Dave Loveless at the Prodigal reviews his local supermarket, Winco, here. He speaks very highly of the low prices, high quality, and impressive ideals.  Later, he revisits the store and the review, still enjoying the shopping experience, but becoming less impressed by the prices, here.

Go, check them out.

Image via WikipediaIt looks like I forgot to do a 4-year index back in April, and these indices do make it easier to find things, so let's get back on track.

Books

Fiction

The Amber Spyglass
Anansi Boys
Bad Twin
Birds Without Wings
Christ the Lord
A Clash of Kings
Dawn
A Game of Thrones
Gilead
The Giver
Gods Behaving Badly
Going Postal
The Golden Compass
The Good Earth
Good Omens
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Imago
The Knitting Circle
Kockroach
Linden Hills
Lonesome Dove
Making Money
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Neverwhere
Parable of the Sower
Practical Demonkeeping
The Road
Silence
The Sparrow
The Subtle Knife
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
A Thread of Grace
The Westing Game
You Suck

Graphic Novels

9-11: Artists Respond Volumes 1 and 2
Gargoyles: Clan Building Volume 1
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale
Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale: And Here My Troubles Begin
Sluggy Freelance: Little Evils
Watchmen

Nonfiction

The 100 People Who are Ruining America
1776
Abraham: The First Historical Biography
American Bee
Angela's Ashes
As Seen on TV
The Commitment
The Daring Book for Girls
The Devil’s Candy
Everything twitter
Freakonomics
The Gift of Fear
Grayson
I Am America (And So Can You!)
John Adams
Made to Stick
Mark Morris
The Millionaire Next Door
Mommy Grace
My Secret
Night
Offbeat Bride
Please Kill Me
Project Everlasting
Seabiscuit
The Silent Woman
Skipping Towards Gomorrah
Slow Reading
Why Do I Love These People?
Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget

Food and drink

Delaware

The Dog House

Massachusetts

Boston Beer Works
Cornwall's Restaurant
Finale
Sabur
SoulFire
Sunset Grill and Tap
Tasca

New Jersey

Cheeburger Cheeburger
Whitman Diner

New York

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
Blue Point Brewery
Brooklyn Brewery
Burger Heaven
Cafe Buenos Aires
Croxley's
Grand Lux Café
Hanami Japanese Restaurant
John Harvard's Brew House
Max Brenner
Miller's Ale House
Peter Luger Steakhouse
Red Lobster
Tio Pepe
Trattoria Lucia

Ontario

Fressen
Groucho’s Gourmet Market
Kelsey’s
Naz’s Falafel House
Richtree Market Restaurant
Smokeless Joe’s
Swiss Chalet
Wayne Gretsky’s

Pennsylvania

Allentown Brew Works
Bistro Cassis
California Pizza Kitchen
Crossroads Coffee
Derek's
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Flanigan’s Boat House
Irish Pub
Iron Hill Brewery 
Kildare's
Macaroni Grill
Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant
Melting Pot 
Old Eagle Tavern
Pei Wei Asian Diner
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery
Roller's at Flying Fish
slainte
Sonic
Stoudt's Brewing Company
Zake’s Café

Recipes

Wasabi Pea Tuna Salad

Movies

2006

Alpha Dog
Cars
Clerks II
Lady in the Water
Man of the Year
Monster House
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The Prestige
Snakes on a Plane
Superman Returns
X-Men: The Last Stand

2007

300
Amazing Grace
Ghost Rider
The Golden Compass
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I am Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
The Simpsons Movie
Spider-Man 3
TMNT
Transformers Wild Hogs

2008

Cloverfield
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Prince Caspian
Wanted

2009

Star Trek
Up
Watchmen

Internet

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Video

Cast Away
Clerks.
Driving Miss Daisy
March of the Penguins
Much Ado About Nothing
Shattered Glass
Sideways
To Kill a Mockingbird

Music

The Dream of Gerontius
Symphony of 1000

To Do and See

Massachusetts

Sam Adams Brewery Tour

New Jersey

Green Room Billiards

New York

American Museum of Natural History
Bronx Zoo
Cooper Station Post Office
Rockefeller Center Tour

Ontario

CN Tower
The Guvernment
Steam Whistle Brewing

Pennsylvania

The Barnes Foundation
Ghost Tour of Philadelphia

Television

West Wing Series Finale

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Melting Pot

1219 Filbert Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

You should know

So for my bachelorette party, the guys took me out. Yes, the guys: Dan and Brian, plus Dave and Michelle. They said we could go anywhere I wanted, it being my party and all. I figured this would be sufficiently fancy and different, plus it was a good excuse to finally check the place out.

