What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Fading Fast]

Have you seen the movie? I honestly thought of you and the comments you've made about how the tourists love to come for a "small town" experience, only they don't want a real small town with its real character, they want an antique mall with a Starbucks and $9 cupcake shop on every corner.

There is a counterpart to that in NYC, in that I know tourists who come here and look to shop in the same stores they have in the suburbs, eat in the same chain restaurants and see the "big" Broadway shows, many of which are created and marketed purely for the tourist trade. It is no surprise that Time Square - a tourist mecca - has an incredible concentration of chain restaurants versus the rest of the city. Even in the museum trade, you see tourist only going for the big exhibits at the big name museums where NYC has an incredible number of small museums that have exhibits that don't travel and you will only see here.

Somebody who wanted a more distinct NYC experience would hunt out the small shops with unique offerings, the niche restaurants that serve an interesting or different take on a type of cuisine and the off and off-off Broadway theatre where you can see up and coming actors, writers, directors, etc., doing non-homeginized work.

I had a very distant relative come in who only wanted to eat in NYC's Capital Grill steakhouse because he loves the one in his hometown. I tried - gently - to encourage him to try one of NYC historic steakhouses - some that are still in their 100 or 75 year old original location and building, but all he wanted to do was go to Capital Grill.

To each his own - and everyone should do what they want. It just makes me sad that so many people pass up what I sincerely believe would be a more interesting and enjoyable experience, but again, that's just my view.

 

[Worf]

^^^^ Great post. I experienced this first hand when friends visited from Australia... Hard to shake em of those notions they had about certain things they had to have or do. I didn't mind most of the "touristy stuff" but some of it was a little tough to take. I did love taking them to Shea (its been a while) for a baseball game and then driving them 5 hours to Niagara Falls, I never get tired of those two things, even though Shea is gone... (sniff)!

Worf

 

[Fading Fast]

^^^^ Great post. I experienced this first hand when friends visited from Australia... Hard to shake em of those notions they had about certain things they had to have or do. I didn't mind most of the "touristy stuff" but some of it was a little tough to take. I did love taking them to Shea (its been a while) for a baseball game and then driving them 5 hours to Niagara Falls, I never get tired of those two things, even though Shea is gone... (sniff)!

Worf

Agreed, there are certain "touristy" things that are really fun to do and, IMHO, part of the NYC experience. The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park and the Met are just a few almost must sees (and, in NY writ large, I loved my time in Niagara Falls - it is incredibly beautiful and a bit overwhelming to see in person) - and when I travel, I usually have a list of "touristy" things I want to see (if I ever get to Paris, darn right I want to see the Eiffel Tower), but I also try to get some feel of the "real" place / how the locals experience it / what unique things it has to offer off the beaten path.

I think you and I, as usual, are on the same page - sure, there are some really neat touristy things to do in most places, but try to enjoy / experience the real local flavor as well.

 

[HudsonHawk]

I think you and I, as usual, are on the same page - sure, there are some really neat touristy things to do in most places, but try to enjoy / experience the real local flavor as well.

Agreed. Nothing wrong with doing touristy things, many of them are really cool, which is why they're popular with tourists. But don't miss out on the great local things either. A classic example: I love Santa Fe, NM. It's one of my favorite cities in the world in which to eat. The local flavor is fantastic. My parents-in-law were going there for something or other, and I gave them all kinds of recommendations on great restaurants, cafes, burger joints...you name it. So when they got back, I asked them how they liked the food. My FIL says "it was good, not much different than we get here though." I said "really? where did you eat?" He says "Olive Garden". D'oh!!

 

[Worf]

^^^^^ Ack!!!!! Choke!!!!! (passes out on the floor)!

I've managed to avoid that particular chain my entire life!

Worf

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've gotten better Italian food at a gas station.

 

[HudsonHawk]

^^^^^ Ack!!!!! Choke!!!!! (passes out on the floor)!

I've managed to avoid that particular chain my entire life!

Worf

I'm not here to knock Olive Garden...if people like it, go for it. But when you're in one of the most unique restaurant cities in the country...really? I suppose there's some comfort in knowing exactly what you're going to get. Even if it's bad.

 

[Fading Fast]

I'm not here to knock Olive Garden...if people like it, go for it. But when you're in one of the most unique restaurant cities in the country...really? I suppose there's some comfort in knowing exactly what you're going to get. Even if it's bad.

Here's the thing (how's that for a trite phrase), with the internet, even a first-time tourist can find good, unique Italian restaurants at any price point in this city. There are some incredibly inexpensive places offering interesting food, there are great mid-level places that have a history alone to make them worthwhile, to some expensive, but not insane that are outstanding and, of course, some ridiculously high-end ones that almost make you think they are worth it (and for a special night, they can be).

Whatever you like - it's here. I have nothing against Olive Garden (I've never eaten in one, but assume it's probably the equivalent of TGI Friday's but for Italian food), but can't image wasting a night in NYC at one. As a New Yorker for over twenty years, we truly don't make fun of tourists in general, and they are an incredible boost to the economy, but we do make fun of them for going into Olive Garden or Outback or any of those places - not as a snooty price thing (many New Yorkers never hit the high-end places as, as noted, there are plenty of great budget offerings), but for a lack of imagination and adventure.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Here's the thing (how's that for a trite phrase), with the internet, even a first-time tourist can find good, unique Italian restaurants at any price point in this city.

