bigmacbear (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bigmacbear) wrote2003-06-12 11:06 pm
bigmacbear) wrote2003-06-12 11:06 pm
Entry tags:
Two Days in New York
I just spent two days in New York City attending a conference run by Check Point Software for the benefit of their user community. It was a little heavy on the sales pitches but I found I learned a lot more just by talking to the other folks who attended.
I left Rochester on Tuesday morning, on the 6:15 AM JetBlue flight into JFK. I debated whether to take one of the shuttle buses to the hotel, but decided on the Port Authority bus to the A train instead since I knew I'd have time to kill (the conference didn't start until 2 PM). I chose an all-day pass for $7.00, so I could do some sightseeing.
The A train runs above ground for about four or five stops in from JFK before descending into the subway tunnels. The train wasn't all that crowded, I was one of the few people standing. There was this cute, vaguely Hispanic kid riding with his girlfriend who was sleeping with her head on his shoulder. Further on at Borough Hall in Brooklyn I switched to the F train, and then at Herald Square I switched to the N or R train (I forget which) which took me onward three stops to my destination, 49th and Broadway just north of Times Square, where I arrived at 9:00. That, of course, was way to early to check in to the hotel, so I retrieved my camera from my bag and stashed the bag at the hotel until they were ready. Then I returned to the N/R line to begin sightseeing.
First stop was Herald Square, where I got off the subway to go up the Empire State Building. I took a bunch of pictures, picked up some postcards, and descended to return to the subway bound for Ground Zero. Unfortunately, I picked the wrong turnstile and had to back out, which forced me to wait about 20 minutes for the card to work again. (Fortunately I'd read about this possibility on the Web, so I knew I just had to wait it out.) In the meantime I sat in Herald Square for a breakfast of chai tea and a chocolate-frosted cream doughnut. It's interesting what a big difference such a pocket-sized park makes in such a big city.
I tried again for the downtown N/R train to Cortlandt St. (Ground Zero) and this time got the correct turnstile. At some point along the way a trio of two men and a woman got on the train and launched into a rousing rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", while one of the men passed the proverbial hat (actually a brown paper bag) for change.
Ground Zero has come a long way since the recovery and cleanup operation gave way to new construction a year ago or so. The Port Authority has erected a viewing fence around the site, and one can see the new subway enclosure and behind and beneath it the gaping maw that was the PATH tunnel to New Jersey. There weren't hordes of people around though, but that could be expected at 10 AM or so on a Tuesday. I checked my map and decided to switch to the 1 train and visit Battery Park. It wasn't far to walk to the Rector Street station on the 1 line, a block south and a block west from the site.
I got a few pictures in Battery Park including several monuments, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, etc. I thought of going on to the ferry to Liberty Island but decided it wouldn't be worth it because the Statue itself is closed to the public. A tragedy, that. I returned to the 1 train uptown, changing back to the N/R at 42nd St. and getting off at the following stop by the hotel.
By this time, about 12:30 PM, the hotel had a room for me and I checked in and went upstairs to freshen up (they brought my bag up for me since they had it in storage). I then went back to the meeting area and registered for the conference. At registration I met a short, bearish young man who represents the company we deal with in purchasing our Check Point software. We got to talking a few times during the conference and I hope I'll be working with him in the future instead of having to go through Germany all the time. (That's an even longer story than this one so I'll leave it at that.)
I won't bore you all with the technical details of the conference. However, that evening they did throw us a really nice happy hour (or three) where they served carved roast beef, pasta with pine nuts and spinach in alfredo sauce and with sausage and olives in red sauce, and had an open bar. I met some nice folks including a young man and an older woman from Albany, a few bearish guys from New Jersey, a single mother from Maryland, and this tall, strapping young man with spiky blonde hair from New Jersey. (Sigh...) By the time happy hour was done I was buzzing pretty good on four or five beers (hell, I wasn't driving anywhere), but lack of sleep was taking its toll and I ended up watching TV and falling sound asleep with the TV going.
I set the alarm for 6:30 Wednesday morning so I could fit in a dip in the swimming pool. The bit of exercise (and the steam room after) did me a lot of good in avoiding what might have been a nasty hangover. Afterward I had breakfast (a Greek omelet, home fries, and bacon) at the Stage Door deli across the street from the hotel before the conference began again at 9:00.
Lunch was also provided by the conference organizers, and consisted of mozzarella cheese sandwiched with fresh tomato and basil for a salad, a baked chicken dish with polenta and vegetables, and a chocolate dessert.
I ended up skipping the last couple of sessions so as to avoid getting stuck in rush-hour traffic on the way to JFK. This allowed me to take the A train back to the airport. While waiting on the platform at 42nd St. to transfer from the C train to the A train, I happened to notice this really cute cubbish fellow with tattoos on his arms, a severely trimmed but very neat beard, wearing gold chains, a grey T-shirt, jeans, and work boots. Perhaps he was working construction or even set decoration. He stayed on the A train the whole way to JFK and beyond, for he was still on the train when I got to JFK. He even slept through much of the trip, although some teenaged kids managed to wake him when one smacked some candy out of the other's hand and it landed in his lap.
