May 1 to 8, 2018
May 1
Our flight left Edmonton at a very early hour-5 am. We flew to Toronto,
then on to Laguardia. This airport does not have any mass transit
connection, so it is difficult to get away from there. Coupled with
heavy traffic at rush hour, we waited for 2 hours before our shuttle
picked us up. The drive around midtown was worth it, though because we
got to see so much of the area, the people on the streets, and hear the
hustle and bustle of New York life.
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| The fire escapes on these buildings fascinate me .... |
Our timeshare is very well located just a couple of blocks from Grand
Central Terminal (1891) on 45th and 3rd. The building has a rooftop
patio that has a closeup view of the Chrysler Building (1930), so our
first glimpse was as night came on and it lit up.
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| Chrysler Building |
There is a little Amish Market at the end of our block that makes the
most amazing wood-fired pizza. We had a ham and artichoke pizza for
dinner on the rooftop, gazing at the street and the skyscrapers around
us. The air was warm, so it was an ideal welcome to the Big Apple.
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| From the roof top |
May 2 - 90 F and sunny
We spent the morning at a meeting, but were able to get out at
noon
and enjoy the day. We walked to Grand Central Terminal (1891), a major
hub for trains coming into and out of the city. The building was built
in 1930, and is all marble.
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| Grand Central Station |
The main concourse is huge with an
information station in the centre. A large Apple Store is located at
one end on the second floor balcony. Kerry was in heaven. There are
large lights, shaped like Faberge eggs hanging along the balcony. Large
mirrors are behind each light to reflect the light back into the area.
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| Very cool place ..... |
The ceiling of the main concourse is interesting. It is painted a
brilliant blue with constellations all over it. Apparently at night,
the stars light up.
We continued our walk down Park Avenue and then across Midtown to the
United Nations Building and then back to our building.
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| United Nations building |
We enjoyed the
neighbourhoods with the stoops and small gardens. The smells coming
from the various restaurants and delis were so tantalizing. It was easy
to imagine being in Holly Golightly's neighbourhood (Breakfast at
Tiffany's) or near the home of Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson
(Elementary).
We had drinks and dinner at The Perfect Pint, a pub next door to our building. Life is good.
May 3 - 91F and sunny
We were up early and out the door by
05:45am
to walk over to the ABC Network building because we had general tickets
for the Live! Kelly and Ryan Show. We walked down Park Avenue, passed
Gucci, Tiffany's, Trump Tower, etc. And then on past The Plaza and
Central Park, arriving soon enough to be third in the general ticket
line. We were soon moved to the definitely in line and filed into the
studio for the show. We were seated centrally in the first row of the
balcony, so our grandchildren were able to see us on the show. They
think that we are now famous. The guests were Roseanne and Tanya
Harding and her dancing coach Sasha Farber. Roseanne's interview had
been recorded the week before, but we did see the dancing and the
opening banter and contest. We were asked to stay after the show so
that we could be the audience for the next day show, so we were shown on
tv two days in a row. It was anniversary week, the show was a look
back at the past year. It was interesting to see the set and watch the
technicians at work.
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| Live with Kelly and Ryan. |
After the show, we strolled through Central Park. We dodged the
cyclists, (they are super fast and are not willing to stop for you, so
you learn quickly to wait until the road is clear). We stopped at
Strawberry Fields at the John Lennon memorial. Of course there is a guy
singing Lennon songs, and selling Lennon memorabilia. There is a disk
inlayed in the sidewalk that had one word engraved in the centre of it -
Imagine.
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| Central Park - John Lennon memorial |
The memorial is at the point of Central Park that is opposite
the building where Lennon and Yoko Ono had their apartment, and where
he was murdered. We also walked through The Ramble - a wild part of the
park with trees and natural forest floor stuff. Central Park has very
little formal flower beds. Rocks jut out all over the place with lawn
beside them. In the centre of The Ramble is a pond called Turtle Pond.
There, we saw several turtles sunning themselves on the rocks, and then
they would plop into the water to cool off. It was about that time
that we decided that we were hot and thirsty, so headed to Grand Central
Station for ice cream before heading back to our room. We had walked
well over 10,000 steps and were tired but happy.
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| Central Park |
May 4 - 81 F and sunny
We started the day by walking down 45th street to the Roosevelt Hotel to
get tickets for "Hello Dolly" with Bernadette Peters as Dolly. Then it
was off to Times Square to pick up the City Sightseeing bus and the
downtown route.
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| One World Trade Center |
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| 911 Memorial |
Manhattan is set up in a really smart way. Once you understand the
philosophy, it is easy to navigate. The island runs north and south.
Downtown is the south or down end of a map. Uptown is the top of the
map. Midtown is the central area. Harlem is north of Uptown. Streets
run across the island (E/W) and the Avenues run from top to bottom
(N/S). Downtown is the older part of New York, so all of the streets and
avenues have names.
