The last few moments of New York - not so great. We arrived early and went to the gate printed on our boarding passes. About 10 minutes before take off time we ask what is up and the flight had been changed to a different gate. Had we not asked, I might be writing a much nastier message. Also, there was only one bathroom on the whole concourse and it was closed for repairs for all but the final seconds before we boarded. Ugg. Off to North Carolina now for the holidays and working bathrooms.

Susie told us about the Corner Bistro in a comment and we wanted to check it out today, but missed it and thought all is lost.  As luck would have it, we had dinner tonight with two awesome folks that live here in Manhattan (Ken and Stephanie) and you guessed it- we went to the Corner Bistro, which lived up to all the hype. It's crowded, noisy, the service is spotty, the urinals in the bathroom are way too close together and the food is served on paper plates, but damn those burgers are oh-so-thick-n-tasty.

 The great company rounded out the night too.  Like AJ and Andrew, Ken and Stephanie were a wealth of sage travel advice.  I feel like we have learned so much from hanging out with people here and we are very thankful.  I'm hoping Sachi will follow up this post (likely our last in NY) with the notes she took tonight.

• Always leave the room with what you'll need for the whole day- you never know how long you may be gone.
• Come back to the room with a bottle of water and some snacks, you never know how long you will be there.
• Don't try too hard to see/do everything you can.  An afternoon nap can do wonders. 
• Find a map of the city and transit system early and learn how the system works as soon as you can.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Today was so fun. We started rushing to White Plains for a meeting with just seconds to spare and making the train we needed from Grand Central Station, which seemed very New York, with husle and bustle.

Coming back to the city, we met up with AJ and Andrew at a little Mexican Joint called Mi Nidito, very cool.  AJ and Andrew, from YourInnerVagabond, have done a ton of travel had tons of stories of practical advice.  As we left, they gave us a couple items that, to outsiders may seem funny, but meant a lot to us.  Along with a list of travel wisdom called "The Tao of Travel" and a handful of safety pins and rubber bands- truly practical items for the road.

From dinner we went to the Christmas spectacle at 30 Rockefeller Center.  I can't imagine a Christmas in NY without a visit.

On a whim, we went down to Greenwich Village and the serenipity began.  We ended up on an industrial street called Little West and saw a couple of doors with no sign, but a bar and people inside.  We walked in, sat down, and ordered a drink.  We aked the Bartender about the name of the place and, no shit, this is what he said...

"Yeah, this bar doesn't really have a name.  We've only been open for 4 months and we want to keep the opens open for the nest idea.  Only the local west village people know about it, I'm suprised you found it."  We knew we had found the right place.

After a too-expensive drink or two, we walked up Hudson and met a guy on the corner who happended to be from LA and looking to hang out, so we hung out with Jim for a beer and came home.

All in all, a great time with great people, all of which were out to have a good time.  We do love New York.