Originally Posted By Lisann22 New York City - Sat 9/25 to Sat 10/2: Travelers - Lisann22 & my mama Due to my work situation I was not able to take vacation for almost 2 years and spent almost a year and a half living in a hotel before relocating from California to Georgia. I earned over 1 million hotel points and along with my ongoing collection of frequent flier miles so in 2010 I finally cashed in! My mom and I have enjoyed three big vacations this year; Washington DC, New Orleans and this trip to New York City. Here is my 7 day report as requested by several LPers. Saturday (9/25) we flew from Atlanta to LaGuardia, landing around 12:30pm. Wow, I forgot how old the LaGuardia airport is. It felt like I was in a 1970's time warp. No escalators, bathrooms with only 1 or 2 stalls. The old time baggage snake versus today carousels. It took awhile for our luggage to come out the chute. As soon as we grabbed our bags, I looked for the NYC yellow cabs. As we started to walk out the door a stout man grabbed my bag and started walking really fast. Yellow cab over here, I take you to downtown for $40! WTH? I'm practically running out the door after him. He's heading for the parking lot, I glance to my left and I see all the yellow cabs at the designated taxi cab line. I'm yelling STOP! Coming toward him is a woman and she's pointing towards a town car. I yell STOP again and he finally does. I yell give me my luggage, they both interrupt me talking at the same time we take you for $40. I said NO! Grabbed my luggage and started to walk away. The woman starts yelling at me. I just said NO THANK YOU and kept walking. My mom was in a daze, what the heck just went on. I said they held my bag hostage to get us to use their service. Aye yi yi. We make our way over to the taxi line and within ten minutes we are free from the cab gypsies and heading out of the airport. All of a sudden, I'm thrusting forward and I see my short in height mom sliding off the seat. The brakes have been slammed and looking out the front window I'm sure we are going to hit the car in front of us. Our cab driver is in a state of panic, arms wrestling the steering wheel. We can no exaggeration about a half inch from crashing. As soon as we stop, the cabbie is breathing a sigh of relief and I immediately look behind us to see what's coming. Luckily there were no cars behind us. The driver starts apologizing. The car in front of us slammed on his brakes for no apparent reason. Things calm down and soon we are heading towards the Queensboro Bridge. It's then when the driver goes to tell me that I pay the toll that he realizes in being frazzled about the almost collision he forgot to turn on the meter. We discuss a fair price and finally just relax and enjoy the typical cut in and out, honk, brake, honk, brake NYC cab ride. LOL Now that was quite the beginning to a vacation. Thankfully, things settled down after our Bruce Willis action film start. We arrived at our hotel, the Radisson Martinique at 32nd street and Broadway. My hotel points covered the entire week so I didn't really shop hotels. This was the best choice. It turned out to be a nice hotel and in a pretty good location wise for our sightseeing plans. It's an old historic hotel French Renaissance style that's been modernized. It was very clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The staircase was beautiful, I have a couple pictures of it. We were far enough from Times Square to have some peace and not mobs of people but close enough to walk to the Theatre District for shows. The subway was right outside the hotel lobby, that was very nice. Proved to be really handy once the rainstorms hit later in the week. Our room would not be ready till 4pm and it was only 2pm so my mom and I decided just to grab something to eat at the hotel cafe. It was decently priced and average food. It was nice being back in a place where I felt the faces and culture matched my own. My mom and I laughed a lot all week about everyone instantly speaking Spanish to us. That was a nice change from trying to decipher JoJah accents. After our late lunch, we ventured out onto Broadway. We took a walk over to the Empire State Building, just a couple blocks around the corner from us. Then we hung out at Greeley Square which is right besides our hotel and people watched. Walked down to Herald Square and checked out the Macy's building architecture. Had an ice coffee and relaxed a bit. Checked into our room around 4:45pm. We were on the 9th floor, our view was of 32nd street and a HUGE P. Diddy billboard. My mom was not thrilled about that. LOL We took pictures of our room. Supposedly we were upgraded. That meant we got a two bed room cause it sure wasn't big. We inspected the room for bed bugs. LOL! Changed from sandals to sneakers and headed out. We just started walking. Sightseeing and people watching. It was a beautiful afternoon, probably 80 degrees, sun shining, we ended up at the Empire State Building and decided just to go on up to the Observation Deck. The employees there were all decked out in their 1920 uniforms. We took an escalator and then two elevators to finally reach the 86th floor. The Art Deco decorum is gorgeous in the building. I fell in love with it. The floors were beautiful. Man, I'm glad we did not stand in the lines that must form during peak tourist season. The ropes and lanes laid out looked pretty scary. We joked it felt like we were waiting in line at the Tower of Terror. All in all it took us about 45min of standing in line to finally get out on the deck. It's a very small area that goes completely around the building. It was pitch black up there. A couple musicians were playing some jazz and it was really crowded. We had to wait our turn to actually get up to the pelxi-glass to take pictures. I struggled a bit with my night settings so my pictures did not turn out as clear as I would have liked. There was a beautiful warm breeze so it was really nice. We took our time making our way around the whole deck. The city lights went on forever. The Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge were just glowing. So many beautiful buildings lit up to make a spectacular view. On this night the Empire State Building was lit up in red and yellow to represent the German Heritage Day. You can find the schedule here: <a href="http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_lightingschedule.cfm" target="_blank">http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/...dule.cfm</a> We then went into the gift shop and bought a few souvenirs. When we came down to street level it was 11pm. We realized we were hungry. We found a dive hotdog, pizza joint combo place at the corner of 5th Ave and I think 33rd Street. For those that do not know I'm a pizza-aholic and the pizza in JoJah is terrible, I mean terrible. So I've not had a decent pie in almost two years. So pretty much anything NY style would be heaven. I ordered to slices and a Coke. My mom who hates pizza went next door and got a dog. The place was called Papaya. So we joked that she had a knock off Gray Papaya that night. Our appetites were satisfied and we made our way back to our room. Filled out about 20 postcards and called it a night at 1:30am. Next up: Sunday Hop On/Hop Off Tour Bus & a Night Cruise on the Hudson Pictures - <a href="http://tiny.cc/NYC2010Sat" target="_blank">http://tiny.cc/NYC2010Sat</a>
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Whoops try this link for Saturday pictures: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218125&id=756824667&l=006c33a8dd" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/album....6c33a8dd</a>
