The days and weeks leading up to the trip caused so much excitement and sleepless nights of anticipation which, unfortunately, caught up to us Sunday morning. Our greatest of intentions to wake up early and take the city by storm were quickly and quietly dashed as we both overslept; our room well isolated from the lights and sounds of the street below.
We began our day with a wonderful brunch at the diner across the street. Salmon eggs Benedict, YUM! As always the people watching was superb: The young enterprising work-aholics eating with one hand, typing on their Blackberrys with the other. The weekend artist sketching on a notepad, snacking on a bagel. The Sunday dog walkers and power walkers. People out for a calm and relaxing stroll. And of course those silly tourists staring at everyone. Oh, wait…
After brunch we made our way to Times Square; an abrupt but welcome change of pace from the relatively slow pace of the Upper West side on a Sunday afternoon. We decided it’d be easiest for Erin to get a feel for the city and lay of the land with a bus tour. I don’t know why but the big, red, open-air double decker buses called to me. Making our way to the bus stop we were flagged down by one of the sales reps with a thick African accent. A lot of explaining followed by pointing at the brochures. Each question he answered with an emphatic “Yes, Yes.
We waited in line for a bus with seats available on top. Several buses came and went before we finally deciding to take a seat on the lower level. Our sense of adventure paid off again as most of the upstairs passengers got off on the next stop opening up their seats to us.
The downtown tour took us through and around most of lower Manhattan with the guide’s unique blend of history, personal opinion and celebrity gossip along the way. Personally, I could have lived without hearing how he rushed out of his apartment in his bath robe to meet Tina Turner. However, others enjoyed the story and it is part of the character that is New York. A lot of sites, commentary, history (both common and exceptionally personal) and a generally fun ride finished with us back in Times Square.
Along the way we noticed that Madison Ave was closed, what seemed like miles, for a street fair. We decided to meander from Times Square back towards Madison Ave, stopping along the way to do a little shopping. Tiffany & Co, FAO Schwartz and the Apple store. Okay, not so much of the “buying”, more the “looking.
FAO Schwartz was a lot of fun. What toy store isn’t fun for a couple of kids? The “Giant Piano” from the movie “Big” complete with an impressive performance by a couple employees. The limited real estate didn’t allow for the cavernous giganta-stores we’re accustomed to back home. Instead it was more a maze of constant little hallways and shelves filled with all kinds of toys; something to smile at around every corner. If we weren’t getting a chuckle out of the toys themselves the customers were an equal delight. Everyone else having some level of fascination with various toys. The kids enthralled with the flavor of the moment. The generally good spirits of the employees who (at least pretended) to be having a good time.
A quick stop in the Apple store. Have you met me? The New York store is impressive regardless of what they’re selling. A giant glass cube in the middle of the square you walk down in to; the majority of the store beneath. I did have the delight, the day before my birthday, to overhear two of the store clerks talking.
“I couldn’t believe it. This guy came in, who was like in his thirties, and he was buying his first iPod. I couldn’t believe it. In his thirties and he’s never owned an iPod!”
I am now 33. I’ve never owned an iPod.
We made our way back towards Madison Ave and the street fair, starving. But a quick stop in one of the buildings mentioned on our tour that has a giant indoor “square” complete with live trees. It was an dramatic enclosed space, partly glass walls, partly concrete building. All completely enclosed and tall live trees about. Apparently a compromise for wanting to construct a larger-then-average building in the area.
Starving and dehydrated we inhaled shish kebabs, fries and Diet Cokes from the local street vendor. Our makeshift table: the fountain outside the larger-then-average building. We made our way down Madison Ave as the vendors packed up their wares. Of course, they were all still willing to sell what they had available.
After a few blocks we decided to head towards Rockefeller Plaza, not nearly as big as what I’d pictured from TV. Still a wonderful place to visit. I especially enjoyed the plaques commemorating individualism along with a sense of duty for your fellow man. Apparently you don’t chase the ice cream man in New York. He just parks in one spot for hours. So, we enjoyed our ice cream on a hot day and took in all the sites; animate and inanimate.
With dusk approaching we took the long way to Grand Central Station looking at all the sites along the way. We then hopped on the subway (Erin’s new fascination) and headed towards Battery Park and the Staten Island Ferry. We got to see the Green Lady from the Ferry at night. We had an hour to kill waiting for the Ferry to head back so we walked along the coast and took in the evening skyline.
The Ferry eventually took us back to Manhattan where we hoped on a subway and headed towards Greenwich Village. We wandered around there a bit, hungry again, looking for some food and maybe a beer. We settled on “the best pizza in NY” (according to the Food Network). It was tasty, but I’m a fan of the deep dish style. Tired and wanting a shower we hopped on the subway to head in for the night.
Little did we know such entertainment would be awaiting us on the ride. Since I’m trying to keep this site family friendly, let’s just say it was an enriching, cultural experience. We learned a great deal about Russian “entertainment” and employment opportunities for Russian women. It was an interesting exchange as a recent immigrant explained this sector of the workforce to a rather polite (and somewhat awkwardly uptight) fellow traveler. The opportunities that abound overseas.
The train ride had to end for us as we headed back to our hotel. We did debate staying on to hear the remainder of the lecture. However, sleep beckoned us after a long day. Besides we knew more adventures awaited….
All Things Dave 