NYC Tour - Day 7, September 14, 2013

What a terrific day to end this tour!!  We had a very competent bus driver though he didn't have to fight a lot of traffic most of the day.

We started at a Hungarian Bakery for pastry and coffee.

Freedom Park and St. John the Divine Cathedral are just across the street.  Some of the sculptures were done my junior high and high school students.

 

Archangel Michael

 

 
The Cathedral gave me goose bumps it is so magnificent.   James Gandolfini's funeral was held here. 

 

 This hall is seen when you first walk in.  We would later learn that it leads to several small chapels.

Looking toward the back of the church.

 The next two photos are from the chapels.

Some of the sights on the way to Central Park.

This is the Dakota.  The black railing is Yoko Ono's apartment. 

 

We took a walk through part of Central Park.  The park is manmade.  First stop was Strawberry Fields which Yoko Ono had created in John Lennon's memory.

 Sights in the park.

Bow Bridge.

 

Boulders are remnants of the Wisconsin Ice Sheet left behind thousands of years ago.





 

 

 

 This is still at the above fountain.  I just snapped a photo before I went under the arches having no idea what was in there.  The man walking toward the camera with a big smile was the Wagonmaster, the man in the blue shirt on the left was the Tailgunner - basically our rally hosts.  The woman in the right corner is a trooper - constant oxygen and a scooter.

Inside the arches where musicians were playing.

 The ceiling

 
Hans Christian Andersen

Alice in Wonderland

Lunch was in the basement of the AOL Time Warner Building at Whole Foods.

We were then let off the bus at the Plaza Hotel with some time to spare.  Several of us went to the FAO Schwartz Toy Store - Fun!!

 

 

While we were there we watched a backhoe go speeding down the street!  I watched his front wheels bounce off the pavement!  Who would have thought in NYC?!

Next was a carriage ride through Central Park!  Several wedding parties were having photos taken.  Our horse....

 

 

Dinner was at a Brazilian steakhouse.    Their salad bar was unbelievable - no signs to tell you what you were dishing up.  They bring various kinds of meat to your table on huge skewers and slice off whatever you want - very different.  Lamb, chicken, ham, beef.  We each had small tongs to 'catch' our meat when is was sliced.

Across the street was a bakery owned by the girl who plays Abby on NCIS, Pauley Perrette. 

 

 The bakery is named after her mother.  I wish we would have been there when it was open.

 

NYC Tour - Day 6, September 13, 2013

Our day started with waiting for the bus to arrive!  Supposedly due to a flat tire, but I used to work for a construction company that used that excuse when they were late.

We went just a short way to Liberty State Park to catch the ferry to Liberty Island and Lady Liberty.  There was damage done to the area by Sandy.  It was quite a walk (for some) to the temporary pier.  Ellis Island is still closed due to Sandy.

This was taken at Liberty State Park.  In the foreground are pieces from 9/11.  The two walls represent the towers and the site of the towers is viewed between them.  Unfortunately, we didn't have time to explore and get better photos.

This beautiful building is the Central Railroad of new Jersey Terminal, and it is closed due to Sandy.  After Ellis Island, this is where immigrants came to catch a train to wherever they were going.

 Ellis Island.  My ancestors came long before the use of Ellis Island.

 

We went through airport type security twice.  The second time the man in front of me had to make several 'return trips', removing something else each time he did so.  He finally made it through.  I went through the scanner and the tub with my things was nowhere in sight!  That is an awful feeling!  There were not the number of people milling about as in an airport.  I finally looked at the man at the scanner and shrugged my shoulders because the man behind me had his things.  Seems the man in front of me tossed his things, including his shoes, on top of my things!!  Whew!

There is a wonderful display of how the Statue of Liberty was constructed, paid for, etc. Our tickets allowed us up on the pedestal. I thought I was in line for the stairs, but it turned out to be the elevator! By the time I figured it out, I was almost at the head of the line so played lazy.

This is the wooden mold for a portion of the foot (sorry it is fuzzy).  The thin copper sheeting was hammered into this mold for the foot.

This is a replica of the inside of the Statue of Liberty.

This is looking up the statue's skirt.  Look close and you can see the spiral stairs.  I believe the fee is $50 to climb to the crown.

