The 5.5 hour bus tour of Manhattan was the SMARTEST part of the trip. Sure, it was a lot to see, but it really made the trip for us. Again, I highly recommend it if you're ever in NYC. Both buses that we were on for two different tours were air conditioned & one was brand new.
Below: The pic of the torch in Madison Sq Park when the statue was being assembled.
One of several man made waterfalls. We saw this one when we were on the bus tour which included a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry can transport up to 6,000 passengers in ONE trip & it's free. So, if you live on Staten Island & work in the city, you would be on this ferry every day, twice a day.
Staten Island Ferry
3 gals on Staten Island Ferry (Note to self: do something different with arm weights!)
Pier where we got off bus to board Ferry
I regret that I didn't get a pic of the Norwegian Cruise ship on the harbor. It was bigger than most malls in Middle TN. That's Staten Island off in the background. There were runners running down the side of the harbor. I wanted to run so BAD!
The New Amsterdam Street market was under the pier. I signed a petition they had out along with the fresh breads, jams, cheeses, & sorbet. It was to allow them to have their own building space.
Federal Building on Wall Street (George Washington statue: he was inaugurated here)
New York Stock Exchange: LOVE the Flag! (click on photos to enlarge)
Soup Kitchen: aka "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld
Ground Zero: I knew there was construction there before we left. There was a HUGE billboard showing what it will look like by 2012 when finished. We were told that there were 2 beams found in the shape of a cross under all the rubble. I'm sure you all heard about it on the news. They kept the beams as they were & they will be erected in the memorial. Matt told us that every building down in the immediate area suffered some damage, some more than others. The older buildings held up better than the newer ones & both churches only had major dust everywhere. (No damage at all-click on photo to see church in distance) In all the misery that happened on that day, I believe God was there. With all the sadness that resulted from such an enormous display of terriorist action, I do believe God was there in many ways. There are too many miracles of survival. I will never take my life, freedom, or those I love forgranted for many reasons & this is one of them. (click photo to enlarge)
So many things we drove by & so many we got off to see for photo ops. I know I'm leaving some stuff out, but all I can say is take the bus tours. Don't wander around aimlessly wasting time. Happy gals at the start of the "On Board" trip. (They had a cooler full of free water for us, too.)
After the trip, Cheryl left to get home to Gary & the girls. :( Hannah & I were free to wander after 2pm because we had nothing planned. That changed quickly! We decided to see "Cirque de Soleil Jungle of Dreams". It was very Cool!! But before we attended that event, we had to get into some trouble. We got caught in a downpour in the middle of 5th avenue in the middle of the Pridefest parade that our tour guide, Matt, had managed to avoid all morning. I was not about to leave the area without photos so you have been warned. :P (again, click photos to enlarge) Hannah with a guy we couldn't resist on the street...there were many like him. ha!
On the street corners during Thanksgiving, they were selling cashmere $10 scarves, hats, & gloves. This time around, it was belts, books, $5 umbrellas, & believe me, I used mine on this particular day.
After the rain, we got our Cirque tickets & headed to the "Top of the Rock", Top of Rockefeller Center. I'm scared to death of heights so this was a challenge for me. It was cool, though, & I can cross it off my list of things to do in NYC. (Not really worth the $20 entry fee), but it did give us the history of the center & NBC studios, a gorgeous view, & sense of how big central park really is...fyi, body of water way off in the distance in the park is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reservoir.
We then headed to the famous, "Tavern on the Green". LOVED IT! I had someone totally put it down by telling me the service sucked & it was overpriced but thankfully, I didn't listen. (I'm so glad I don't listen to NEGATIVE people who try to rain on my parade.) Sure the food was pricey but when you think of the location (Central Park) & how many famous people have eaten there, who cares! Our service was good, my sandwich was fine, the desserts we shared were great, & the martini hit the spot. We ate in the bar area upstairs. We arrived around 4pm which is in between lunch & dinner so all the fabulous rooms were closed for cleaning. That fact didn't stop us from barging in to look after we ate. ha! See waiter taking photo in mirror? ha!
Nobody famous there, except for Hannah & myself. We managed to escape the paparazzi by taking off on a near sprint with our umbrellas. Turns out Hotel Belleclaire was basically a QUICK 20 min walk from there. After cleaning up a bit, we headed to the Cirque show which was 7-9pm. We then hung out in Times Square for a while. There was the "naked cowgirl". Remember the "naked cowboy"? Well, guess they are related or maybe she's his wife, ex wife, or whatever...I do know one thing, she should have reconsidered her outfit. (attached grainy cell photo)
June 28th next.....our arrival........yes, it's still a backwards account of the trip. :P
