Do not growl
At your best pal,
If you don’t want to sin
But, alas,
He may be an ass
Let the journey begin…

Unexpected Rays of Light Mortify Man at 4am!
Friday,, March 31, 2006. 4:00 AM CST

Imagine being suddenly awaken by a ray of light when all you are wanting to do is to continue to dream and utter undistinguishable words in what was your deep slumber! That is exactly what happened to Ben on the morning of Friday, March 31, 2006. Philip had brutally turned on the light at woke him up. What was this? It was 4:00am! Philip dragged the clueless, unconscious friend out of bed and ordered him to get dressed that the weekend was beginning. Ben wanted to sleep in the car to this undisclosed location, but several things prevented him from doing so: 1) His curiosity, and more important, 2) Philip wouldn’t have let him sleep because he would have continued to talk to him. It is a cruel, unfair world sometimes.
Ben soon learned that Philip had driven him to the airport. The fear crept into Ben’s mind that this was going to be another tiring weekend with Philip. As they approached the self check-in kiosks and checked in, Ben snatched the boarding pass out of Philip’s hand and learned that his instincts were true: They were heading to New York.
Ben figured this validated and excused the rude bright lights of 4:00am.

The subway has over 233 route miles and 468 stations.

The winning design for the new WTC memorial by, Michael Arad and Peter Walker's, the Reflecting Absence.

Times Square was named for the New York Times Tower, where the silver ball has dropped every New Year's Eve since 1906. (The New York Times is no longer located in the Tower.)

Rockefeller Center was suppose to be the home for a new opera house, but then the Great Depression hit. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., stuck with a long lease, decided to proceed with his own development, consisting of 14 buildlings. It now totals 19 buildlings.

Over half a million commuters alone use Grand Central Station daily.

Click to see full size of NY Subway map and find our routes!

The Empire State Building has the Empire State Run-up every year. It takes runners only 10 mins. to run the 1,575 steps up to the 86th floor observatory.

The Statue of Liberty is modeled after Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi's (the sculptor of the statue) mother. The seven rays of her crown represent the seven seas and the seven continents.

Over half of American's population can trace its roots to Ellis Island, where nearly 17 million people entered the country between 1892 and 1954.

The American Museum of Natural History contains over 30 million specimens and artifacts.

The Brooklyn Bridge took 16 yrs to build, required 600 workers, cost $18 million, and claimed 27 lives.

Ultimate strength of each one cable on the Brooklyn Bridge: 11,200 tons

On average, approximately 750,000 revelers crowd Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebrations.

However, for the millennium celebration on December 31, 1999, published reports stated approximately 2 million people overflowed Times Square.

In 2004, Spider-man 2 featured a fight and crash scene on an out-of-control elevated 1 train in Manhattan; it was actually filmed on the Chicago 'L'

A share of stock is the smallest unit of ownership in a company. If you own a share of a company’s stock, you are a part owner of the company.

One of the world's oldest share dating from November 7, 1623

George Washington is the only person ever to be elected president unanimously.

Federal Hall, once located at 26 Wall Street in New York City, was the first capitol of the United States

The exterior of Will's apartment building is located at 155 Riverside Drive, NY.

The exterior shot of the Friends' apartment building is actually located at Grove and Bedford streets in the Village, pictured below.

 

with Ben Williams and Philip Hinz

 

For our reader’s enjoyment, we recently sat down with ourselves and interviewed us to give you our perspectives on a very fun filled three-day weekend. We wanted to know what we handsome, strapping, Texan gentlemen thought of the city that is the center of the universe…New York. To cater to our readers and make it easier to follow the interview, we have color coded the questions (WHITE) and the responses by Ben (GREEN), and Philip (BLUE). We hope that you enjoy the interview. We talk quite a lot. Plus, Ben takes more pictures than anyone that Philip knows. Hopefully, you have a lot of time on your hands!

 

Welcome. Thank you for taking the time to tell the web views about our trip to NYC.

Not a problem.

We are glad to do it.