Having arrived at JFK way ahead of schedule, I was offered an available seat on an earlier flight than I'd originally booked, which I accepted. Thus I got back to Rochester about 7:30 PM instead of the 9:30 I'd expected.
I'm very glad I got the opportunity to do this. It was fun and I learned a lot.
I left Rochester on Tuesday morning, on the 6:15 AM JetBlue flight into JFK. I debated whether to take one of the shuttle buses to the hotel, but decided on the Port Authority bus to the A train instead since I knew I'd have time to kill (the conference didn't start until 2 PM). I chose an all-day pass for $7.00, so I could do some sightseeing.
The A train runs above ground for about four or five stops in from JFK before descending into the subway tunnels. The train wasn't all that crowded, I was one of the few people standing. There was this cute, vaguely Hispanic kid riding with his girlfriend who was sleeping with her head on his shoulder. Further on at Borough Hall in Brooklyn I switched to the F train, and then at Herald Square I switched to the N or R train (I forget which) which took me onward three stops to my destination, 49th and Broadway just north of Times Square, where I arrived at 9:00. That, of course, was way to early to check in to the hotel, so I retrieved my camera from my bag and stashed the bag at the hotel until they were ready. Then I returned to the N/R line to begin sightseeing.
First stop was Herald Square, where I got off the subway to go up the Empire State Building. I took a bunch of pictures, picked up some postcards, and descended to return to the subway bound for Ground Zero. Unfortunately, I picked the wrong turnstile and had to back out, which forced me to wait about 20 minutes for the card to work again. (Fortunately I'd read about this possibility on the Web, so I knew I just had to wait it out.) In the meantime I sat in Herald Square for a breakfast of chai tea and a chocolate-frosted cream doughnut. It's interesting what a big difference such a pocket-sized park makes in such a big city.
I tried again for the downtown N/R train to Cortlandt St. (Ground Zero) and this time got the correct turnstile. At some point along the way a trio of two men and a woman got on the train and launched into a rousing rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", while one of the men passed the proverbial hat (actually a brown paper bag) for change.
Ground Zero has come a long way since the recovery and cleanup operation gave way to new construction a year ago or so. The Port Authority has erected a viewing fence around the site, and one can see the new subway enclosure and behind and beneath it the gaping maw that was the PATH tunnel to New Jersey. There weren't hordes of people around though, but that could be expected at 10 AM or so on a Tuesday. I checked my map and decided to switch to the 1 train and visit Battery Park. It wasn't far to walk to the Rector Street station on the 1 line, a block south and a block west from the site.
I got a few pictures in Battery Park including several monuments, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, etc. I thought of going on to the ferry to Liberty Island but decided it wouldn't be worth it because the Statue itself is closed to the public. A tragedy, that. I returned to the 1 train uptown, changing back to the N/R at 42nd St. and getting off at the following stop by the hotel.
By this time, about 12:30 PM, the hotel had a room for me and I checked in and went upstairs to freshen up (they brought my bag up for me since they had it in storage). I then went back to the meeting area and registered for the conference. At registration I met a short, bearish young man who represents the company we deal with in purchasing our Check Point software. We got to talking a few times during the conference and I hope I'll be working with him in the future instead of having to go through Germany all the time. (That's an even longer story than this one so I'll leave it at that.)
I won't bore you all with the technical details of the conference. However, that evening they did throw us a really nice happy hour (or three) where they served carved roast beef, pasta with pine nuts and spinach in alfredo sauce and with sausage and olives in red sauce, and had an open bar. I met some nice folks including a young man and an older woman from Albany, a few bearish guys from New Jersey, a single mother from Maryland, and this tall, strapping young man with spiky blonde hair from New Jersey. (Sigh...) By the time happy hour was done I was buzzing pretty good on four or five beers (hell, I wasn't driving anywhere), but lack of sleep was taking its toll and I ended up watching TV and falling sound asleep with the TV going.
I set the alarm for 6:30 Wednesday morning so I could fit in a dip in the swimming pool. The bit of exercise (and the steam room after) did me a lot of good in avoiding what might have been a nasty hangover. Afterward I had breakfast (a Greek omelet, home fries, and bacon) at the Stage Door deli across the street from the hotel before the conference began again at 9:00.
Lunch was also provided by the conference organizers, and consisted of mozzarella cheese sandwiched with fresh tomato and basil for a salad, a baked chicken dish with polenta and vegetables, and a chocolate dessert.
I ended up skipping the last couple of sessions so as to avoid getting stuck in rush-hour traffic on the way to JFK. This allowed me to take the A train back to the airport. While waiting on the platform at 42nd St. to transfer from the C train to the A train, I happened to notice this really cute cubbish fellow with tattoos on his arms, a severely trimmed but very neat beard, wearing gold chains, a grey T-shirt, jeans, and work boots. Perhaps he was working construction or even set decoration. He stayed on the A train the whole way to JFK and beyond, for he was still on the train when I got to JFK. He even slept through much of the trip, although some teenaged kids managed to wake him when one smacked some candy out of the other's hand and it landed in his lap.
Having arrived at JFK way ahead of schedule, I was offered an available seat on an earlier flight than I'd originally booked, which I accepted. Thus I got back to Rochester about 7:30 PM instead of the 9:30 I'd expected.
I'm very glad I got the opportunity to do this. It was fun and I learned a lot.