This would be great advice for my FIL...if he had the internet. Kinda funny how we now just assume that anyone can get online and look something up. At any rate, it wouldn't be so bad except I TOLD him where to go. It wasn't a lack of knowlege that sent him to the OG, it was a mindset of "I can't go there, I've never been before." Not that I'm one of those people who refuse to eat anything that wasn't cooked by a bearded hipster in the back of a van, but it's not like I was sending him to a street cart in the red light district in Bangkok either.

 

[Fading Fast]

This would be great advice for my FIL...if he had the internet. Kinda funny how we now just assume that anyone can get online and look something up. At any rate, it wouldn't be so bad except I TOLD him where to go. It wasn't a lack of knowlege that sent him to the OG, it was a mindset of "I can't go there, I've never been before." Not that I'm one of those people who refuse to eat anything that wasn't cooked by a bearded hipster in the back of a van, but it's not like I was sending him to a street cart in the red light district in Bangkok either.

I do make the internet assumption - my bad - but most libraries offer free access which would seem a good place to do pre-trip research.

Anyway, don't feel bad, I offered to treat a relative I hardly know to a dinner at Peter Lugars, the Palm or Keen's Chophouse - all classic, vintage NYC steakhouses housed in their original locations. The history of the physical restaurant alone makes the trip worthwhile; however, the quality of the meal and service (albeit steakhouse service) is top notch and each has its own unique twist on its menu.

All he wanted was to go to Capital Grill which is housed in the lobby of a modern office tower, had ersatz "old" paintings and cheesy Board of Directors decor and a generic offering of a good but nothing incredible food (the exact same food he gets in his local Capital Grill). And here's the final kicker - it cost at least as much as the other places.

To each his own.

 

[HudsonHawk]

All he wanted was to go to Capital Grill which is housed in the lobby of a modern office tower, had ersatz "old" paintings and cheesy Board of Directors decor and a generic offering of a good but nothing incredible food (the exact same food he gets in his local Capital Grill). And here's the final kicker - it cost at least as much as the other places.

To each his own.

Is the one in NYC the original and perhaps different than the chains? For example, Carrabba's is a popular Italian chain owned by Outback, but the original restaurant is here in Houston and is not part of the chain. It's still owned by the original family and the menu and quality of food is orders of magnitude better.

 

[Fading Fast]

The original Palm is part of the chain and has a similar menu to the others, but the building is the original and the staff exhibit a pride in that, that distinguishes it (I've been to other Palms, they are not the same) from the others. Also, I believe it is still owned by the original or second owners - not a large corporation.

 

[Zombie_61]

...I have nothing against Olive Garden (I've never eaten in one, but assume it's probably the equivalent of TGI Friday's but for Italian food)...

Going to Olive Garden for authentic Italian food is like going to Taco Bell for authentic Mexican food. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with eating at either establishment if a person likes the food they serve, but if that person wants the "genuine article" they need to look elsewhere.

By the way, I've been married to a full-blooded Italian woman for more than 33 years, and I've lived in southern California my entire life (53 years and counting), so I have a great deal of experience with both Italian and Mexican foods.

 

[Stearmen]

Thought I was on the wrong thread at first! I watched Lost In Space. took me three days, it is that bad!

 

[hatguy1]

Going to Olive Garden for authentic Italian food is like going to Taco Bell for authentic Mexican food. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with eating at either establishment if a person likes the food they serve, but if that person wants the "genuine article" they need to look elsewhere.

By the way, I've been married to a full-blooded Italian woman for more than 33 years, and I've lived in southern California my entire life (53 years and counting), so I have a great deal of experience with both Italian and Mexican foods.

:focus:, please.

 

[Zombie_61]

:focus:, please.

Oh, sure, single me out for digressing. :Cry:

 

[Fading Fast]

Oh, sure, single me out for digressing. :Cry:

I didn't want to say anything, but you really didn't talk about a movie (ignore my last several posts please ). You did seem to unfairly take the hit for all of us. That said, I operate under the premise that if Lizzie is participating, then it is okay.

To help put us back o track: I watched "The Shinning Hour" a 1938 movie in which Joan Crawford plays a successful and wealthy nightclub singer who marries the son of a wealthy mid-west family where some in the family thinks he married beneath him. He brings her back to the family compound and the story descends into a soap opera of unhappy marriages, implied extramarital affairs, sibling rivalry and some local class warfare.

It was okay, but nothing more, but Margaret Sullavan shines as the wife of one of the wealthy family's sons. She, IMHO, was more convincing and natural than Joan Crawford was in her role. I've always enjoyed Ms. Sullavan in the few movies I've seen her in - "The Mortal Storm" and "Shop Around the Corner" - as she has that Spencer Tracy quality where she doesn't seem to be acting at all.

 

[1mach1]

A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)

 

[HudsonHawk]

I didn't want to say anything, but you really didn't talk about a movie (ignore my last several posts please ). You did seem to unfairly take the hit for all of us. That said, I operate under the premise that if Lizzie is participating, then it is okay.

I operate under the premise that it's okay until someone appoints himself Deputy Barney Fife and nips it in the bud.

 

[LizzieMaine]

This thread has gone on for almost two thousand pages without anyone whining about it digressing, so I don't think anybody's going to start worrying about it now.

Saw a live-to-tape recording of the recent Broadway production of "Of Mice and Men." Tell me again about the rabbits, George.