Originally Posted By disney pete great pics Lisa,sounds like ya both had fun,ok im ready for more now
Originally Posted By tashajilek Wow thanks for sharing!! With your pictures and trip report it gives a good idea of what NY feels like. I guess traveling for business isnt too bad when you get a boat load of free points for yourself.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 New York City - Sat 9/25 to Sat 10/2: Travelers - Lisann22 & my mama Sunday morning we were out the door at 9am. We needed to be at the Hop On/Hop Off Tour Bus office on 47th & 8th Street so we decided to just walk the 1.5 miles. We knew we'd sightsee along the way so we headed up Broadway through Times Square. We stopped at the Times Square Information Center and Gift Shop. I recommend anyone who visits Time Square to stop in there. They have a history display, the Times Square Ball, a wall to post-it your Hopes & Dreams, lots of souvenirs and an information center. They were very helpful and friendly there. The ceiling in the building is beautiful. We took a lot of pictures of Broadway and Times Square. It was not my favorite place. It was choke full of people every day. Luckily we chose to stroll on a quiet Sunday morning so it was easier to maneuver. It's cheesy, packed and full of bad chain restaurants but you have to do it at least once. My mom and I had tickets to see In The Heights and Wicked on this trip but it was so tempting to get in line and try to get cheap same day tickets to another shop. However, once we seen the line we decided that would not be an option. They've added bleachers to the line so that people can sit or walk to the very top of the big stand where the Times Square New Years Eve ball is located and a bunch of signs. Kind of hard to describe but it keeps people entertained while waiting in that very long line. There's a joke about Disney and Times Square I'll tell later in my report. ;> Once out of Times Square and into the Theatre District, they kind of meld together we felt less overwhelmed. So many shows! We passed the houses for Memphis, In The Heights, Promises Promises, Addams Family, Come Fly With Me, West Side Story, Mama Mia, American Idiot and so many more. It's amazing to be surrounded by that much talent and entertainment. We were buzzing. We finally got to our destination and bought our tickets. We bought the 72 hours of Hop On/Hop Off tours, along with that we got 3 admission tickets to any of about 25 options from museums to lunch to movie to Top Of The Rock and other choices. We felt it was a decent deal. The tour has four different lines to travel on; Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn and a Night tour. When I'm new to a city or haven't been for a long long time I like to do the tours. We usually ride all the way through, understand the lay of the land, find things that interest us and then spend the rest of the trip on foot exploring what intrigued us. Over the course of the 72 hours we ended up doing 3 of the 4 loops and by the end of the trip we used our 3 admission tickets for entrance to The Top Of The Rock - $30 value, The Rockefeller Center Tour - $40 value and the Tribute World Trade Center Visitors - Center - $10 value. Here's what was offered to us for $104: Downtown Loop -------------------- Greenwich Village Times Square Empire State Building Flatiron building Union Square Soho Chinatown Little Italy Lower East Side East Village Rockefeller Center and more. Uptown Loop ---------------- Central Park West Lincoln Center Dakota Apartments American Museum of Natural History Cathedral of St. John the Divine Grant's Tomb Apollo Theater Harlem Market The Museum Mile Fifth Avenue and more. Night Tour ------------------ The Empire State Building Greenwich Village Soho Chinatown Rockefeller Center Manhattan Bridge Brooklyn and more! Brooklyn Loop ------------- Botanical Garden The Brooklyn Museum of Art Antique Furniture District Fulton Mall The Brooklyn Museum Grand Army Plaza Cadman Plaza The Brooklyn Public Library and so much more! With 3 admission tickets to the following choices -----------------------------------------Horse and Carriage ride at Central Park Airport Transfer Circle Line Downtown 1-hour cruise Ferry to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island NY Waterway 90-min cruise NY Water Taxi 1hr cruise Carnegie Hall Tour Empire State Building Observatory Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum King Tut Exhibit (2pm - 8:30 pm ONLY) Lincoln Center Tour Madame Tussaud's Madison Square Garden All Access Tour Radio City Music Hall Backstage Tour Ripley's Believe It or Not Rockefeller Center Tour New York Skyride Top of the Rock Observation Decks UN guided and audio Tours Cloisters Museum Guggenheim Museum Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Museum of the City of New York South Street Seaport Museum The American Museum of Natural History Tribute WTC Visitors Center Lunch at Grotta Azzurra Lunch at Bella Napoli NYC Walking Tour Audio Guide We got in line for the Uptown Loop, waited about 20 minutes and then we were off. We have always had good luck with our tour guides. Usually they are funny, informative and friendly. This woman had none of those qualities. She was very much into the gossip of celebrity lives in NYC, who she knew and where she'd been. It got old very quick. We got to hear her views on Brad and Angelina being too cheap to buy their kids their own clothes, they all share. "I mean with that kind of money why make them wear hand me downs." To them paying $100,000 a night to stay at the Waldorf, how she dined next to Jerry Seinfeld at a VERY expensive restaurant, she'd give the name but we might want to go just for dessert because it's was VERY expensive. Ugh! Worse was 90% of the tourists on the bus were non-English speaking. She did not try to adapt to that. It was obvious we had visitors from many countries on the bus yet she blathered on about stuff that probably meant absolutely nothing to them. That really irritated both of us. The kicker was when we got to Upper Central Park and 72nd street where the Dakota building is and the entrance to Central Park where Strawberry Fields is located. She started going on and on about Yoko Ono "still" living in that building after her husband was murdered on the street. "That Strawberry Fields was just a plague on the ground and some flowers. People tell her all the time is that all there is?! So if you want to stop that's on you but don't come back complaining to her." A couple from England wanted to get off, as they climbed down the stairs she said on the microphone, "well ok, don't blame me when it takes you 5 minutes to look at the IMAGINE plague and then 30 minutes to wait for the next bus." Okay, by then I was irate. I'm not a huge Beatles fan but c'mon! Lennon mattered to a lot of people, he represented a different time in our lives, he died, this was his memorial! People come here to reflect and to pay their respects show some class and respect. I basically tuned her out at that point and we went on with the tour covering many sights and locations. It was interesting and fun. We talked to many of the people on the bus with us. We got back to our starting point around 2:30pm. The witch had placed herself at the bottom of the bus awaiting her tip as you disembarked. No chance lady, I usually tip pretty much any service I receive. Not this time. I told her how I felt about her remarks. She was a