Meet Genebie aka ebz.  We met freshman year of college in philosophy class, and soon after she became one of my best friends ever.  Deeeeeeeeeeeep.  ebz recently made the big move to the big apple, so as Cali transplants we’ve decided to spend the next week or so exploring the basic need-to-knows about New York (well, I’m not a real transplant since I’m only living here for a few weeks…does that make me an implant?)

Yesterday we met up at 10am (the earliest I’ve been up this whole time out here!) and took the long trainride from Harlem to Coney Island, the infamous amusement park/faire in south Brooklyn.  NY mornings are great…I really need to start waking up to them, instead of falling asleep to them.

Coney Island has a lot of character.  In a lot of ways, that’s pretty much all it has…eroded buildings, sketchy hot dog stands, every other business shut down, broken glass all up in the sand at the beach, random old man in a tutu waving a lifeguard’s pole around like a magic wand…but at the same time it’s what people go for.  It’s a reminder that not everything in this world can be the squeaky-clean Disneyland atmosphere that we’ve come to expect as a status quo.  Unfortunately, there are plans to tear down half the park and replace it with condos as early as next year.  I suppose the greatest enemy to history is the future.

While walking along the beach we came across this crazy building that looked like it had been emptied out.  It was dark inside and the walls were peeling in all ways possible. “What could someone turn that building into that would bring business but still have an old school feel?” asked ebz.

Oh snap!  It’s a skating rink!

As you can probably tell from the photos, it wasn’t the sunniest day yesterday.  In fact, the clouds loomed over the shore and kept getting blacker and blacker.  We fought the chances, despite the forecast of scattered thunderstorms.  Before all the thunder and lighting and rain though, it was actually quite nice…humid and hot, but bearable.  We bounced out right before it started pouring.

Creepy pictures of the creepy dude at the subway playing creepy music to creepy dolls dancing creepily:

To avoid the rain we tried to catch Dark Knight but the shit’s still sold out!  Malarchy, I say!  So despite the fact that we had been eating all day, I decided to take ebz to Malecon, the spot I have to go to at least once each time I’m in the city.  It’s Ruby’s favorite place, and for good reason (oh us poor Californians, deprived of Dominican food).

The staples: Snapper in red sauce, rice and beans, and sweet plantains.  Enough to feed to world travelers with the munchies.