Day Two In New York City

Saturday October 2nd 2010

We woke to what we think was sunshine, not having seen it for sometime I was just not sure.  We did get to sleep in, the bus was not leaving until noon today.  Traffic into the city was not bad at all. 

We spent much of our time driving by famous landmarks and getting the history of the city and some of the buildings.  Our guide Traci is a history major and very knowledgeable.  She has been doing tours of City for 16 years.

Our first stop was Central Park West.  Being Saturday the park was busy. 

Views of the City from the Park.

The Band shell.

Bethesda Fountain in Central Park.

A lot of entertainment goes on in the park, most of it very good.  We were lucky to catch this performance by some talented young men. 

We visited Strawberry fields in central park a tribute to John Lennon.  The tour bus drove by the Dakota Hotel were we saw the archway were John was shot.

 

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine  Once a year they hold the blessing of the animals at this church and Sunday Oct 3rd is the date this year.  We were here on Saturday and they were setting up for the event.

The alter of St. John the Divine.

Our next stop was time square.  We had a couple of hours on our own in time square and for dinner before the Broadway play the Lion King. We stopped at Sardi’s and was able to get a table.  Sardi’s is a restaurant in New York City's theater district at 234 West 44th Street in Manhattan. Known for the hundreds of caricatures of show-business celebrities that adorn its walls, Sardi's opened at its current location on March 5, 1927. 

We were seated next to a couple from Alabama celebrating a 72nd birthday and a mother and daughter from London on holiday for the weekend. 

  

What a great time we had talking with our new friends.  It was a wonderful dinner and the food was excellent.

Under the marquee for Lion King and looking down at time square from inside the theater. 

It was after 1am when we arrived back at the RV park.  No getting up at some horrible time on Sunday morning, we had the day off from touring. 

David Lettermen Show

A few months back when we knew we were going to be in New York we emailed the Lettermen show for tickets.  We never heard anything back so just assumed we weren’t going.  Well today they called and we got the tickets for Thursday nights tapping, after I answered a trivia question correctly.  

Our First Day In New York City

Friday Oct 1st 2010

We had to get up at 4:15 am, I didn’t know my alarm clock could be set for that early.  Breakfast was being served at 5:15 and we had to be on our bus to the city by 6:15 for our normally 2 hour drive.  With the rain and the traffic it was a 3 drive.  Lucky me I slept for most of the drive into the City. 

It was a miserable day for site seeing, but we made the best of it.  With raincoats and umbrellas in hand off we went.  Our first stop was the battery to catch a Ferry to the Statue of Liberty, unfortunately we stopped only long enough to let other passengers off.  We were going to Ellis Island where more then twelve million immigrants entered the United States between 1892 and 1954.  In 1965 Ellis Island became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. 

Anne Moore, the first immigrant processed thru Ellis Island on January 1st 1882 

 

The luggage room on the first floor of the main building is where newly arrived immigrants left their belongings on their way to the registry room on the second floor. 

Ellis Island

 

After the island we took the ferry back to Battery Park.  We stopped in Manhattan for lunch at the Winter Garden, a large complex with many restaurants, retail stores and offices.  I think it was called Winter Garden, I know it was Garden something. 

 

After lunch we all met at the bottom of a few steps.  As we climbed the steps you could see out this large window a construction site, it was Ground Zero, where the twin towers went down.

    

No words are necessary. 

Rockerfeller Plaza  was the next stop. 

The Chandelier in the lobby of Rockefeller plaza.

We had tickets to go to the observation deck on the 60th something floor.  The view was so spectacular of central park and the Empire State Building.  It would have been nice if we had a little sun.

What a fantastic experience.  The lift ride to the top of the building is brilliant.  During the ride the ceiling is exposed to show the lift shaft and how fast the lift accelerates to it’s destination.  Of course Mike got pictures.

Radio City Music Hall across from Rockefeller center.  I visited all the attractions back in 1964, boy how things change in such a short time. 

We arrived back at the RV park at 6:30 with dinner waiting for us.  No cooking that was nice.

What a day!

Hyde Park New York

  Wednesday Sept, 29th 2010

Our first sunny day in New York and some site seeing was on our agenda. 

The Hudson River Valley region settlement began around 1742.  The name of the area was changed to Hyde Park in 1810.

Hyde Park is the hometown of Franklin D. Roosevelt, (1882-1945) the 32nd President of the United States (1933-1945).

His Estate Springwood is now the home of the FDR National Historic site.  Also on the site are his Presidential Library and Museum.  Roosevelt used this residence through out his life, the house is now a open for tours.

  

FDR’s desk that was in the oval offices is now on display in the library and museum.

The grave of Franklin and Eleanor in the rose garden of Summerwood estate.

 

Mike wanted to talk politics with the Roosevelt's for a time.  I went off and did a little exploring of the house and gardens.  I was not in the mood to get into a discussion on the worlds problems, not on a beautiful sunny day.

The front and back entrances to the mansions  The furnishings are all original to the property.   

 

Roosevelt was born in the master bedroom on the second floor.  After marring Eleanor in 1905 the couple moved in with his mother Sarah.  

 

Sarah called this her music room.  It also was called the Dresden Room because of the large Candelabra, mantle clock, and hearth cat, which James Roosevelt purchased in Dresden Germany.  

The Vanderbilt mansion is also on the Hudson River, just down the street from the Roosevelt Mansion.  This is just one of forty mansions the Vanderbilt family built.  Like most of the prominent familys, the Vanderbilts used their retreat only for a few weeks in spring and fall, and for an occasional weekend in Winter. 

The front and side views of the Vanderbilt Mansion.  The mansion contains 54 rooms, 14 bathrooms, 10 guest rooms, and several servant rooms.

The view from the back terrance of the Hudson river.

We followed a path down to the river for some relaxing time before heading back to the RV park.  The view was unbelievable.

It was a grand day.