NYC Holiday Trip
Jan 2nd, 2005, 01:56 PM
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NYC Holiday Trip
Just got back from a quick holiday trip and DH and I had a great time. First of all, I want to say thanks to those who answered my questions and also want to say that NYers are, IMHO, the luckiest people in the world to live in such a vibrantly fun and culturally rich city….I’m officially envious! This was DH’s first trip to NYC and my first as a tourist – so we did all the typical tourist treks.
Day 1: Arrived LGA around 10:00pm – just in time to get checked in to the hotel (Hilton & Towers), take a quick walk to Times Square and to see the skaters at Rock Center and then off to bed…it’s been a long day!
Day 2: Walked over to NBC Studio, though it’s a little late for the outdoor taping of the Today Show. There are still a few people gathered around so we walk through the rope line, take a quick peek inside the window and catch a glimpse of Katie…pretty cool! Can’t resist going over to Dean and DeLuca for a quick cup of coffee and croissant before heading to MOMA. We thank god that we’ve pre-purchased our tickets because the line for tickets is l-o-n-g. As has been suggested, we go up to the 5th floor and work our way down.
We admired the simplistic design of the space and were struck by the clever use of windows to make the cityscapes appear as works of art. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and enjoyed seeing the paintings -- Kandinsky & Chagall (my personal faves) as well as Pollock, Picasso, Braques, Warhol and other pop art artists. Maybe I’m not sophisticated enough, but I’ll never get the whole Dada movement…what’s that all about? Anyway, do yourself a favor if you visit and get the audio tour. It’s well worth it.
It takes us about 3 hours to cover only Floors 4 and 5 -- when signs of museum fatigue begin to surface. But can’t resist a quick run-through of Floor 3 (photographs), and then head outside to the fresh, crisp air. La Bonne Soup is right around the corner so we enjoy a nice (late) lunch. Afterwards, it’s beginning to rain so we get in a quick walk to Central Park before heading back to the hotel. We’re just in time to get changed for the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. The performance is fabulous….the best Nutcracker I’ve seen. The sets and costumes are beautiful. We leave here in a great mood, take a few pics of the tree and head over to Chez Napolean for dinner and conversation. Great day!
Day 3: Get up really early since we have 8:45am ferry tickets to Statue of Liberty tour. Go thru SOL fairly quickly (DH is rushing me!) and then over to Ellis Island. The vintage photographs, the movie, and the exhibit with the varied treasures from immigrants’ homes – it’s all so moving. I teared up several times. The last ferry back is at 3pm (it’s Christmas Eve), so we pull ourselves away and head back to the excitement that is Manhattan – walk a bit thru lower Manhattan, over to Canal (what a madhouse -- how does anyone shop here??) and then up thru Little Italy. Though it seems to inhabit only a few blocks, the intimacy of the area is so appealing, especially with the red and green Christmas lights strung from one side of the street to the next… we decide to plant ourselves here for some dinner. Afterwards we walk thru Soho, up to Washington Square toward the insurance building (?) with the clock and the red and green lights, back to Midtown, take a look at St. Patrick’s and back to the room. Whew! We’re beat! We contemplate skating at Central Park, but it’s closing early tonight for the holiday. Okay, maybe tomorrow….
Day 5: It’s Christmas morning and the streets are oddly quiet and devoid of throngs of people that we’ve come to expect. There are only yellow taxi cabs on the streets. Walk over to Grand Central Terminal and make a quick note to come back sometime at night so that we can see the constellations…. and then on to the Empire State Building. Again, we’re so glad we’ve purchased our tickets already….we go past the huge queue and indoors where it’s nice and warm and end up in the first elevator to go up….it’s great to get the 10 or 15 minutes at the observatory with just a small group. It’s a sunny day and visibility was fantastic…..we spend about an hour here, getting to know the city from all angles. Next we hop on the subway, head to Brooklyn and walk back across the bridge. (DH enjoyed this more than I did, but it wasn’t a bad way to spend an hour or so.) Next we’re off to Chinatown….so this is where those throngs of people are today! We have lunch and Xo Kitchen on Hester Street – a wonderful combination of congee, pan fried dumplings, noodles, and a few other things I can’t recall at the moment.
