Firstly we are still alive. Thank you for your concern. I know you haven't heard from us for some time but we have been busy.
So we left you with an image of us eating dinner at the fancy diner with fancy prices and us doing laundry in the Big Apple. Since that time, we have seen and done a lot. Just ask the layer of our feet that are peeling off and the rest of our poor old bodies.
So our first day out exploring took us to see a pop up free concert of in Times Square with none other than Paul McCartney. For those younger players at home, one of "The Beatles" members. We happened to hear on the radio while in a souvenir shop that he would be playing in 15 minutes. Lucky we were about 2 blocks from there. We managed to stand on a small wall and see over most of the crowd. He played about 4 songs from his new album and then left. It was a great experience and one we certainly weren't expecting and wont forget in a hurry.
After the pop up performance we headed to Toys R Us in Times Square to have a little look around, Gordo at Lego and Toot at the Barbies then discovered the Wonka section on the way out. Whoops, we may have made a little purchase, or maybe a big one. Toot was a little disappointed with the Barbie range and stomped and made her way to the Cabbage Patch section. This was a point in our day that made us feel old. It was discovered that Original Cabbage Patch dolls are now considered vintage as they are celebrating their 30th year. Does this also mean that Toot is vintage now that she is 30?! One must ask this question.
After Toys R Us we headed to get some lunch and continue our adventures. We purchased some Broadway tickets to see The Lion King and also Annie. After ticket purchases we did some wondering around Times Square including Hersheys World, M &M's World and some general souvenir purchases. After this we did some more shopping and Toot bought her new pretty watch. She loves it and has been eyeing it off since LA but needed to make an informed decision so has been looking since then at others just in case.
After watch purchases we headed up to get a glimpse of Central Park. We only walked along the South edge of it to get a quick look and then headed for Fifth Avenue and The Plaza hotel (which was featured in Home Alone 2; Lost in New York). This was all covered in scaffolding for cleaning as are a lot of things at the moment. Also a few closed for renovations or because of the damn government shutdown. We walked across the road to FAO Schwartz , which is the toy store featured in the movie Big, with the giant walk on keyboard. After toy shopping we walked down 5th Ave and checking out a few stores we headed back to the hotel after grabbing a couple of slices of pizza on the way through to eat for dinner. We had a shorter day as we were pretty tired and slept in and didn't rush too much.
Yesterday (Friday) we headed back to Times Square via and headed to the Subway station and purchased our ticket for the week and took the subway to South Ferry at Battery Park. From here we wandered the tired and run down area along the shore to take a photo of the Statue of Liberty and decide whether we would take the water taxi our there or wait for a day that wasn't raining and chilly. We decided to see what the weather was doing and headed around to Pier 17 to get a look at the Brooklyn Bridge. At this stage it was getting shittier and colder and wetter so we headed for Wall Street instead and opted to take the boat road another day. We walked up Wall Street (which is actually quite tiny) and looked for the Charging Bull to have our photos with. We found the Bull ( the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity) and took some photos. We then made our way over to the 9/11 Tribute Centre and Memorial. It was fascinating to hear some of the stories of survivors or from people who lost family and friends and to also see things that were recovered from the sight. It was very confronting in a way that we both remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news of the disaster. I guess a piece of history that we remember.
The weather had started to improve but by this stage we decided to finish up at this end of the island for the day and head back uptown to get some dinner and get ready for our show. We got our epic sandwich from Carnegie Deli and headed back to the hotel to eat this before heading out to see Annie. This was cool as it was obviously set in New York back in the 30's and it set the mood in a way. This was our first Broadway show and we weren't disappointed. It also had Anthony Warlow playing Mr Warbucks. After this finished it was time to call it a day and head back from some sleep.
Today was a big day. We started off by heading to the banks of the Hudson River to jump on a water taxi to take us around the lower half of Manhattan. While on board we heard a few details about the history of Manhattan and also just some general info on the place. We got off at Pier 17 and tried to find our way to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. One would think this was quite an easy task as the bridge is massive. Having said that the sign posting leaves a lot to be desired. While trying to find our way to the bridge we saw a some filming happening. Not sure what it was for but it looked kind of busy and exciting. Typical no stars or film sets in LA but we have seen filming trailers left, right and centre in NY.