bit stunned, she stammered a bit and acted shocked. I then went to the office of the tours and told them how I felt. I'm not one to raise a fuss very often but this just really really irked me. After I got all that off my chest we were hungry. I had read about and seen on the Food Network about a pizzeria place in the Theatre District called John's. It's an old church turned into restaurant. The pizza is suppose to be excellent. I punched in the address on my iMobile Mapquest app and we got our walking directions. By the way, having an iPhone on a trip is just the best. I used an app for the subways, for restaurants, etc. It really saved us time, money and walking distances. My pizza was so good. My mom had the ziti. We shared a salad and ate a nice leisurely lunch. Afterwards we walked up 45th street. They were having a street fair for the Arts. All the Broadway houses had their old show books, CD's, DVD's, set props, t-shirts, posters, signs and other items from past shows for sale in booths. We had a lot of fun browsing the booths. It was great! Our night cruise was at 6pm, we were to be at Pier 83 by 5pm to turn our vouchers into tickets, so we just started walking. LOL That was a tad longer distance then we realized, two miles later we arrived. Right next to the docks for all the cruise ships was the Museum for the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. We wandered over and checked out the planes, the sub and the Concourse airplane that was sitting there as we had 40 minutes to kill. It was a very overcast day so we were sure how our pictures were going to turn out as we picked this cruise because it was timed to be at sunset. It turned out fine. The boat was packed. It was breezy and a bit colder but not miserable at all. The cruise was two hours and we loved it. I'm so glad we decided to get out on the water. We sat on the Jersey side going up and the Manhattan side come back. It was SO gorgeous! Once we got back to the dock we decided to take the bus back to Broadway and then we'd walk the 10 blocks back to our room. Well, the bus was jam packed and I had to keep getting on and off as I was standing right at the door. The bus door slammed my arm at one point so I had a nice purple bruise the rest of the trip. LOL When we got off the bus to walk back it started pouring rain. It was like a monsoon hit. Ours umbrellas were useless. My mom's broke. We just said forget it and put mine away. Everyone was scrambling for cover. It was crazy. We could not flag down a cab. Every time we came to a cross walk even standing 4 or 5 feet away the busses and cars sprayed us all down. My mom and I were laughing so hard we were crying. About half way we went into a little deli cafe place and got some coffee and cheesecake while sitting there dripping wet. The man behind the counter was laughing at all the drenched tourists. We walked the rest of the way, it finally cleared up about two blocks from our hotel. We looked like we just stepped out of a shower with our clothes on. All I wanted to do was get out of all my wet clothes, take a hot shower, have a cup of tea and go to bed. We get to our room and the message light blinking. Ms. Lisann22 we need to relocate you. We have a serious plumbing problem on the entire 14th floor. We will send keys to your new room up. LMAO, so there we were sopping wet, packing up our belongings and heading to our new room on the 9th floor. It actually turned out to be a nicer and bigger room. So after hanging our wet jackets and clothes all over the room and having the place look like we were the Clampett's we got into our beds. It was 1am. Aye yi yi! It was a great first full day! Up next: Liberty & Ellis Island, more rain... Pictures: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218144&id=756824667&l=79915cddca" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/album....915cddca</a>
Originally Posted By Lisann22 New York City - Sat 9/25 to Sat 10/2: Travelers - Lisann22 & my mama Monday morning came too quickly but we are travel warriors so we were coffee'd up and sitting in the subway tunnel at 8:00am. We had to board the ferry to Liberty Island at 9:30am. Our subway ride was about 20 minutes down to Battery Park. For those that have never been to NYC or on the subway there's nothing quite like the smell of the tunnels or the heat. My God it's always so hot. This was September, July is just murder. And there are no escalators like we have in the Bay Area with BART or in DC with the Metro. It's up and down many levels of stairs depending on what line you are riding. My knee is toast. In fact, today is Wednesday, 4 days after our trip and I'm home because I can't put any pressure on it. My old softball knee just gave out. Ok back to Monday. We come out of the subway station and we are across the street from the Staten Island Ferry Station. Which is a huge, very cool, all glass building. It's the Monday morning commute so a sea of people are coming at us and guess what it starts to pour. My mom purchased a bigger umbrella at the hotel gift shop so we pop open the umbrellas and head inside the building. We ask how to get to Battery Park and the security guard points to where it's at. It's not far but it's now hailing. So we look around and see that there is a cafe up the escalators. We decide to grab some coffee and wait it out, we were about 25 minutes early. We watched the people come off ferry after ferry. I don't know how the folks of NYC due it in the winter. All the gear you have to pack just for the weather, let alone a lunch and laptop or other business materials. The rain never let up so we set out across the beautiful park to the docks. It was very foggy and overcast not looking too great for a visit to see the Lady. As we approach the door we see our ferry rocking and rolling at the peer. Whew boy, that's going to be some ride across the bay. LOL We discover we have to go to Clinton Castle to exchange our vouchers I reserved online into tickets. You have to get reservations ahead. There's a various options when visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; 1. Ferry and tour outside 2. Ferry, tour outside and go inside museum and up to the pedestal 3. Ferry, tour outside, go inside museum, up to the pedestal and audio tour 4. Ferry, tour outside, go inside museum, up to the pedestal, audio tour and climb to the crown. We chose option #3. Clinton Castle has an interesting history. Before and during the era of Ellis Island people who came over with money usually went straight to Manhattan and checked in at Clinton Castle versus the process at Ellis Island. Battery Park is very pretty with a memorial to all the people who've served in the Navy. Some interesting statues and plaques. Lots of trees, shrubs, flowers and benches to sit and enjoy the view of the bay, the ferries going by and some skyline. Security to get to the Island is exactly line going to an airport. All jackets and accessories have to come off. You go through metal detectors and screenings. We got on the ferry, talked to a couple from Baltimore just up for one night and held on for dear life as we crossed the Bay in the storm. My mom and I are experienced boaters so we weren't as green as others. ;> By the time we got to Liberty Island we were once again wet. I gave up on the umbrella. After getting our headsets and audio equipment there was a break in the weather so we decided to take advantage of that and walk the entire outside walk way around the Statue. We got some great pictures. About half way around it started to