Walking around Midtown Manhattan

Today was a lovely day: sunny with some nice clouds and a very comfortable temperature. After breakfast downstairs (complimentary) we headed out walking from our hotel, which is in the Theater District, down Broadway which cuts diagonally through the Garment District, heading for the Empire State Building.



One of the smartest things we have done, so far, was to purchase the "Fast Track" tickets ahead of time. They allowed us to jump all the long lines to go up to the observatory on the 86th floor. It was worth every extra $$. Like I mentioned before, the day was beautiful. I put on my wide-angle lens and relied on Paul to take others. I certainly could get in the tall buildings.

From the Empire State Building we walked back north, stoled through Bryant Park and visited the New York Public Library which has a marvelous painting on the ceiling.

Lunch was at a Pax Wholesome Food Deli where we all built our own version of a good salad. It would be very easy to over spend because each thing added was an extra charge. We then wandered over to Grand Central Terminal, but have not yet taken the subway to anyplace. We walked all the way east to the United Nations Building only to find it is closed until Friday.


By then we were pretty tired and took a cab back to the hotel for a rest before heading out at 5:00. We took a two hour cruise around Manhattan. We thought that we better grab a nice evening while we have it because the rain is to start again by tomorrow (when we have tickets for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty). The cruise went down the Hudson River and out to the Statue of Liberty where the captain made sure that each side of the ship got a good view. The sky was beautiful even though it didn't turn a nice color.

After the cruise we walked back to 9th and 43rd, the area known for its many restaurants. It was already late and se didn't want much to eat, but had just the right amount at an Italian place, where it was still pleasant enough to eat outside. The news indicates that the rain is moving in for tomorrow.

That's it for now. Grace and Paul