Remembering back to last month and doing OK.
My Christmas gift to my family this year was to take them all to New York City to see the sights of the holiday season. Fourteen out of sixteen smiled and said, "Great", although I know some of them were not as enthusiastic as the others. However, they did not want to hurt my feelings so the tickets were purchased. We live about 2 1/2 hours away by chartered bus and on December 21st, we all hopped aboard and I kept my fingers crossed.
After two successive weekends of snowstorms, we were lucky to have chosen a Saturday that was sunny and warm. We arrived in the city an hour early, so we rearranged the schedule and began our tour at Toys R Us (for the grandchildren) which is on 44th and Times Square.
It was early in the AM so I did not expect it to be crowded. Wrong, wrong, Wrong! Apparently, word got out that Arleen's family would be there, and thousands came to join us.
We then proceeded to lunch at Becco's on 46th and 9th, one of my favorite NY restaurants, not only because of the food, but also because of their good, cheap wine.
After lunch we sprinted to Rockefeller Center on 50th and 5th Avenue. There we were greeted by what could be described as the population of a mid-sized country and they had also brought along 13 of their relatives. Oh, how glad I was that I had that wine at lunch. Here my schedule said "2 hour free time" and we all broke up into small groups. Most of that time was about getting through the crowds. We found refuge in the Museum Store and took our pictures of the outside scene from inside that very pleasant store. We also bought a few wonderful items.
I was born in New York and lived my first 16 years there. The city excites me, I love everything about it, including the multitudes of people and all its craziness. My children grew up in rural Pennsylvania; they like hills and dales, fauna and flora, deer and birds and cows. Wusses', all of them. Next time though, if I suggest a trip to NY, I will plan it for the spring when millions will not be there to see a damn tree that was grown in Connecticut. (It was very beautiful though.)
We did a lot of walking, saw quite a bit, (Times Square was a trip in so many ways) and despite the crowds, it was a good day. I had a great time, made some fond and funny memories, and will always love, love, love New York.
My Christmas gift to my family this year was to take them all to New York City to see the sights of the holiday season. Fourteen out of sixteen smiled and said, "Great", although I know some of them were not as enthusiastic as the others. However, they did not want to hurt my feelings so the tickets were purchased. We live about 2 1/2 hours away by chartered bus and on December 21st, we all hopped aboard and I kept my fingers crossed.
After two successive weekends of snowstorms, we were lucky to have chosen a Saturday that was sunny and warm. We arrived in the city an hour early, so we rearranged the schedule and began our tour at Toys R Us (for the grandchildren) which is on 44th and Times Square.
It was early in the AM so I did not expect it to be crowded. Wrong, wrong, Wrong! Apparently, word got out that Arleen's family would be there, and thousands came to join us.
We then proceeded to lunch at Becco's on 46th and 9th, one of my favorite NY restaurants, not only because of the food, but also because of their good, cheap wine.
After lunch we sprinted to Rockefeller Center on 50th and 5th Avenue. There we were greeted by what could be described as the population of a mid-sized country and they had also brought along 13 of their relatives. Oh, how glad I was that I had that wine at lunch. Here my schedule said "2 hour free time" and we all broke up into small groups. Most of that time was about getting through the crowds. We found refuge in the Museum Store and took our pictures of the outside scene from inside that very pleasant store. We also bought a few wonderful items.
I was born in New York and lived my first 16 years there. The city excites me, I love everything about it, including the multitudes of people and all its craziness. My children grew up in rural Pennsylvania; they like hills and dales, fauna and flora, deer and birds and cows. Wusses', all of them. Next time though, if I suggest a trip to NY, I will plan it for the spring when millions will not be there to see a damn tree that was grown in Connecticut. (It was very beautiful though.)
We did a lot of walking, saw quite a bit, (Times Square was a trip in so many ways) and despite the crowds, it was a good day. I had a great time, made some fond and funny memories, and will always love, love, love New York.