sprinkle and then pour. We finished, drenched again and then went through another security similar to the airports to get inside to the museum inside the pedestal and ability to go to the top. It wasn't easy peeling off all the wet clothes. LOL The museum is not big but it's extensive. We enjoyed it. I loved seeing the various examples of the Liberty, how she was constructed and the politics behind the gift. It took me about an hour to get through it. I had to wait 15 minutes to take the elevator to the pedestal observation area. My mom chose to climb the 156 stairs. When I found her she said never again. LOL We took the stairs down and I was like holy smokes I can't believe you did that. The stairs are straight up! It's a wonderful view from the pedestal. Unfortunately, the fog limited our views. We still got some awesome photos. It was very windy there and the rain was kind of painful. My knee was now throbbing because we had not sat down since about 8:30am and it was now 1pm. Part of the problem is everything is designed for outside with the rain we could not sit on the benches or enjoy eating outside anywhere. We attempted to grab a sandwich from their cafe but it was SO crowded inside we just grabbed a snack and went to the gift shop. Did a bit of shopping, they have a nice area and got in line to go over to Ellis Island. It never stopped raining. Ellis Island is gorgeous. You enter on the bottom floor and go up to the Main Hall where all the immigrants were processed. It's a huge hall. We read through most of the displays and finally found a bench to rest awhile. I went into the ladies restroom and tried to dry my hair under the hand dryers, that didn't work too well. LOL We watched two documentaries about the immigrants and one about the hospital on the Island. The facilities are vast but you only see part of it. The National Park Service doesn't have the funding to operate the rest. We found the names of my dad's side of the family who came through Ellis Island. Looked at a few more displays and decided we wanted to head back. It was 4:30pm. I'm so glad we went to both Islands but the rain really hampered our ability to thoroughly enjoy it all. When we got back to Battery Park my mom wanted to get a picture of the front of the Staten Island Ferry so we walked back over. As we were walking we seen that the Hop On/Hop off bus stop was right near us so we decided we'd get on after taking pictures. They were giving away free rain ponchos so we grabbed one each and went to the top of the bus. This was the downtown loop. This tour was much better. We saw some amazing churches along the way. We went up Park Avenue, 5th Avenue, around Rockefeller Centre, Radio City Hall and many other famous locations. It cleared up and we stayed on the bus into the night. We got off in the 40something streets around 9:30pm and started walking, we went into a few shops, stopped at a flower shop, just leisurely strolled the off the beaten paths streets till near our hotel. We got on the elevator and my mom said "what time is it?" I looked at my phone - 11pm. We were hungry!! So we ordered room service and devoured our food. Like Washington DC my mom and I get caught up sightseeing and lose our appetites during the day. I'm pretty sure I was snoring by 12:30am. Next up: Tuesday Blues and a Broadway show Pictures: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218167&id=756824667&l=8e3c84aa04" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/album....3c84aa04</a>
Originally Posted By Rsey103 I love nyc trip reports. I'll come back and read this when I have more time...
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS So far, so exciting! Thanks, Lisann. The pics are great and tell the whole story to a tee.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 New York City - Sat 9/25 to Sat 10/2: Travelers - Lisann22 & my mama Woke up at 9am Tuesday, we decided to give our early mornings a rest. It was raining cats and dogs outside. My mom heard me give the weather report and rolled over to face away from me on her bed. LOL Alrighty then, we are not rushing anywhere today. We slowed got dressed and moving. It was still raining and now heavier. So we decided today we'd go check out Macy's. Try to wait out the weather. We ended up exploring the Macy's building for about 3 hours. We had a nice lunch and a beer in the Cellar, rode the wood escalators, looked at the rows and rows of coats. I remember being amazed at the low cost of a coat when I lived in Chicago verse what I was used to paying in the Bay Area then it clicked it's a necessity on the East Coast not fashion wear. ;> Neither of us are big shoppers but we had fun and actually bought ourselves some blouses. We made stops at Lush and a few other stores. We walked over to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden and check out the stores and displays there. It was relaxing like a vacation should be. The rain had died down. We had to get back to our room and get ready to go see In The Heights. On Tuesdays the show start an hour early so we had to there before 7pm. I don't know why but I thought people would dress up a bit more for the shows in NYC but it was similar to SF, dress code ran the gamut of shorts and sandals to long gowns and high heels. We rode the subway up to 49th street, the Richard Rogers Theatre is on 47th. We got in line and this lady standing next to me looked awfully familiar. It was Phylicia Rashad aka Mrs. Cosby. We smiled and nodded. I don't believe in pestering famous people when they are doing something private so we didn't bug her for a picture or anything. Our seats were front row, mezzanine, center stage. Outstanding! It's a small theatre with a ton of history. We looked at all the pictures in the lobby and going up the stairs. I found this piece of history about it on line when I got home: "Opened in 1924 and originally called the 46th Street Theatre, it was renamed in 1990 to honor the legendary composer Richard Rodgers, whose shows defined Broadway for over three decades. This theatre has been a house of hits, hosting a long line of famed musicals including Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls, Damn Yankees, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Nine, Chicago, and Movin' Out. The theatre was refurbished in 2006 and houses The Richard Rodgers Gallery featuring historic memorabilia from its namesake's storied career. The Richard Rodgers has 1,319 seats and is one of The Nederlander Organization's nine Broadway theatres." We loved In The Heights! The star, but she wasn't really the lead, was Jordan Sparks from American Idol. She held her own but you could tell she is new to Broadway. The other actresses were awesome. There was not a weak voice in the cast. The music was so good. It's a mix of old salsa, new Latin, some hip-hop, and a bit of rap. We laughed and cried within the story. I don't want to give the whole story away so I won't say much more. Here's a bit of info about this musical: "In the Heights began as an original musical conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda during his sophomore year at Wesleyan University. Upon graduating and returning home to New York, Miranda collaborated with director Thomas Kail to rework and restage the campus hit for a larger audience. That's how they captured the interest of producers Jill Furman, Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller, whose previous work on Broadway included Rent, Avenue Q and The Drowsy Chaperone. After more workshops, more collaborators, and