Leaving our New York state of mind

The neighborhood

Rather than waking up to blaring sirens and honking horns, today's morning music was Mr. Toad's Greatest Hits by  Head Croaker and the Frog Legs. And thus our New York City adventure ended and different fun begins. That would be camping. A warm comfortable bed in a boutique hotel -414 Hotel Hell's Kitchen- has been replaced with what some might consider sub standard housing, a rented RV.  More on that later but a quick recap of our last day in NYC is in order. 

Sunshine and cooler temperatures greeted us for our last full day in NYC and we set out early to pack in a much is as humanly possible.  The day was planned to hit the places missed as a result of the previous day's inclement weather and cram in what ever else we could. The agenda was set and the first order of business was a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. A quick subway ride and we were off. Our aging baby boomer legs did the job mission accomplished and it was a fabulous walk.  It is a beautiful bridge. 

A lovely bridge

Next stop...The Tenement Museum. Boarded another subway and we were at our destination  -piece of cake- and arrived just in time to catch the 12:15PM tour, The Irish Outsiders. If any of your immigrant ancestors lived in NYC, this museum is worth a stop. Most tenement dwellings were just three rooms. Family size did not matter it was three rooms. The privy was shared by the entire building which means three or four latrines got a lot of use- I cannot fathom the stench. Water for washing and cooking was hand carried in buckets up two, three, and four stories most times by women. Tour over, lunch eaten, next up The Top of the Rock. Another subway ride to Rockefeller Center and a quick stop at the ticket office. The first available time for ride to the observation decks was 6:45PM. Aha! this gives us time for a walk in Central Park. And they're off in a cloud of dust and a mighty high-ho Silver for the subway any B or D train will work, get off at mid Central Park,walk back to Columbus Circle and it's all good right? Wrong, the stop we wanted was closed due to construction and yes we were on the train when we realized it. Okie dokie what now? Get off catch something that stops at Columbus Circle and abbreviate the walk. Sunday in Central Park is a sensory experience. Walkers, runners, skaters, sports, music, horse drawn carriages, bicyclers, food vendors, people everywhere speaking so many languages and the beauty of the park itself--it is all quite wonderful. However, newbies who try to get around the park without a map might get lost or turned around. Yup, that would be us and the compass was put to good use this time. The sprint began from somewhere on 6th and wound up back at 59th and Columbus Circle. One sweaty train ride later and we were back at Rockefeller Center with time to spare. The reward was ice cream and stunning night time views from The Top of The Rock. Dinner was just OK. I've had better Thai food at home but it topped off a splendid day. 

Now it is time for a few observations about the City of New York. People are friendly and want to help, those same people cross streets against signals anywhere anytime. Try that in Seattle and a hefty ticket could be the result.  Drivers use their horns and I am not sure why. Traffic still doesn't move and pedestrians are still crossing streets. Although it maybe due to boredom  -when in doubt lay on the horn? There is alot of trash on the streets but this may be true in any big city but it was really noticeable to me. Garbage for pick up is bagged and left out on the street. No wonder the rats love this place. But what a fun and great place. Boredom is not an option here. There are still a few museums left for me to see...MOMA and the Met and more Broadway productions. New York is big, loud, smelly, full of commotion and people and I loved it.  And now, let the leaf peeping and camping begin.

Top of The Rock