What a great week! It was nice to not have "the shell on our back"!! We left the Rolling White House in Connecticut and turned to other forms of transportation -- trains, subways, city buses, tour buses, cabs, feet and ferries!! Sometimes I was looking pretty longingly at those new racy scooters zipping around! Even with my trusty "aircast" on, my ankle still needed ice many nights -- we walked our feet off in two great cities!
Fantastic fall weather greeted us at Union Station in Washington, DC. The train station has been redone, and it is worth a trip to just gaze around. You can tell that this was once a very elegant mode of transportation. A cabbie found our hotel and we were quickly off to hook up with Kristen, Eric & Megan -- our first attempt at the subway. Eric gave me specific instructions on where to meet them -- I had a Senior Moment -- and we ended up at the Museum of American Art instead of the Museum of American History -- a mistake anyone could make, right? Not only were they not there (surprise) but the Museum was closed for renovation. Thank goodness for cell phones! A second attempt yielded better results, and we had a great afternoon at the Museum. First ladies gowns (Megan and I ooowed and aahhed), war stuff (Eric's favorite), and things from every generation of our history. Hunger struck and we found a fun Irish Pub and had "black and tans" (half Guinness and half Bass Ale -- they actually stay separated -- something about different specific weights, per Eric) along with our dinner.
The next day we got tickets for one of the "hop on, hop off" tour buses and started our trek around the town. All the Monuments -- Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Vietnam (found Andrea's Godfather - section 58 line 5). Arlington - saw the Kennedy graves, the changing of the guard and a special wreath ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and viewed the Robert E. Lee estate from which Arlington was created as an embarrassment to General Lee (laying the dead at his "feet"). Eric and Phil hiked to the Iwa Jima statue just outside the cemetery.
The subway system here is fabulous -- clean, bright, safe, well marked, fast, frequent, and reasonably priced. We really enjoyed using it. Hotels are expensive here, and the room taxes are almost 15% extra!! And weekends are cheaper than during the week.
After a "drive by" of the White House (closed) it was time for dinner again -- can't believe how quickly the day goes by. More walking -- down Pennsylvania Av. -- Had a great dinner and Megan drew us lots of art while we chatted. The old folks were all pooped out, so we agreed to meet for (what else) more food in the AM!! Then back on the train for NYC!! We definitely need more time here, so we will come back as we drive through the area in a couple of weeks.
The Big Apple!! What a crazy place! So much activity, so many people. But I can see why people love living here. There is so much to do and see. We stayed at The NY Athletic Club, a reciprocal Club with our MAC. This used to be great value, but they got wise to the amount of $$ they were leaving on the table!! The rate $214 plus a bunch of tax!) is still reasonable by NY standards. There was an article in USA today while we were there about 5 hotels under $200 in NYC -- none was less than $185!! -- and not as well located. We were overlooking Central Park, 1 block from Carnegie Hall, a couple of blocks from The Met, 2 blocks from Fifth Avenue, and a short cab, bus or subway ride from Times Square and the Theater district. If I had been back to full speed we could have walked that too. But the subway was around the corner, and, of course, cabs are everywhere.
We had decided we wanted to try to see Regis Live! while we were there, so got up early to "standby". I had gotten the info from the Web that they started taking standbys at 8:30 -- but you needed to get in line earlier. So we were out of the hotel in the nippy morning air to 67th and Columbus -- ABC at 7:15AM. We were numbers 25 and 26. Naturally they took up to number 24 that day! They gave us tickets for Wednesday, which was some consolation, but we were whining to the gals there, so suddenly they produced 2 tickets to The View!! That had been our first choice, but tickets appeared hard to come by according to the Web -- plan on waiting 6+ weeks! We were thrilled, so off we went to get some coffee and find the studio a few blocks away. Indeed, people in that line had been waiting a long time for their tickets. Another coup!!
Really enjoyed seeing both shows. The View was quite chaotic during commercials, while Regis was very calm -- they don't change their set around like The View does. It was fun to see the makeup and hair people come zooming out to touch everyone up during breaks, and to watch the producers giving directions to the hosts and guests. It was interesting that someone was always with Barbara Walters on the set. She is sharp as a tack, but is slowing down. She moved pretty slowly around the set, and was immediately gone when there was a set she was not a part of. Regis was very much a part of enjoying the audience, at each break, he came out and chatted with the folks. They both also had "audience handlers". The people who took care of us. Got us in and out, told us when to clap and when to shut up! A fun experience.