Battery Park is at the end of the island where one
can walk and enjoy the water. It is here that you can see the Statue
of Liberty (1886),
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| Statue of Liberty as scene from the Staten Island Ferry |
One can ride the Staten Island
Ferry from the Pier beside Battery Park. The ferry is free, runs every
hour, and offers the best views of the Statue of Liberty
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| See it goes right by ...... |
and the
Brooklyn Bridge (1883), short of being on the actual landmarks.and Brooklyn, across the Hudson River. You can also
see the three bridges, nicknamed the BMW Bridges - the Brooklyn, the
Manhattan, and the Williamsburg bridges. One can ride the Staten Island
Ferry from the Pier beside Battery Park. The ferry is free, runs every
hour, and offers the best views of the Statue of Liberty and the
Brooklyn Bridge (1883), short of being on the actual landmarks.
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| The ferry gives you some great views of the Big Apple. |
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| Downtown as seen from the ferry. |
Anyway, the downtown sightseeing bus goes by all of the landmarks -
Macy's original building, the Empire State Building (1931), the Flatiron
Building (1902), built in the shape of a wedge to accommodate the angle
that Broadway runs, Soho, Greenwich Village, Union Square, The
Woolworth Building (1913), the 911 Memorial, St. Paul's Chapel (1766)
(where Alexander Hamilton is buried), City Hall, and so on. The bus
returns to Times Square, passed the United Nations Building (the flags
were all out today), Bryant Park, the Library (1911), and Broadway.
There is so much history, based on industry in the different areas, and
changes as the city grew. That is what makes New York so fascinating.
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| Empire State Building ..... it is so huge it is tough to get a good picture from the ground. |
May 5 - 75 F and cloudy
Happy Cinco de Maio day! Today, we hopped on the downtown sightseeing
bus and headed to Battery Park. There, we hopped on the Brooklyn
Sightseeing bus. On this route, you go past the Wall Street Charging
Bull statue. It was surrounded by people on all sides and the top, so
it was impossible to take a picture. We then drove past Fraunces Tavern
(1762) where Washington and his generals plotted the Revolution, and
where today many big financial deals are sealed over lunch. It was then
over the Manhatten Bridge to Brooklyn,
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| The Brooklyn Bridge viewed from the Manhatten bridge. |
and up to the Bluff where people have an
amazing view of downtown Manhatten. The street then follows the old
train route down the hill and over to DUMBO, or the dock area. Here,
the city has formed a beautiful park that has basketball courts on old
piers, green space, sidewalks for walking and biking, cafes and
restaurants. It was then back up to the Bluff and into Flatbush and the
Farmer's Market where one can get the best cider ever. Across from the
market is the JFK fountain and park. From there the bus toured through
some neighbourhoods that are now upscale and boutiques with antique
shops and specialty stores. The old houses with their yards make for
great neighbourhoods that feel calm and welcoming. In some places, the
old mansion carriage houses have been converted into apartments, in
other places, their are still carriage houses for new cars. The tour
finished as we crossed the bridge again, and arrived back at Battery
Park. It was time to stop for a hotdog at Nathan's street stand before
heading back to Times Square and our room.
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| A great place for a quick lunch ... |
Dinner was quick because we are going to the theatre tonight. We are looking forward to the old classic musical.
"Hello Dolly" was fabulous. Bernadette and Victor Garbor were strong as
the leads, and the cast was very talented. The costumes and set were
elaborate and the music is always a hit. When Bernadette made her first
entrance, the entire theatre went crazy. The walk back through Times
Square at
11 pm
was crazy. Throngs of people were in the square and there were lights,
music, street performers, honking horns, and laughter.
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| The crowds! |
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| Classic view! |
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| TKTS where you get 1/2 price theatre tickets! |
May 6 - 66 F, cloudy and windy
Today is a cold day, so doing the Uptown sightseeing route with Museum mile is a great idea.
The Uptown tour basically follows around Central Park, with a tour
through Harlem. We stopped at The Met (1902). I had a list of 15
pieces I wanted to see. We saw 6 of them. A complete Greek temple, the
Temple of Dendur, is set up in one room. We wandered the medieval area
and saw several Angels Statues, all covered because they were for the Gala the next day, and
many pictures of Madonnas. Lots of statuary as well. We found the
picture of Washington crossing the Delaware in a boat. Yes, it is not a
picture of boat safety, but shows the determination and sacrifice those
men made to build their new country. We also saw a Jackson Pollack
painting - Autumn Rhythm. Georgia O'Keefe has a piece called the Cow's
Skull in Red, white and blue., Finally, we found several Monet pieces
done in a French garden setting. The place was busy so it was difficult
to move around.
May 7 - 73 F and sunny
It is a different day out there today. Yesterday was cool, today is back to warmth and sunshine.
Today we walked west on 45th street as far as we could go to get to The
Intrepid - an aircraft carrier that served in WWII, Vietnam and the
Cold War.
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| Intrepid |
Kerry was in heaven. Many airplanes were on the flight deck
from different countries and different eras of the ship's history.
Below on the hangar deck, there were displays of flight in WWII with
kamikaze airplanes and pilots and exhibits that encourage you to sit in
them, touch controls and feel what it was like to be in those aircraft.
We also walked around one of the Concords and walked through a
submarine.
This was our last day as tourists.
Tomorrow we head home.
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| Traffic at 45th and 3rd as seen from the 33rd floor! |
