Monday

Flying last night when we should have been blogging, so now we are playing catch-up.  This was the view from our balcony on our last morning in NYC.  Clear and sunny and much less windy than the previous two days---perfect for walking around Midtown!

We left the apartment about 10:00 AM and passed by the NY Times Building on the way to drop off our luggage for the day.

 

 Times Square in the morning.

MetroCard Bike.  New Yorkers are very creative.

A

We approached the Chrysler Building on Lexington Ave.

It was reflected in the building across the street.

Inside, the famous elevator doors and "rouge flame" Moroccan marble walls.

 Then, on to Grand Central Terminal....

And yes, they still have trains there!

We had coffee by Joe.

The New York Public Library is currently undergoing a 3-year renovation in preparation for its 100-year anniversary in 2011, so much of the building was covered in sheeting.  However, you can still see Patience and Fortitude guarding the entrance.

Inside, the 3rd floor Reading Room was most impressive.

Sharon finally found a scarf!

Bryant Park is located right behind the New York Public Library.  It is an oasis in the midst in the city. 

Many New Yorkers take advantage. 

While there, we viewed some interesting performance-installation art by Kate Gilmore called  Walk the Walk.  You'll have to ask us about that one.

The outdoor Reading Room is a fixture at Bryant Park.  It was started during the depression for those who were out of work and without a permanent address.  It is staffed by volunteers of the New York Public Library.

About 2:00 PM, we took the subway from Bryant Park down to Katz's Delicatessen for lunch.

We missed the treat on our first night in town, but we were not about to go home without it.

 

Katz's did not disappoint!

After lunch, it was time for one last subway ride to go get our luggage and head out to JFK.  What a week in the wonder city!  Hope you have enjoyed our blog.

S & G  

Sunday

First up this morning was the Top of the Rock.  We had an entry window between 9:00-9:15 AM.  We weren't sure if it would be open because of the high winds, but we went anyway and it was open.  (Apparently, the top two decks were closed yesterday afternoon and evening---this wind has really been an experience!)

Some views from the top---Central Park.........................

and the Empire State Building.  Thanks for the framing idea, Barbara!

When we finished at the top, we had time for a little exploring around the Rockefeller Center. One of the things we saw was the Swarovsky Crystal "waterfall".  We learned in the film presentation that the crystals are actually arranged in a pattern to form the inverted profile of the GE building, the tallest building at the center.  You can almost see that in this photo.

 Next, we took a 6 train Uptown for brunch at Cilantro, a little eatery on the Upper East Side.  One would not normally expect Southwest cuisine with New York City, but this was delicious!

I had the Crabcakes Benedict with Chipotle Hollandaise Sauce.

After brunch, it was a 3 Long-block walk to the Guggenheim at E 89th St and 5th Avenue.  We enjoyed the exhibits and the building.  Unfortunately, no photos allowed.

About 2:30, we walked the 3 short blocks down 5th Ave to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The Met had organized an exhibit of Picasso works from its collection---the exhibit filled several galleries and took us over an hour to view.  It had just opened on April 27 so the galleries were very crowded, but we enjoyed it nonetheless!  Following is just one example from the exhibition:

We had originally planned to take a taxi down to Pier 83 after the museum for a Circle Line Harbor Lights Cruise,but again---the wind!  It did not seem like a good night for a cruise on the Hudson.  Instead, we took a short walk through Central Park behind the museum.

This Alice in Wonderland sculpture is one of the things we saw in the park before catching a cab back to the apartment.

Tonight, we walked a few blocks from the apartment to the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood on 9th Ave for our last supper in the city. Empanada Mama is a little restaurant recommended by Pauline Frommer and it was wonderful! Columbian-style empanadas and other South American delights---we're really going to miss the food here.  Pictured below is a Watermelon Martini, one of the specials of the night. 

It's hard to believe we will be heading home tomorrow!