Brian, being Brian, tipped them off that it was an event, so they hooked me up with a little logo'ed teddy bear and a framed group picture. Very cool.

So?

So we had five people, including one with lactose sensitivity (me), one with assorted allergies, and one vegetarian.

We started with drinks; I lost track of what others ordered, but I got a glass of Riesling.

Melting pot meals come in four courses: salad, cheese, entree, and dessert.  Our salads were tasty but not memorable; I don't actually recall what we got.

For our cheese course (and yes, I took a Lactaid before I started), we got two pots of Wisconsin Trio Cheese Fondue ("fontina, butterkäse, and buttermilk bleu cheese with white wine, scallions, and a hint of sherry," $16 for 1-2 people). They came with apples, bread, veggies. Almost everything was excellent, but it seems I will never like cauliflower. Oh well.

Oddly, even though both pots were supposed to be the same, one tasted far more of the sherry base, while the other one tasted very strongly of blue cheese. That was kind of nice -- it gave us a little variety.

For the entree course, we again got two pots of the same flavored oil, and kept one for meat and the other for veggies. We ordered The Vegetarian ("fresh vegetables, tofu, artichoke hearts, portobello mushrooms and spinach and Gorgonzola ravioli," $17), Land & Sea ("a collection of new york strip, marinated breast of chicken and white shrimp," $23), and The French Quarter ("Cajun seasoned shrimp, filet mignon, breast of chicken and andouille sausage," $22).

With the meals came several types of sauce, some to go on the food before dipping, and some to season the food after dipping. The posed some interesting challenges (such as, "How many layers of tempura can you put on a potato, anyway?").

My only complaint was that in the French Quarter meal, everything was so heavily (and deliciously) seasoned that you couldn't quite tell the chicken form the beef until you cut them open -- whcih is really a concern when you consider that the two meats have different cooking times.

For dessert, we got The Original ("this original recipe features our signature milk chocolate complimented with a swirl of crunchy peanut butter") (amazing on bananas!) and one Pure Chocolate ("dark chocolate, melted for the most pure of all chocolate fondues." Both $16)

The chocolate fondues came with Dippers ("fresh strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, tasty marshmallows, pound cake and brownies for you to dip into any of our decadent chocolate fondue creations"). There  was easily something for everyone.

Rating

Tasty but a bit pricey
We technically didn't order enough food for five people, and we still had leftovers -- if you're going with a group, that's a decent option. Either way, definitely save it for a special occasion, but give it a try.

The rest of the Internet

Sabah Karimi at Associated Content explains what to expect at the restaurant.
The Wikipedia page.
Patricia Schaefer at FranchiseTrade discusses the restaurant from a business perspective.
Jenna Brucoli at Jenna Sais Quois posts some great pictures of Melting Pot food.
Online and logged in reviews the restaurant.
The Beeze at The Beeze's Tales from the Fish House enjoyed good food but suffered bad service.

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Books

Fiction

The Amber Spyglass
Anansi Boys
Bad Twin
Birds Without Wings
Christ the Lord
A Clash of Kings
Dawn
A Game of Thrones
Gilead
The Giver
Gods Behaving Badly
Going Postal
The Golden Compass
The Good Earth
Good Omens
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Imago
The Knitting Circle
Kockroach
Linden Hills
Lonesome Dove
Making Money
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Neverwhere
Parable of the Sower
Practical Demonkeeping
The Road
Silence
The Sparrow
The Subtle Knife
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
A Thread of Grace
The Westing Game
You Suck

Graphic Novels

9-11: Artists Respond Volumes 1 and 2
Gargoyles: Clan Building Volume 1
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale
Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale: And Here My Troubles Begin
Sluggy Freelance: Little Evils
Watchmen

Nonfiction

The 100 People Who are Ruining America
1776
Abraham: The First Historical Biography
American Bee
Angela's Ashes
As Seen on TV
The Commitment
The Daring Book for Girls
The Devil’s Candy
Everything twitter
Freakonomics
The Gift of Fear
Grayson
I Am America (And So Can You!)
John Adams
Made to Stick
Mark Morris
The Millionaire Next Door
Mommy Grace
My Secret
Night
Offbeat Bride
Please Kill Me
Project Everlasting
Seabiscuit
The Silent Woman
Skipping Towards Gomorrah
Slow Reading
Why Do I Love These People?
Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget

Food

Delaware

The Dog House

Massachusetts

Boston Beer Works
Finale
Sabur
SoulFire
Sunset Grill and Tap
Tasca

New Jersey

Cheeburger Cheeburger
Whitman Diner

New York

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
Burger Heaven
Cafe Buenos Aires
Grand Lux Café
Hanami Japanese Restaurant
Max Brenner
Peter Luger Steakhouse
Red Lobster
Tio Pepe
Trattoria Lucia

Ontario

Fressen
Groucho’s Gourmet Market
Kelsey’s
Naz’s Falafel House
Richtree Market Restaurant
Smokeless Joe’s
Swiss Chalet
Wayne Gretsky’s

Pennsylvania

Bistro Cassis
California Pizza Kitchen
Crossroads Coffee
Derek's
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Flanigan’s Boat House
Macaroni Grill
Pei Wei Asian Diner
Roller's at Flying Fish
slainte
Sonic
Zake’s Café

Recipes

Wasabi Pea Tuna Salad

Movies

2006

Alpha Dog
Cars
Clerks II
Lady in the Water
Man of the Year
Monster House
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The Prestige
Snakes on a Plane
Superman Returns
X-Men: The Last Stand

2007

300
Amazing Grace
Ghost Rider
The Golden Compass
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I am Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
The Simpsons Movie
Spider-Man 3
TMNT
Transformers Wild Hogs

2008

Cloverfield
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Prince Caspian
Wanted

2009

Star Trek
Up
Watchmen

Internet

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Video

Cast Away
Clerks.
Driving Miss Daisy
March of the Penguins
Much Ado About Nothing
Shattered Glass
Sideways
To Kill a Mockingbird

Music

The Dream of Gerontius
Symphony of 1000

To Do and See

New Jersey

Green Room Billiards

New York

American Museum of Natural History
Bronx Zoo
Cooper Station Post Office
Rockefeller Center Tour

Ontario

CN Tower
The Guvernment

Pennsylvania

The Barnes Foundation
Ghost Tour of Philadelphia

Television

West Wing Series Finale

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We need your help, folks.

In this new feature, I'm going to give you a mission: to make recommendations in the comments section.

The situation

Chris and I are going to Italy for our honeymoon.  Pretty sweet, right?

Your mission

Your mission is to recommend places we should go and things we should see.  And I don't want answers like "The Vatican."  I want answers like "In Rome, on the corner of A Street and B Street, there's a cafe.  You absolutely must try their Dish X." 

We'll do as many as we can, and I'll give you a round-up of the results not long after we get back.  Thanks!

You can get reviews of the newest and hottest books, movies, and restaurants anywhere, but where do you go to hear about chain restaurants, library finds, several-year-old DVDs, or even tourist traps? Just because it's old or ever-present doesn't mean it's not new to you -- and you deserve to read the reviews in advance even then. So if it's new to me, I'll tell you what I think.

Who am I? I'm Laura, a married New Yorker and sometime cube monkey.  Old posts follow me from being in a long term, often long-distance relationship, and through my engagement.  They also follow me from when I lived in Philadelphia (where I grew up), and on several vacations, as my now-husband and I love travel and good food.  As for occupation, you can go back to when I was in grad school, and watch me put up with periods of unemployment and cube-monkey-ism.

If you look over to your right, you'll see a Twitter feed.  Feel free to follow me -- among other things, I post there when I post, and when I update old blog posts.  And if you want to know a bit more about me, personally, check out my other blog at Life is (not) Boring  -- or, if you're really patient with sporadic updates, check out my thoughts on writing at Writers Write.

And enjoy browsing!  I'd love to know your thoughts on some of the things I've tried and shared -- especially if they've changed since I've been there.  Thanks!

Image via Wikipedia

$12.00
$23.45 for combo ticket with NBC Studio Tour


No, the tree wasn't lit yet, and I did all the shopping I was going to pretty quickly. I decided to take the NBC Studio Tour.

Now, the tour on its own was a bit more expensive than I was thrilled with ($18.50), but a combination ticket -- which includes both the NBC tour and the Rockefeller Center tour -- was only $23.45, which divided equally is less than $12.00 per tour.  Not bad.