So, Ben, would you like to start off by telling us about the trip? If the viewers have read the other articles in this paper, then they will know the events leading up to the flight. Why don’t you start with the flight…

Well, ok…

“WWEEEEEEEE!” screams a little boy strapped in the seat of the 717 Boeing owned by American Airlines. The flight was heading towards La Guardia Airport (LGA), just east of New York City – in the borough of Queens. Always loving airplane rides and the fact that the little boy has never been to NYC before, he was very excited! Even the flight attendant was cute, and she gave him on whole little carton of milk instead of pouring just a cup. It was a goody day for him, a very good day. Only one thing wasn’t completely right, the little boy was actually the subconscious of me, Ben Williams, jumping up and down, or at least wanting to jump up and down on the plane hoping to make a few people nervous, but to also show them the airplane was sturdy…

Ben, seriously, we are suppose to be talking about our trip to NYC. Not making up crazy story. So, get back to it or I will start!

Ok, fine. You are no fun sometimes. So, this really was my first time being in the city, not the state. My grandparents live in Binghampton, NY, which is south of the Big Apple, nothing like the size of it, obviously. Strapped next to me was Philip Hinz, my travel buddy and close friend, whom I met a year ago in his favorite place, (drumroll) Starbucks. Ever since then, we’ve been on several trips together, and decided that it was time for another one…

Actually, I decided that it was time for another one. I decided to surprise him, which in the end didn’t work. We were suppose to go for his Spring Break, but when I got promoted, we had to cancel the trip because I couldn’t take off a full week. I decided that he would come up here at the end of March and we would go!

That sounded like a wonderful idea! Too bad that Ben was able to figure it out! So, tell us, Philip, what did you do once you arrived into LGA?

We hopped into this cab, which to both our surprise, wasn’t as scary a ride as everyone had claimed it to be. About $45 later, the taxi dropped us off at the Marriott Financial Center, and we checked into our room, which happened to be a corner room on the 27^th floor.

It had a really wicked view of Lower Manhattan, and Ground Zero was only like two blocks away from our hotel. Philip had said that it was close, but I was shocked at how close it was. We were able to walk around the outside of the site and look down to what they were working on. There wasn’t a whole lot to see there, besides the transportation structures that had been fixed below.

It really didn’t look any different from the last time I was there, which was September 2004. There is a list of names of police, firemen, volunteers, and others who died helping people get to safety. Ben was able to get some shots of the site. After that we were starving, so, we headed over to the World Financial Center, next door, which has offices of private and public enterprises, shopping, dining, and is also the headquarters for some world’s most important financial companies.

 

         

 

I got some pictures of the Winter Gardens inside, next to where we at…it was cool, but nothing too amazing about it. Philip and I got some lunch at this deli names Cosi.

 

After lunch we went to purchase our daily unlimited MetroCard ($7) so we could travel the subway around NYC.

 

Now, wait, I have to say something here! I gotta say this, really, the New York subway system is completely crapy! The trains have no schedule when they will actually arrive. The lines are always changing. Different trains end up being a completely different one with a different route.

 

Ben, that is partly because of construction that was occurring that weekend…

 

No, Philip, you agreed. The stations look like crap and smell, too. Well, you can never smell anything, but trust me they did! AND, even you admitted that the London Tube system is a lot better….trains and the appearance is nicer.

 

Yes, I did…

 

Ok, I hate to do this, but can we move on? We don’t have all day, and our viewers, certainly, don’t have all day. Where did you travel with your MetroCard first?

 

I decided to take Ben to go see Times Square. So, we hopped on the 1 train (Red) at Rector and took it north…

 

I was amazed at…

 

Ben, you interrupted me! Why are you…

 

Let me tell this. You have been there before.

 

Ok, ok, ok, ok! Fine…talk!

 

Well, I was amazed at how big the displays, posters, and advertisements, and everything were. I figured it would just be a small block with a couple of cool screens. Kinda hits you once you realize how big and complicated everything actually is! There’s this talk show…forgot the name..on MTV that’s filmed in this glass studio that I shot.

 

       

 

Oh, you are probably talking about TRL, Total Request Live…

 

Yeah, that, whatever, I don't watch the boring show anyway, totally un-educated to me.  Anyways, I made a short clip to praise Philip for taking me on such a good surprise weekend.