 

We rode the ferry to Battery Park in NYC.   There are memorials to military who lost their lives during WWII on the Atlantic coast.  All are listed on the cement 'walls'.

There is an urban garden in the park.

Next stop was St. Paul's Chapel which was a place of rest, food, etc. for the 9/11 rescuers. We had 20 minutes here so I rushed so I had time to stop at St. Peter's on the way back to the bus. It is the oldest Catholic Church in NYC.

George Washington worshipped at St. Paul's after his first inauguration.  

A cot for rescuers to rest.

 

 A cross forged from the destruction.

 A gift from London following 9/11.

 

St. Peter's Catholic Church, oldest Catholic congregation in New York.  Present church built in 1838.

 

There were so many people praying inside that these were taken through glass so as to not disturb them.

 

We made a stop at Washington Square Park which has a beautiful arch and fountain. Along the way we passed the buildings with the iron pillars again so I was able to get better photos.

 Washington the Statesman.

 Washington the soldier.

Bloomingdale's with the iron pillars to support the weight of the windows.

Chelsea Market was next. It was mostly food stores and restaurants. Since we had dinner reservations, no eating here even if there is lobster!!

Off to Little Italy and the San Gennaro Festival. Many of us commented that we would have liked to have eaten dinner at the Festival, but our reservation was at one of the Italian restaurants. I did stop after dinner and pick up a canoli.

 

Dinner was way too much - salad, pasta, I had eggplant parmesan, and dessert!

And then we waited in the cool evening air for the bus!! Traffic was extremely heavy so it took us 2 hours to get back to the park - I think normally it was 45 minutes. The intersection traffic cops weren't helping get rid of the gridlock. Many of us are starting to wear out. All the slow walking on cement is making me very sore.

 

NYC - Day 5, September 12, 2013

Yesterday (Day 4) was a free day, and I stayed home.  Temperature was 96 degrees!

Today started with a new bus driver who doesn't have a clue.   First thing she did was 'get lost' on the way to the Holland Tunnel.  The traffic was much heavier today plus she is a timid driver, so all we did was ride the bus before lunch.

We did drive by the 'Intrepid' and the back of Trinity Church along the way.

 

For whatever reason, we didn't go to the scheduled cafe for lunch and were suddenly dropped off and told there was food across the street.  There were several choices.

We had a scheduled appointment to visit the 9/11 Memorial.  On our way there the sky opened up and we had a brief downpour.  The Memorial is a lovely 'park'.

This is the Survivor Tree.  It survived in the rubble of 9/11 and was replanted.  It then withstood the winds of Sandy in 2012.

I took many photos of Tower Number 1!

The arched glass building in the center of the photo is where Ground Zero was viewed from when I was here in 2006.

 

The steeple is St. Paul's Church which was a haven for rescue workers.  The orange crane is lifting what, to me, looked like wings and will be a parking structure.

The ledge around the two pools list all the names of those lost on 9/11.

There is a pool where each of the towers stood.

Building Number 4 rebuilt.

The grounds.

On our way to Wall Street, we walked by Trinity Church and cemetery.  I was disappointed we didn't go into either.

Taken from down Wall Street.

I have been to Wall Street before, but I had missed the plaque regarding a wall the Dutch had built to protect themselves from enemies.  There is evidence of this wall in the pavement.  Again, my ancestors were part of that Dutch community so I need to do some more reading in a book that is in storage.  These photos were taken in front of Federal Hall.

The plaque says logs, but these remnants are all along Wall Street.  My feet are in the photo on purpose - perhaps my 8th great grandfather stood here as well.  He and his brother owned land near Wall and Broadway.

Next we rode the bus to kill time and drove right by Trinity Church!!

Dinner was at Mustang Harry's.  I had salmon which was very good!

Next we were dropped off at the Gershwin Theater - early - to see Wicked.  I had heard so many raves about this show, but, while the performances were very good, I just didn't care for the show.  I probably had an attitude when I couldn't understand the words of the songs the chorus sang or hear some of the actors' lines. 

We got back to the park after eleven.  By the time I got settled down and ready for sleep, it was 2 a.m.  Up at 7 this morning for 9 o'clock departure.