I was actually kind of disappointed with the NBC tour. I had taken it before, and I think it was better the first time

So?

The tour starts in the cafe at the NBC store. While I waited, I played some free video games that involve catching and reading current headlines. The machines weren't in great condition, but considering how many people must play with them, I wasn't expecting much.

Our guide met us and handed out headphones. In order to allow for freedom of movement, the tour guides speak into a microphone that broadcasts into the tourists' headsets. I was a bit concerned, as my headset's cord was a little frayed and patched with tape. It worked fine, though.

However, our guide's microphone did not, so we had to wait for her to get that replaced.

The tour started out in the lobby of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where we looked at the murals and heard the stories of the politics behind them.  We examined the technically-but-not-officially-religious mural, the space where a Communist mural had been taken down, and a mural on the ceiling that seems to change perspective when you look up at it from different sections of the lobby.  From there we went outside (so dress for the weather) and began to examine the different buildings at Rockefeller Center.

The center was designed and built during the Great Depression in hopes of stimulating the economy.  John D. Rockefeller Jr. called in favors from his father's business partners, and convinced both corporations and nations to rent space in the many suites and buildings he had constructed.  Each building is decorated to reflect the culture that inhabits it, from the homage to British industry on the exterior of the British Empire Building, to the former Eastern Airline's history of flight. 

While the tree wasn't lit at that point, it was up and ready.  Our guide told us a few fun facts about the tree, such as the fact that starting last year, the tree is lit with solar-powered LED lights.  Very nice.

Rating

Go... when the time is right.
I'm sure the tour is amazing during the Christmas season, but otherwise I would wait until the spring -- or at least until we get another one of those unseasonably warm days we've been having about once a week all this month.  Most of the tour is outside, so you'll want to dress accordingly.

The rest of the Internet

Daniel's Manhattan Architecture discusses the art, architecture, and history of the complex.
New York Architecture Images has some great pictures.

Image via Wikipedia
The Barnes Foundation
300 N. Latch's Lane
Merion, PA 19066-1729

You should know
Chris and I did our undergrad right by the Barnes, and various professors had raved about it, but we had never gone. The city is trying to move the collection, and I wanted to visit before this happens. We didn't think we'd get tickets ($10) -- it was a bit more last minute than the website recommends (30-60 days in advance is recommended). Still, Chris made the call and we got the tickets. Also, Chris and I both really like impressionism and many of its offshoots, like pointillism, early cubism, and certain examples of abstract expressionism.


So?
The tickets are timed -- we had an appointment for 11:00 AM. I thought this would be perfect, as guided tours of the grounds are scheduled for 11:15. Unfortunately, these tours don't start until late April, and I can see why. We roamed the grounds a bit ourselves, and while the gardens were well-manicured and the trees were in full bloom, not much else was. It was somewhat underwhelming, though I can tell it will be amazing this summer.

So instead we began wandering through the collection. Unlike a typical art museum, the collection is not organized by artist or movement, and there are no plaques on the wall to give you the relevant details. We went through a few rooms utterly lost, then tracked back when we discovered the laminated room maps that describe the works on each wall. It still only gave us titles and artists, but it helped.

We made it through about two-thirds of the museum this way before our 1:00 PM tour of the collection. It was intriguing; what appears at first glance to be a pretty haphazard setup it actually very deliberate. Dr. Albert C. Barnes was very interested in art education, going as far as to hold art appreciation lessons for his employees, paid, on company time. He spent millions on his collection, and in retrospect got some phenomenal bargains to boot. He didn't even necessarily like everything in his collection, but he wasn't selecting it for aesthetic purposes, but rather for education purposes, so if it had a place in the lesson, he acquired it. Even if you don't understand exactly what Barnes was going for in a particular room, there is a lot of really impressive symmetry: a matched set of two paintings may flank a center work, or you may see an early and late work by the same artist across the room from each other.

Our docent was very knowledgeable, and while I don't think I retained as much as I might have liked, we still learned quite a lot (for instance, I didn't know that El Greco is sort of the patron saint of modern art).

After the tour, though, we were pretty tired. We tried to revisit the rooms we hadn't made it to on our first walk-through, but we were just beat. After a quick stroll around the grounds, we headed out.


Rating
Go while you can.
I'm not saying the new location won't be amazing. I'm not even saying the new location will actually happen. But definitely go soon, just to be on the safe side.

Also, try to go in late spring. And if you do, take some pictures of the gardens for me?


