I was so happy to have had to cart my winter coat around on the train and getting to NY because on Friday I really needed it! We set out to find breakfast and maybe just a block away we went into EuropaCafe. What a great choice! The employees are very accomodating, if they have it, they'll make it, however you want it. I opted for yummy, crunchy whole grain toast with two scrambled eggs, Lar had a delicious omelet with smoked turkey, mushrooms and American cheddar cheese and some of his own whole grain toast.
When I went to sit down, I discovered someone had left their pocketbook by the chair....one of the young men working there immediately remembered who was sitting there, ran out onto the street and located her - returning her property. So much for all the nasty stories one hears about the city. There are still beautiful human beings living among us....just don't get the press.
After a really good breakfast was under our belts we set out to get our tickets for our New York 2 day bus passes. Continuing up 51st street to 7th we walked to Planet Hollywood near Times Square. While waiting in line, I received a text from our middle son, Mike, and we chatted about the new baby...he had sent a congratulatory text to his brother but wasn't sure he'd gotten it. I forwarded that message to Pat, and got to thinking about how much things have changed in the past few years....everything....or many things...have become so immediate...no wonder we hate lines....we are becoming beings who expect everything to be in the moment...and those waiting times are often the times when so many other, lovely things happen. "Slow down....you're going too fast......"
Once on the tour bus and in our upper, outdoor seats, I really started to feel the city....I was seeing so much that I have actually hungered to see for years. As I child, I don't really know how many times I had the opportunity to come to New York on school trips. One of my fondest memories was when our bus was driving through maybe Brooklyn and making its way through a very poor section of run down homes, the yards were nothing but dirt and litter and there, in the middle of all that was a little yard with one little rose bush, blooming with just two white roses. Even at that age that yard was significant to me....I saw the tender care that rose bush was receiving....I saw the beauty in the midst of dispair, and I wished with all my heart I could meet the person who was still hopeful. That moment has stuck with me for something like 55 years.
Our first guide, Derrick, was a young man with a terrific sense of humor, an amazing memory, but he was only slightly informative. Another bus passed us and he shouted hello to a gentleman on board, remembering his name, his city of origin, and noticed that his young son was there too, but on an inside seat. That impressed me, figuring how many people he sees in a day!
It was a fairly short ride, through the Garment District, past Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, Macy's block long store and Herald Square when we got off the bus near 5th Avenue to walk around the corner to the Empire State Building.
At this point, I must confess that I had a sinister (well, maybe not sinister, but certainly ulterior) motive behind my actions on this trip. While I have had a deep love of the city, my dearest life-partner has not. He has been reticent to be in the city and it was my goal to make him fall in love with it. I wanted to have him see the things I knew, to feel the pulse of the city, to know its history...I know him....I felt that he would want to come back if I got him "caught up." So while there were things I wanted to do on this trip, I was perfectly happy to make it about him this time. That way, I felt, we'd be back. So up the Empire State we went....me smiling because I knew this was the surest way to hubby's heart. It was so much fun watching him at each level walk around and see the city from above. He was pointing out buildings and areas he knew and lighting up with the experience.
We took lots of time, just enjoying the air, the views, chatting with people until we were ready to go inside. We then bought tickets for something we were both looking forward to, the NY Skyride....Lar had read it is something like "Soarin'" in Disney. Not. While it has a few moments of fun, it is absolutely not worth the $36 each....I'd pay $10 tops.....just a herky jerky silliness...got some good views....eh....not what we expected. After a nice little lunch in another EuropaCafe - really - highly recommend those little cafes for very reasonable, very good meals (lunch and/or breakfast) we went back to the bus stop with hopes of making it to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
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