New York, New York!!

John and I spent three days visiting New York. We loved the vibrancy, the dynamism, and the beauty of human ingenuity displayed everywhere. We especially enjoyed the contrast of the green peacefulness of Central Park and the many other parks and playgrounds that offer a refuge from all the hustle and bustle of our greatest city. There are beautiful churches that provide a prayerful sanctuary; St Patrick's on Fifth Avenue is a prime example. I enjoyed going to Mass at a church two blocks from our hotel.
Our hotel was a block away from the Chrysler building, John's favorite. It was beautiful day and night, with special lighting that highlighted the decorative details! We did lots of walking, and the nighttime views of soaring buildings were captivating.
Central Park is quite an oasis. We spent a few hours strolling and enjoying the pastoral setting. The bustling city forms a "wall' around the park. We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art located next to Central Park. I was particularly intrigued by a display of Leonardo Da Vinci's sketchbook that was opened, as though he had just left it behind for us to peek at.
We had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth Heil for lunch. We sat at a table in a restaurant that is replaced by Rockefeller Center's ice skating rink in December!

This fountain may look familiar if you saw the movie "Enchanted".
John and I strolled around Greenwich Village a few hours and sampled cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. No celebrity sightings for us but the cupcakes were delicious!

Here's another view of our outdoor restaurant at Rockefeller Center.







We toured the United Nations, located a block from our hotel. Our tour group contained mostly Europeans. Our guide said that there are 192 member nations; every country is represented but three. The Vatican chooses to be an observer, not a member. Pope Benedict addressed all the members in this Assembly Hall in April.




I arrived in New York an hour before John so I toured Madison Square Garden. Although the busiest train station in the country is built below it, the arena is completely soundproofed.
Our hotel was conveniently located near Grand Central Station. We had lunch at a restaurant built under the train tracks! The subways were convenient and fast. We felt like natives when we ended up on a subway during rush hour, jam packed with no air conditioning!


Theater is an important part of a visit to New York; we went to two plays, Rent and Mary Poppins. It was exciting to meet some of the Rent actors! We are already dreaming about another visit- there's more plays to see!