A bit of advice
Bring a sweater. No, really. It says to on the website, but I forgot -- and I was freezing the entire time I was there.


The rest of the Internet
Some of these sites include pictures from the collection, which may include nudes.
The Friends of the Barnes Foundation are working to prevent the relocation.
Check out the collection of New York Times articles on the Barnes.
Kate Strathmann at Off Center reflects on the collection and the relocation.
Miscellany Inc. has a three part series about the Barnes.
NPR tours the Barnes and discusses the move.
KT at The Finer Things Club discusses the setup of the displays.

Image via WikipediaGhost Tour of Philadelphia
Tickets available at:
Gift Shop next to Omni Hotel
401 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
until tour time
Independence Visitor Center
6th & Market Streets
until 5:00 pm
Online
Tour departs from:
Signers Garden
5th & Chestnut Streets

You should know
Dan and I had been talking about ghosts for years. He very much wants to spend the night at Leverington Cemetary that is supposed to be extremely haunted; I’m not quite up for getting arrested.

I believe that ghosts could exist, but I have never experienced one. Nor, by all accounts, do I much wish to. But hey, I’m a sucker for a good story.

So?
First of all, there is very little parking in Center City on a Friday night. Fortunately, the 9 bus goes right to the site. Unfortunately, we didn’t take the 9 bus. Parking cost us over $20.

Buying tickets was interesting, because there were two ghost tours selling tickets right next to each other. I don’t know anything, good or bad, about the other tour, but keep the one you want in mind so you don’t find yourself on the wrong one. Also, leave yourself time to eat – we spent almost as much time looking for non-sit-down food as we would have had we say down. There’s plenty or restaurants or bars around if you have the time, though.

Perhaps most importantly, the weather was about perfect – cool enough for autumn, but not so cold as to be uncomfortable.

The tour started in Signers Park, where tour guides dressed in black pseudo-Victorian garb held lanterns with real, lit candles. Our guide, Katie, started taking us around the city, to sites like Independence Hall, Washington Square, and St. Peter’s Cemetery, telling us stories about the various ghosts said to haunt the sites and how they fit into Philadelphia history. Yellow fever, dysentery, mass graves, murders, fires… and Ben Franklin refusing to leave. Hey, this is Philadelphia – Franklin is everywhere.

It seemed that different tour guides had different sets of stories. At times, I eavesdropped on another group, and their story was completely different from the one being told to ours. Does this mean the stories are fake… or that the sites are so haunted that the guides have their choice of tales? Well, that’s really not my call.

Ultimately, Dan and I agreed that the tour was well worth the $15 ticket – but not the total cost of ticket plus parking.

Rating
Go… by bus
We took an earlier tour, and there were a handful of kids who were well behaved and far from terrified. For a juicier tour, the later show might be in order.

The rest of the Internet
Cher Mayn Chan at 34th Street Culture speaks highly of the tour.

Awesome link of the week
Sluggy Freelance is a popular 10-year-old comic. Don't bother starting with today's and knowing what's going on, though; you're better off going back to the beginning and watching Pete Abrams's style evolve over the last decade. Make sure you have a weekend with no plans cleared away; I wasted a ton of time going through the archives when I was first introduced, and that was about six years ago.

Also, if you're into the comic to the point where you want to flesh out that conspiracy theory, or you just want some intelligent, civil discourse, check out the forums at The Sluggite Zone. Spammers and trolls are dispatched with quickly, and coherent posting is the norm. L33t, along with certain hot-button issues, is forbidden, and language is kept to PG-13 (the rule is: if Pete used it in a comic, it's OK).

Full disclosure: I'm a moderator on the boards myself. See if you can figure out which one!

Bronx Zoo
2300 Southern Boulevard
Bronx, New York 10460

You should know
I’ve been meaning to go here ever since I started school in New York and realized that the Zoo has pay-what-you-will Wednesdays. I was visiting Chris for a few days, and since we are both trying to save some money (and since it was absolutely gorgeous out), this was an excellent option.

So?
We got there after lunch, giving us a good three to four hours to roam the grounds. Since it was still technically winter, most of the good stuff was indoors, so we hit the monkey house (neat, but smelly – and featuring a few babies!), the aquatic bird house, JungleWorld (more baby monkeys, and a turtle trying to get some action from his disinterested girlfriend), and the World of Birds. Why yes, we did see a lot of birds. Outside, we went to find bears, birds of prey, sea birds (including penguins!), tigers, and the Himalayan Highlands. We just missed a Tiger Enrichment Session, but stumbled upon the Bee-Eater Buffet just in time.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable day.

