101 things to do in Madrid

Last year, a friend of mine from NYU found a list that someone had created and posted online of 101 things that every person living in Madrid should see and do in their lifetime. She made it her New Year's resolution to do everything on the list before she returned to the States last summer. (I think she accomplished most of the list.) Anyway, I thought it would be a good thing to do myself since some of the things on the list I've been meaning to do but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Some of the things are a little weird or just very impractical (for example, start a snowball fight with a stranger, which is both odd and unlikely to happen, seeing as it barely every snows in the city center of Madrid, let alone enough to make multiple snowballs out of it), and some are just plain dumb (go skiing in the indoor Xanadú Snowzone? no thanks), so I'll probably get rid of those and do something else instead. There are actually a lot of items on the list that I have done or seen, but I think I should take advantage of my time here, as I don't know when I'll be back after my year teaching here is up in June, so this is a good opportunity to see them again. At the risk of being a total copycat, I'll try to post about each of the things as I cross them off the list. So, here goes:

1.         See the gardens at the Puerta de Atocha train station

2.         Visit the 11-M (March 11^th train bombings) memorial

3.         See the Fallen Angel statue

4.         See the Crystal Palace

5.         Go biking in Retiro

6.         Go boating in the pond in Retiro

7.         Have your photo taken in front of the bear statue in Sol

8.         Go for a walk in the Cecilio Rodríguez gardens

9.         See the Cibeles fountain

10.       Go up to the terrace in the Ciculo de Bellas Artes building

11.       Go for a walk down Gran Vía

12.       See a musical in one of the theaters on Gran Vía

13.       Go shopping on Calle Preciados

14.       See the Puerta de Alcalá

15.       Enjoy a pastry from Mallorquina

16.       Eat twelve grapes on New Year’s Eve in the Puerta del Sol

17.       Eat a calamari bocadillo (sandwich) in the Plaza Mayor

18.       See the Eloy Gonzalo statue in the Plaza del Cascorro

19.       Walk through the Rastro one Sunday morning

20.       Eat patatas bravas in the mythical “Las Bravas”

21.       See Don Quijote and Sancho Panza in Plaza de España

22.       See the sunset from the Templo de Debod

23.       See Picasso’s “Guernica” in the Reina Sofía

24.       Enjoy some of the greatest works of art in the Prado

25.       See the bonsai collection in the Botanical Gardens

26.       Go for tapas in the Mercado de San Miguel

27.       Visit the Royal Palace in the Plaza de Oriente

28.       Go for a walk in the Sabatini gardens

29.       Eat in the mythical underground Chinese restaurant (“Chino”)

30.       Step on Kilometer 0

31.       Visit the Sorolla Museum

32.       Admire the Plaza de la Villa

33.       Visit Valle de los Caídos (this one probably won’t happen because it’s been closed since
            November of 2009 with no reopening in the foreseeable future.)

34.       Touch the grass in the Santiago Bernabeu football (soccer) stadium

35.       Enjoy good jazz in Café Central

36.       Surround yourself with famous people in the Museum of Wax

37.       See all of Madrid from the Tetas de Vallecas park

38.       Walk through the palace gardens in Aranjuez

39.       Visit the Descalzas Reales monastery

40.       See the four towers from Charmatín station

41.       Eat Indian food in the Lavapiés neighborhood

42.       Start a day with churros from the Chocolatería San Ginés

43.       Start a snowball fight with a stranger

44.       See the dome of the Metrópolis building

45.       Enjoy the Madrid skyline from the cable cars

46.       Discover the hidden jewels of the Thyssen museum

47.       Visit the Museum of America

48.       Ride on the Strawberry Train at the Railroad Museum

49.       Find original gifts in the Fuencarral market

50.       Go for a walk through the Tierno Galván park

51.       Spend a day in el Escorial

52.       See the Royal Palace from the Campo del Moro

53.       Admir the walls of the Casa de la Panadería

54.       Visit the Almudena cathedral

55.       Visit Las Ventas bullfighting ring

56.       Go out for drinks in Chueca and Malasaña

57.       See the Puerta de Toledo

58.       See Gran Vía at night

59.       Read on a bench in the Plaza de Colón

60.       Take a picture of the Kio Towers

61.       Admir the vertical garden on the Caixa Forum

62.       Visit the Capilla (Chapel) del Obispo in the Plaza de la Paja

63.       Have beers on a terrace in la Latina

64.       Try grilled chicken at Casa Mingo

65.       Ride the “Abismo” (Abyss) at the Warner Amusement Park

66.       Roar at the lions in front of the Congreso de los Diputados (Congress of Deputies)

67.       See Goya’s frescoes in the San Antonio de la Florida Chapel

68.       See the Plaza de Neptuno

69.       Admire the shop windows on Calle Serrano (and if you can, buy something)

70.       Pose for a picture with Gran Vía in the background

71.       Visit the snowy Sierra (mountains) de Madrid

72.       See Madrid from the Cerro de los Ángeles (Hill of the Angels) (666 meters in altitude)

73.       See a movie in one of the few remaining movie theaters on Gran Vía

74.       Discover the history of the Metro at Andén Cero (Platform Zero)

75.       See the Plaza de Oriente from the balcony of the Opera

76.       Spend a day with your childhood heroes in Parque Warner (Warner Brothers themepark)

77.       Visit the house in which Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares

78.       Ride the Anillo Verde Ciclista (Green Cyclist Ring)

79.       See the starry sky in the Tierno Galván Planetarium

80.       Visit the San Francisco el Grande basilica

81.       On a clear day, go up in the Faro de Moncloa

82.       See the baby pandas at the zoo

83.       Hunt zombies on Line 6 of the metro at 8 in the morning

84.       Go for a walk in Casa del Campo

85.       Search for an apartment of more than 30 square meters

86.       Get yourself lost in Madrid

87.       Run a marathon

88.       Eat a good plate of cocido madrileño

89.       See the puppet shows in Retiro

90.       Collaborate with an NGO in front of FNAC

91.       Meet up with old friends for a cup of coffee

92.       Have an urban picnic (botellón?) in Plaza de España

93.       See the Plaza Dos de Mayo. Location of the uprising against French troops during French
            occupation of the city.

94.       Build a snowman in Retiro

95.       Go to a concert at the Palacio de Deportes

96.       Visit the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (Royal Mint)

97.       Go skiing in the Xanadú Snowzone, whenever you want.

98.       Search for the best mojito in Madrid.

99.       Enjoy the abundant street art

100.     Take part in a Noche en Blanco (White Night)

101.     Do it all again. This time, with a friend.