Time flies!

Monday morning we awoke to a hazy, humid, hot morning.  Our last day in NY :(  We got ready and checked out- leaving your stuff with the doorman.  First stop the Empire State Building.  We were there early- and avoided all the tour buses.  We paid our $ 35 each and head up to the 86th floor.  That  is one long elevator ride up.  The view was stunning - although on a non hazy day it must be incredible.  Frank even managed to look over the edge- what fear of heights?  We enjoyed the views for a while and then back down.  We had shopping to do.  First stop was a guitar store that Frank had to go to - it was a bust.  Next stop B&H photography- the mecca of photography stores.  While I got lost in lenses Frank visited Sam Ash music across the street- how convenient.  Purchasing the sense of my dreams we were back on the shopping mission.  Back down to Union Square area- passing by Madison Square gardens and so many other sites.
Of course as we approached the flatiron district our stomachs were letting us know it was lunch time.  Conveniently there is a Shake Shack in Madison Square Park- the area we needed to shop.  We duly waited our turn in the longish line- I had a regular burger and a black and white concrete (that is Shake Shack for milkshake).  Then we waited another 15 minutes for our food- luckily we had found a park table and were able to sit and wait.  Well that crazy yummy, greasy meal demolished we were ready to shop.  We hit a few stores and saw some cool stuff, but with the exchange rate not so hot right now we opted to only buy some I LOVE NY gifts for the girls.  After all that shopping we were in need of an afternoon coffee- lucky for us Eataly was close at hand for an amazing afternoon cappuccino.  Then we had to start the walk back to the hotel and on to JFK.  WE got back, picked up our bags, changed and walked up to Penn Station.  There we caught the rush hour train to Jamaica station and the Light rail on to JFK- cost was not too bad about $16 each- cheaper than a cab and at 4pm in the afternoon a whole lot quicker than sitting in rush hour.  An hour later we were at JFK and ready to check in.  OMG the Delta check in line was insane- thank goodness we were told to go to the downstairs check in and the line up there much better.  Then back up to head through the security line up- once again OMG- that was a 35 minute line to just get to the security check.  Once through we were in search of a light dinner for the plane, found and then off to the gate just in time for boarding.  Or not- the plane had come in from Puerto Rico and apparently the customs officials needed and extra hour or so on board.  We eventually boarded only to have to sit on the runway for 2.5 hours before we took off.  What a huge delay- we got home 1.5 hours later than we had thought.
All in all a wonderful trip and I cannot wait to go back to this city.

Brooklyn

Sunday the sun was out and it was hot and muggy- this is what I figured the weather NY would be.

Heading to the Tasty's again for a quick breakfast and then the Union Station Subway station.  We bought another day pass and we were Brooklyn bound.  First stop was the Dumbo area, but we realized that this was mostly about food and we were not hungry, back on the subway and 2 more stops to the address we had for the Brooklyn Flea Market.  We had to walk about 8 blocks and then arrived at the address we had for the flea market- but there was no flea market.  Asking some locals, no-one knew what we were talking about.  It seems that there was no real market at all- google showed us there was one about 30 minutes away- but we were too hot and bothered to try and find it. Back on the subway and Dumbo bound.  This area is an up and coming area referred to as Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).  Walking down to the water, the views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges are very impressive.  We walked along the water to Grimaldi's Pizza- we had heard this was the place to eat.  The line up though was ridiculous.  Around the corner we had seen a place where we could get pizza by the slice and this seemed like a better option. Ignazio's it was- the pizza was good and the wait was great- we walked right up to the bar.  Across the street we spotted the Brooklyn Ice Cream Company and that seemed like fuel we needed to traverse the bridge.  Another line up- that moved pretty fast- and a cone of peaches and cream for me, while Frank had butter pecan.  The ice cream was good- but Rocky Point or Mario's Gelato are hard to beat.

Then we started the long walk over the bridge- once again a lot of people, but a great walk- the views of the city quite stunning.  The bridge is different from others over which I have walked as you are actually walking above the cars and in the middle of the bridge.  We walked and enjoyed the sites- all the while sweating buckets- it was very humid by the afternoon and the 1.6 walk in the sun was particularly hot.  Back on the Manhattan side, we watched some street performers, then decided we were too tired to do any more.  Frank had lost his metro pass- so we caught a cab back to the hotel.  Another great day exploring this city.