a stint at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in Connecticut, the musical found a home at Off-Broadway's 37 Arts Theatre. Seven years after the idea was first born, In the Heights was ready for its New York theatrical debut. During its Off-Broadway run at 37 Arts, In the Heights quickly became an audience phenomenon and a critical success. The response was unprecedented: the musical was luring both traditional and non-traditional theatergoers and garnering a huge cache of accolades, including the Outer Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical. After over 200 performances, In the Heights played its final Off-Broadway show on July 15th, 2007, and began preparations for a move to Broadway, which included enhancements to the script and score, as well as new additions to the cast and crew. The 2007-2008 Tony Award nominations are announced on May 13, and In the Heights earns the most nominations of any show in the season: 13. In addition to a Best Musical nomination, In the Heights also picks up nods for Best Book, Best Original Score, Best Actor, Best Featured Actor, Best Featured Actress, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design." After the show we decided to walk and find some dinner. It was BEAUTIFUL outside. We found Juniors right down the street and decided to go in. <a href="http://www.juniorscheesecake.com/" target="_blank">http://www.juniorscheesecake.com/</a> Our sandwiches were excellent. My mom had the Virginia ham and I had the BLT. We had excellent service. Our sandwiches were enormous. The fries filled the place. My mom could not decide on the cole slaw or red potato salad so the waiter brought her both at no charge. They give you red beets, some slaw and dill pickles as soon as you sit down as an appetizer. Our waiter was a lot of fun, talking to us in Spanish and joking around about California. Whenever anybody asks us where we are from we always say the same thing "Where we live or where we're from?" That always gets the conversation flowing. By the time we were deciding dessert choices the place was rocking. It has a real cool jive with the orange color scheme and teak furniture with orange chairs. We had fun watching the people as our table was next to the all glass window that looked out at the back of two theatres side by side. It was the backdoor to Memphis so there were people lingering to meet the cast. We watched it all unfold. Good times! We decided we were way too full and would take our dessert back to our room. We chose the yellow cake/chocolate frosting cake. I skipped the cheesecake because I'd had it Sunday night in the Deli. We walked the 13 or so blocks back cause the weather was so nice. We took 6th street all the way down so we could see sights on a different road. Had fun soaking up the New York night. Once again, it was about 11:30pm when we got to the room. Next up: The Amazing Race for Letterman tickets & Steak! Pictures (I didn't take very many on this day): <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218178&id=756824667&l=a05320c02c" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/album....5320c02c</a>
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I am really enjoying your TR Lisa, but I am trying desperately not to look ahead at the photos as I like reading your commentary on here.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 So far I've only read the first day and I'm LOVING reading your trip reports again, I've missed them. Thank you so much. LOL! about the upgraded room. The pillows look comfy Other than the freaky first few minutes it sounds like a GREAT first day!
Originally Posted By Lisann22 New York City - Sat 9/25 to Sat 10/2: Travelers - Lisann22 & my mama The was absolutely my most favorite day in NYC, well ok Friday was pretty awesome too but Wednesday was da bomb! We are big Big BIG Letterman fans in my family, especially my sister and I. We also love LOVE Craig Ferguson so getting to see him here in JoJah last October was a riot. So we were on a mission this morning to get over to CBS studios (as Kar2oonman had directed me) and get our Letterman gear. I did the online lotto for tickets to the Late Night show but had heard nothing back so we had no hopes of going to a show taping. We also tried for The View. Monday of this week I received a call from ABC congratulating me on winning tickets to yesterdays show. Gee thanks but I'm in Jojah now. I was in NYC LAST week. <sigh> We hit the concrete jungle about 9:30 that morning. Rode the train to 57th street. Stepped out onto 55th street. This complete confused my mom all week. Trying to explain to her that the station name doesn't really mean you'll land on that street and that there are many exits within one station through her for a loop. Anyway, we made our way over to the Ed Sullivan Theater. As we approached we were across the street. My mom said you want to go look up-close? I had my big pouty bottom lip on that morning cause it hurt to be there, so close and have no tickets, so I kicked the curb and said NO. She snapped some shots and we started to walk a bit. I snapped out of my crybabyitis moment and said yeah yeah ok ok let's go look. She sighed gave me the eyebrow and we crossed the street and went to the theater. A sign on the sidewalk said "free tickets" with an arrow pointing into the building. We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and stepped inside. There were about 6 guys all mulling around with Letterman polos on, a couple security guards and two couples in a line. They all said hi, the Letterman crew is very young, very hyper and very friendly. Asked us if we were here for tickets. We both said we can get tickets? "Paul" explained we can fill out an application, give the dates we are available and if they have more tickets they will call us. Can we be ready if its last minute? I asked well what is last minute? Paul said we tape at 4:30pm, you have to come get in line to get tickets at 2:00pm, no later than 3:00pm, we might call at 1:00pm. We said yes. We were now hyper, excited and feeling friendly! Stupid, stupid us. So I fill out the application. I hand it to him and say ok, thanks. He says ok now you have to get in this line. Huh? You need to interview. Interview? Interview. Okie dokie. We get in the line. There is a panel blocking another section, we can hear the other interviews. Paul says remember smile and laugh, big smiles, big laughs. Ok, young, hyper, friendly, big laughs, big smiles. Whew, I'm getting tired already. We step up to the red rope and now we meet "Nick." Nick asks where we from? We give our famous line; from or live? Ha! Ha! He went to California for a weekend, near San Francisco. Oh yeah where? LA! Dude! That is NOT near San Francisco, it's practically another state! Ha! Ha! He doesn't really get it but we amuse him. He tells us ok, you're going to be next, remember big laughs, big smiles. Yeah and we are young, we are excited, we are friendly. You have no idea the energy this takes. Well if you've met me you do know. LOL He lifts the rope, we walk behind the screen I thought for a minute I was going to meet the Great Wizard of Oz but no it was a young woman who looked twelve but carried a clipboard and seemed pretty important. <rolling eyes> She tells us to sit down. Asks to see our ID's, asks where we are from. Ready? From or live? Ba-Dum-Bump! She asks us a few questions like do you watch Dave regularly? Can you make it back if we call you within an hour of needing to be here? She closes with ok, remember big