Some of my favorite experiences I’ve had while living here might not
have started out as the first choice of activities for... well most people. While Coney Island,
GMA’s Backstreet Boy’s Concert, and Roosevelt Island could be described by all three words for which this blog is
entitled … I found some incredible treasures in each of these three
experiences.
Coney Island
What could sound better than an ancient amusement park with
each individual ride owned by a family of carneys that may or may not be able
to guarantee the safety of their rides? … Everything! But I spent my 23rd
Birthday in the delightful creepiness that is Coney Island – and it was
amazing!
It didn’t help the eerie atmosphere that it was a slightly
rainy day that day, which cast a dark gloom on the devilish smile of the
amusement park logo. But Coney Island is a fairly cheap way to enjoy a bunch of
fun and slightly dangerous rides! The first ride we went on, a dad was freaking
out because his child’s safety bar was wide open and the ride was about to
start. But no worries, the Coney Island folk got to it seconds before we took
off! Where’s the fun in predictable safety codes?
Then there was another ride that was supposed to be a roller
coaster resembling a horse race. We straddled the horse like any professional
jockey would, but when the safety bar pressed against our lower backs and
locked in – all of a sudden we were sitting in the most awkward position imaginable, as if the ride was originally made for a velociraptor.
We ended our incredibly unique amusement park experience
with a few carnival games, a candy apple, and a hot dog from the infamous
“Nathan’s”, which hosts the world hot dog eating competition.
GMA Backstreet Boy
Concert
Every summer, Good Morning America hosts a number of free
concerts in Central Park for their morning shows. Well it just so happened I
had moved to New York right in time for the Backstreet Boys special. Only
catch? You had to get to the park around 4 AM. Not very many of my friends were
willing to do this on a weekday/workday, but one thing I’ve learned is don’t
let the fact that no one can go with you – stop you! You can make friends when
you get there!
So as I sleepily stumbled into the park, I got to enjoy
sunrise with hundreds of people, in a line twisting all the way back through
half of the park. I shared stories with the fellow line waiters about our
backstreet boy fandom way back when. One mom brought her 5-year-old son, who
was disappointed this wasn’t a One Direction concert and that the Backstreet
Boys were … Old.
After a few hours the line got moving and (another perk of
doing things solo) I somehow managed to squeeze into the 4th or 5th
row! The Backstreet Boys came out and gave us all bagels before the show
started, and I spent the following hour singing every single word to every
single song with hundreds of strangers. Best. Day. EVER!
Roosevelt Island
The last odd and overlooked treasure I found in New York was
a little slice of an island called Roosevelt. It stands like a little strip of
bacon between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and isn’t really known for much. But I
LOVED this place!
We would play our weekly work kick ball games on this
island, and on the warm days, it became a relaxing outdoor escape from the
city. Playing kickball in green grass with the bridge and the city skyline as
your view, what more could you ask for!
Oh I can think of one more thing… Bill Murray! We totally
missed him, but apparently Bill Murray came wandering over to Roosevelt Island,
asked for directions, played a few innings of kickball with one of the teams,
and peaced out! How completely random! Just like this island!
The best part is taking the Roosevelt Island cable car back
to Manhattan, where you can get a birds eye view of the East River in all it’s
glory.
Just because it's old or odd - just means it's probably just overlooked!
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