Sunday night was a little less of crazy- we had looked at going to a Broadway Play but we couldn't get tickets at a reasonable price and so decided to head down to Eataly for dinner.  We walked down the few blocks to the Flatiron building and Eataly. Cruising through the little stores at this Italian wonderland was fascinating- so much cheese, Nutella, Coffee- all things really delicious.  After a little bit of browsing we headed up to the rooftop restaurant that is Birreria.  We had no wait for a table for two- the little joys of Sunday night in NY.  The table was great- a lot more spacious than some place we had been to.  The menu was varied and lots of beers to chose from.  We had some beer and cider and started off with a meat and cheese platter- very tasty.  For dinner we had the pork shoulder and chicken sausages plates- so good.  During dinner Frank felt a drop of water- looking up we realized the heavens were about to open.  Wait staff jumped to attention and had the rooftop closed off in seconds flat- just in time as it came down like there was no stopping it.  I knew it was humid today!  Thank goodness for retractable roofs. We finished off and waited the storm out, with Italian cappuccino at its best.  A great dinning experience, highly recommended.  We ambled back along the streets- now a little cooler- not much.  Our last night in the Big Apple.

Freedom Tower

Saturday the weather was nice and hot again- but with no humidity.  We had a quick breakfast to oatmeal at Tasty's around the corner from our hotel. Then we made our way to the Subway station at Union square for a jaunt down the island of Manhattan to Ground Zero.  Arriving we immediately saw the Freedom Tower- not quite finished being built, but standing tall above all the other nearby buildings.  Then we walked to the 2 huge fountains that were the Twin Trade Centres- what a massive memorial, very haunting and sombre.  So many names engraved on the sides of the fountain.  We stood and took it all in for a while - then decided we didn't want to go in to the museum; we could see what was and no museum was needed.

After walking down to the water and seeing the Statue of Liberty from afar, stopping at the Irish Famine Memorial and walking a while; we were back on the subway and headed to Soho.  The subway pricing system is not too sealer, but we had bought a $9 day pass- which we thought would last all day- so far so good.  Getting off at Soho we found this quaint, cobbled street area, crammed with quaint stores, restaurants, and so much more.  Wandering around, we found the store Evolution I had heard about- all types of bones and stones there.  Then we ended up at Delicatessen for lunch.  A wonderful funky eatery, with streetside tables and the best mac and cheese ever.  There was a DJ spinning some tunes and a great vibe all round. The food was so good too. After this crazy lunch we wandered the streets of Soho and took it all in.

Back on the subway (yay the metro card still works), we were Chelsea Market bound.  3 stops and we were off.  Walking into the Chelsea Market, there were a lot of people and an overwhelming amount of places to eat, drink and browse.  The food stores all looked so good!  Luckily we had walked off that lunch (NOT), and had room for a fantastic cup of coffee with a side of raspberry strudel.  So goo- oh then a few stores down we happened upon a Sarabeths and there a pineapple tart that captured Frank's eye- so we thought we would try that to accompany the raspberry strudel!!  Wandering around this market, I know I would frequent this place if I lived in NY.  After eating our way through the market, we ended up under the Highline and our final destination of the day.

The High Line is a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th and 12th Avenues. The High Line is 1.45-miles-long. We entered at the beginning and walked the entire line to 30th, the last bit of the line was shut down for maintenance. It was a wonderful walk - although there were a lot of people. Each turn had a different site to see- there were stands set up to watch the streets below, all kind of street art to see and different flowers and plants along the entire stretch. A wonderful way to end a pretty perfect Saturday in this crazy city. We were too tired to walk to the subway after our day of about 14km's of hiking. Hoping in a cab we were back the hotel and ready for a nap before our night out.

We recouped and were ready to hit the town on Saturday in NY. We caught a cab to Greenwich Village and headed to the Spotted Pig for dinner- there was a 1.5 hour wait. Leaving our number we backtracked a block to the the White Horse Tavern - apparently one of the oldest continuously running pubs in the city. We had some beer and cider and got our test an hour later that our table was ready. Back to the Spotted Pig and our table- very tight quarters that was for sure. Frank had to have their burger as it is "legendary" and I had the Pork Chop. The food was okay, more about the ambiance and the notoriety than the food at this spot. We had reserved seats at the Village Vanguard for the 10:15 show and walked the few blocks to the club. We were seated and the show started on time. The club was small, very famous and the band were pretty amazing. Frank was in his element and the 2 drink minimum not strictly enforced as I only had one. After the show we wandered around the village a while and found a lively bar under some Brownstones and had a nightcap. By 1:30am we were pooped and back to the hotel after another long and wonderful day.

Waking up in a City that never sleeps- NY!

After a week of training for work in Minnesota, I caught a flight to JFK, to meet up with my hubby and spend 4 days in this city!
Flying into JFK at night was pretty amazing, we flew over the city and the lights from Times Square were glowing like a beacon down below.  I landed, had my suitcase and was out the doors in a yellow cab within minutes.  Then we hit traffic-at 10:00pm, thanks goodness the cab ride was a flat rate as we sat and crawled. An hour later I arrived at the hotel Chandler- a wonderful boutique hotel, located near it all.  I was exhausted, so settled in I climbed in to bed- set my alarm for 8am as Frank was landing at 6:30am and we had whole day of site seeing to do!
7:30 am and knock at the door woke me up- there he was!  An hour from landing, getting through customs and catching the subway. Whew, I was up and at em.  Out the door by 8:30- New York here we come.  Being well located out hotel was on 5th ave- we started the walk up to the library as I had to see the lions out front- first stop The New York Library:

 Carrying on down the street - next stop was Grand Central Station- this huge station is super busy, and standing watching was amazing how it is just buzzing.  The main hall is incredible with the constellation ceiling and so many people.  There is also a huge food hall underneath the main hall- very impressive.