laughs and big smiles. Good luck ladies. Thanks! Thanks so much. As we are walking out my mom and I took some pictures of the theater and almost got arrested for it. The big burly atypical New Yorker looking guy yells at us. We apologized and said sorry but there were no signs. He grunted and we moved out of there quickly. When we got outside we both thought fat chance any of this will happen. We laughed about the experience and moved on. I ask the ticket lady where is the CBS store is? She informs me it closed down a couple months ago. WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAT? OMG this is a DISASTER! Come to NYC and get NO Letterman t-shirts, mugs, baseball caps? Are freakin' kidding me? She says but you can go to Hello Deli, he sells everything there. He? Yes, Rupert! BINGO! Now I'm in overdrive. See the week before we left I asked a group of friends what do you want me to bring you from NYC? 999Haunts was a part of the group I asked. She said "just make a sign that says 'Hi Trish' and take a picture with Rupert." Well, I did indeed print the sign and I had it with me. I now had me a mission and well I love a challenge so we turned the corner and there it was. It was about 10:30, so there wasn't a lunch crowd yet. There were two guys on the grill, Rupert behind the counter and a neighborhood guy visiting. They all said hi, we said hi, we started looking at all the Letterman product. There were even Rupert t-shirts and mugs. Neighborhood guy left and Rupert asked if he could help us. We bought the store, three large bags later and wondering how we were going to tote the mugs, t-shirts, hats and commuter mugs the rest of the day we began to just shoot the breeze with the Rup. What a sweetheart of a guy. Same as on TV, always kind of has that puzzled deer caught in headlines expression. We talked about him waterskiing on the Hudson, snowboarding, California, Dave, etc. It was glorious! We said nice to meet ya and left. As we floated down 5 blocks east to west and 3 blocks north to south we landed Rockefeller Center and entered the NBC Studios. We were going to head up to The Top Of The Rock. We got in line. Took about a 30 wait to get to the elevator. The Rock is a much nicer experience than the Empire State Building. It's state of the art. Well, ok it's a different experience. It's obviously a more modern building. You see a movie, ride the elevator to the viewing levels. There are three decks that you get to go out on. It was a sunny exquisite day. We took a ton of pictures. The whole area is very big so you have plenty of room to move around and capture shots. I lost my internet connection up there and told my mom I don't think I'll receive calls either. She said "Lisa it ain't going to happen." I said "I know." We finished up and headed to the gift shop. I'm toting two bags and a handful of magnets, postcards and pencils when John Lee Hooker rings out BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM. It's my phone! I drop everything look at the area code it's 212!!! Hello! Lisa, it's the David Letterman Show, it's Paul. PAUL!!!!! I'm now jumping up and down, it was quite the sight. Can you make it? When? By 2? What time is it? 1:10? Um yeah! Come get the tickets. Once you get the tickets, we'll let you go for a little while and then you have to come back and line up for the taping. Ok? Ok! Here's the secret code: Paul's Gold. Got it? Yes! Ok, see you later. I hang up and scream out MMMMMMOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM?! The store clerk and a few tourist are laughing and cheering. Eat! We need to eat! We haven't eaten! We run to the deli in the Centre, mosh down a 1/2 sandwich and a Coke and we start walking, maybe marching, probably shoving, we were headed back to the Ed Sullivan Theater baby! It was hot. It was a long walk. We are not young anymore. My hyperness is running low and I'm not feeling friendly, I'm feeling sweaty. I'm beat red. We finally get to the corner of the street and lines are forming. Paul is standing there. Hi Ladies! <panting> Hi Paul I say weakly. Okay, what's your secret code? <breathing heavily> P a u l ' s G o l d. Yes! Get in this line. We look and there she winds. So we scoot on down to the end. We wait about 20 minutes and we are ushered back into the theater. We get asked the secret code again, asked to show our ID and we go into another line. At the end is a woman at a podium. She asks for our names, our ID, where we are from - screw the comeback. She tells us we have to be back at 3:45. Not a minute earlier, not a minute later. Here's your tickets. Remember ladies; big smiles, big laughs. Yeah Yeah. It's now 2:50, so we set outside and see the Angelo's Pizzeria right next door. We go inside and order a Coke, a coffee and a homemade chocolate mousse. It was delicious. We rest a bit. We call a bazillion relatives. We laugh a lot and drink a few more Cokes. Gotta get hyped up so we can be friendly with big smiles and big laughs. We couldn't continue to sit in this restaurant so we crossed the street and sat on the steps of a hotel that looks directly at the Theater. At 3:20pm we see people lining up. We know what she told us but but but people are lining up. So we go over and get in line. Well that's the 3:25pm line, get out. Wait over there. Then it was you need to move completely out of the area. We move again. At 3:40pm those people go inside and people line up again, they get kicked out, at 3:45pm we go back and get in line. And then we got the rules. Over and over again. No gum, no hats, no sunglasses, no shouting out Dave, no shouting out San Francisco Giants are #1, no whoop whoops, no woo-hoo's. Just laughs, big laughs, belly aching laughs, no matter how funny or bad the jokes are you laugh. How do you laugh? Like this.... Ok everyone practice. This went on until 4:15pm. LOL! Finally we are led in. Too a lined up Dave Letterman staff that is cheering up, throwing confetti on us and telling us - well you know what they want. We are seated in the last row of the balcony BUT no worries they were great seats probably better than the back of the first level. We were up close to the Band, the desk, the chairs, the stage. We see Biff! We see Alan! A comedian/audience leader comes out and tells a bunch of jokes and then how the show will work. It's amazing he gets this all in as the clock is ticking towards the 4:30pm start. They announce the guests are Mayor Bloomberg and the star of the new movie The Social Network, Jessie Eisenberg. David Letterman comes out. He was very friendly and funny. Took questions from the audience. That led to a funny moment in the show. The band was tight! They played a couple Stones songs, Lover Rollercoaster, The Night Time is the Right Time (Ray Charles) and a few others during the breaks. They are so good. Everyone was clapping and singing along. The set is awesome. It's not as small as I thought but it's not big by any means. Very vibrant colors, it's hip and funky. Lots of chrome, pipes running through the ceiling area. I loved the many backdrops that serve as the curtain. On the monitors we could see the show play out as it was televise. That was much different than other tapings I've been too where they slice and dice what you actually see. When we watched it back it was pretty much the exact show we saw. All they did was shave some opening and closing minutes off. The show was great! The mayor was engaging and funny. Eisenberg was nervous and quick witted. We walked out of there pumped up!!! An awesome and exhausting experience. The