We eventually found our way onto the bridge and walked across all the way to Brooklyn. We ate lunch (from a tasty roach coach) by the water in Brooklyn before jumping back on the water taxi to take us out to the Statue of Liberty. Of course due to the dumb government here we were unable to disembark when we got there as it is closed. But we were able to take some good photos (without lots of people in them) from the boat and they also set the scene and mood by playing some NY themed music.
After we got off the water taxi we decided to finish our lunch which sounds easier than it was. The wind felt like Hurricane Sandy had returned. We sat down at a table on the water front and set up our corn chips and salsa only for it to all take off in a massive gust of wind that coated Gordos pants in coke and Toots handbag in salsa and guacamole. After cleaning this up we made our way to the Empire State building and waited in line.
Did we mention that its a long weekend here? Yep, busy! It took us over an hour just to get to the 86th floor observation deck (from the time we got to the building). I bet this didn't happen to Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in Sleepless is Seattle. That would have made for a different movie I would say. Once we got up there we spent about 30 mins taking pics and looking around. Both glad we waited in the line though.
After the Empire State Building we went to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. This was all good but as I said earlier there are a few things shut for renovations, this is one of them. Bugger, it opens back up the week after we leave. We jumped back on the subway and headed to Grand Central Station. We got off the train to change lines in Times Square only to find out that they had closed that line for the weekend (yep more closures) so we once again braved the massive crowds at street level in Times Square and walked to Grand Central. But before we did this we stopped at the Discovery Museum to check out "The Art of Brick." This was like Gordos dream exhibition. All sorts of statues, pictures and other stuff all made form Lego blocks. Very cool.
We headed to Grand Central Station and went inside and took some photos and decided to head back to the hotel and get some dinner on the way. Along the way we walked past Rockefeller Centre and had a nosey (we will return to do "Top of the Rock" in a couple of days). They opened the ice skating rink there today and there were people down there skating.
We decided on Chinese for dinner tonight as take away and were both upset t find that it didn't come in the typical white Chinese boxes that are on every show you see and that we have come to expect. Having said that the service was fast and the food was good.
On that note its time to say good night. I would like mention at this point that there are no photos as the Internet in this hotel is somewhat patchy and a little slow at best. You will have to wait until we return for photos. Unless we get a night where we have the time to sit while they load.
Thanks for reading. Just a heads up there may not be an entry tomorrow night as we are off to "The Lion King."
Til then!
So we left you with an image of us eating dinner at the fancy diner with fancy prices and us doing laundry in the Big Apple. Since that time, we have seen and done a lot. Just ask the layer of our feet that are peeling off and the rest of our poor old bodies.
So our first day out exploring took us to see a pop up free concert of in Times Square with none other than Paul McCartney. For those younger players at home, one of "The Beatles" members. We happened to hear on the radio while in a souvenir shop that he would be playing in 15 minutes. Lucky we were about 2 blocks from there. We managed to stand on a small wall and see over most of the crowd. He played about 4 songs from his new album and then left. It was a great experience and one we certainly weren't expecting and wont forget in a hurry.
After the pop up performance we headed to Toys R Us in Times Square to have a little look around, Gordo at Lego and Toot at the Barbies then discovered the Wonka section on the way out. Whoops, we may have made a little purchase, or maybe a big one. Toot was a little disappointed with the Barbie range and stomped and made her way to the Cabbage Patch section. This was a point in our day that made us feel old. It was discovered that Original Cabbage Patch dolls are now considered vintage as they are celebrating their 30th year. Does this also mean that Toot is vintage now that she is 30?! One must ask this question.
After Toys R Us we headed to get some lunch and continue our adventures. We purchased some Broadway tickets to see The Lion King and also Annie. After ticket purchases we did some wondering around Times Square including Hersheys World, M &M's World and some general souvenir purchases. After this we did some more shopping and Toot bought her new pretty watch. She loves it and has been eyeing it off since LA but needed to make an informed decision so has been looking since then at others just in case.
After watch purchases we headed up to get a glimpse of Central Park. We only walked along the South edge of it to get a quick look and then headed for Fifth Avenue and The Plaza hotel (which was featured in Home Alone 2; Lost in New York). This was all covered in scaffolding for cleaning as are a lot of things at the moment. Also a few closed for renovations or because of the damn government shutdown. We walked across the road to FAO Schwartz , which is the toy store featured in the movie Big, with the giant walk on keyboard. After toy shopping we walked down 5th Ave and checking out a few stores we headed back to the hotel after grabbing a couple of slices of pizza on the way through to eat for dinner. We had a shorter day as we were pretty tired and slept in and didn't rush too much.
