We flew in late Friday afternoon and I was in awe at how every inch of land was covered by something. Buildings, roads, cars, or water-just no trees. The view from the plane was amazing and we tried to pick out the few landmarks we knew. Unfortunately, with so many buildings and bridges, it was difficult to know what we were seeing. We grabbed a taxi to the Delaney's and enjoyed watching our cabbie battle the rush hour traffic while the sun set behind Manhattan.
We got to the Delaney's safely (I'm not sure how anyone who rides in a cab or drives in the city manages this on a daily basis) and I found out that my husband is ambitious. I had envisioned a quiet hour or two catching up with our friends but he was intent on getting started seeing the city. So we bundled up and headed to Times Square. Getting around in the city was an adventure in itself. We bought Metro cards and jumped on the subway. We got off at the correct stop and emerged into Times Square, where we looked up and were a bit overwhelmed. Eric said the lights and commotion were "seizure inducing." I agreed!
We quickly headed into a store to gain our composure. However, we had stepped into Toys-R-Us which didn't help us feel much better. Life size Lego creations and a real ferris wheel made us wonder what we had gotten into.
At that point I wondered if I would enjoy seeing the city...
We then went to the top of the Empire State Building and enjoyed the city at night. After that we grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the apartment.
Saturday we went back to Times Square and then walked to Rockefeller Center. On the way we went to the public library and Bryant Park (it's an outdoor park with free wireless connection...maybe I would like the city after all!) Then it was coffee time at Dean & Deluca (YUMMY!) while watching the ice skaters.
We went in the NBC store (very cool) and then got back on the subway and managed to find our way to Battery Park. Then we walked to the World Trade Center site, Century 21 (a great discount store), City Hall, and over the Brooklyn Bridge.
This is a picture of the church that is across the street from the World Trade Center site. It serves as a memorial to victims and after the towers collapsed, the injured were treated here. Amazingly the church was the only building in the area that was not scratched by the disaster. A large tree shielded the church from the building collapse and not even a window was cracked.
Here is a picture of Eric's favorite part of our trip-the hot dog stands.
He refueled before walking across the bridge. We ate a late lunch in Brooklyn and then headed back to Manhattan and stopped in Grand Central Station. Eric spotted a comic book shop and browsed for awhile. Next was the journey to my shopping destination, the Apple Store on 5th Avenue. The stores on 5th Avenue were extravagant so we just window shopped.
We also took a ferry ride to Liberty and Ellis Islands (at which time baby Erin was born!) and enjoyed the museum and the views of the city from afar. It was very cold but Eric still managed to take some beautiful pictures.
The rest of our trip was much the same, seeing all the places we had heard about from friends and T.V., while finally navigating the subway like experts. At one point a family trying to get to Central Park and the MET actually asked us how to get there. We didn't lead them astray.
My pickle addiction led us to Little Italy to eat and then through Chinatown (it was Chinese New Year so that was an experience!) and finally to Guss's Pickles. There were brining barrels on the sidewalk with spicy, sweet, sour, and half and half pickles. I smelled them a block away. Mmmmmm...I ate 4 :-)
If pickles aren't your thing there is a place to get the best cupcakes I've ever tasted, Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village (near NYU and Washington Square). We waited in a line that wrapped around the corner but it was worth it. Butter cream icing on moist cupcakes...absolutely amazing. That evening we went out to eat with Dan & Brooke at a Vietnamese restaurant that puts Young's to shame. Then is was time to head home to life. I'm sure there are places we saw that I didn't mention. Like I said, Eric was ambitious. On Tuesday morning we got on a bus and headed back to the airport. On the way we drove through Harlem and past the Apollo theater.
The city was fun to visit but Eric and I agree that we would not want to live there. It made us appreciate what we have and I see why people come visit Rocky Mountain National Park. We are very thankful for the community we have in Greeley and will miss Dan and Brooke.