 

Uhh, you did?

 

Oh yeah, check it out!  Cut the lights, close the blinds and pull the curtains!  Get that projector reel in here! (Getting into his tall director's chair with a French hat)  Play it spanky!

 

Very cute video, does the Super Chicken Theme song mean something between the two of you?

 

Oh, I just used it in the reel because I thought it reminded me of Philip because he would be the one that's always coming to my "rescue" when I'm not having the best day or if I'm in a jinx.  Heh no matter how hard our friendship seems at times, we always get through it and Philip knows how tough our friendship is.

 

You two must have a good friendship, what happened after Times Square?

 

Ask Mr. Hinz, the ball's in his court now.

 

Thanks Ben.  We decided that we would head over to the Rockefeller Center since they have just recently opened the 67^th Observation Deck again. We talked about 8 blocks north and 2 to the east. Not too bad.

 

The elevator ride was pretty sweet! As the elevator was going up, you could watch it go up the shaft by looking up at the ceiling.

 

After the Observation Deck, we went back downstairs and saw the plaza where the Christmas tree is every year and the ice skating. We could have ice skated then, but oh, well!

 

       

       

 

We had other stuff to do, Philip. Like catch the subway over to Grand Central Station. When we got there, it didn’t impress me so much. I was expecting something a little more complicated and artsy. We didn’t see much either, but it was probably because we didn’t go look for where all the train platforms are.

 

   

 

I think that Grand Central is pretty neat to see because you always see the hustle and bustle in the movies, but if you aren’t traveling there is not much for you to do there. So, we decided to take the 6 train (Green) down to Canal St. and go to Chinatown.

 

You mean Chinavillage? It wasn’t even big enough to be a town, and I didn’t see many Chinese people. I don’t know. Maybe we missed the good parts. We just didn’t stay long…

 

Ben, we didn’t stay long because I thought that it was raunchy. It was just filled with all these people and street vendors wanting to sell you fake crap!

 

Heh, glad that I’m deaf. I can just naturally ignore all of them without even realizing it.

 

Anyway, we caught the R (Yellow) back down to Rector Street. Back at the hotel, Ben wanted to swim. We concluded that neither one of us had swam since this past summer when Ben was at my house. How sad!

 

After swimming, I got Philip to go into his first ever dry sauna. We didn’t take the old man at the lodge route. Our swimming suits stayed on and no nudity under a set of towels for us!

 

Uhh, that's nice to know...  What happened afterwards?

 

Well, afterwards, both of us were starved so we went out to place around the corner called Planet Gyro. I had had them the first time that I went to Chicago and wanted Ben to try them. They contain lamb meat on this pita type bread with like tomatoes and other stuff in it. They are awesome.

 

Ohh the gyro was cool, I never seen anything like that before and it reminded me of a pita sandwich.  I thought the way they had the meat set up looking something like a lamb's leg was cool.  Even though it probably wasn't all lamb meat.  It taste very very good.  Wish there was a store around here that makes stuff like that place did.

 

So, I imagine that you guys are pretty tired by this time. Were you even able to do anything at night?

 

Oh, if you are with Philip, then you WILL do something ALL the time. You can’t miss anything.

 

We caught the R train (Yellow) from Rector St up to 34 St/Herald Square to go see the Empire State Building at night. Figured that we would do this at night since we did Rockefeller during the day. Ben was a little apprehensive at first because of the quoted rate time, but I convinced him to do it.

 

Once we got inside. There was a very very very long line. It was over an hour wait until we got to the 86^th Observation Floor, but it was well worth it to see all the city lights. I pointed out to Philip while we were up there that the building was slightly swaying with the wind. He was shocked and somewhat excited about the fact, I think.

       

     

Yeah, it was cool. But, we were so tired that we traveled back to the hotel afterwards and went straight to bed.

 

WOW! You guys did all that in one day? How did you even wake up in the next morning?

 

Oh, Philip will make you get up! Trust me! I have been woken up many a times because of him. He means well though!

