New York City

I went to New York City for the second time in November, 2010, for work. We had two days of intensive meetings and very little free time. However, I did my best with the little time I had and hit some highlights.

On Monday night, my country music counterpart, Chitquita, and I walked to Central Park and enjoyed the fall colors. The season was just past peak, so still gorgeous. We leaned on the railing and watched kids ice skating. I enjoyed the little glimpses of the city from the park, skyscrapers towering over the red and yellow trees.

We then walked to Rockefeller Center and saw the gigantic Christmas tree adorned in scaffolding. It was to be lit two days after we left the city. We also ran into Radio City Music Hall, which already had its Christmas decorations up.

We took a cab to Battery Park at the southern tip of the island and enjoyed the Statue of Liberty from afar. Seeing her lit up at night lifted the spirits. On the way back, we drove past Ground Zero and Times Square.

We ate at Gigino’s in Wagner Park. I had a pasta dish with broccoli and chicken, and a rosé wine. It was a touch bland, but good.

Tuesday was filled with HR meetings. We ended the day at Amsterdam Billiards in Manhattan’s East Side. We played pool, beer pong, and ping pong. My team won second place, no thanks to me and my horrible basement game skills. If there had been foosball, I could have helped, but alas, no such luck.

On Wednesday, we finished a round of meetings and went to the Museum of Modern Art. I was happy to get in free just for being a Sony employee. I was thrilled to see Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night in person. I don’t care how cliché it is; I love that painting.

We saw Picassos, Pollocks, Dalis, Matisses, and gigantic Monets. We then used the car service to head to the airport and make the flight home, exhausted.

It was a great glimpse of the Big Apple.

Philadelphia: Rum Bar

We traveled to Philadelphia October 8 – 13, 2010. On Saturday night, we ran out of daytime activities and wandered to Village Whiskey, a speakeasy-type bar with great, but pricey, cocktails. We each had two, but in preservation of our wallets, we decided to leave in the hopes we could find a pub with better prices.

Just around the corner was what became our favorite place in Philly: Rum Bar. The music was quiet, the bar was packed, and the drinks were good and well priced. We sat at the bar, though that is not usually my favorite place, because there was no seating to be had.

Soon we began talking to the bartenders, Zack, Katie, and Vena. We talked with two girls about the pitfalls of Facebook and Twitter and sympathized with the girl next to me, Kris, over having a bad date. The drinks kept coming and I got friendlier and friendlier. Antics and hilarity ensued.

I had the elusive great bar experience. I've never had so much fun at a bar. I think the main reason—other than the fun people, of course—was the fact that I could actually hear them talking. In Nashville, bars are LOUD. You have to scream in each other’s ears to be heard, so I usually give up trying to interact. But here, we talked and laughed easily.

Despite the fact that Sunday I felt absolutely TERRIBLE on my hiking and canoe trips, we actually returned on Tuesday night to toast off our last night in Philly. We had a blast and were greeted like old friends.

I want to go back to Philly just so I can go to the Rum Bar!