Letterman security and bball at the Garden

So, we got the call from Letterman, and they asked us to be there between 2 and 3 for check-in.

We get there at 2 and the line runs around the corner. We get to the first person, who id's us, then asks us the secret code word. They direct us to another line, to another person.

They want our ID again, and stamp our hand with invisible ink. Everyone looked at me when I said the stamp didn't work (Trav). We then got directed to another line, got ID again, and checked off another list.

We then got told our colour, to come back in 1 hour, and the do's and dont's in the show.

Lining up again now, in the order of our ticket number, in the right colored line, for the show.

Wow, they have a way to filter out the non-fans. Have just found out the guests- mark wallberg, the blonde from glee and snow patrol. They are starting to razz the crowd up now, hope it lives up to the hype!!

Update: Letterman was amazing, the old theatre was stunning, with great acoustics and a beautiful set. Their techs and roadies work very quickly in a very small space. We are well practiced now on how to appropriately laugh and clap (no woo's allowed :).

At the Garden now to see the Nicks v Charlotte. Got some Nicks popcorn and the show is great.

What a super day in New York!

Nicks update: Rach loved the frisbee catching show dogs, but we both loved the nail biting finish- 91 to 87. Go nicks!!!!!!!!

The (very) big and small screens

Went to the IMAX last night on Broadway, across from
The Lincoln Centre, to catch the latest Tom Cruise flick on a eight story high screen with around 1000 people.

The movie was good, but the screen was insane and the audio was enough to drown out any crowd noise.

The stunts were incredible, even if Tom was a bit cheesy. He produced the movie himself- his strange ways and recent failures (and heaps of cash) have put him in the same league as Mel.

Now to the small screen...
There is a trashy but very addictive show called Storage Wars.

Synopsis: storage sheds that are abandoned get auctioned off to a group of collectors and pawn shop owners. They bid, win, and then go through the stuff to see if they got out on top. 3 eps back to back is not enough!

Also on the small screen, Rach thought it was a good idea to try and get in to the Dave Letterman show. A good tip is to go Sunday morning, no queues for the entry interview and to fill in the form.

Emily (from Letterman) called only a few hours later while we were shopping for baby Ralph Lauren at Sak's (for the neph!) to tell us we were successful and that we go in tomorrow for filming.

One final tv curio, during the tv movies here they put 'movie notes' at the bottom of the screen.

Annoying at first, but by the end of Commando you know all about Arnie and his b-grade co-star. You will all want us on your quiz team when we are back if 80/90s movie facts are required.

Little Italy.

This is the prettiest part of town we have found so far- curved streets, with a little bit of a slope, colours and awnings and the smell of truffles, fresh pasta and parmesan.

Most streets are very straight with high rise- here they are all very low line and old New York.

Will have some food then head off to Brooklyn over the bridge. Chinatown is one street over.

Diver(c)ity

It is amazing how quickly the city changes socio/Eco and communities.

Walking down broadway towards Brooklyn bridge- it goes from very touristy and wealthy to very poor and ethnic. Probably the seediest part of town we have seen so far.

Broadway is not even on broadway, and not all hotels on this avenue are nice. Before we knew it we were at the flatiron building (the tall wedge on the corner). A city of extremes.

Hi mum!!!

Rach's burger review 2

First the Shake Shack, see below, now the diner at the end of our street, Rachel is on a mission to find the best cheese burger in NYC.

She rates this one 4 burgers out of five.

Pros of the Red Flame Diner include:
Bun: soft sesame seed bun- not too large or too small
Fresh lean burger meat- tastes good
Ketchup- fresh bottle of Heinz on tap
Pickle- an obscure pickle on the side

Cons
Level of char- slightly undercooked by Rachel's standards, next time she will ask for it well done!!

In a more culturally rich space, Rach found out that MoMA had free tickets on Thursday nights from 4. Apparently a few others had the same idea- the line runs from 6th avenue, and then around the corner on to 5th. This is the last few days of the De Kooning exhibition so looking forward to it. Line is moving so gotta fly!!

Smells like...

There are little food carts all over the city- they smell like charcoal, yiros or gyros as they are known here. This is the main smell of NYC.

The other main smell is cigarette smoke- everyone smokes here.

In central park, is the same as above, with the addition of roasted nuts and horse shit (romance on a horse and cart...)

Amazingly, when it is below zero you do not notice the smell too much as you are more worried about your nose falling off.

A very cliche pic below- but it is how it is here, steam out of every hole from the subway.

Just caught some sunshine in greenwich- thaw out the lips. Now on to soho and Chinatown for duck, then to the big statue (also below- taken from free staten is ferry).

Guggenheim yesterday was well worth the 1 hour walk in -11c. For his retirement, maurizio cattelan decided to hang a complete retrospective down the middle of the building.