Saturday, October 10, 2009

New York, New York!! Sept. 23-24

We checked into our closet…oops, I mean our room…at the New Yorker Hotel. We had booked a room with a queen bed and this room (closet) had a double bed. We had several suitcases and no where to put them. I phoned the front desk and asked if there was any chance of changing rooms and the guy said “we’ve already upgraded you.” You have? From what? There are smaller rooms than this? Oh well…

We walked about 8 blocks to Times Square to see what was going on. A nice walk…


We decided to see a movie (The Hangover) and plan a full day for tomorrow.

The concierge recommended a river cruise so we booked that for the afternoon. Two hours on the Hudson River seeing the New York sights sounded good. We took a taxi to Pier 83.


This lady cracked me up. Her posture is worth a 1000 words. “I hate this job!” Every few minutes she would start her spiel… “Buy your refillable cup before you get on the boat. Why pay $4 for one drink when you can buy the mug and get all the refills you want for $7. That’s all the Coke you can drink for $7.”


That gray monstrosity behind us is an air craft carrier which is a now a museum. Look at the size of that thing!


This is what the cruise boats look like. I think some of them have been around for a few years!


The Empire State Building, which since the destruction of the World Trade Center towers, is once again the tallest building in New York.


Pier 62 at Chelsea Piers…these warehouses are where Law and Order is filmed. It’s a great controlled environment where they can create any set they need.


Jersey City across the river from New York. They have very distinctive accents in Joisey!


Manhattan with the lower highrises. The height of the buildings is restricted by the strength of the bedrock in this area.


This gap between the buildings above the small round building is where the World Trade Center building No. 1 stood. There were 7 buildings comprising the World Trade Center. Other than the twin towers, only one other building (No. 7) came down that day. The first plane flew about 10 stories above it and many people were injured when windows blew in. No loss of life occurred in this building and everyone was evacuated. The building came down around 5 p.m.


The Colgate clock in Jersey dates back to 1924 and is a reminder of the factories that once dominated the waterfront. The clock is 50 feet in diameter and its minute hand is 25 feet long! The Colgate plant was started 1806 and became a landmark of Jersey City. The company left Jersey City in 1985 and the buildings were torn down but the clock remains.


Ellis Island which was the main entry point for immigrants entering the United States from 1892 until 1954.


The Statue of Liberty was built in 1886 and given to the people of the United States by the people of France to represent the friendship established during the American Revolution. The statue is 151 feet tall, but with the pedestal and foundation is 305 feet tall. The torch is plated in 24 carat gold. Crazy!


Manhattan skyline…


The Watchtower, a corporation used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in New York since 1909.


The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. When it was completed in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and the first bridge to connect to Long Island.


The Manhattan Bridge, looking back towards the Brooklyn Bridge, was opened for traffic in 1909. The upper level has four vehicle lanes, and the lower level has three lanes of traffic, four subway tracks, a walkway and a bikeway.


The United Nations building…the United Nations was in session when we were there and the security in the city was crazy.


The Queensboro Bridge, known as the 59th Street Bridge, was also completed in 1909. Well known from Paul Simon’s song “59th Street Bridge (Feelin’ Groovy).”


A Long Island landmark…the neon Pepsi sign around since 1938.


Two gaps where the twin towers were…construction has begun on two new buildings. They have about four floors completed.


This pier is the last remnant of anything Titanic in New York. This is where the ship would have docked.


The two smaller black buildings in the middle are replicas of the twin towers, although only one-third of the height.


Heading back to the pier…I am still amazed by the size of the air craft carrier, Intrepid.


The tour was a great way to spend a lovely afternoon. It was 27 degrees. We walked backed to the hotel which took about 30 minutes. Jim wasn’t impressed with the whole “walk back to the hotel” idea but did eventually enjoy it! I was trying to spend as little time as possible in our “closet.”

We got tickets to see South Pacific. I love the music from the show as Dad often played it when we were growing up. “Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair” and “Some Enchanted Evening” bring great memories. We got in line for a taxi outside the hotel at about 7:15 p.m. and it quickly became obvious that this was going to be a problem. Thank heavens for the doorman! He was in the street trying to wave taxis down. It was almost 7:40 before we got a taxi and the theatre was 30 blocks away. This was looking like a close call! The taxi driver drove like crazy and dropped us off “somewhere in front of the theatre.” The entrance was under construction and wasn't obvious. Jim asked a couple who pointed to the huge South Pacific sign. Oh yeah! We grabbed our tickets at the box office and jumped in our seats. No washroom calls…the music started…that was a bit close!


Great theatre…it’s small and the seats are built in a half circle and raised so there are no heads in front of you. Loved it! After the show walked by the Metropolitan Opera right next door.


And a purdy fountain…


There was a bunch of pedicabs on the street and it seemed like a fun way to go back to the hotel. The guy was a bit hesitant at first as it is a long ride, but business was obviously slow, so off we went. Similar ride to this one…


What a great way to see the sights! Here is the David Letterman Show…


Our driver stopped at a red light and took our picture. Holy cow! How fast was this guy pedalling? Look at our hair!


Mmmmm….M and M’s!


I hadn’t seen anything about this show. That might have been nice to see too.


New York Police Department right in Times Square…


Lots of buzz about the new Leno show…hope he makes a go of it!


And our ride came to an end. Only took the guy about 20 minutes…they’re in good shape!


The next day we made it into the Halifax airport with only a small delay for bad weather…it’s been our story this trip! What does any good Canadian girl do when she gets home?


Sissy and Trevor met us at the airport and magically got us and our luggage into their car. Sissy brought me flowers…puffy heart.


The leaves are changing…another week or so and they’ll be spectacular. Summer is definitely gone.


Here endeth another blog! We are planning the Panama Canal in January, so until then…

1 comment:

266 said...

Thank you for coming by my blog today and commenting on the 'giveaway' post! I really appreciate it!!!