Still, I have some recommendations.

A bit of advice
First, bring a camera – either a digital camera, or an old-school camera with a ton of film. There were a lot of scenes Chris and I wanted to capture, but since he forgot his camera, and I only had 10 shots left on mine, our options were limited.

Second, do not feed the animals. Not only is it stupid, inhumane, cruel, possibly dangerous, and possibly illegal (or at the very least against the rules of the zoo), it ruins things for the other visitors. I wanted to take a picture of swimming penguins – not of terns and cormorants fighting over your leftover Doritos. Disgusting on multiple levels. Just don’t do it.

Third, and I am a bit more sympathetic on this one, please follow the rules about strollers. I know your kid is little, and is asleep/stubborn/apt to run off, or whatever, and I do understand that the stroller parking lots are “leave at your own risk,” and you’re probably using the handy pockets and storage compartments instead of a purse. I get that. Even so, if an exhibit clearly states “no strollers,” please consider that there is, in fact, a reason. There are plenty of places in these exhibits where maybe – if you wiggle and squeeze – one stroller can fit. One stroller and no people. Which is fine if there’s only one stroller. But when you have eight strollers and thirty people all trying to take their turn in that space, well, it’s just not going to work. And it really hurts to get hit by a moving stroller.

Rating
Go on a Wednesday
I really did enjoy my time there. I grew up with the Philadelphia Zoo, and the Bronx Zoo easily competes (I can’t tell you who wins until I see both zoos post-construction). And even at full price, the Bronx Zoo is less expensive than its counterpart. Even so, any time you go to a zoo, you risk crowds, rain, sunburn, idiots with Doritos, and all sorts of fun things like that – and maybe you’ll bring your kids, and they’ll cry or fall asleep. You’ll feel better about leaving if you paid $4 than if you paid $14.

The rest of the Internet
The Wikipedia page.
Little Alexander visited the zoo, so you can see its kid-friendly-ness.
Some animal pictures from the zoo.
An interview with the zoo's curator.
Learn about the compost toilets at the zoo.
Apparently, in the '80s there was a tv show called The Bronx Zoo.

American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West and 79th St.
New York, NY

You should know
I was one of those kids. You know the type. Books about dinosaurs, toy dinosaurs, TV shows about dinosaurs… About the only thing I know how to draw with any competence (at least, in non-stick-figure form) is a dinosaur. And to this day, I am completely enthralled by the fossilized skeletons in museums.

I also like museums in general. Whether it’s history, art, nature, or the combination of any of the above, I want to see and learn as much as possible. I’m strange like that.

So when Chris came to visit me in New York, I insisted we check The Museum of Natural History out.

So?
We accidentally went through the big skeletons section of the museum backwards. This actually worked out really well, because we consistently went in the opposite directions as the crowds. Sure, it was still packed, but this helped in a strange way.

The Big Bang and Scales of the Universe sections were neat because the people around us (strangers all) were making comments and commenting on our comments. It was fun.

Not all the visitors were that canny. A true exchange:

Sign next to skeleton: This is why it’s not true that Stegosaurus had two brains.
Little kid: Daddy, what does that say?
Dad: It says Stegosaurus had two brains.
Me (sotto): Kill me…

Now, I was a bit disappointed that all the temporary exhibits cost extra. I know that’s typical, but most museums I’d been to have had maybe one exhibit that costs extra, but the others – even the temporary ones – are included in the price of admission. Still, we didn’t have a ton of time, so this worked out all right.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. You should definitely consider going during the week, and if you can get any kind of discount (student, coupon, whatever), you should use it; general admission is $14.

A bit of advice
I have a special request for all museum-goers. If you are bringing your child/ren to a museum filled priceless fossils and artifacts, please, please don’t let your children run around in their wheeled sneakers. There is no way it can end well.

Rating
Check it out
There are two factors that led to me attending in the first place: the museum’s place in New York culture, and the dinosaurs. I’m a complex person; what can I say? But the culture and the dinosaurs both lived up to the hype, so if you’re interested in either, you should put this on your list of New York attractions to visit.

The rest of the Internet
The Wikipedia page.

The Green Room Billiards
2891 Rt. 73 South
Maple Shade, NJ 08052

You should know
Chris was in town, so he, Brian, and I went out for the evening. We stopped here before dinner.