Broadway Theater was also part of our plan, so lined up for the "cheap tickets" at Times Square starting at 3:00 each day for that evening's productions. Most are half price -- and we had great seats!! Saw Fosse and Swing - both are dance musicals, and both were fantastic. Such energy and style! For Swing, we were only about 6-7 rows back, in the center -- we could almost feel the sweat!!
We weren't very adventurous with the restaurant thing -- it was quite cold in the evenings -- took a cab to and from the Theater. Had excellent meals at the NY Athletic Club, and a delicious Sea Bass dinner at the Red Eye Grille near the Club one evening.
We really did most of the touristy things too. Rode the bus all the way to the Ferry for the Statue of Liberty. We decided we could see more on the bus than the subway. An hour+ later we got to the Ferry!! I can't imagine how those bus drivers do their job day after day -- inches from disaster every block!! And just creeping along. We did get to see alot - through the Village, next to Wall St. the garment district, and through lots of the shopping areas.
Halloween in NYC!! They really get into this holiday in the East. Houses everywhere have been decorated -- elaboratly -- for weeks -- really fun to see all over the Northeast. New York, is, of course, crazy all the time, but Halloween gives them the opportunity to be really nutty! Greenwich Village has a big parade in the evening -- we watched it on TV, as we were off to the theatre.
Speaking of parades, we were there for the NY Yankee victory parade. As the winner of the World Series, they got to enjoy a full blown "ticker tape" parade. People began gathering early in the morning (very early!) for the 10 AM parade. Kids skipped school (at the urging of Mayor Rudy Guilianno -- can you believe that!), commuters detoured for a late work start, the buses were packed -- everyone wanted to be there, and they were. We watched from several locations during the day.
It was the best of our 3 days in NY for our ride out to the Statue. No rain while we were there, but very cold and windy, except for this day -- fairly warm, sunny most of the time, but definitely fall -- brisk air and leaves swirling around us everywhere (better than garbage, which is what I remember from my last trip here!). Actually, we thought the city was cleaner and friendlier than 20 years ago. People actually stopped and asked us on a couple of occasions if they could help us find something!! New Yorkers!!
Anyway, did the whole NY harbor thing - Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, went up in the Empire State Building (the marble in there is absolutely beautiful!) -- managed to get there right at sunset -- it was spectacular. Hope the pictures come out. Had lunch at Rockefeller Center and watched the skaters. Strolled down 5th Avenue, ambled through The Plaza (what a place that is!), went to see the remodeled Grand Central Station -- they've done a fabulous job -- the ceiling is wonderful, the marble walls and columns look like new, and the traffic flow and shops are perfect. Visited the NASDAQ and took the tour there, people watched in Times Square, walked along Central Park, and got very proficient at riding the subway from place to place! Oh, my poor ankle after 3 days there!
Definitely will have to come back another time and do some of the museums, Carnegie Hall, the Met, etc. Just too much for one trip -- at least we've got all the tourist stuff behind us now!! We can be much more sophisticated visitors next time!!
Got back to Stamford on the train on Wednesday night, wondering how our bags could have gotten 3 times as heavy -- and we didn't buy anything!! We were really tired. In fact, spent the whole next day just recuperating -- we didn't leave our hotel until 2PM -- and that was only because we were starving!!
Evening brought us a delightful visit with Phil's step-sister and her husband, Karli and Jerry Meltzer, who live in Westport, CT. That is really a charming town, and their home fit right into the character of the community -- warm and cozy. Thoroughly enjoyed visiting with them and talking about things and people that were familiar--an uncommon treat on this trip. Karli fixed us a wonderful home cooked meal, and we had fun catching up with their lives and telling them about the great adventure.
Another week almost gone, and we're off for New Jersey and Pennsylvania -- for the first time, haven't even looked at the map, or thought about what we want to do -- guess we'll make it up as we go along!