Yesterday (Friday) we headed back to Times Square via and headed to the Subway station and purchased our ticket for the week and took the subway to South Ferry at Battery Park. From here we wandered the tired and run down area along the shore to take a photo of the Statue of Liberty and decide whether we would take the water taxi our there or wait for a day that wasn't raining and chilly. We decided to see what the weather was doing and headed around to Pier 17 to get a look at the Brooklyn Bridge. At this stage it was getting shittier and colder and wetter so we headed for Wall Street instead and opted to take the boat road another day. We walked up Wall Street (which is actually quite tiny) and looked for the Charging Bull to have our photos with. We found the Bull ( the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity) and took some photos. We then made our way over to the 9/11 Tribute Centre and Memorial. It was fascinating to hear some of the stories of survivors or from people who lost family and friends and to also see things that were recovered from the sight. It was very confronting in a way that we both remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news of the disaster. I guess a piece of history that we remember.
The weather had started to improve but by this stage we decided to finish up at this end of the island for the day and head back uptown to get some dinner and get ready for our show. We got our epic sandwich from Carnegie Deli and headed back to the hotel to eat this before heading out to see Annie. This was cool as it was obviously set in New York back in the 30's and it set the mood in a way. This was our first Broadway show and we weren't disappointed. It also had Anthony Warlow playing Mr Warbucks. After this finished it was time to call it a day and head back from some sleep.
Today was a big day. We started off by heading to the banks of the Hudson River to jump on a water taxi to take us around the lower half of Manhattan. While on board we heard a few details about the history of Manhattan and also just some general info on the place. We got off at Pier 17 and tried to find our way to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. One would think this was quite an easy task as the bridge is massive. Having said that the sign posting leaves a lot to be desired. While trying to find our way to the bridge we saw a some filming happening. Not sure what it was for but it looked kind of busy and exciting. Typical no stars or film sets in LA but we have seen filming trailers left, right and centre in NY.
We eventually found our way onto the bridge and walked across all the way to Brooklyn. We ate lunch (from a tasty roach coach) by the water in Brooklyn before jumping back on the water taxi to take us out to the Statue of Liberty. Of course due to the dumb government here we were unable to disembark when we got there as it is closed. But we were able to take some good photos (without lots of people in them) from the boat and they also set the scene and mood by playing some NY themed music.
After we got off the water taxi we decided to finish our lunch which sounds easier than it was. The wind felt like Hurricane Sandy had returned. We sat down at a table on the water front and set up our corn chips and salsa only for it to all take off in a massive gust of wind that coated Gordos pants in coke and Toots handbag in salsa and guacamole. After cleaning this up we made our way to the Empire State building and waited in line.
Did we mention that its a long weekend here? Yep, busy! It took us over an hour just to get to the 86th floor observation deck (from the time we got to the building). I bet this didn't happen to Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in Sleepless is Seattle. That would have made for a different movie I would say. Once we got up there we spent about 30 mins taking pics and looking around. Both glad we waited in the line though.
After the Empire State Building we went to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. This was all good but as I said earlier there are a few things shut for renovations, this is one of them. Bugger, it opens back up the week after we leave. We jumped back on the subway and headed to Grand Central Station. We got off the train to change lines in Times Square only to find out that they had closed that line for the weekend (yep more closures) so we once again braved the massive crowds at street level in Times Square and walked to Grand Central. But before we did this we stopped at the Discovery Museum to check out "The Art of Brick." This was like Gordos dream exhibition. All sorts of statues, pictures and other stuff all made form Lego blocks. Very cool.
We headed to Grand Central Station and went inside and took some photos and decided to head back to the hotel and get some dinner on the way. Along the way we walked past Rockefeller Centre and had a nosey (we will return to do "Top of the Rock" in a couple of days). They opened the ice skating rink there today and there were people down there skating.
We decided on Chinese for dinner tonight as take away and were both upset t find that it didn't come in the typical white Chinese boxes that are on every show you see and that we have come to expect. Having said that the service was fast and the food was good.
On that note its time to say good night. I would like mention at this point that there are no photos as the Internet in this hotel is somewhat patchy and a little slow at best. You will have to wait until we return for photos. Unless we get a night where we have the time to sit while they load.
Thanks for reading. Just a heads up there may not be an entry tomorrow night as we are off to "The Lion King."
Til then!
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