Wednesday in NYC is brought to you by the letter S. I couldn't have planned that better if I tried...and I love to plan. We all slept in, and after a Starbucks (I'm just getting going...), we headed out for breakfast, which turned into lunch as it was just after noon. We headed up to Grand Central Station and found a cafe directly across from the 42nd Street entrance called Pershing Square. Overpriced and full of business people, the food was actually not bad and the service pleasant enough. No rave review but if you are hungry and not on a strict budget, its a satisfying choice. Continuing along 42nd Street, we almost walked the entire length of it to the western edge of Manhattan. Along the waterfront a few streets up we found the Intrepid - an aircraft carrier anchored in the harbour, now serving as the Sea, Air and Space Museum. A bit of a line up to get in, it was well worth the wait to visit and both kids said it was one of the highlights of New York City. The ship, if standing upright, is almost as tall as the Chrysler Building. You can tour the Hangar, where they used to store the aircrafts and have interactive displays for both the space and air programs. The flight deck features many older aircrafts and helicopters, and most impressively - the Space Shuttle Enterprise protected in a huge indoor golf like bubble. We headed straight for the Space Shuttle, and after a short wait, were standing beside/underneath the coolest mode of transportation ever. Even standing along side it, it's awe inspiring. It's roped off, and with the wheels down, makes it impossible to touch, but you can walk around it and pose for a picture right in front of the nose of it. We carried on our tour, and walked out along the flight deck, before heading down to the ground again to check out the British Airways Concorde parked along side the aircraft carrier. Much smaller than I imagined it would be (although it was directly beside an aircraft carrier...so maybe not the best way to show off any size), the only way to see the inside of the Concorde was to pay an extra $22 each on top of the $30 to get into the Intrepid, and have a personalized tour. It was already late in the day, so we skipped the Concorde tour for this trip and flagged down a taxi that took us to our final "must see" destination in NYC for the week - Strawberry Fields.
Our taxi driver let us out just south of the Dakota - the apartment overlooking Central Park where John Lennon was shot and Yoko Ono still resides. We walked around the entire building, and was surprised there was no memorial, or even a sign stating it was the Dakota. Only 2 doormen wearing Dakota on their hats gave any clue to the identity of the building. Directly across the street is the entrance into Central Park, and a path leading to Strawberry Fields. A large stone circle with the word Imagine lays in the middle of the pathway, and red roses left by an unknown fan rest just above it. A cello player performed a soft slow version of Eleanor Rigby - helping to set the tone for this simple yet touching memorial for a great artist.
Hungry again for a snack after all the sightseeing, we strolled up to 78th and Columbus a few blocks north of the Dakota, and found another Shake Shack. The line up this time was just out the door, so we tried our luck, and found a line up inside just for shakes that was empty! A few minutes later we were all enjoying a delicious shake and able to take shelter from the few raindrops that had started to fall. The rain lasted as long as a New York minute, and we hailed a taxi back to our hotel for a rest.
Even though tonight is our last night in NYC, we are all beat and decided on a local diner for dinner - Scotty's on Lexington, just south of 40th Street. Another wonderful recommendation from our front desk staff at the Seton Hotel, we enjoyed some traditional American classics such as burgers and fries, and meatloaf with gravy. Followed up by the best peanut butter pie ever created, we left our last dinner in NYC happily stuffed. An early start tomorrow, we head back home to Toronto. We found 5 days to be a perfect amount of time to spend exploring New York City - enough time to be exhausted, but still leaving us with so much more we want to come back to.
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Festivals, Squares, Parks and Urban Legends
Touching down in Newark, we easily navigated the airport and found our way to the Newark Airport Express bus, which for only $16 each, took us right to Grand Central Station. On a side note, I can't even type Grand Central Station without hearing it in Chris Rock's voice, in the role of Marty from Madagascar. Sadly, although not for moviemakers, much of my knowledge of the Big Apple highlights comes from Hollywood. I'm not alone in this, as when we got to the main concourse in Grand Central Station, my son asked if they had fixed the clock after Melman had broke it. (If you haven't watched the movie Madagascar I might lose you through most of my NYC blogs...fair warning).
It was an overcast afternoon, and the forecast for the next few days looks like a lot of clouds and rain - yet New York to me always looks beautiful so a few gray skies only means a probable umbrella souvenir for all of us. We totally lucked out for our hotel. We are staying at the Seton Hotel, on east 40th Street, only minutes walk from Grand Central Station. We came across it while searching hotels on line, and found it to be one of the more affordable hotels within walking distance of Times Square, Central Park and MOMA. Recently upgraded, this old hotel has a very modern feel - boutique style with high ceilings (at least 20 ft) and comfortable beds. There are some rooms without in room bathrooms, but for about $200 a night, we have 2 double beds, our own bathroom, and a view of a brick wall - it's New York after all, and I don't see any rooftop views with our budget in our immediate future.
