New York City Day 4

High Line

The main thing on our list of things to see on Saturday was the High Line. Located on an old railway trestle, this 1.45 mile vertical park opened its third phase in November of 2014. Jim and I had walked phases one and two last time we were in New York, so we were eager to see the latest section. As it was a chilly morning, the four of us decided to go to a nearby diner and eat breakfast while waiting for the temperature to warm up a bit. We were planning out our day when I looked up from my final cup of hot tea and saw a gal come in the front door who looked like our daughter-in-law Megan. There was a waiter in the way, so I didn't see who she was with until he moved. That is when I saw Andy. I could not believe my eyes! They had driven up from their home outside of Washington, D.C. on Friday, and spent the night with their friends in Queens. As we had met Marty and Daniella before at Andy and Megan's wedding, they joined us for the day. I am not going to lie, they made me cry - happy tears. What a surprise!

at the diner

Following breakfast we took the subways necessary to get to the High Line. This park gets nearly 5 million visitors annually, and I think most of them were there on Saturday - ha! It was quite crowded and congested as people were stopping to take selfies, other photos and to admire the views and plantings along the way. The folks that were in town for the New York marathon were easily identified by their running attire - Italy, Mexico, England and many other countries were well-represented. Regardless of the throngs of people, it was nice to stroll along the trail.

High Line

After that is was time for lunch (yes, we ate our way through New York!) After exiting the High Line, we found the Sugar Factory. Lunch, shakes and candy - what's not to love? The decor is adorable, and the staff dressed for Halloween. Unfortunately there was a table filled with 16 girls celebrating the 13th birthday of one. A group of 6 parents sat at the next table, along with the professional photographer. (And I should add that a stretch limo waited outside for the group. Sheesh - what will she get on her 16th birthday?) So what's NOT to love? Having this group place their order right before us. We sat in that restaurant for 2 hours! Poor service coupled with mediocre food put a damper on the whole experience. We had places to go and people to see, so taking that much time for lunch definitely messed with our schedule.

Once we finally escaped our time in the factory, we went to Mood Fabrics. A guilty pleasure of Jim and me is watching the television show "Project Runway", where clothing designers have all kinds of challenges thrown at them each week. They always go to Mood to purchase their fabrics, so we just want to have a quick look at the store. Unfortunately Swatch, the dog, was not in residence that day.

Mood Fabrics

From there we were off to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This Episcopalian church was begun in 1892 and remains unfinished to this day. It is reported to be one of the largest cathedrals in the world. We arrived too late for an official tour, but we were able to still go inside and have a look around. They say it would take $100 million to complete the church. I am guessing that this will never happen. It is too bad as it is really a beautiful place.

Cathedral of St. John the Divine

It was getting dark, so back to the subway station we went to go to the hotel to change for dinner. Due to the fact that it was Halloween, the subways were unbelievably packed! We had to split up in order to squeeze into different cars. It was fun to see all the kids (both little and big) dressed up for trick or treating or partying though. The kids went store to store to receive their candy. How different from the way we do things in the Midwest!

Jim had made reservations for the 8 of us at Benjamin Steak House. Fortunately he had been able to push the time back a couple of hours since we had such a late lunch at the Sugar Factory. Benjamin's was great, and a wonderful way to end up an incredible and surprising day. The kids got back on the subway around 10:30 to return to Queens, and the old farts went to bed. After all, I had taken 18,579 steps for 8.22 miles, and climbed 20 flights of steps. I was pooped!

New York City Day 3

New York subway

Friday's schedule began much earlier as we had 9:30 tickets to go up in One World Trade Center. We met in the hotel lobby at 7:30, grabbed a quick bagel at a nearby deli and walked to the subway. We were not certain what the morning rush would be like, so we decided to err on the side of caution. As it was nothing like the night before, we arrived early enough to visit the 9/11 Memorial Plaza. I have no words to describe the memorial or the feelings evoked when you visit it. But I do believe that having the two fountains sitting on the original footprint of the World Trade Center towers, with water that gets sucked into the holes as opposed to squirting up in the air, was a phenomenal design decision. It is perfect, in my opinion. If a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps these can tell the story.

One World Trade Center

One World Trade Center opened in October of 2014. At 1,116 feet (104 stories), it is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. On the 102nd floor is One World Observatory, an enclosed observation deck offering 360 degree views of the city and surrounding areas. The elevator takes you up in 60 seconds, and during that short period you can watch a time-lapse video of the changing New York skyline from the 1500s through today. Once you get off the elevator, you actual head back down two flights of steps to the observation deck. I think that is because when you leave, you go back to the 102nd floor and have to exit by the gift shop. It's all about the marketing... We enjoyed our time at the observatory, but it got rather crowded as do most things in New York. The views were quite outstanding though.

