We left for NYC on United Airlines May 16th, 3 weeks after we got home from Mexico. Everything went smoothly. We had a tranquilizer for Boo. He slept the whole way and, though my legs were numb because of no room with Boo on the floor, we did survive the trip. Survival is about all you can hope for these days-it's been a year or two since we've flown, and it is more crowded and uncomfortable than ever. I miss the days of first class travel, tablecloths, complimentary cocktails and a good meal!
We took our first Uber ride and it worked out fine, though it took me two times to really get it down.
This man (Rolando, below) was our driver in NYC. He is a fantastic singer and played his CDs for us as we waited in rush hour traffic to get to Manhattan. The traffic in Queens was even worse than that in Manhattan.
The first day we arrived late afternoon, went to an Austrian restaurant called Grunauer Bistro-fantastic service, very old world feeling and great schnitzel. The waiters were unbelievably professional.
The following day, Jim, Janet and I went to the David Bowie exhibit in Brooklyn. It was really done beautifully. The exhibit explores the creative process of Bowie's reinventions, innovative collaborations and his crazy characterizations.
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| Janet and Jim at the Brooklyn Museum |
David Bowie Is has been touring the world for 5 years, taking its final bow here in Brooklyn. It included fabulous costumes, wonderful music and a great overview of his career. Jim and I were not huge fans in the day, but we sure are now. What an amazing artist!
The next day we went to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan. We were there for three hours and didn't have enough time to really see everything of interest to us. The minute you arrive, your heart aches for the victims and their families. There are two beautiful pools of water with a big hole in the middle where the water from the waterfalls teems through. The names of the victims are on the wall surrounding these imprints of the original buildings.
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| The new World Trade Center Tower |
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| Families can leave a flower for a family member who died here. |
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| We took a museum tour which highlighted the story of the destruction on 9/11. This was the last piece to come out of the towers during the cleanup. Behind it, you can see the retaining wall that holds back the Hudson River. It had to be reinforced after the buildings were hit because they were afraid that, if the wall gave in, all of lower Manhattan would flood. The man (now in his seventies) who was in charge of building the wall to begin with, came back to do the job. He was in his 70s at the time. |
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| This is the piece of the North Tower building that was hit first. The diagram on the left shows where the plane hit. |
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| These are the metal pieces that held up the building. |
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| This was the first Ladder company at the scene. All from this group were killed. |
Saturday morning, we had recorded the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, so we spent a large part of the day watching. What a wonderful moment for Great Britain and the royal family! It is so nice to have some good, fun news for a change!
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| Molly McBean |
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| It rained every day but the last. Boo got to cuddle up in this towel to dry off. He does not care for walking in the rain, nor does he like doing his business on the streets and sidewalks of NYC. |
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| Siblings watching the wedding |
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| The "boys" and the pups Tony did not last long celebrating the wedding-not his thing! |
The last day, we were on our way to the Met but it was such a glorious day that we decided to go to the Boathouse for lunch. It is one of my very favorite places in NYC.
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| Many New Yorkers out for a beautiful day on the lake |
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| Checking out the menu |
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| Sisters in more than law |
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| The in crowd |
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| Central Park on a beautiful afternoon |
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| A man with his 5 standard poodles, which he proclaimed to be easier than any one woman he's ever known! |
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| Some stayed at home to read the Times in bed. |
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| Can't get away from Trump in NYC! |
We just loved Come From Away on Broadway! We couldn't imagine a 9/11 story that was a fun and funny musical. It was very well done. The story took place in Gander, Newfoundland, where 38 planes and about 7,000 passengers were stranded for 4 days while US air space was shut down.
Our last night was spent meeting Gayle and Charlie at the Carlyle Hotel in Bemelman's Bar, listening to Robert Mosci on the piano. It was a quintessential New York experience. The Carlyle is known for attracting socialites, politicians and movie stars and the bar is known for Ludwig Bemelman's murals on the wall. He was the creator of the famous Madeline books. Apparently, the murals were payment for his many years as a resident of the hotel.
One of the saddest things about leaving, is that our two dogs won't be together to play for some time. It is a close contest about who is the cutest but I do think Boo, being a gentleman, would hand it to Molly. They kept us totally amused at all times, except for when Boo pooped in their apartment and someone (who will not be named) happened to step in it. Not one of Boo's better moments! Another was when he decided to poop in the middle of a crosswalk, with cars beginning to move forward. He just couldn't understand why there wasn't any grass anywhere! Next time, maybe we'll bring astro turf with us!
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