We head west and walk thru the Village – just a lovely tranquil place. Some of the townhouses appear colonial in style and we wonder if any are still standing from colonial times? I’d read that there wasn’t much left from this period. We head into Chumley’s for an Irish coffee by the fire. This is a lovely rustic pub and great place to warm up. Next we take the subway back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and then off to Wicked. I enjoyed it…..DH was not so enthusiastic and started squirming in his seat (okay, it was about 30-45 minutes longer than it needed to be, aren’t they all?).....but that Elphaba can really belt out those lyrics! A few of the songs are memorable, the interplay between the 2 actresses is appealing, and the set is pretty cool….don’t you love those flying monkeys?
Day 6: No time to be sad that it’s our last day…..so we walk over to Central Park, up 5th Avenue/Museum Mile to the Museum of the City of New York. Exhibitions we particularly enjoyed were the Performance exhibit chronicling the history of theater in New York, the photo collection of the Lower East Side (a then and now kind of thing), and the Bronx Radicals exhibit showcasing the history of the co-ops in that borough. What made this especially touching is we were there at the same time as an elderly couple who had lived in one of the co-ops when they were young. The woman’s picture was displayed…she looked to be about 15 years old in the picture. They were having a grand time, and their fond memories of their old homeplace was evident. Their mood was infectious.
Walked back down via Central Park jogging path, through the Upper East Side a bit and to Serendipty. We have no reservations, but check anyway….it’s a 2 hour wait, so that’s out for us. Grab a quick bite to eat and head to the airport….only to find out our flight has been cancelled… we could have eaten at Serendipity after all! Did the smart thing and instead of heading back to Manhattan spent the evening at the LGA Marriott as we were re-booked for the 6am flight the next morning.....
We had a great time and I’m already planning our next trip….let’s see, there’s the Lower East Side, the East Village, an Off Broadway show, or maybe even Off Off Broadway if we’re feeling adventurous, there’s shopping to do, maybe a spa day, Shakespeare in the Park, another shot at Serendipity and …..well, so many choices. That’s the beauty of NYC!
Day 1: Arrived LGA around 10:00pm – just in time to get checked in to the hotel (Hilton & Towers), take a quick walk to Times Square and to see the skaters at Rock Center and then off to bed…it’s been a long day!
Day 2: Walked over to NBC Studio, though it’s a little late for the outdoor taping of the Today Show. There are still a few people gathered around so we walk through the rope line, take a quick peek inside the window and catch a glimpse of Katie…pretty cool! Can’t resist going over to Dean and DeLuca for a quick cup of coffee and croissant before heading to MOMA. We thank god that we’ve pre-purchased our tickets because the line for tickets is l-o-n-g. As has been suggested, we go up to the 5th floor and work our way down.
We admired the simplistic design of the space and were struck by the clever use of windows to make the cityscapes appear as works of art. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and enjoyed seeing the paintings -- Kandinsky & Chagall (my personal faves) as well as Pollock, Picasso, Braques, Warhol and other pop art artists. Maybe I’m not sophisticated enough, but I’ll never get the whole Dada movement…what’s that all about? Anyway, do yourself a favor if you visit and get the audio tour. It’s well worth it.
It takes us about 3 hours to cover only Floors 4 and 5 -- when signs of museum fatigue begin to surface. But can’t resist a quick run-through of Floor 3 (photographs), and then head outside to the fresh, crisp air. La Bonne Soup is right around the corner so we enjoy a nice (late) lunch. Afterwards, it’s beginning to rain so we get in a quick walk to Central Park before heading back to the hotel. We’re just in time to get changed for the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. The performance is fabulous….the best Nutcracker I’ve seen. The sets and costumes are beautiful. We leave here in a great mood, take a few pics of the tree and head over to Chez Napolean for dinner and conversation. Great day!