We used to play a bit of pool in college – not enough to compete on any kind of level, but enough to practice the basics. Now, pool is a good go-to activity for a night out.

So?
The tables, balls, and cues all seemed to be in good condition. The lighting was good. The scorekeeping cords were a bit on the low side, so we occasionally hit them with our cues, but you could just as easily blame that on us. For the most part, we had a good time and were happy with the establishment.

Then we went to the front counter to pay. We waited a good ten minutes for an employee to show up so that we could pay. We were actually about a minute from walking out. When a man finally came to wait on us (read: take our money), he made a snide comment about how we could have taken a few hundred dollars out of the register. And this wasn’t in the sense of, “Hey, this was stupid of me, thanks for waiting.” It was nasty and rude.

Rating
You can do better
Had this incident not occurred, I would highly recommend the place. We had a very pleasant time, and no problems with any of the equipment. Still, we – and you – deserve good service.

The rest of the Internet
...There isn't much out there.

Guvernment
132 Queens Quay East
Toronto, ON
M5A 3Y5

You should know
On our trip to Canada, we decided to check out the nightlife of Toronto.

Chris is not much for clubs. Neither am I, but I do like dressing up and dancing from time to time. Paul likes live music. His girlfriend I don’t know as well as I’d like, but she seemed excited to go to the clubs.

So?
Guvernment seemed like a good choice for our group, because there are seven rooms, each with a different DJ spinning different music. Over the course of the evening, we’d eventually find something we liked, right?

Unfortunately, most of the rooms were closed for private parties. Only two rooms were open, the main room with techno music blaring, and a smaller bar/lounge was playing a mix of techno and hip-hop. Not much a variety, and not really to my taste. However, if the music had been a little different, the lounge would have been really nice. The couches were great.

The place stank of smoke, and it wasn’t all tobacco. However, it was Smirnoff Fire (apparently, you have to be Canadian to enter the site) night, and they gave out samples – which tasted pretty good. Also, in honor of the event, there were fire dancers performing. That was incredible.

I had a Long Island Iced Tea. At least, that’s what it was supposed to be. Not only was it incredibly weak (and I mean weak for a normal drink, not even for a Long Island), it tasted like a mix of Coke and sour mix.

Ultimately, Paul and his girl enjoyed it, but Chris and I didn’t think it was worth the price of the cover.

Rating
Is it your scene?
If it is, go. A lot of the things I didn’t like are typical of clubs; the only reason we went was the promise of variety if we didn’t like a particular room. But if you do go – especially if you’re iffy about the whole club thing, like we were – make sure ahead of time that all the rooms are open. I’m sure that makes a huge difference.

The rest of the Internet
The club's other website.
The Wikipedia entry.
Several videos taken at the club are up on YouTube (and I haven't watched them all, so I can't vouch for Safe-For-Work-ness).

The CN Tower
301 Front Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5V 2T6
Canada

You should know
I went to Toronto. Of course I went to the CN Tower. But did I mention my horrible fear of heights? Or the fact that the weather forecasters called for thunderstorms that day?

So?
It was a rainy Sunday, as I recall. Chris and I went to church, got lunch, then did the obligatory touristy thing and bought tickets for the CN Tower. Thanks to the wind, the Sky Pod was closed, and we had no interest in playing in the video arcade, so we just got the standard ticket.

To call it “a hell of a view” is major understatement (and a mild profanity), but it’s really the best way to describe it. You may need to crane your neck and sneak into the restaurant, but you really can get a magnificent 360-degree view of Toronto and the surrounding suburbs.

They didn’t kick us out of the restaurant for looking, but it was still fairly awkward. Almost necessary, though – about half of the level is taken up by the restaurant, so one has to look through there to see what there is to see.

The level below the main observation room houses the glass floor. I refused to stand on the glass floor – setting one foot on it took all of my nerve. Chris, on the other hand, sprawled out on it and had me take picture after picture. I know I have nothing to worry about: it’s designed to hold the weight of 14 large hippos. Which, to be honest, I’d really like to see. How cool would that be?

Ideally, there would be more information from the tour guides, and fewer wall murals. Also, I wouldn’t have minded if the tickets were a little less expensive, or barring that, if there was a bit more to do for the money. We didn’t do the Sky Pod, simulators, or games, and didn’t buy food or souvenirs, and still spent C$21.49 each.