 

Hey, you have to make the maximum use of your time while on vacation. So, we woke up and went to the deli/bakery, Café Bravo around the corner from the hotel….on Rector St., along with all our other food joints. We had some meat, egg, cheese croissants and an apple muffin. Then we headed over to the Staten Island Ferry because that is about the only FREE thing in New York to do.

 

Yes, but, Philip , for some reason, has become less controlling of the plans and couldn’t decide if he wanted to do the ferry right then because we would have to wait. We had to go round and around about that before Philip finally decided no. Kinda frustrating.

 

Well, I didn’t just want to sit around!

 

Well, you sent us over to an even longer line at Battery Park for the Statue of Liberty!

 

It’s for the State of Liberty. It’s going to be long no matter what the time.

 

Well, now THAT was a LONG line! It took over an hour to get through it and then we had to go through security and everything…

 

Security that is worse than airport security…

 

We got a good spot on the boat to see everything as the boat went towards the islands.  I was surprised how small the statue actually was.  I was expecting something a little bigger from the way everyone talks about it.  Didn't seem any larger than Godzilla.

           

I actually enjoyed getting off the boat since last time I just rode the boat around it because of time factors. Ellis Island kind of disappointed me though. I didn’t think that the museum was all the extensive and great.

 

I can't say much about Ellis, I don't know enough to trace my ancestores to when they came here.  I could ask my grandparents if they know but didn't actually have time for that.  I was just expecting a little more than what was there.  I guess maybe I'm just a hard tourist to please.

     

Once we got back to the mainland, Philip and I decided to get a picture with one of those Statue of Liberty dudes that are always standing around.  After that we got some hot dogs and a pretzel from a vendor stand on the street.  Wasn't such a bad dog, I don't really eat hot dogs very often.

 

I thought the hot dog was good. I figured that if you are in New York, then you had to have a vendor hot dog. We quickly had to eat and head back to the hotel because it started to rain. Luckily, Battery Park is not too far from the hotel. Since it was raining, Ben convinced me to go to the American Museum of Natural History. I don’t really like the science route. Art or culture or history is more my thing.

 

Ahh!  Museums, I love them, I could spend a whole week living at one.  I love just reading and studying those freaky stuff they have displayed.  Wish I could actually play with them, maybe make some into talking puppets to scare the crap out of little kids who walk by.  I was amazed by the amount that was there in the museum.  I was expecting it to be smaller but there was so much it would take days to read everything.  As much as I would love to, I couldn't keep Philip there that long.

 

Also, our travel book said that the Museum was free, but we had to pay $21 for the both of us. Oh, well, there was a lot of things that we had never seen before.

           

Ohh I got a picture of one of my ancestors, the spiked head, STYRACOSAURUS!

  

Plus, Ben and I were fools and bought the outrageously priced Astronaut Ice Cream, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry  flavored. It was good, I gave Ben all the chocolate since I didn't like it. We ate it after we left the museum on a bench next to Central Park.

Since the museum was next to Central Park, which is very very big from what you could see from the picture on top of the Rockefeller building.  We didn't really have time to go walk around Central Park but I jumped over the wall, which just holds the street up at a higher level, not to keep people out, and was just standing in Central Park for bagging rights to tell people I actually been there.

By this time, it was time for Starbucks! I had Ben Google one on his SK. We had to walk a couple of blocks, but found one. It actually worked about better because we were able to catch a 2 train (Red) from 79^th St and take it to Times Square and take the S train to Grand Central and then the 6 train to City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge. To be on the Brooklyn Bridge was so cool! You have seen it in so many movies, but to actually be on something so old that is still standing is amazing! And to be elevated above the traffic!

       

 

 

Oh, the Brooklyn bridge was rather fun.  It was a time when Philip and I were finally getting stupid and doing dumb things like me acting like I'm this steel cable worker on the bridge trying to climb up the cables to bring more across.  Sadly, I couldn't get more than 2 feet in the air. Then we retraced our steps back up to Times Square, thinking everything would look better during the night.  It really was a lot better than during the day.  Also a lot more crowded too!  We bought some souvenirs including I <3 NY shirts and some stuff for some friends.