Onwards up 5th avenue towards the park- there were all the huge, expensive stores to be seen- Saks, Nieman Marcus, Dolce, Trump etc- crazy ornate store fronts and did I mention HUGE.

Of course as we approached the park we were both starving- my google map was great - I had marked all the great places to see and eat and looking at said map we were a few minute from Sarabeths- one of my places to eat.  Of course it was on Park Ave, so there was a line up- but there was not a wait for the tables inside- so inside it was.  The streets are super noisy anyway.  After a good omelet breakfast, we were ready to conquer Central Park.  The carriage and horses were tempting, but after stepping into the park and realizing its sheer size, we knew bikes were the only way.  We backtracked, got our bikes and were on our way.  Of course we wanted to go clockwise- but the road only goes anti-clockwise- so we reversed our plan.  First stop the toy boat sailing pond- how many movies has that been in; and the Alice in Wonderland statue.  The state was impressive, although there were a whole lot of us waiting to take a photo as one mom let her kids stay on the statue and hang out as long as they wanted- no regard for anyone else!

 Continuing our ride- next stop was Belvedere Castle- pretty stunning views of the park although still hard to capture its magnitude.  Then we came to the Metropolitan Museum of Art - one of our main destinations of the day.  Walking our bikes around to the front ( you are not allowed to ride bikes on the paths, only the main roads.)  We had a hard time finding a spot to park the bikes- every phone, bus pole were taken!  After a few enquiries we found out that there is an underground parkade with bike racks- down we headed and parked and up to the main entrance to the museum.  Staying in line to pay- the "suggested price" is $25 per person- we had heard not to pay that- but any donation will do.  The lady in front of us gave $1; but we felt our Canadian guilt seep in and we donated $10 (a whole lot more than most around us).  Then we were in- this museum is HUGE, we really had no idea where to start or what to truly see.  The music exhibit seemed like a good start- plus it was enroute to the bathroom (all that hydrating watched up to a person!)  The music exhibit, then the armoury, medieval art, photography and ending with the Egyptian wing; we saw quite a bit.  But then decided we had to do a little more riding as our bike rental ran out at 4pm.

Riding back in to the park- we cut across as we were too tired to cycle the entire park and over to Strawberry Fields.  We found the Imagine park and sat for a while as a guy belted out Beetles songs, and watched so many people come and go.  A quick side trip across the street to The Dakota Building to where John Lennon lived, and then we were back to the park entrance, bike drop and back walking down 6th ave to the hotel.

Of course there are sites to see on every street- we passed by the LOVE statue, Radio City Music Hall and Magnolia Bakery - yes please I need a cupcake.  NY is known for cupcakes and of course there are cupcakeries on each corner.

It was a long walk back and we were so ready for a nap.  At the hotel we asked or concierge if there were any good comedy clubs around- he had some tickets for us and so booked us at the club and a place for dinner.  We had a little nap and then we were ready for the evening.  We walked to dinner at a great place the called Banc- great tapas style dinner was had and then we were off to the comedy club.  It was a pretty intimate setting and we got to see 8 comedians- it was a really fun night.

After this we thought it would be a great idea to walk up to Times Square- seemed like a short walk, but it was 27 blocks up!!  An hour later we arrived to the BRIGHT lights that are Times Square, at midnight we could not believe how many people and craziness was going on.  It was so bright and so busy- absolute crazy!  We sat and watched people for a while and then we were done- we caught a cab back to the hotel as we could not walk a second more.  Back and crash.  We have another full day ahead tomorrow- a good night's sleep sounds about right.

Observations after day one in this city, the walk and don't walk signs are a rough guideline, people here do not wait for the sign, as most streets are one way- you look up the street and if there are no cars you walk- regardless of the sign.  These traffic lights are also not pedestrian controlled- you walk/don't walk when the street says.
Everyone loves to honk in this city, they all honk if the light turns green and the car in front isn't halfway though the intersection yet. They honk if the car in front stops for- say a pedestrian, they just honk and honk!
Everyone is in a rush- it seems to have kept most of the New Yorkers pretty skinny - there were no fat people in this city :)
Most streets are one way- which makes Jay walking pretty easy. They are also all on a grid so you have a very difficult time getting lost in this city.
Lastly for such a huge concrete city, there are a lot of green spaces to be had- we passed many parks and many small community gardens along our way today.