We dropped our bags and headed out for a bite to eat, finding Blooms Delicatessen a few streets west of our hotel that served monster size hamburgers, and the cliche new york deli pastrami on rye sandwiches. Fuelled up on energy, and the excitement of exploring New York, we began our journey towards Times Square, only to stop at Madison Avenue when we saw a huge street festival that closed Madison for blocks northwards. Not being able to resist an unexpected festival we made our way up Madison Avenue stopping to check out the venders along the way. A few purchases later, including some early Christmas shopping!, we left the street festival and headed back west towards Times Square.
I've been to Times Square a few different times, and each time I'm amazed and overwhelmed by the lights, the people, the signs and the stores. This afternoon was no different and we were quickly surrounded by the excitement of it all. A few quick must do tourist photographs later, we took in a few stores before we had to move on just to regain our sanity. We found our way south to 42nd Street, and headed back east towards our hotel. On the way we passed Bryant Park. I have never heard of Bryant Park before today (Hollywood, get on it!), but loved my new found oasis in the city. Bryant Park runs north from 40th Street to 42nd Street, and takes up the entire block between 5th and 6th Avenue. Trees and pathways with patio style tables and chairs fill the park, and in the middle is a large grass area with a giant movie screen at the west end of it. Giving our feet a break, we joined the New York City locals and sat on the grass enjoying the summer evening. A quick rest later, we set out for Grand Central Station, which was a few blocks east along 42nd Street. It was dusk, and the outside of the Station was softly lit up giving it a romantic feel as we admired this amazing landmark. We went inside, and went directly to the main concourse. It was priceless to see both kids expressions of awe as we entered the incredible main room, known for its infamous clock, once fictionally destroyed by Marty the zebra. Both kids looked up and were taken aback by the tall blue ceiling, decorated with paintings of Greek Gods, and the stars named after them. Bruce and I had read about a few secret places in Grand Central, so we headed towards the Oyster Bar in search of the Whispering Room. Directly in front of the Oyster Bar is a room with a domed ceiling, and each of us stood facing the opposite corners and tried out this urban legend. We were happy to find out that the Whispering Room lived up to its legend and despite the noise of the Station, we could hear what each other was saying, even though we were not speaking louder than a whisper. A few people followed suit and soon there was a little line up waiting to try out this hidden gem.
It was getting late, and we were hungry after our first day adventure though NYC, so we walked a block east of Grand Central, and found a highly recommended "cheap eats" place called 99 cent pizza. We ordered our pizza to go, and walked back a few blocks south to our hotel. It was delicious and by far the best deal I expect we will get - $10 for a dinner for 4. An early night, especially by New York City standards, we need a good night sleep for our next adventure tomorrow - MOMA to fulfil my bucketlist item - seeing the original Starry Night from Van Gogh, and a birthday lunch at the Boathouse in Central Park. Of course, we might have to stop off to play a big piano at FAO Schwarz, but only if I can learn the chopsticks before then.
It was an overcast afternoon, and the forecast for the next few days looks like a lot of clouds and rain - yet New York to me always looks beautiful so a few gray skies only means a probable umbrella souvenir for all of us. We totally lucked out for our hotel. We are staying at the Seton Hotel, on east 40th Street, only minutes walk from Grand Central Station. We came across it while searching hotels on line, and found it to be one of the more affordable hotels within walking distance of Times Square, Central Park and MOMA. Recently upgraded, this old hotel has a very modern feel - boutique style with high ceilings (at least 20 ft) and comfortable beds. There are some rooms without in room bathrooms, but for about $200 a night, we have 2 double beds, our own bathroom, and a view of a brick wall - it's New York after all, and I don't see any rooftop views with our budget in our immediate future.
We dropped our bags and headed out for a bite to eat, finding Blooms Delicatessen a few streets west of our hotel that served monster size hamburgers, and the cliche new york deli pastrami on rye sandwiches. Fuelled up on energy, and the excitement of exploring New York, we began our journey towards Times Square, only to stop at Madison Avenue when we saw a huge street festival that closed Madison for blocks northwards. Not being able to resist an unexpected festival we made our way up Madison Avenue stopping to check out the venders along the way. A few purchases later, including some early Christmas shopping!, we left the street festival and headed back west towards Times Square.
I've been to Times Square a few different times, and each time I'm amazed and overwhelmed by the lights, the people, the signs and the stores. This afternoon was no different and we were quickly surrounded by the excitement of it all. A few quick must do tourist photographs later, we took in a few stores before we had to move on just to regain our sanity. We found our way south to 42nd Street, and headed back east towards our hotel. On the way we passed Bryant Park. I have never heard of Bryant Park before today (Hollywood, get on it!), but loved my new found oasis in the city. Bryant Park runs north from 40th Street to 42nd Street, and takes up the entire block between 5th and 6th Avenue. Trees and pathways with patio style tables and chairs fill the park, and in the middle is a large grass area with a giant movie screen at the west end of it. Giving our feet a break, we joined the New York City locals and sat on the grass enjoying the summer evening. A quick rest later, we set out for Grand Central Station, which was a few blocks east along 42nd Street. It was dusk, and the outside of the Station was softly lit up giving it a romantic feel as we admired this amazing landmark. We went inside, and went directly to the main concourse. It was priceless to see both kids expressions of awe as we entered the incredible main room, known for its infamous clock, once fictionally destroyed by Marty the zebra. Both kids looked up and were taken aback by the tall blue ceiling, decorated with paintings of Greek Gods, and the stars named after them. Bruce and I had read about a few secret places in Grand Central, so we headed towards the Oyster Bar in search of the Whispering Room. Directly in front of the Oyster Bar is a room with a domed ceiling, and each of us stood facing the opposite corners and tried out this urban legend. We were happy to find out that the Whispering Room lived up to its legend and despite the noise of the Station, we could hear what each other was saying, even though we were not speaking louder than a whisper. A few people followed suit and soon there was a little line up waiting to try out this hidden gem.
