In a city that never sleeps!

Since our last blog entry we have visited Portland and Boston on our journey south to NewYork, stopping in at Salem. The weather in Portland was unkind and we did little of interest apart from a bit of sightseeing. Boston was an interesting city in which we could have spent more time. We enjoyed an overview via the hop on hop off bus, but it was incredibly cold. So, we took shelter in an Italian restaurant. It was good to see Harvard University and the MIT campus. We were relieved to hand back our car at Logan International airport without having damaged the car, ourselves or anyone else.

 

We've been pretty busy in NYC. The highlight was being here to celebrate Gina's 60th birthday on Monday. Lunch at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park was delicious, followed by a sunset cruise around Manhattan which included an up close view of the impressive Statue of Liberty and the magnificent NY skyline. It was great fun and very memorable.

 

 

We have tried to pack a lot into a short time here. This has included a stroll through Central Park, the Natural History Museum, day and night tours on the hop on hop off bus, a Broadway musical (Motown), walking in Soho, Greenwich village and along Wall St, as well as walking the Highline, an elevated park created on a disused train line. Visits to the 9/11 memorial, Battery Park by the Hudson River, the Lincoln Center (home of the Metropolitan Opera), the United Nations building (from the outside) and the New York Public Library (from the inside). We attended a Baptist Church service in Harlem...alleluia, brother! Fran was most excited to visit a restaurant totally dedicated to gluten free food on Bleecker Street. She had her first beer in 27 years, but it wasn't that good. Made from sorghum and molasses, it wasn't as she remembered beer tasting.

 

After a hard day sightseeing

Due to the absence today of the infamous queues, we rode the elevator to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. The views were fantastic, but we did not see Tom Hanks or Meg Ryan.

Tonight we met up again with Gina and Phil and Mary and Craig (Gina's sister and brother-in-law) for farewell drinks and a casual dinner at a rooftop bar on 5th Avenue.

Tomorrow the adventure continues. We have booked a scenic helicopter flight over Manhattan!! Then it will be off to the airport to fly home to our loved ones and friends.

Can you believe this??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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