Thursday, November 10, 2011

Bucket list

So, about that bucket list. I didn't know what a bucket list was till I moved to the States. Lots of people, at least on TV, have them here. It is a list of everything you want to do before you kick the bucket.

Here's Andy's bucket list, from Parks and Rec (a show which is very high on the list of things we will miss in the UK):

[I hear this clip doesn't play in the UK, where Parks and Rec has yet to land. Sorry - and you're missing out on a great show. But FYI this clip is just a dufus running through his bucket list which includes things like 'outrun a hippo' and 'remake the movie Kazam! with Shaquille O'Neal playing a genie, and get it right'. I assume you get the picture.]

Mine isn't so much a 'before I kick the bucket' list. It's more a 'before I leave the US' list.

Now, to be clear, it's not like we're leaving for ever. We'll be back in the country a decent amount, I know. In fact, if we had a dollar for every time we daydreamed about a little holiday trailer in Paradise Cove we'll be spending half the year in sunny California.

Still, till the Malibu daydream comes true they might be flying visits (for me at least), and I'll be too busy catching up with people to really do anything. Plus at some point we'll have kids in tow. So the next couple of months represent my best window of opportunity to work my way through the bucket list.

I picked up last week's Time Out, thinking it might help me with the list, make sure I don't miss anything brilliant.

It did not help. It was full of things like 'Best place to kiss a stranger' and 'Best warehouse party'. My New York bucket list has a slightly dorkier vibe:
  1. Go and see Coney Island
  2. Spend a little time in Brooklyn. Park Slope to be precise (have done Williamsburg).
  3. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Hmmm, could kill two birds with one stone there.
  4. Go to a DQ - done!
  5. Visit the Intrepid. This one's for TLOML. It's only ten minutes away and he'd really like it.
  6. Drink at the Chelsea Hotel - could be tough, that one...
  7. See something, anything, at the Lincoln Center
  8. Get to the bottom of the water tower thing. Why are there so many? (More on this later).
  9. Mooch around the galleries of Chelsea. There are about 8 on my block alone, and the Gagosian is just around the corner. Shame on me for passing them by every day.
  10. Bang on the bonnet of a car in the road and shout 'Hey! I'm walking here!'
What am I missing? It seems a little short. Am I really so jaded that I can skip the Statue of Liberty and live with myself? Probably. But I'd hate to miss some quintessential New York experiences. Bucket list suggestions please...

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