It was getting late, and we were hungry after our first day adventure though NYC, so we walked a block east of Grand Central, and found a highly recommended "cheap eats" place called 99 cent pizza. We ordered our pizza to go, and walked back a few blocks south to our hotel. It was delicious and by far the best deal I expect we will get - $10 for a dinner for 4. An early night, especially by New York City standards, we need a good night sleep for our next adventure tomorrow - MOMA to fulfil my bucketlist item - seeing the original Starry Night from Van Gogh, and a birthday lunch at the Boathouse in Central Park. Of course, we might have to stop off to play a big piano at FAO Schwarz, but only if I can learn the chopsticks before then.
The NYC Adventure Begins
What better way to start a new blog than by combating boredom while waiting for our plane to board. The theme of the day is modes of transportation, and I'm quickly loving the conveniences of city living. From our house, we are able to walk an easy 10 minutes to the GO Train station, and for $4.65 each, we are able to take an 8 minute ride down to Union Station. Deciding it was time for our kids to learn a little more in the skill of travelling, we made it our sons task to find out how we were getting to our plane. He easily figured out the GO train route, as we take it normally to get downtown - but from there had to do a little internet research (with the help of Dad) and discovered the Porter shuttle picks up passengers across from Union Station at the Royal York Hotel. Our son led the way as we exited the GO train, and guided us across the street directly to the shuttle bus, which was luckily there already and waiting. A quick ride through the city centre, we arrived a few minutes later at the foot of Bathurst and boarded the ferry for the shortest trip across the western gap to Billy Bishop Island Airport.
If you've never flown Porter from Toronto Island, I'd find a reason to try it out. They fly short trips, from Washington DC, east to Halifax and St Johns, north to Timmins (if you find a reason to actually go to Timmins, let me know), and most importantly for us...into Newark, New Jersey - a short bus/, train, or taxi ride into Manhattan - our destination today. Not only are Porter's rates fantastic (we each paid $210 including tax, return flight), but the lounge is comfortable, spacious, and offers free drinks and snacks preboarding. To top it off, the view of the city centre from the lounge is beautiful. Huge windows cover two sides of the waiting area, giving a scenic view of the Toronto skyline as well as the harbour. Free wi-fi and a business centre to keep our 14 year old daughter occupied with facebook chat, Porter's advertisements are true - a civilized way to fly.
And why, you ask, are we taking this trip into New York City? I hardly need a reason to buy a plane ticket or plan an adventure...but in the case, we are celebrating our daughters 14th birthday. My husband and I decided a few months ago that physical gifts come and go, and can be easily forgotten about or lost (eg, cameras, phones, ipods...all lost and or damaged in the past year once, or in some cases numerous times). Instead, with very few exceptions, any major holiday or birthday will be celebrated with experiences instead. I say that now. I might wait until the end of this trip before I make this "gifts of experience" a permanent thing. Flight 131 now boarding for Newark. And we are off!
If you've never flown Porter from Toronto Island, I'd find a reason to try it out. They fly short trips, from Washington DC, east to Halifax and St Johns, north to Timmins (if you find a reason to actually go to Timmins, let me know), and most importantly for us...into Newark, New Jersey - a short bus/, train, or taxi ride into Manhattan - our destination today. Not only are Porter's rates fantastic (we each paid $210 including tax, return flight), but the lounge is comfortable, spacious, and offers free drinks and snacks preboarding. To top it off, the view of the city centre from the lounge is beautiful. Huge windows cover two sides of the waiting area, giving a scenic view of the Toronto skyline as well as the harbour. Free wi-fi and a business centre to keep our 14 year old daughter occupied with facebook chat, Porter's advertisements are true - a civilized way to fly.
And why, you ask, are we taking this trip into New York City? I hardly need a reason to buy a plane ticket or plan an adventure...but in the case, we are celebrating our daughters 14th birthday. My husband and I decided a few months ago that physical gifts come and go, and can be easily forgotten about or lost (eg, cameras, phones, ipods...all lost and or damaged in the past year once, or in some cases numerous times). Instead, with very few exceptions, any major holiday or birthday will be celebrated with experiences instead. I say that now. I might wait until the end of this trip before I make this "gifts of experience" a permanent thing. Flight 131 now boarding for Newark. And we are off!
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