Day 3: Get up really early since we have 8:45am ferry tickets to Statue of Liberty tour. Go thru SOL fairly quickly (DH is rushing me!) and then over to Ellis Island. The vintage photographs, the movie, and the exhibit with the varied treasures from immigrants’ homes – it’s all so moving. I teared up several times. The last ferry back is at 3pm (it’s Christmas Eve), so we pull ourselves away and head back to the excitement that is Manhattan – walk a bit thru lower Manhattan, over to Canal (what a madhouse -- how does anyone shop here??) and then up thru Little Italy. Though it seems to inhabit only a few blocks, the intimacy of the area is so appealing, especially with the red and green Christmas lights strung from one side of the street to the next… we decide to plant ourselves here for some dinner. Afterwards we walk thru Soho, up to Washington Square toward the insurance building (?) with the clock and the red and green lights, back to Midtown, take a look at St. Patrick’s and back to the room. Whew! We’re beat! We contemplate skating at Central Park, but it’s closing early tonight for the holiday. Okay, maybe tomorrow….
Day 5: It’s Christmas morning and the streets are oddly quiet and devoid of throngs of people that we’ve come to expect. There are only yellow taxi cabs on the streets. Walk over to Grand Central Terminal and make a quick note to come back sometime at night so that we can see the constellations…. and then on to the Empire State Building. Again, we’re so glad we’ve purchased our tickets already….we go past the huge queue and indoors where it’s nice and warm and end up in the first elevator to go up….it’s great to get the 10 or 15 minutes at the observatory with just a small group. It’s a sunny day and visibility was fantastic…..we spend about an hour here, getting to know the city from all angles. Next we hop on the subway, head to Brooklyn and walk back across the bridge. (DH enjoyed this more than I did, but it wasn’t a bad way to spend an hour or so.) Next we’re off to Chinatown….so this is where those throngs of people are today! We have lunch and Xo Kitchen on Hester Street – a wonderful combination of congee, pan fried dumplings, noodles, and a few other things I can’t recall at the moment.
We head west and walk thru the Village – just a lovely tranquil place. Some of the townhouses appear colonial in style and we wonder if any are still standing from colonial times? I’d read that there wasn’t much left from this period. We head into Chumley’s for an Irish coffee by the fire. This is a lovely rustic pub and great place to warm up. Next we take the subway back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and then off to Wicked. I enjoyed it…..DH was not so enthusiastic and started squirming in his seat (okay, it was about 30-45 minutes longer than it needed to be, aren’t they all?).....but that Elphaba can really belt out those lyrics! A few of the songs are memorable, the interplay between the 2 actresses is appealing, and the set is pretty cool….don’t you love those flying monkeys?
Day 6: No time to be sad that it’s our last day…..so we walk over to Central Park, up 5th Avenue/Museum Mile to the Museum of the City of New York. Exhibitions we particularly enjoyed were the Performance exhibit chronicling the history of theater in New York, the photo collection of the Lower East Side (a then and now kind of thing), and the Bronx Radicals exhibit showcasing the history of the co-ops in that borough. What made this especially touching is we were there at the same time as an elderly couple who had lived in one of the co-ops when they were young. The woman’s picture was displayed…she looked to be about 15 years old in the picture. They were having a grand time, and their fond memories of their old homeplace was evident. Their mood was infectious.
Walked back down via Central Park jogging path, through the Upper East Side a bit and to Serendipty. We have no reservations, but check anyway….it’s a 2 hour wait, so that’s out for us. Grab a quick bite to eat and head to the airport….only to find out our flight has been cancelled… we could have eaten at Serendipity after all! Did the smart thing and instead of heading back to Manhattan spent the evening at the LGA Marriott as we were re-booked for the 6am flight the next morning.....