show ended at 5:30, we were standing outside at about 5:45. No pictures or video allowed so I can't share an visual experience. We had 9:00pm dinner reservations so we walked a bit, did some sightseeing around Rockefeller Centre and then grabbed a cab back to our room. Our cab driver was a native NY'er. He was a financial manager who had been laid off 1.5 years ago, along with 14 of his 21 co-workers. A friend suggested being a taxi driver while he went back to school to get his Masters. We commiserated about the economy, head hunters, housing and it's affect on him and me. Really nice guy. We exchanged emails. I don't know it was just a good friendly vibe between us all. We joked about differences between Hispanic NY'ers and Californian's. He was Puerto Rican. Really enjoyed our conversation. We are now FB friends. LOL! Back by our hotel, we dropped our bags off and went exploring Korea Town until around 7:30. Came back, showered and then walked to Keen's Steakhouse about 4 blocks from our hotel. My sister and I both had seen this restaurant on Food Network and I was dying to try it. Check out their website. <a href="http://www.keens.com" target="_blank">http://www.keens.com</a> I highly recommend this dining establishment. We had a wonderful dinner. Our service was outstanding. We were not rushed. We had a funny visit with young Italians from Naples on their honeymoon. They spoke no English so between their Italian and our Spanish we helped them order to their German server. The poor waiter was trying to draw the steaks on his pad to describe the different cuts of meat. We discovered they were headed to Vegas and then San Francisco so I took out a piece of paper and wrote them down some different clubs, restaurants and things to do. They were very appreciative of that. We started with grilled slices of watermelon with whipped ricotta cheese , served on Angola with a vinaigrette dressing. It was delicious. We both had filet mignon. I ordered mine with lobster that we shared. We ordered a side of mash potatoes and asparagus. Two glasses of red wine from California winery. :> Ended our meal with my mom having a red berry bribble and my dark rum banana foster. The food was to die for! It was a nice relaxing dining experience that topped a wild and crazy but hilarious fun day! Next up: Rain Rain Go Away and Wicked. Pictures: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218183&id=756824667&l=95d72ddb67" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/album....d72ddb67</a> Sorry for the typos I'm on pain meds. ;>
Originally Posted By Lisann22 New York City - Sat 9/25 to Sat 10/2: Travelers - Lisann22 & my mama After the euphoria of Wednesday came the dreary Thursday day time. We woke up to a downpour once again. We were both wide awake at 7:00am. We had coffee and kept looking out the window like dang, do we really want to go out there? So we ordered room service breakfast instead. We watched the news. I downloaded pictures. My mom pressed her outfit for the show later that night. We were really loafing. Around 9:30, the housekeeping maid knocked on the door. My mom answered and said if you just take our dirty towels and give us new ones we'll be fine. Well in swept Hava, the head maid on our floor. Hava, the Bosnian woman with Buddhist mother and Jewish father began to talk to us about everything; traveling, her country, American politics, children, New York, family and before we knew it 10:30 had rolled around. Hava still had not brought us new towels. I kept thinking man alive she's going to be in big trouble. Her and my mom were still going at it when I said I'm going to get dressed. I went in the bathroom to clean up. When I came out my mom had a pile of stuff on the bed. Coffee, cream, sugar, lotions, shampoos, soaps, it was crazy. Hava decided to gift us all this stuff for our family. I was like MOM! My mom says we can't tell her no, she gave it with a good heart. I said she gave us the hotels stuff with a good heart. LOL We both laughed. We left most of it behind, I felt like we were stealing. Aye yi yi. Anyway, it was a slow day. We went a couple blocks in a direction we'd never been and explored Hell's Kitchen area for a bit. We fought the rain most of the early afternoon and just gave up. Came back to the room. Took a nap, watch a movie, sorted and organized all the souvenirs we bought and packed up as much as we could and then got ready to go see Wicked. Took the sub up to 49th street I believe to the Gershwin Theatre. It's a huge place. Seats 1900 or something like that. But man are the seats nice. Roomy, lots of leg room and stadium style seats so when Kareem Abdul Jabar sits in front of you your view is not obstructed. LOVED Wicked. I have missed the National tour each time it has come through whatever city I was currently living in. I'm so glad I got to see it in New York. The sets, wow, just wow to the sets. The color and costumes were fantastic. Loved both leads. Wonderful voices. Very unique and creative experience. I will say the sound was not the best. It was very hard to hear the chorus at times and understand the leads. After the show, we went looking for someplace to eat. It's a lot of chain restaurants in the area and we tried really hard to eat at places unique to NY. We found up at a old Italian placed called Sofia's. Looks like it might have been a swinging place back in the day but a little rough around the edges now. I whipped out my iPhone, went to Open Table and read the reviews. Good food, slow service. Alright, we'll go for it. We sat down at 11:15pm. I was so loving the late late night meals in New York City, ain't that the way it's supposed to be? We shared a Caesar Salad, both had a glass of wine and ordered veal parmigiana with steamed vegetables. I was feeling really skeptical but the bread was warm, fresh and sourdough, the salad was very good and then our veal came out. Yes, nice and thin with a thick sauce and nice layer of cheese. My steamed vegetables had about 7 big whole roasted garlic cloves in the mix. I was in heaven! I ate it all. It was delicious. Whew boy, there was no need to be scared of walking back to the hotel at 1am, all I had to do was breath and fire would explode from my mouth. Death for anyone who crosses me. I was a walking, talking Maleficent! We left the restaurant at 1:05am. Caught a cab back. I was in bed around 2:30am. We ended a dreary day with a very Wicked night of music and garlic! Next up: Frantic Friday! Pictures (another slow day): <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218190&id=756824667&l=60ff55e51d" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/album....ff55e51d</a>
