So, yesterday was the Lego Collector's Party for Toy Fair in New York City. Being that I live nearby I headed over into Manhattan to attend, accompanied eventually by that other Andrew, Smeagol4, and later, by LehvakLah. It was a fun and dangerous trip, one that shall be made into songs and epics, and perhaps even a full-length motion picture.

It begins... at the beginning...

(Note: I apologize for the darkness of some of the pictures. Some of the settings on my camera got messed up and I didn't realize it at first. But hey, better with these photos than inside Toy Fair, right?)

I started out by taking the PATH train to 34th Street and Broadway, which I was able to follow all the way to my first destination up on 50th Street. I'm a fast walker so it didn't take much time, I was only slowed down by the need to document my travails. There are always many interesting things to see in NYC, from famous landmarks to street performers to public disturbances to hobos, but I tended on focusing on the former on this occasion.

This store is named after the famous parade that takes place on Thanksgiving.

Talk to someone from NYC and ask them about Starbucks, and they'll tell you there are a lot of them. To you that may mean three or four, but in truth it's a whole lot more.

Could it be?

What are the chances I would come across another one? After all I was only walking a few blocks.

Pretty darn good...

Since there's been a lot of discussion about economies and the values of money and the prices of goods with the WalMart story recently, this seemed like an apt picture to take.

Trivia Fact: Andrew's Dad has appeared on that screen.

The NASDAQ sign marks the beginning of the Times Square area, which is neither a square nor does it have a time piece readily visible. There are many places to have food there, from the hardcore...

An omen of things to come.

...To the pop-culturey...

That's no planet, it's a restaurant!

...To the artery-clogging.

The brightest McDonalds you'll ever seen, and those lights run 24/7.

If eating's not your thing, there are plenty of other places to go. Like this little toy store, for instance.

By 'little' I mean it only has a ferris wheel, not a roller coaster.

Oh, and could it be..?

What a surprise!

There's no way there could be another, right? Right, but close...

Ziggy played guitar...

Finally, after rendezvousing with Smeag, we headed back downtown towards where Lego was having the event.

The lovely (yet blurry) Westin Hotel.

At this point Toy Fair happened. You can see all of our pics from that over the next couple of days on the front page. It was a good time and as always we appreciate The Lego Company's hospitality and thank them for inviting us.

After the Collector's Party, we headed back towards Times Square (only a block away) and got on line for the incredibly crowded Hard Rock Cafe, since you know, someone is a huge Rock N' Roll fan. An hour and a half later, and after much oohing and ahhing (and bowing in the majesty of The Beatles) we were finally seated, with LehvakLah in tow. Thank you so much St. Edmunds and your party of 47 people for making the wait take forever...

Dinner was quite tasty, and afterwards we went wandering about Times Square, since this was Smeag's first time in NYC. Of course we had to go to Toys 'R' Us and look at the Lego and laugh at the Mega Bloks. Unfortunately our visit was cut short by the store closing. Party poopers.

It's just as well though, because soon we were in for the run of our lives. Almost as soon as we left TRU, we were attacked!

If you don't move, he still sees you, so you had better run.

It was a mad dash for our lives. Things got even more dangerous when a brawl broke out in the streets in front of us. You wouldn't believe it unless you saw it, so I took a picture.

Shark vs Pegasus

Fortunately these beasts turned out to be a more attractive meal to the T-Rex, allowing us to escape for the time being. Soon after Smeag jumped into a passing cab and LehvakLah into the subway, leaving me to fend for myself back to the PATH station.

As I rushed for the train, fearing for my life, I accidentally took a picture.

Once I was back on the other side of the Hudson River, I finally felt safe. There was no way that thing was fitting into the Holland or Lincoln Tunnels, and I sure hope it can't swim...

Back in the comfort of New Jersey, I was able to spot the T-Rex as it scaled a famous landmark.

If you squint and tilt your head, you can just make out its silhouette.

And that is the end of our tale. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy all the rest of our Toy Fair coverage.

Until next time...