Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Big Apple - Day 3

  • Rode hotel shuttle to Newark airport, bus to Newark Penn Station, and subway to NY Penn Station.
  • Walked about 1.5 miles to F.A.O. Schwarz -- the ultimate toy store and a kid's paradise. Had a great time making music on the "Big" piano, playing with the toy dinosaurs and farm animals and guffawing over the $700 stuffed animals (including a $4,000 Buick-sized dragon!)



  • P enjoyed a street-vendor hot dog and we both snacked on tasty roasted cashews from another cart.
  • Strolled through lively Little Italy and dined on tasty chicken and veal parmigiana at Frankie Cee's.
  • Stopped at Heartland Brewery at the base of the Empire State Building for our last drinks in the city.
  • Walked to Penn Station and rode the train back to our hotel -- a little more expensive than our other modes of transpo in and out of the city, but much faster and more convenient.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

The Big Apple - Day 2

  • Took bus from hotel to Port Authority, then rode subway to the cavernous and quiet Wall Street where we enjoyed staring at the towering buildings and seeing the sights in the financial district.


  • Walked from Wall Street to Battery Park and saw a WTC sculpture damaged in the 9/11 attacks.


  • Rode subway to Chinatown and had fun poking around. At one point a salesman followed me out of his store yelling at me to come back and buy perfume at a price discounted from $40 to $15. We also shared a massive bowl of tasty soup and tea for a mere $3.50.
  • Rode subway to Rockefeller Center for a lovely and tasty Thai food dinner at Paper Moon.
  • Walked a few blocks to Mulligan's Pub for a drink served by an Irish bartender :)
  • Ascended 86 floors to the Empire State Building observation deck and enjoyed the stunning view!


  • Hustled back to Port Authority to catch the 11:50 p.m. bus back to the hotel.

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Big Apple - Day 1

  • Left L.A. early, spent nearly six hours in Sea-Tac airport (our plane to Newark was almost three hours late), took the five-hour flight across the country, arrived at hotel around 2 a.m. and crashed.
  • Took 10 a.m. bus from Elizabeth, NJ to the Port Authority in Manhattan. Then hoofed it about 20 blocks in the crisp, yet sunny morning to the gorgeous Central Park.

  • Returned to Central Park for an evening stroll and photo shoot.

  • Said goodbye to my sister and brother-in-law and cabbed it down to Broadway to see Chicago and LOVED it! Such a fantastic and fun show! Plus our tickets were half off, which is always good. 
  • Walked to Times Square and enjoyed finally seeing the iconic spot in person. (Fun fact: according to http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/, it's the only neighborhood in NY with a zoning ordinance requiring tenants to display bright signs, the density of which now rivals that of Vegas!)
  • Before riding the subway back to the hotel, we stopped for a photo op at the Valentine's Day heart.