Saturday

 

We had a leisurely start today.  About 10:30 AM, we boarded a Downtown C train and headed for Greenwich Village.  Joe was our destination.  For those of you who read the Coffee House Mysteries, Joe was the inspiration for the fictional Village Blend Coffee House.

The coffee is legendary and the line was out the door.  We got our lattes just in time to check in for our Greenwich Village food tour down on Bleecker St.

We met our Foods of New York tour guide, Marie, in front of Murray's Cheese Shop.

The first stop on the tour was Joe's Pizza and the first tasting was a cheese slice.

The "Breakfast of Champions!"  It is a village favorite.

Later on the tour, we stopped back at Murray's for a tasting and got to see the inside of the shop.

7th and last tasting of the tour was at Rocco's Italian pastry shop.

We had freshly filled cannoli!

 After the food tour, we headed over to the Central Village where we walked through Washington Square Park; then on over to SoHO.

In SoHO, there was plenty of art on the streets to be enjoyed.

We have been having some interesting weather here.  Our original plan was to take the subway to Brooklyn, walk the Promenade and the Brooklyn Bridge; then take the subway back up to the Village for supper.  We didn't plan for the High Wind Warnings that are still in effect as I write this.  It was not a day for walking the Promenade or the Bridge.  Instead, we had a glass of wine at the Heights Cafe on Montague St in Brooklyn; then took the subway back to our apartment for a break before supper.  No pictures of the Heights Cafe since we were busy trying to figure out how to get back to Midtown without the help of www.hopstop.com.  It's a little more difficult on the weekends with scheduled service changes and some lines shut down.  However, we did manage to find our way.  

About 6:30 PM we headed back down to the Village and enjoyed a wonderful supper at Bellavitae---modern Italian cuisine.

After supper, we walked around the corner to the Comedy Cellar for the 9:15 PM show.  You can almost read the sign!  There were lots of people on the streets in spite of the high winds that continue to blow.

Friday

For those of you who watch the news, we were nowhere near Times Square for the abandoned cooler incident today.  We were focused on taking pictures in Central Park and wondering about the hovering helicopters.......................

The day started out with breakfast at a little place called good enough to eat on the Upper West Side.

Breakfast included a BLT omelette, fresh squeezed orange juice and home-style biscuits with strawberry butter.

After breakfast, we strolled through some of the neighborhood streets before heading back down to Midtown and the Museum of Modern Art.

We arrived at MoMA just in time to use our City Pass tickets to cut the line for the 10:30 AM opening.

A highlight of the MoMA visit was a special exhibition of prints by Picasso---Themes and Variations, featuring pieces from the MoMA collection.

After a delicious lunch on the fly at a Madison Avenue deli, we headed up 5th Avenue to meet up for our Photo Walk-About tour of Central Park---sort of a walking tour and photography lesson rolled into one!  Above is a photo from the tour.

We also got a second chance at photographing the "Imagine" memorial, this time complete with flowers and a John Lennon impersonator!

We had to hot foot it back to the apartment after the tour, but we did manage to make it to our 6:30 PM reservation way Downtown at La Esquina on time.  We entered at the taqueria pictured above, found the man with the clipboard and were ushered downstairs past the kitchen to a wonderful subterranean dining room.  We ordered margaritas.

The Salade de la Casa and the Costillas de Puerco were amazing!  No room for dessert!

The bar at La Esquina.

On the way back Uptown,  we got a shot of the night lighting scheme on the Empire State Building.  The colors change according to the "season" or the "reason". Tonight it was "Blue,Blue,Blue", in honor of the Police Memorial Week Kick-Off.

After the Photo-Op, we got back on the subway and headed Uptown to Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle for a Manhattan in Manhattan.The bar is named for Ludwig Bemelmans, the illustrator of the Madeline books of my childhood, and the bar is decorated with his artwork--- from murals to lampshades.  We got the Manhattans and a musical performance by the Laston Harris Trio---a little Cole Porter, a little Steven Sondheim..................



As if that wasn't enough, Glenn got his first NYC Taxi ride back to Times Square.  He says he'd rather take the subway---do you believe that!?