We made it to Manhattan!

Hello from New York City!!!

Wow!  What a place!!  So…first off, we were up about 5 and ready to go long before the 8:30 a.m. shuttle…but had to wait nonetheless!  Got to the Back Bay Amtrak Station about 8:45 a.m. and our train posted about 9:15 a.m.  As it turns out, we have something called “reserved seats” – but as you can sit anywhere…so what’s with that?  At any rate, the train pulled up on the dot of 9:36 a.m. and on we went.  Totally by accident we chose the “quiet” car, and it was very nice and peaceful on the 4 hour journey to Manhattan.  We passed through some lovely country – Rhode Island and Connecticut coastlines are beautiful!  And then we were here; 1:49 p.m.  Off the train quickly (as it was moving on to somewhere else!) and found out way out of Penn Station.  There wasn’t too much of a line for taxi’s, but boy, the traffic around Penn Station was FIERCE!  I think the meter had ticked over several times before we moved more than a couple feet!  At any rate, a rather hair-raising ride through the Park Avenue tunnel, once around Grand Central Station, and then over the Queensboro Bridge – where I saw a cable car coming from Roosevelt Island – and we arrived at the Best Western Plaza Hotel, Long Island City.  And the great thing is that the cab ride didn’t cost much at all!  Yippee!

We had read some very good reviews of the place, especially about the prices, which are much lower than they are right across the river! 

View from our hotel room!

Checked in – Room 507, with an actual view of the Manhattan skyline!  We can see the Empire State Building!  The room is very nice.  It’s not huge, but it’s not too tiny, either, and the bathroom is lovely and includes a tub.  And, the price is right!  We will be here three nights before we move across the river to the Helmsley Park Plaza for our last four nights.  Our Atlanta friends, Brenda and Chris, are coming in Thursday afternoon; can’t wait! 

Finishing up the hot dog!

We got organized (which means I handled luggage/unpacking and R set up the computer!) and guess what?  In literally minutes I was able to post the photos on my blog for the past several days that I had been unable to do at the DoubleTree in Boston!  The internet speed there is about what we experienced a few years ago in the rural, far north of California.  Incredible!  We did want to make a journey of discovery – plus, we were hungry! – so we headed out and two blocks down the street to the F Line subway.  It is a direct line to Manhattan – two stops!  First we got our new Metrocards which will take us through our first seven days – and on Monday, when we have to make our way to Newark for our return flight to Tucson, we’ll see what we want to do about fares.  Actually, as we’ll have luggage, I’m thinking cab from hotel to Penn Station…oh boy, this cab thing is fun!!

Chrysler building at dusk!

Once we got our Metrocards, we hopped on the F Line headed to Manhattan and got out at Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.  SO much going on there!  We wanted something quick to eat, as we are meeting our Rome apartment landlord from this summer for dinner tonight at 7:30 p.m.  So – hot dogs from a street vendor!  Only problem was that I asked for ONIONS – and once again, like at Yankee Stadium – out comes this red sauce with onions in it – YECK!  However, being as hungry as I was, I ate the hot dog anyway…now need to find out how to ask for raw onions in New Yorkese!  We prowled around the area a bit and then headed back on the F Line to the hotel.  According to my timeline, we’re already behind, as we were to have seen the 9-11 Memorial today…oh well; we’ll get there sometime this week!

More later!

Grand Central Station

m

xxx

Our new friend Luciana!

Just back from a lovely dinner!  We met Luciana and Michael, her husband, at Piccolo Fiore, a very nice Italian restaurant on 44^th Street between 2^nd and 3^rd.  (F train to 42^nd street and then we walked the rest of the way – and got a stunning view of the Chrysler Building as well as Grand Central Station!)  And what wonderful people they are!  Luciana is a librarian who worked for the United Nations until her recent retirement.  Michael is in Information Technology in some capacity, and is just preparing for his upcoming retirement.  We basically just talked for 2½ hours, and oh, yes, there was food too!  Robert and Luciana both ordered the special fish – Branzino; Michael and I both had pasta, Michael had his with meatballs, and I had gnocchi with eggplant; it was excellent!  For dessert, Michael had Bananas Foster, Luciana had a baked Alaska, and I had sabayon with fresh strawberries…R drank his dessert in the form of Moscato!  Finally got out of the restaurant around 10-ish, and they walked home to their apartment on 44^th, and we caught a bus to the subway and then the F Line back to the hotel.  No problems at all; lovely evening and lots of people around.  Now…to bed; busy day tomorrow!

Empire State Building at night!