Friday, May 29th - Pop Culture in New York City

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and also the one I’ve struggled with most on this trip … but today, best breakfast I’ve had so far – freshly scrambled eggs in a hoagie bun from a street vendor – basically I can say I had the Philly cheese steak hoagie sandwich, just without the steak or cheese – it was perfect! 

After a brief wander through downtown Philly, I headed off for New York City – and almost immediately, I was getting onto the New Jersey turnpike – it was a bit of a surreal moment – one of those roads you hear so much of in the movies or on TV.  I realized this was likely to be the pop culture part of my tour ….  That was reinforced as I went through the toll station, and then drove through the Lincoln tunnel (best analogy I can think of is that it was like driving through the insides of a very long snake – again, surreal …) and then as I arrive in Manhattan, on my immediate right is a NYPD station with the cars all parked out front on angle – can you say NYPD Blues … so cool, and yes, I acknowledge, I may be admitting just how much ‘pop culture’ / tv & movies I’ve enjoyed over the years …

I am in a great hotel – another awesome Hotwire deal – right in the middle of Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho and Tribeca.  The first time I’ve stayed below midtown – and the area of NYC I’ve explored the least.  I am just a little excited - this is something I’ve always wanted to do – spend a week just ‘hanging out’ in NYC.

I’m also, on purpose, close to the NYC Iyengar Yoga Institute – so I hopped the metro for 4 stations and was there … It is a great space – another office building / 11^th floor yoga studio but it doesn’t have an office feel – instead lots of brick, really good sized studios with high ceilings and open windows with a lovely breeze.  It was a good class and good teacher – helped me with my shoulders – one day I will get there …. I’ll be here often this week …

A quick falafel dinner and then I walked back to the hotel - along Broadway, through Union Square - very, very cool to be here.