoying -- apparently different parts of the theater thought it necessary to clap whenever a character came on for the first time. Frodo. <clap> Sam. <clap> Saurumon. <clap> The Ents. <clap> Gollum. <clap>

Ugh.

All that clapping covered up the live music, which is what I thought we were there to hear.... anyway.

The concert got out around 11:30 and we wandered through Time Square. And kept wandering until we got back to Penn Station. Bought some water at KFC/Taco Bell and sat down inside until it was time to catch our Megabus back to DC. The bus had two levels of seating - but the driver informed us the bathroom was only on the first level. It was an obstacle course to walk through the aisles in general and we figured Jill didn't need to navigate stairs on the bus for the few times she'd likely get up on our ride back.

The bottom level contained a few places where seats sat facing each other and there was a little table (about 8 inches wide) between the seats. We sat across from two friends who had also come to NYC for the day for another concert. Learned they were from Columbia, MD; one was attending school at Temple, the other was at Penn State; both were freshman. It was funny listening to them talk about their trip and chat with friends on the cell phone on the ride back to Philadelphia. It was interesting seeing how different they were (one was a philosophy major, was mostly quiet and spoke intelligently; the other was an about-to-change-from-psychology-because-he-was-failing major who was into sports and built like he had played a few in high school). We talked later about how different we thought they were, but despite going to different colleges they stayed in touch and rode the bus across Pennsylvania to hang out. Philly was the first stop. We got to stretch our legs out once they left; we picked good seats. Next stop was Baltimore. I dozed on and off for most of this stretch. Checked my email a few times and watched out the window in the dark when I couldn't fall back asleep. Last stop was DC. Disembarked, found our car, and pulled into our driveway about 6:30 AM. Slept for an hour then got ready for a big day at church.

Great day with Jill.

(click through to see more photos)
Two days of fun experiences for my birthday.