Weekend Update: Polo vs. Polo, and Why it is a poor idea to ride a bike in the mountains with no sleep
Oops… looks like I didn’t update my blog last week. Sorry guys. Truthfully, I have an excuse. I wasn’t lounging about by my (non-existent) pool, drinking (calorie filled) pina coladas, and (okay maybe a little) napping all day. In fact, this week I actually took the opportunity to get hardcore about my job search. I sent out a bunch of resumes. On the writing side, I’ve had a million story ideas and I’m trying to put them all into words these days. So its been a busy week. But fear not, I’m back…for now.
Thursday, August 13th – Bike Polo
(c) Alaina Morgan, 2009
So lets start with Thursday. Its not really part of the weekend, but in some parts active bar hopping does start on Thursday nights so I suppose its an honorary weekend day.
I met my friend Marci in Chinatown (and as an aside, why is it that EVERY time you get out of the subway at Grand Street and Broome Street it just smells like something crawled into a corner and died? I just don’t understand it) to go see my very first game of hardcourt (or urban) bike polo. Hardcourt bike polo you say? What the hell is that? Well, its actually pretty cool. There are two teams each with three players. Each player has a beat up bike with short handlebars, and a homemade mallet consisting of a ski-pole stuffed into some kind of open ended tubing. The goal is to get a street hockey ball through the “goals” – really traffic cones – on either side of the court. Protective headwear is optional. Rules are minimal.
Pile-up. (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
The game is rowdy, with a hefty scent of testosterone (or man-sweat, whatever you want to call it) in the air, but it was good natured. Body-to-body, mallet-to-mallet, and bike-crashing into-bike contact are both expected and welcomed.
It was really kind of cool. Especially since I heard that even though it only street messengers used to play urban bike polo, now, all kinds of cyclists are getting into the sport. That includes long distance touring cyclists like yours truly. Hm.. will you see me out on the bike polo court? Perhaps, but frankly I think my shins are a little weak to get wonked with a homemade bike mallet, and I like my trusty steed way too much.
Saturday, August 15th – Why it is a Poor Idea to Ride in the Mountains After Not Sleeping
Bear Mountain. (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
I have ridden my bike with a hangover before, and that is why I have never done it since. On a 90 degree day it causes jelly legs, dehydration, dizziness, and skin tingling about 10 miles into a hilly ride. I did it once on a ride with my friends Sharon and Robin last year and I learned my lesson. Lots of sleep and water for me before a ride, especially a hilly one.
After cycling for three years, you’d think I would know better, but apparently not sleeping at all, whether or not one has imbibed any liquor apparently has the same exact effects. As Sharon wisely pointed out yesterday, I might as well have just gone out and had fun since the net effect is apparently exactly the same.
Anyway, I planned to go on a ride with my old cycling team up to Bear Mountain. I’ve never done that ride before, but its supposed to be beautiful, but very very hilly (more on that later). Our plan was to ride our bikes up to Garrison or Cold Spring, NY.
Enormous Hill. (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
When I got out of bed (note I didn’t say “woke up”), I had qualms about going. My heart rate was a little erratic and I was a bit dehydrated, but my major concern was that Sharon was going to make fun of me for not showing up, so I felt like I had to go. So I got on my bike, and before I even got over the bridge to meet everyone I already felt terrible. My legs weren’t cooperating, it was already incredibly hot and humid, and I took it as a bad sign that by the time I got the approximately 9 miles from my house to the bike shop I had already drank one entire bottle of Cytomax.
So we rode on, and I was just so far behind. I just couldn’t keep up. My friend Joe stayed back with me for the first 20 miles, until we met our teammates at the Runcible Spoon Bakery in Nyack, NY (which by the way, is constantly recommended by various cycling magazines as “the place to go” in Nyack, but frankly, I think it is completely overplayed. It takes a million hours to use the bathroom there, and the only benefit is that they have their free water outside in Gatorade jugs so that you don’t have to bother them for it behind the counter).
Anyway, I should have turned back at 20 miles. Had I frankly understood how hilly the next 20 miles were, I probably would have gone sprinting back home the way I came. But no, because I am an idiot I thought to myself, “well, I can go the 20 miles back home, or I can just keep riding for 20 miles and take the train back…what’s the difference really.” Well the difference was that I basically felt like dying at several points throughout the day after that 20 mile mark. Just to put this in perspective. I just did a triathlon with a moderately hilly bike course, and I felt like I rocked it, I have done four century rides, two of which were in Lake Tahoe (and included a 8 mile long and steady climb).
View of the Hudson from Garrison. (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
Anyway, the moral of the story is — don’t get on your bike to a place with limited bail out points, especially if said place is in the mountains, if you have gotten zero sleep. The end.
Sunday, August 16th – Horse Polo
Colts Neck Polo. (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
I suppose this weekend has been a sport filled one for me, because on Sunday Kelly and I went to see the Colts Neck Polo game, in none other than Colts Neck, NJ. Here’s where the title of this blog entry — Polo vs. Polo becomes evident. I went to Bike Polo on Thursday and Horse Polo on Sunday.