We had a great time and I’m already planning our next trip….let’s see, there’s the Lower East Side, the East Village, an Off Broadway show, or maybe even Off Off Broadway if we’re feeling adventurous, there’s shopping to do, maybe a spa day, Shakespeare in the Park, another shot at Serendipity and …..well, so many choices. That’s the beauty of NYC!
Jan 2nd, 2005, 02:47 PM
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Sounds like a great trip!
Serendipidy just published a cookbook. Y-day I made their famous Frozen Hot Chocolate - Yumm!!!
I took my son up for the day in mid-December and at 2pm there was a 1 hr. wait for a table at Serendipidy. We ate our sugar at Dylan's Candy Bar instead.
Serendipidy just published a cookbook. Y-day I made their famous Frozen Hot Chocolate - Yumm!!!
I took my son up for the day in mid-December and at 2pm there was a 1 hr. wait for a table at Serendipidy. We ate our sugar at Dylan's Candy Bar instead.
Jan 2nd, 2005, 09:37 PM
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Sevastopol - Agree 100% that NYers are the luckiest people in the world to live in such a vibrantly fun and culturally rich city. Excellent report - well written.
Curious - why was your flight home cancelled? You didn't seem very upset.
Sandy
Curious - why was your flight home cancelled? You didn't seem very upset.
Sandy
Jan 3rd, 2005, 07:52 AM
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Hi Karen -- where did you get your cookbook? From the Serendipity website or Amazon? I'd love to add that one to my collection...Dylan's Candy Store looked like a great place to stop for a sugar fix...what a colorful place!
SandyBrit -- It was the day after Christmas....but they said the flight was cancelled due to the weather.....there had been a light snow earlier...
I guess we weren't too upset about it. First of all, we should have called first as we had heard there were cancellations on both USAir and Delta that day. Had we gotten to the airport a bit earlier, we would have made the 7pm flight -- ours was scheduled for 8pm. (In fact, we almost made it on the 7pm but there were 11 people waitlisted before us.) And, secondly, AA put us on the first flight out the next morning, so we were able to get back on our schedule fairly easily.
SandyBrit -- It was the day after Christmas....but they said the flight was cancelled due to the weather.....there had been a light snow earlier...
I guess we weren't too upset about it. First of all, we should have called first as we had heard there were cancellations on both USAir and Delta that day. Had we gotten to the airport a bit earlier, we would have made the 7pm flight -- ours was scheduled for 8pm. (In fact, we almost made it on the 7pm but there were 11 people waitlisted before us.) And, secondly, AA put us on the first flight out the next morning, so we were able to get back on our schedule fairly easily.
Jan 4th, 2005, 04:40 AM
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Glad to hear you had a wonderful time. Have a question re Chez
Napolean. Is this the restaurant on
West 50 St.?
My husband & I were regulars many
years ago so I recently took an out-
of-town friend there & we both thought the food was too bland.
Did you find it palatable?
Napolean. Is this the restaurant on
West 50 St.?
My husband & I were regulars many
years ago so I recently took an out-
of-town friend there & we both thought the food was too bland.
Did you find it palatable?
Jan 4th, 2005, 06:40 AM
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Yes it's the one on W 50th...well, we had a celery root soup that was tasty and flavorful. Definitely tased homemade. But the soup, unfortunately, was not not an indication of how the rest of the meal would be....the meal was not awful, just unremarkable. I would probably not go back there.
Jan 5th, 2005, 04:03 AM
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Thanks for your reply. We both thought they not only had seen better
times but could do better w/food
prep (when I saw their web site blurb
I should have heeded my instincts).
As a pseudo-francophile next time you visit ,drop a line as there are myriads of reasonable tasty restaurants.
times but could do better w/food
prep (when I saw their web site blurb
I should have heeded my instincts).
As a pseudo-francophile next time you visit ,drop a line as there are myriads of reasonable tasty restaurants.
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