Our tickets for entering the 9/11 Museum were at 11:30, so we left our high perch and crossed the memorial plaza next door to enter the museum. Descending below the plaza area, I couldn't help but think about all the people who were buried under the debris when the Twin Towers fell. In fact, there is a blue wall inside the museum that speaks to just that:

blue wall for those never recovered

memorial plaque

My overall impression of this new museum is that while the memorial is very informative, the layout leaves a lot to be desired. They are letting way too many people in and by the time you get to the heart of the exhibit, that area is so packed that you cannot get close enough to see the memorabilia, read the signs or hear the recordings. My advice to anyone headed to the museum, or One World Trade Center for that matter, is to get the earliest tickets you can to avoid some of the crowds.

9/11 Museum

We grabbed a late lunch after leaving the museum, and then we made our way to Central Park. Many people were enjoying the beautiful fall weather, and I was able to cross an item off my bucket list when we took a carriage ride through the park. We had a fun, informative driver and seeing the park by carriage certainly enabled us to view it from a different perspective.

Central Park carriage ride

After leaving Central Park we took a quick walk through Rockefeller Plaza before heading over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Opened in 1879, this Neo-Gothic Roman Catholic Church recently hosted an evening service by Pope Francis. The last time I was in New York the structure was covered in scaffolding, so I was excited to see it post-renovation. The cathedral takes up a whole city block and can seat 3,000 people. It is beautiful.

St. Patrick's Cathedral interior

St. Patrick's Cathedral exterior

By then it was time to head back to the hotel to rest up and change before going out to dinner. It was another good Fitbit day with 19,937 steps for a total of 8.82 miles and 16 flights of steps.

New York City Day 2

One last airport story before I delve into Day 2. My right armpit alerted the TSA agents at the St. Louis airport. Yes, you read that correctly - my armpit. That meant I qualified for a pat down. What a nice, cheap thrill for my birthday! After she slid her hands up my armpits, the agent told me that sometimes deodorant sets the machine off. Apparently the explosives detectors look for products containing ammonium nitrate, and some deodorants, lotions and make-up contain this ingredient. Who knew? She obviously allowed me to board, but the interesting thing is that I checked my deodorant when I got home (I have a different, travel-sized one that I use on my trips), and it doesn't contain ammonium nitrate. I wonder what set the machine off?

Pershing Square Cafe

Thursday, October 29th was our first full day in New York, and the only thing scheduled with a time was a trip out to the Statue of Liberty in early afternoon. First thing in the morning we walked over to Pershing Square Grand Central Cafe for breakfast. It is located under an overpass, which is pretty cool.

After we ate we crossed the street to Grand Central Station to admire the architecture. Going inside always makes me want to bust into "Don't Rain on my Parade", and strut through the station like Barbra Streisand in "Funny Girl". Out of deference to my companions, I restrained myself. It is a beautiful, busy train station, great for people-watching as much as anything else. I held out a small bit of hope that a flash mob would choose that exact moment to sing, dance, issue a wedding proposal - anything. It happens all the time on YouTube. Alas, it was not to be.

ticket windows

Grand Central Station

me with Jim in Times Square

Our next stop was Times Square, because no trip to New York is complete without rubbing shoulders with tens of thousands of your best friends. I don't remember ever being so accosted by hawkers in the past - play tickets, comedy shows, bus trips, bicycle rides - you name it. I guess the big DSLR hanging around my neck pegged me as a tourist. I had better success evading the sales slugs when I put my camera in my purse. But then it was a pain to drag it out every time I saw something I felt was photo worthy, which was often for a shutterbug like me.

We hopped on the subway for a ride down to Battery Park where we stood in a long line waiting to go through security prior to boarding the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. It was similar to airport screening with the exception that you could leave your shoes on. And the fact that I did not have a deodorant malfunction with their screening machine.

Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty

Manhattan from the ferry

Our tickets to the Statue of Liberty only entitled us to go up to the pedestal level. While it would have been great to go all the way to the crown, those tickets were sold out until January, 2016! We decided to walk the 215 steps from the lobby to the pedestal instead of taking the elevator. Burn, baby, burn! It was quite crowded when we finally exited the doors at the top of the steps. Did I mention that in addition to normal New York crowds, there was the addition of World Series fans as well as New York Marathon participants? There were 50,000 people running in the marathon that Sunday, not to mention the family and friends they brought along with them. To say that the typical tourist spots were packed is an understatement.

Once back on Manhattan soil, we took off in search of some New York style pizza. Taking the advice of a couple of New York's finest, we enjoyed a slice at Masterpiece Pizzeria before working our way over towards Wall Street and Trinity Church. Completed in 1846, the church is a wonderful example of Gothic architecture.

Trinity Church exterior

Trinity Church ceiling

Trinity Church interior

Getting back on the subway at Wall Street we encountered our first (but far from last) taste of rush hour, subway style. Oh my! Squished together and hanging onto a pole for dear life, I got a true sense of what the working class deals with on a daily basis just getting home from work. It sure makes you appreciate the more laid back life style here in the Midwest. After relaxing at the hotel for a bit, we walked a few blocks for a late dinner before retiring for the night. Fitbit counts: 16,289 steps or 7.21 miles including 38 floors of stairs. Yay for the 60 year old me!