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New York - February 2024

Steven I

17 Feb 2024 • 8 min read

Not only was this time to explore the city, it has been years since I have been here, but we were also excited to make an appointment to experience the Apple Vision Pro.

We stayed in Tribeca and it was a lovely. So much food to be found around Soho, Tribeca and Chinatown. Shopping was plentiful and the hotel was located on two subway lines which made it super easy to get up to midtown and all the shows, 4 to be exact this trip!

We also took some time to walk around Financial District. So many pockets of interesting buildings and architecture. I really forgot how much the city has to offer if you like wandering around.

Apple Vision Pro

We booked a demo at the Apple Store

We each booked a Vision Pro demo at the Apple Store SoHo yesterday and got to try on the new technology.

Is it for early adopters, yes. Is it for the masses, probably not at that price point. But damn, it is super cool and super fun to use.

The demo is guided by an employee and they teach you how to set up eye tracking and use the navigation which is using your eyes. Where you look is what will highlight and you lightly tap your fingers to select. It’s different but I picked it up pretty quick.

The screen inside the goggles is awesome. The transition between what you see in the pass through to your media content is so neat. Things fade in and out. We learned how to scroll, place windows and change different view settings.

We experienced the 3D images and movies. I’m excited to play 360 videos that I can take and watch tv and movies fully immersed.

What you didn’t get to experience is the keyboard, walking around, and viewing your desktop. I want to be able to work with it and I didn’t get to try that out.

Will we get one? Probably yes. Will we get two? Probably yes. It is a very personalized experience. You have to get proper sizing to fit your face and Brad will have to get the inserts that allow him to view without glasses.

Will we use regularly? If it works well for work, then probably yes. But I can even see myself using it to watch movies and tv from bed or possibly when travelling. I don’t know how fatigue will set in after an hour of use but time will tell.

My thoughts are that this is not a product for the masses. It’s for early adopters and Apple will make a more attainable version for everyone once they figured out what will be used the most by users. The Vision will evolve and a non pro version will appear that will appeal to everyone.

One tidbit, the employee did tell me that you will be able to connect Bluetooth controllers for gaming, which will make gaming nice for regular games and even laptop game usage.

My cousin asked me how it compared to Meta 3. I use the meta solely for working out so I will definitely keep that Meta, and I won’t be working out with the Vision. The visuals are a Lexus (Apple) vs a Toyota (Meta). Both enjoyable and reliable, but you will get a better ride with the Lexus.

Activities

Make Me Gorgeous

A one man show starring Jackie Cox from Drag Race. It was cute, a bit wordy, but I was definitely entertained. Here is the description from the play:

Make Me Gorgeous! is the fabulous and incredible true story of Kenneth Marlowe, an oft-overlooked trailblazer in LGBTQ history. Described as one of mid-Century America’s gayest and most openly homosexual personalities, Marlowe took on many roles in life. Kenneth was private hairdresser to the stars; the madam of a notorious gay prostitution ring in Hollywood; an author; a hustler; a female impersonator; a private in the U.S. Army, a call boy; a Christian missionary, a mortuary cosmetologist; a newspaper columnist … and for the final decade of an incredibly lived life, Marlowe was a woman, having transitioned to become Kate Marlow.

Moulin Rouge: The Musical

A last minute decision to go to Moulin Rouge: The Musical. What a fun show!

The story was told using music and mashups from a wide variety of songs from Bad Romance to Love is a Battlefield. A musical comprised of songs I know make the show that much more enjoyable… just like &Juliet.

The set design was exceptional, beautifully done and orchestrated. Boy George played Harold Zidler which added to the fun of the show. Although none of his songs were in the musical, at the end they did a mashup and of course included Do You Really Want to Hurt Me and Karma Chameleon sung by Boy George.

Note: I took great pleasure saying to Brad at the end of the show, loud enough so the chick could hear me: “Some girl was scrolling on her phone in the second half.” Yes, she heard me and yes, they gave me dirty looks, but as we continued to walk about but don’t be rude to the performers and the people next to you.

Back to the Future: The Musical

My expectations were low, but I was amazed by how fun I had at this musical. The stage is pretty amazing and we really enjoyed the special effects. This one is coming to Toronto, so hopefully they bring the car and all it’s magic.

Titanique

I hadn’t heard much about this musical, but it has all the elements that one would love, especially for a gay… except for maybe Frankie Grande. I wasn’t overly enthused that he replaced Willam.

This musical is based on the story of Titanic… but told from the point of view of Celine Dion. It was freaking awesome, campy and fun. It is full of pop culture references, thankfully I’m not old enough that I didn’t get all the references.

There is one point where they ask someone in the audience their name, where they are from and point out what they are wearing, in our case, he was Zak from Dallas in a Nasa shirt. Well, Celine then continues to sing a song based on the above information and it was so funny and I was suspicious if it was a plant. I have been asking friends who have seen the show and it is completely random from what I have investigated.

All the cast was great but the highlight of the show for me was the person playing Rose’s mom… they were amazing.

Celine was absolutely awesome, not only cold she sing, she had every Celine mannerism and her comedy was on point.

Food

Hamburger America

Located in Soho, I found this place on TikTok. It was busy, but not too busy that we couldn’t find a seat. The burger was very straight forward, meat, cheese, grilled with onions and a super soft bun. I thought it was great, I got the double. It was a pure and simple smash burger.

Junior’s

We needed something fast and simple between picking up show tickets for the evening at TKTS. We got on the wait list for Junior’s close to the theatre and the timing worked out perfectly, no wait at all and we were in and out in 45 minutes.

The Grey Dog - Nolita

A cute breakfast place somewhat close to us for a reliable breakfast and great service. I went healthy, I added blueberries to my pancakes.

And yes, I was man spreading and almost had a runner fall over my foot that I didn’t think was out as far as it was, with a tray of meals. We recovered and avoided disaster.

Bubby’s

We needed an easy and close brunch on our last day in the city so Brad found a brunch place named Bubby’s. It was close but wasn’t that easy. The line up was quite long but we waited it out… and it was quicker than expected. We too a bar seat and jumped ahead of probably 20 people waiting for a table.

The food was quite delicious, I didn’t have the pancakes despite the image, that was Brad’s. I had pancakes the day before, but Brad let me try and these were way better. I had an omelette, a combination of ingredients that I have never heard of… bacon, cheddar, and apple. In an omelette! And it was delicious.

Travel Details

Sheraton Tribeca

I’m really happy with this hotel choice. Location, so many restaurants in Soho, Tribeca and Chinatown. We also have easy access to the subway which gets us up to the shows in 11 minutes of subway time. They also have a great view of the city from the rooftop terrace.

Flights by United

No issues even with the unruly weather.

Random Thoughts

I bought a bottle of baby sunscreen and it is now my travel go to. No more burning eyes!