I really never knew that there was even polo in Monmouth County, but apparently there are five teams in New Jersey. This weekend Colts Neck played Tinicum Park, and unfortunately lost. Tinicum is allegedly rated higher so I suppose its not a surprise, but one likes to see ones “team” win. At any rate, I think Kelly and I were good sports considering that it was 95 degrees outside, and we were ill prepared. Apparently people tailgate for these things and bring drinks and chairs and what have you. Here’s a tip – do not try to go searching for a beach chair in rural New Jersey minutes before your polo match starts because you will not find one. Anyway, we have found a new favorite sport, which I will add to joining the circus, playing bike polo, cycling, and training for triathlons.
Museum of the Week: The Museum of the City of New York
Starburst on the floor in the foyer of the Museum of the City of New York, (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
A couple of weeks ago, the Real Estate-trix and I went to the Museum of the City of New York for their Speakeasy Wednesdays. We got a glimpse at the first floor museum galleries, and the interior of the building, which (as much as I hate to admit it) would be absolutely perfect for a wedding that spilled out onto the front balcony.
Although the exhibit didn’t provide access to the ongoing exhibitions, which include the museum’s collection of toys and New York City interiors, the three rotating exhibits were still plenty to see after drinking a very strong Cosmopolitan at the Speakeasy.
George Loring Brown, View of Central Park, 1862
Ever wondered what Manhattan looked like before someone came by and leveled it, only to replace its babbling brooks and ancient trees with skyscrapers and homeless guys. Well wonder no longer. The Museum of the City of New York’s Manhattan/Manahatta exhibit provides an in depth examination of what each of New York City’s neighborhoods looked like before they were developed, and then developed again, and then leveled and developed again. Like did you know that Murray Hill was actually, um… a hill. Or, that streams and estuaries used to abound on Manhattan Island? Yeah, I knew you didn’t.
Hendrik Kerstens, Napkin, 2009.
At first, I didn’t expect the Museum’s Dutch Seen exhibit to be that interesting, but thankfully I was incorrect. The unifying feature of the art that is displayed is that all of the artwork was made by contemporary Dutch artists. I am not an enormous fan of modern art, but the pieces that appear on the museum’s stock photographs of the exhibit, all done by Hendrik Kerstens this year are all intriguing. Each features a photograph of his daughter with a single white napkin on her head. If you look at it from afar, they look like colonial photographs of Dutch settlers wearing bonnets, but when you get closer you realize that the effect is created with a dinner napkin. I also enjoyed Jaap Scheeren’s photographs which attempt to recreate the discovery of Manhattan. Especially amusing is a photograph of a beaver by Jaap Scheeren. Scheeren bought the beaver on eBay for $250 and staged him in several photos in order to represent the beaver pelt as one of the key raw materials used in the New World.
Jaap Scheeren.
My least favorite was Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: The Worlds of Henry Hudson, which commemorates the 400 year anniversary of Hudson’s voyage to the area. My favorite parts of the exhibit were the 400 year old maps ad globes featured. I, along with many other people I am sure, am so fascinated by the fact that even though some things are slightly off about the maps, somehow colonial cartographers knew the basic shapes of the continents and their relationship to each other. Even though we know that the Earth isn’t flat and that the sun doesn’t revolve around the Earth now, our understanding of the shape of the continents has barely changed. The rest of the exhibit I could have left, however.
All in all, I recommend a trip to the Museum of the City of New York before the end of August to see the Mannahatta/Manhattan exhibit and the Dutch Seen exhibit, unless you absolutely abhor modern art and can’t see any way around it. And go on a Wednesday night, you’ll warm up your insides with a delicious speakeasy style beverage. Note that if you decide not to go on a Wednesday night, admission is pay-as-you wish.
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 212.534.1672.
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10:00am-5:00pm; Wednesday 10:00am-9:00pm during the summer ($12 admission)
Suggested Admission: Adults: $10; Students and Seniors: $6
Weekend Update: Road Trip on Metro-North
I’m back! This weekend I took a little trip on the New Haven line of the Metro North to Guilford, Connecticut where I visited my friends from college Danielle and Matt and their baby Brennen (who will henceforth be referred to as Mr. Doogal). We had a fabulous time, and my womb alternated between being like aaaaw…baby, and my cervix clamping closed every time I heard crying. Its currently safely clamped, thank god.
On Friday I finished taking care of business around town, which included getting a fantastic bright tangerine manicure to replace the manicure that I ruined during the NYC Triathlon. I may be unemployed, but I cannot go around looking raggedy, my mother taught me better than that. Kelly and I got on the train right after peak hours, and arrived in New Haven at about 9:30. After a meal of buffalo chicken pizza and too much red wine, we fell asleep at a decent hour and prepared to get up early to have some good old fashioned American fun.
California Sea Lion (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
Saturday morning I actually woke up at a decent hour, and after housing a cheddar bagel (amazing!), we got ready to head to Mystic, CT for the day. I went to Mystic when I was about 10 on our fifth grade graduation trip. I remember it being pretty amazing. I remember the ships with their enormous canvas sails, but my strongest memory is that of fresh hand churned pistachio ice cream being served out of a hand cart. I was amazed that it was white, and not bright green like the kind that they have at Baskin-Robbins. Growing up in Brooklyn, before the advent of any concern about natural and organic products, I had never seen anything like it. Green food dye was par for the course.