Fun fact, though -- on the way back down, the glass elevator drops at the same speed as a military parachute.

Rating
Catch it if you can.
If you are in Toronto and have time to check out the tourist attractions, I definitely recommend adding the CN Tower to your list of stops. Still, as amazing as the view is, I would have been ok with not having gotten to go. Don't go to any superhuman lengths to go, in other words, but if you have the oppurtunity? Take it.

The rest of the Internet
The Wikipedia entry.
Pictures of the Tower at Flikr.
A picture of the tower getting struck by lightning.

Cooper Station Post Office

93 4th Ave.
New York, NY 10003

You should know

My wonderful boyfriend got me a wonderful tshirt  for my birthday. Sadly, it didn't fit. More sadly, he lives in another state, so I had to handle the return for him. More sadly still, the company from which he bought the shirt is in Canada.

According to the USPS website, Cooper Station Post Office is the post office closest to my apartment. It's a short, mostly pleasant walk to a round, mostly pleasant building.

Not wanting to waste my time, or the time of federal employees, I went to one of, at my count, three side tables that are filled with envelopes and extra forms. I examined these, and selected and international envelope, which I carefully read. It noted that I would need to fill out a customs slip, so I did that as well.

My package neatly set up, I went to the postage machine. It weighed my package in at 5 oz, and printed up a nice little stamp for me. I affixed it to the envelope, and, customs form in hand, noted that the mailbox was strictly for domestic letters that did not cost 39 cents.

I approached the postal worker to ask if I had to stand in line just to hand the thing over. He told me that my postage was insufficient for the envelope, but I could purchase a plain envelope if I was willing to stand in line twice. I realized I had no choice, and hopped in line.

The line was relatively short and moved quickly. However, at least three times, the postal worker I spoke to gave a speech to the people in line, notifying them that if they had one of several transactions he proceeded to list (buying stamps, sending domestic letters, etc), they did not have to get in line. The speech seemed pretty idiotic, but it was nice not to have idiots in line. At least two people ducked out of line after these speeches, so it made the lines shorter -- always a plus.

The line had one of those nice displays that dings whenever a counter is free and displays the counter number. It even has an arrow pointing to the counter in question, for the confused postal customer.

Once everything was properly packaged, I affixed the stamp I had bought and took the package and the customs form and returned to the line. The woman I dealt with was polite, but there were a few snags.

First, her scale did not weigh my package the same as the one at the postage machine. We agreed that I would have to pay the difference (24 cents, no big deal), and then she rang it up for the full price a second time by accident. Once that was cleared up, I paid her for my envelope and additional postage, and was on my way.

I arrived home an hour after I left.

So?

It seems silly to not offer the plain envelopes with the priority mail envelopes. They are a specific brand, so it would be easy enough to tell if a person brought his or her own. If the postal service is worried about them getting stolen, I wonder why they don't worry about the priority mail envelopes getting stolen. In fact, I could have stolen the envelope anyway: the woman at the first window did not charge me, and the woman at the second window was surprised that I had not yet paid. I'm not about to steal from the federal government and then brag about it on the Internet, though, so rest assured: they have my 49 cents.

The primary postal worker I dealt with was polite and helpful but brusque. From what I saw, he did his job well. As an aside, though he completely rocked the ponytail, I hope he realizes that it does not hide the fact that his hair is thinning. If he does, more power to him. If he does not... well, no matter to me.

I really liked the display for the line. However, I noticed that at least one counter did not show up; instead, the postal worker had to guide a customer to a window that was never displayed. Hopefully they will get that fixed. The system was otherwise efficient.

All the scales should be identically calibrated. To do otherwise is inconvenient and unfair to the customers, and it looked to be inconvenient and unfair to the workers, as well, or at least the worker I dealt with.

And if you can buy a stamp to Canada without getting in line, you should be able to mail the package without getting in line. Otherwise, the machine isn't saving anybody anything.

Rating

For life experiences: tolerable, but unpleasant. For post offices: good but not great.
I've been to better post offices, but I've been to much, much worse ones as well. Bring your own envelope if at all possible, and don't bother buying your stamp ahead of time if you're just going to get in line anyway.

The rest of the Internet

The Village Voice printed an article about the NYU dorms to be built around the post office.
visual.resistance got a nice shot of the building after a thorough coat of graffiti. It wasn't this bad when I went.
Wikipedia has a brief entry.