Originally Posted By Lisann22 New York City - Sat 9/25 to Sat 10/2: Travelers - Lisann22 & my mama We were determined that Friday being our last day weather be damned. We were hitting the pavement hard. Going to cover a lot of ground no matter what. That is the reason we packed up as much as we could and got ourselves organized on Thursday. We had no plans to return to our room early. We were out the door at 8am. We rode the subway to the Upper West Side. Got off at 72nd street and headed into Central Park. It was raining off and on. Kind of hard to juggle camera, umbrella and whatever else so I didn't get to take all the pictures I really wanted. The rain brings its own beauty to the environment and Central Park was no exception. We meandered along the paths and came upon Strawberry Fields. We got the giggles cause I started to sing Strawberry Fields and stopped when I realized I was singing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Hey, I admit I'm not a huge Beatles fan. My mom said well you knew the words, sounded good and I could dance like a Dead Head to it, I give you 59. Thanks Dick. We walked quite a bit I just know we got to the Boathouse Cafe in Central Park around 11:50. They opened at 12noon. So we just looked around while waiting. Boy, this was our worst dining experience all week. What a complete waste of our money. First they were snotty as hell. The restaurant was empty and they place several couples at the windows overlooking the lake and then proceeded to stick up in the back. I said no, we'd like a window which got a roll of the eyes. Grr! We waited and waited to get water, a cracker, anything. Finally, a waiter took our drink order, then a waitress came for our food order. My mom ordered fish dish and I ordered a salad with flank steak strips. We both ordered a cup of clam chowder. The soup was average. Both our meals were tasteless and cold. The ONLY thing that saved this meal was the two guys from England that sat next to us and we struck up a conversation with. They had just as bad a lunch. We sat and visited with them for about an hour. I know we royally pissed off the restaurant for holding up their tables. None of us were happy. The bill sent my blood pressure sky high. The English guys were just starting their vacation so I handed them my map, my subway and bus laminated map and schedule and our metro cards with fare still on them. We talked about England, New York, books, music, traveling in Europe. A great conversation. We all walked out together. Gave hugs, exchanged email and said our goodbyes. My mom and I headed up 72nd street to catch Lexington Ave to catch the subway. Lexington is one of my favorite NY streets due to the amount of book stores, diners, cafes, bakeries, flower shops. I wanted my mom to experience it. We crossed Park and 5th Avenue. Strolled the avenues, admiring the buildings and churches. My mom had some garbage men pose for her and a couple mailmen. LOL We talked to them a bit and kept moving. We caught the train and headed to Grand Central Station. My mom had her heart on set on seeing this famous train station. It did not disappoint her, yet we both love Union Station in Washington DC better. We wandered around taking pictures and soaking up the atmosphere. They have some wonderful pastry shops in GCS so I stopped and got us a couple Napoleons for dessert later. From there we walked up 5th Avenue to go to the St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was a slow walk as we stopped quite a bit to look at shops, sculptures and people. We had a funny exchange with a young salesman my mom was semi-flirting with at Sunglasses Hut over the Steve McQueen ad in the front window. Aye yi yi! It's not completely tell-able on a family site. Sorry. St. Patrick's Cathedral. Wow. I'm not sure I can even describe it. Or really explain my feelings about it without causing my trip report to land in World Events. I just don't get the Catholic Church, I had to keep telling myself it's a work of art, just think of it as a work of art. I was not comfortable with the fact that people were snapping pictures at the same time people were in deep prayer. It was very odd. Add to that the traveling road show of the relic of St. John Bosco and I was really out of sorts. Here's the info regarding that: <a href="http://www.donboscoamongus.org/relic.html" target="_blank">http://www.donboscoamongus.org...lic.html</a> From St. Patrick's we walked along way and caught the train down to the World Trade Center Tribute Visitor Center. So glad we decided at the last minute to go ahead and go down there. It was a toss between walking the Brooklyn Bridge or going there. It started to sprinkle a bit and we got scared of a downpour so chose WTC. We came out of the subway tunnel right at Ground Zero. Everything is covered up with signage so you don't really see anything. That was fine for me. I wasn't that thrilled to visit the actual site. With all the Indian work I do and reburials of human remains, visiting a site of this amount of destruction wouldn't sit well with me. I have some strong feelings about how to deal with remains and sacred sites. We stopped and paid our respects for a bit. Nothing super emotional, just a pause and prayer. We didn't go to the Winterhaven building to see the site from above. I just could not walk on my knee much more. We went into the Tribute Visitor Center and watched a short film. I've said what I feel about it all within my pictures so you can view some of my comments there if you like. It was powerful, emotional and sad. There are some beautiful outcomes to the tragedy in the way the world reached out to us and that is on display. The cranes from Japan especially touched my heart strings. We took our time, filled out the memory cards and visited with some of the employees there for awhile. It was closing time and close to 7pm by the time we finished. We then went around the corner from the fire station and found the gorgeous wall plaque for the firefighters. It's stunning. We spent several minutes there admiring it. The firemen were very friendly and we chatted with them for a bit. They told us all about the plans for the new buildings and the time line. You get a real sense that everyone has and wants to continue to move on from it all. The deli right next store was a medical center during the attack and days after. We grabbed a sandwich there. Talked to the owner over a cup of coffee before heading back out. He was a funny guy. He probably would still be talking if we didn't stand to hint we needed to leave. By the time we got on the subway it was close to 9pm. There was an older couple coming toward us and we stood to give them our seats. We started talking and they told us they lived above the Tribute Center and lost everything on 9/11. Fortunately they were not home at the time. They decided to stay and rebuild their lives. Home is home and I can certainly understand that. We got back to the hotel around 10:30 I believe. We had a great last day! Next morning, we were up and out the door at 8:30 for our 11:00am flight. It was a great trip despite the weather. There's so much we did not get to do but when you go to a city with so much to see and do its impossible and you can't feel let down. You just have to accept that you can't do it all. Thanks for reading if you made it to the end. ;> Pictures: Part 1: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218196&id=756824667&l=d917601b55" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/album....17601b55</a> Part 2: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218207&id=756824667&l=825e5878e7" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/album....5e5878e7</a>
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Amazing Lisa, many thanks for sharing. I was particularly touched by your last day. On another note, did I miss something? What was the Disney joke about Times Square? Thank you for letting us feel like we were with you.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 OK, just read "Sunday" and wow that tour guide would have driven me crazy too. The snarky comment to the people who wanted to see the JL memorial was way over the top. What an amazing day you had and the photos are GREAT. I love the perspective! LOL about the Clampetts
Originally Posted By quincytoo Thanks for sharing this repeort with us Lisann It brought me right back to NYC Was my watermelon salad better??? ;D