We didn’t go to the Seaport, but we did go to the Aquarium. What I was not expecting was that the aquarium is outside and it was hot as …well you know…out there. I think the kids really enjoyed it, but they were worn out by the end of the day from the heat. (And no, by kids I don’t mean me — although I really enjoyed it too). Probably my favorite parts were the beluga whales, which are around 2,500 pounds and beautiful, and the sea lion rehabilitation tank. I just think its amazing that they take in these sick animals and help them. I believe that they occasionally have other animals in the tank, but that was all they had this weekend. I normally love penguins, but they were in the water hiding from the heat and the only way to see them was by going to the underwater viewing area. I was hoping to see some fuzzy penguin babies, but to no avail. Apparently you can also meet a penguin on Sundays at 12:30, but we missed it!
Frog hiding in Lily Pads, (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009
Jellyfish. (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
As for the indoor exhibits, I found it amazing that they have bred these new phosphorescent fish. Apparently, they extract florescent compounds from coral and inject them into the fish eggs while they are still developing. The fish born from those eggs are phosphorescent, and the proteins fuse with their DNA, they pass the trait down to their children. The jellyfish were also amazing, and Kelly had a thing for the sea anemones which photograph great. Some crazy kids were putting their hands in the tank and I found myself secretly wishing they would be stung since their parents were not watching them appropriately. But then I saw some parents sticking their hands in there, and I understood why. Some people should not be able to breed. At any rate, there are also sea turtles and a new iguana in the indoor center.
Skunk Clownfish. (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
Saturday night we went to Chuck’s Steak House (West Haven, CT) and ate entirely too much beef and again drank too much petite syrah. We went back to Danielle’s house, and although we meant to hang out, we all passed out from a beef and wine induced coma. It was a bad combination — everyone had creepy dreams that night.
Volcano Sirloin at Chuck's, (c) Kelly Murphy, 2009
On Sunday morning, I woke up to Mr. Doogal and Danielle making fresh blueberry muffins. We lounged around, surfing the internet, and relaxing, and then baked chocolate chocolate chip cookies which were still warm and gooey when I bit into them. We went over to Danielle’s parents’ house where her sister was having her 27th birthday party. Three glasses of Sangria, a beef burrito, and a slice of Elmo birthday cake later, Kelly and I were on our way. And thankfully, for once I didn’t have to sprint to the train
My weekend was, as you can see, very wholesome. And I discovered, on my way home, that Pathmark on 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, has the BEST deals for groceries in the city. I mean, suburban prices. If you live on the East Side, or Morningside Heights-ish area (where you can easily take a bus cross-town), you need to get thee over there.
The last couple of days around here have been pretty low key — in my increasing age I am unable to drink as much red wine as I did last weekend and still function. Circus class on Monday, however, was absolutely amazing. I am really bad at climbing, but we did some crazy trapeze work, which I actually really enjoy.
So what’s on the agenda for this week?
- Today (Wednesday), I’m going to go see G-Force in 3D! I heard that it was awful, but I don’t care. Any movie with talking animated Guinea Pigs has to be amazing.
- On Thursday, Marci and I will be heading over to the MoMA for their Thursday extended hours and live music (which starts at 5:30) Min Xiao Pen’s Blue Pipa Trio will be playing.
- Friday I’m getting together for drinks with my friend Camille from college
- Sunday Fedak, Kelly, and I are going rafting on the Delaware Water Gap
Pretty sweet times. And as always — anything could happen.
Musings: Woodstock Reminds Me that I am Aging
So I must be living under some kind of rock, but while I was at Barnes & Noble today I just realized that its the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.
I was born in 1981, so obviously I wasn’t alive when the first Woodstock took place, but I was alive 15 years ago when they had the 25th anniversary concert. I remember this because it was 7th grade. I never miss an excuse to have a party, and I had delayed the celebration of my half-birthday, which is in March (I’m certainly NOT celebrating any half-birthday’s these days!). IN order to commemorate the occasion, I had a fabulous sleep over party with all of my tweeny bopper friends, and my parents were nice enough to let us get Woodstock on Pay-per-View. We also watched My Boyfriend’s Dead which was awful, but I believe we though that Matthew McConaughey was cute and that’s why we watched it. My parents probably would not have been so keen on us watching Woodstock it if they knew that Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon was going to be exposing himself to the crowd and people were going to be crowd surfing buck naked. I imagine it going very similarly to when my Dad came home when I was 17, and my friends and I were watching Boogie Nights. I told him it was a documentary, he didn’t buy it.
Twelve was an awkward age, and I would never want to go back to it. But there’s something to be said about when your biggest problem was the fact that a boy who peaked at 13 didn’t like you, when something as simple as watching Blind Melon on Pay-per-View or watching a crappy movie made you happy. But maybe its just a reminder to simplify my life.
Or maybe its just a fantastic memory, and just not that deep.
