Thursday, August 7, 2008

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!

8 comments:

John Pierce said...

Thanks for the trip it was great!!!

The Schultz Family said...

Hey Lorrie, you're back! I've been missing your blog entries!

What a great time, and how fun that you and John got to hang out together in New York. I LOVE New York, as you know, and we had a wonderful time there with the kids last year. Whenever I'm there I applaud the geniuses who decided to create Central Park while the city was still small. Brilliant, and it makes NYC so inviting.

Happy Birthday two days early! I'll try to get my card in the mail today. What a miracle if I was only a day or two late, rather than, say 6 months late. :)

teresa anthony said...

Hi Lorrie,

What a great time it sounds like you and John had. I've only ever had a few day trips there myself, but New York has always both fascinated me and made me feel claustrophobic.

My first visit to the city was with you and Fred, and your three adorable little girls. I've never forgotten our tour of the Statue of Liberty, and would love to get back there. Actually, someday I would like to take the kids to visit many of the sites you describe.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! We'll see you tomorrow.

Love, Teresa

Jen Heil said...

Long live NY!!! i adore Manhatten. thanks for the great post. I'm so thrilled you got to meet up with Lizzie.

love,
jen
xoxoxo
happy almost birthday MOM!

Catherine Berg said...

Great post! It looks like you and John had a wonderful trip. New York is such an incredible place. Can you believe Tom has never been there? We have to plan a trip for him to get there. I am so glad you and John had such a great time.
Happy Birthday tommorrow Mom!!!
I love you,
Cath

Mimi a.k.a. Christine said...

Thanks for the visit to NYC - Dick & I lived there when we were first married, and it is by far our favorite city!!! Looks like you both packed tons into three days. See you at church. Hugs Christine

Anonymous said...

i love it! (and am trying not to be TOO jealous!!!)...
Which "rent" characters is John with? I know which one the woman is, but i'm wondering which of the men it is? So neat!
HAPPY Birthday Lorrie!! lots of love from this little crew :) Can't wait to see you in about a month!

Lorrie and Fred said...

Dear Jaye, John is with the actor who played Roger, and Mimi. It was exciting to see them close up! They were excellent. See you soon!