 

Yeah, it was WAY TOO CROWDED to try and eat down there. So, we traveled back to…where? Yes, you guessed it…Rector St near our hotel. We stopped at this pizza parlor and ordered ourselves a nice sized pizza to take back to the hotel with us.

   

Yeah, we went back to the hotel to rest for a bit and were planning on watching Chronicles of Narnia which we ordered off the TV but dumb enough, didn't have any closed caption on it so we canceled the order and watched Windtalkers with Nicolas Cage on some channel.  Philip didn't like it very much so we decided to head to Staten Island and get on the ferry to see the view during the night from a distance.  It was a very long boat ride.  Takes 30 minutes each way and the boat is so bumpy I wasn't able to get any good pictures on it. So, back to the hotel and went to bed!

 

My goodness! I would think that you would have taken your last day in NYC easy because you would be so tired, but something tells me otherwise…

 

Yup, otherwise is correct! I knew that Ben was tired so when I woke up, I didn’t want to bother him right off. I got ready for the day and then headed to…once again…Rector St to a little deli called George’s. Ben had been wanting bagel and lox all weekend so that’s what I ordered for his breakfast and then I ordered like pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage (this meal that had WAY too much food). Then took it back to the hotel and woke him up.

 

I really liked the bagel and lox. The fish got kinda tiring by the end of breakfast, but it was good. We frantically did all the postcards that we could before we had to leave the room for check-out. Then, we just stored all of our bags for the day until our flight left. That way we could explore more.

 

Yeah, we walked over to the New York Stock Exchange. We passed by Trinity Church and didn’t think much of it, but we should have stopped because these people are buried there: the statesman Alexander Hamilton, steamboat inventor Robert Fulton, and William Bradford, founder of NY’s first newspaper in 1725. Granted, it’s all just dead people, but….

 

I don’t want to see old dead people. The New York Stock Exchange was a bit more interesting even though we couldn’t go in…

   

 

Oh, and I wish that we could have gone in Federal Hall across the street, but it was closed for refurbishment. It is where George Washington was inaugurated as our first President.

 

We then had to find this chocolate factory for this girl, Lamar, at my work. We went to Hudson Street in Greenwich. We went to 66 Hudson….only to realize that it was either 66 Water St in Brooklyn or 350 Hudson in Manhattan….oops…yeah, we walked that entire block difference. We got some candy for ourselves, too.

There was no subway near where we were. That is the only reason we walked that far! Remember we are lazy Americans. In the process, I found some sweet cars and took pictures of them. Also, we decided since we have some time to burn and we really wanted to be crazy for a bit... I searched online my sidekick and found the address of the building used that is used as the exterior shot of the Will & Grace TV show and we found out where it is.  So we headed over to that side of town.  We found the building they use which oddly enough, doesn't have a balcony as in the TV show.  But it does overlook a park, but not Central Park. There is a memorial for the Civil War across the street in Riverside Park, which was interesting.  One of the leaser known attractions of NY! We also went looking for the building that's in Friend's and we found the street and everything.  After walking down the place it's supposed to be.  We didn't see any building that looks like the one on the show.  Even though I know the address is fictional but the building is supposed to be at this certain location.  Oh well.  I'll figure out where it is later!

   

So, after all of this, we headed to the hotel to collect our bags and head out to LGA via subway and the bus.

I had fun in NYC this time around. It was nice to stay three days as opposed to only 5 hrs. We covered a lot of ground, and I was exhausted by the time that we left. I will have to do it again…Keep reading…Ben and I will have another trip to tell you about in the future. Look forward to many more crazy adventures.

Overall I thought NYC was fun. It was great being able to see the famous sights and learn some more stuff and check out the crazy Yankees there. It would be nice to have another 2 days or so to see a couple more things but alas we had to head back because we actually do have a life.

Well, Ben and Philip, thank you for you time today. Also, audience, thank you for your time. We know that you have stared at that computer screen for a long time. Go lie down in bed and put some cucumbers over your eyes to make it all better.