we're up for just about anything as long as it isn't touristy crap (no desire to go up in the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, for example)

When we visited last year we only had one day in the city and opted for a visit to the Metropolitan Museum and a Yankees game. I really wanted to go up in the ESB because I had a professor in college that told me his summer job as a kid was delivering telegrams in the ESB. He spoke lovingly about the elevators.

It hurt me to pour milk, and get the syrup out of the cupboard, for the kids.

Cindy, I'm sorry about continued neck crappiness. This is the worst kind of discomfort. I can't even imaging sleeping in a neck collar!

Has anyone heard anything good about the CBS mid-season replacement "Numbers"? DH is very excited that they've FINALLY made a tv show about math. And crime fighting.

Last night, I fell asleep on the couch, and this morning? Agony

Oh, yeah. It's all about getting the neck into a neutral position and couches aren't neutral, they're evil. At least, to sleep with. They start out like Angel when you're just watching TV, but sleep with it? Angelus in the morning.

things to do in NYC

The museum at Ellis Island is actually fabulous -- last time I was there you still couldn't go up in the statue, but the museum is fascinating.

Definitely walk around the Village -- lots of great bars and coffee places, not to mention shops. There used to be a great bar called Nightingale on Second Avenue and...11th or thereabouts, which is East Village, and I don't know if it's still there. Kind of a shithole, but they always had good music -- Joan Osborne and Blues Traveler and the Spin Doctors used to play there, before they got signed. Dan Lynch, a fantastic little blues bar used to be right down the street, but it closed (sob).

What kinds of things do you want to do? Drink? Eat? Hear music? You should definitely check out Central Park, and the Metropolitan Museum, if not the Guggenheim. MOMA is open in Manhattan again, and there's always the Museum of Natural History, too. Then there are all the galleries in Soho and Tribeca.

Hmmm. I love New York. And actually, I'm watching the Ric Burns documentary on PBS right now.

Yeah, Central Park is going to happen, more than once if I can manage it. I've wanted to see it for years. As for the Statue, we'll be passing by it on the ferry a lot, which is enough for me. Beholding such things with my eyes is enough--then I want to get something to eat and drink. So yes, food, bars, music all desirable. We're looking into comedy clubs too, like the Comic Strip. I've got a friend in NYC who's going to try to get me into some hole-in-the-wall, Prohibitionesque speakseasy that you can't get into unless you know somebody. You know, "real" New York.

Okay, forget Nightingale. I just Googled and they seem to have renovated it into the Nightingale "Lounge" with thrown pillows and "plush sofas" for God's sake. The bar I remember had a pool table in the back with Hell's Angels usually gathered around it, and once a night someone threw up in the disgusting, stamp-sized bathroom.

But Dan Lynch seems to be open again! Unless the web page I found is on crack. Which could be the case. Kenny's Castaways, which is on Bleecker if I recall correctly, also has good music.

There's a great restaurant in the 30s called Artisenal, which is All. About. Cheese. It's not cheap (but not wildly expensive) and it is so fucking good. Fondue, more fondue, cheese biscuits and lots of bread, and really good country-style French stuff. Delicious.

And Cafe Espanol, which has more than one location (although one is on Carmine Street in the Village) is a good little Spanish place -- not Mexican, Spanish, so paella, seafood, etc. Not expensive.

There's a great restaurant in the 30s called Artisenal, which is All. About. Cheese.

It has a cheese cave! AND a maitre du fromage, who is the dude in charge of the cheese, like the sommelier with the wine. (And maitre du fromage translates literally to CHEESEMASTER! I AM THE MASTER OF THE CHEESE! TREMBLE BEFORE ME!!!!)

{{{Cindy}}} I hope your neck feels better soon.

{{{Anne}}} Relocation ~ma.

No luck looking at apartments again today. I don't want to have to do this, and know that I have to isn't helping.

{{sj}} Easy-apartment-finding~ma. Yeah, it sucks. But sometimes you get better deals this time of year. Particularly in college areas where landlords may be desparate to rent out the last couple of units for the school year.

I AM THE MASTER OF THE CHEESE! TREMBLE BEFORE ME!!!!

You know, I think he actually said that when he came to our table.

Not that I would have noticed, what with the drooling and the panting.

Re NYC: what ever happened to La Nouvelle Justine? The sadomasochist themed restaurant? They had great, uhm, cheesecake.