Spooktacular: Friday the 13th in NYC

Thanks to Rebecca G. for this fabulous blog title.

I just got home from an exciting 26 hour jaunt to New York. I think the trip worked well for several reasons. Here is a brief recap of the best practices I gleaned from the tip (and some photos and restaurant recommendations I couldn't resist including)...

• I took the DC2NY bus. This bus is great because it picks up about 4 blocks from my apartment and got me to New York in four hours flat. I also really like the bus because it is sort of DC centric (please not that it is not called NY2DC), supplies all passengers with free bottles of water, and has free wireless internet on board. I just became a "DC2NY Community Member" and now receive $5 off all my round trip tickets. Highly recommended for anyone making this trip up or down the New Jersey Turnpike.
• I stayed in a great hotel in Times Square. You may ask, "Why would you ever stay in Times Square? It is so touristy and crowded..." So yes, it was touristy and crowded but I discovered this affordable, clean, well appointed, and very centrally located hotel right on 45th street. The location also enabled me to stand in the middle of the street in Times Square and try out about 50 setting combinations on my camera to achieve a photo I am quite happy with.

• My cousin, Matt, became a Bar Mitzvah. I was so proud of Matt yesterday! He looked so grown up and chanted his torah portion like a pro. He even let me take tons of photos of him during the reception that followed the service (at Olana, it was delicious). I cried during the service when Matt's mom (my Aunt Annie) presented him with our grandfather's tallis. It was a great moment and a touching way to honor someone who I know would have been really proud of Matt yesterday, too.

• I donned a neon yellow vest and served as a bus captain to get Bar Mitzvah guests from the synagogue to Olana. The vest folded to a very small square which easily fit in the bag I carried with me to the service. Once the service ended I snuck away and put on my vest. I was easily visible to guests with bus related (and unrelated) questions and had a great time with my important role during the festivities. (I have several other bus captain tips that I may share in a special dedicated blog post in the near future. GET READY!)
  
• Many of my extended family members and family friends are now using facebook and other social networking tools. Rebecca and I sat with our somehow related cousins, Wendy and Andrew Scherer, who impressed me with their Columbia, MD pride and web 2.0 savvy. I look forward to some cross posting in the near future.
• I dined at 5 Napkin Burger with an eclectic mix of formerly DC friends including Marc K. and Jen G. (the rabbi-to-be delegation), Julia S. (filckr inspiration and idealist.org world changer), and Carolyn G. (Thurston comrade and winner of 'friend with best job' award...here is a link to one of my favorite stories she's written for Fodor's about Alice Waters). I had the original 5 napkin burger which only required three but was truly delicious (complete with this yummy rosemary aoli, mmm). Jen had the ahi tuna burger which looked so good, topped with onion rings. Carolyn had the 5 napkin burger salad ("chopped greens, endive, tomatoes, roquefort cheese, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, red onion, radishes, celery, 5 N sauce, oil & vinegar dressing"). It is possible that 5 N sauce was a little much but other than that the salad got positive reviews.
• Lastly, I impersonated Jonathan H. for a full four hours by following him around his office and setting up my laptop in the cubicle next to his. I am quite proud of the results from the in-office photo shoot we pulled off in the confines of Jonathan's cube. Thanks for entertaining me, JHo., and showing me the ways of the Jewish funding world. Oh, and how could I forget--the winner for "best branded chotchkie" goes to Jonathan and the Jewish Funders Network for their FAA friendly clear plastic toiletry bag, three ounce bottles, and accompanying funnel to decant necessary products when traveling. What an amazing idea.

I hope to be back in New York sometime soon and make a blog worthy visit to the Levain Bakery! Keep your eyes peeled.