Day 13 - Central Park

It was raining again this morning and, again, this did not interfere with our plans. I hope our luck continues to hold weather-wise. We needed some down time and decided yesterday that we would relax this morning and let the day unfold itself. Shelby was the first to get dressed at 11:00 with the rest of us done by a little after noon.

Rich had decided he had quite enough of public transportation with its accompanying frantic crowds of pedestrians and smells of the city so he opted to drive in to Manhattan again this afternoon via the Holland Tunnel. That was a relief for me because I still have difficulty with my ankle.

In addition to the magnificent City Hall in Manhattan...

...we drove past the ornate entrance to the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn, Chinatown, the Bowery, Washington Square, the High Line, Chelsea Piers, the Iceberg building, the Intrepid, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Columbus Circle, and much more before stopping across from the Dakota. The kids and I got out there, since there was no parking, and walked the short distance to Strawberry Fields in Central Park. By then it was misting and there were only a few people there so we took our photos with the "Imagine" mosaic.

This may be my favorite spot in Manhattan so I'm even posting this photo Dylan took of me. I debated about handing the camera to someone to take a group shot, but better sense prevailed.

Then we walked to The Lake in Central Park where I got some shots of the kids with Bow Bridge in the background.

We met up with Rich who then drove through Central Park, down Fifth Ave, back across Central Park, and west on 72nd toward the Hudson River where we found a great little diner in a neighborhood on the Upper West Side. Here we are at the Pier 72 Diner.

These shots were taken after they had all survived the freaky basement restroom. I wasn't going to write about it but they all say I should. We had been driving for a few hours by then and I was the only one who didn't need to use it which was good because apparently I would not have been able to traverse the steep, narrow steps. Rich describes them as being like a ladder. The steps were so shallow that even Shelby had to place her feet sideways. They all talk about the building pipes and the tiny restroom and how creepy the whole experience was...no matter how many times I say "but aren't you glad you have that experience of seeing a real New York basement?"! Anyway, the food was really good and the first reasonably priced meal we've had here, well, except for the parking ticket; but that's another story.

Driving back down to the Holland Tunnel was adventure enough during rush hour. I will tell you that Rich can drive through that city like the best of the New York taxi drivers! The guy continues to surprise and amaze me; this was one of those times! I've never seen such professional driving. Oh yeah, I should share this photo because it shows that on many streets there are no lane marker lines. Usually the streets are so packed you don't notice this fact, but this allows traffic to make as many lanes as possible. Wild, huh?

When we got back to New Jersey we shopped at our favorite A&P grocery store. This is one crazy bunch I'm traveling with. Jackson decided that pushing the cart with all of them in it was good therapy for my ankle!

Rich has been here several times and this was my third visit but he informed us all this afternoon that he will NEVER come here again because he hates the crowds, the congestion, the traffic, the expense, the offensive smells, the pace, etc. etc. I think that's too bad because he would make a perfect NYC cab driver! I think it's sad and unfortunate when a person hates something that he is so darned good at...giggle

Lovin' Life ~~ Grateful for My Three Visits to NYC!