Week 16: NYC

Top of the Rock

My mom was born and raised in New York State and had never been to New York City.  I was born in the Village of Warsaw, Wyoming County, NY...raised in Wyoming State and thanks to my mom, Grant and I made our first of what I hope will be many trips to NYC--we loved it.  You see, before Mom passed away she did a lot of traveling but she never used her Sky Miles, so it was my mom who sponsored our pilgrimage to trace Gregg's mom's first steps in America.  I like to think it was that maternal combo that somehow gave us all the inexplicable energy we had while filling every minute of our New York City adventure.

      Due to weather-related delays in air travel we settled into our hotel well after dark which is really not hard to do when it's dark by 5pm.  With borrowed hotel umbrellas we hit the street and made it as far as the first pizza joint for a quick re-fueling before our destination: Rockefeller Center.  We went to the Top of the Rock, wandered around the grounds and found the famous Christmas tree and ice rink.  St. Patrick's Cathedral was still open so we wandered in and admired the Neo-gothic architecture.  I told Grant how Nana and I lit a candle in remembrance of Grampa when we were in Italy in 2006.  He then chose an alcove that reminded him of Nana and lit a candle in remembrance her.  We walked 5th Avenue on the way back to the hotel.

          

Rockefeller Plaza.

Fifth Avenue window shopping.

The only bed bug we found was pretty cute.

   One warning we had before setting out on our adventure was that New York City, along with many other large cities, was having a bed bug problem. BED BUGS!?  Once again the internet was a huge resource and by checking bedbugregistry.com we found our hotel to be bed bug free, whew.
     Monday morning we took the subway all the way to Battery Park where we bought a delicious donut and coffee from a street vender on our way to stand in line for the Liberty Island ferry.  I heard all kinds of languages, the least of which was English, being spoken on the boat.  Lady Liberty is truly the world's tourist attraction and I felt a certain satisfaction finally getting to see her 'in person' and also pride in knowing she's on our soil.
     Seth was over for dinner before we set out on our NYC adventure--he plugged in his Ipod and played     Jay-Z's  "New York" to get us pumped up...that's what was playing when we walked into the Visitor Center at The Statue of Liberty.  Thanks, Seth--the energy and emotion of the lyrics reflected our NYC adventure perfectly.

...what dreams are made of...

    Next stop for the ferry was Ellis Island.  We spent a lot of time there.  From the mid-1970's to the mid-1980's a limited number of people were allowed to visit Ellis Island.  Not until 1990 was it opened to the public as a National Historic Site and has since received millions of visitors every year.  After taking the  audio tour Gregg and Grant sat down to the computer and searched for the names of Gregg's grandparents Giuliano and Stella Mastropasqua.  Giuliano had already been to the U.S., had secured a stone mason job in Boise, Idaho and was returning from a trip back to Italy to fetch his pregnant wife and 3 year old daughter, Nunzia.  I imagine that he was able to comfort Stella and help keep track of the toddler on their long trip across the ocean but I can't imagine how shocked they all must have been when, upon arrival, they were all separated:  Stella to the maternity ward, Nunzia to the infirmary with a cough and Giuliano to the dorms while waiting for the arrival of his second daughter, Anne.  Gregg was moved to tears when he found his mother's name on the ship's manifest.  Duca degli Abruzzi departed Napoli, Italy 2 April 1920, arrived at Ellis Island 16 April, 1920. Aunt Anne was born April 23rd.
     After taking the ferry back to Battery Park we walked to Wall Street, visited Federal Hall where George Washington took the Oath of Office, walked out to Pier 17 and then up to the Brooklyn Bridge where we happened across a photo shoot as a poor model tried to look sultry in her silk suit while the wind whipped a few snowflakes across the bridge--she was tough!  Caught the subway up to Grand Central Station where we wandered into a Holiday High School choir performance before walking back through Times Square to the hotel.
  

...lights will inspire you...

Sometimes being a dumb tourist is the way to be.  We worked up an appetite with our big day of walking so while Gregg and Grant were showering up I got online to make a reservation at Becco, which came highly recommended by a friend who had just been there during the Open.   We lucked out and got a reservation so off we marched again, getting there 15 minutes early only to learn that they didn't have our name...I handed her my confirmation # and she found our name--NEXT week!  Rats.. I told her to go ahead and cancel that and she said, "we'll get you in anyway".  YAY!  The service, the food, the wine...what a treat.

    Tuesday morning we took the subway up to The Natural History Museum--literally, we exited the subway, walked up the stairs and were in the museum arriving just in time to kick back in the planetarium and get transported to the outer galaxies before our tour.  Tuesday seemed to be school group day so the place was a-buzz with activity and children of all ages.  Our group waited for the guide...down the hall I saw a little blue flag gliding over the heads of the crowd, and there she was, a tiny little retiree in a tweed suit that had made its comeback with her longish gray hair wrapped up in a Mardie Murie-style bun.  We were a fairly large group and definitely above average in height.  Gregg is not short and there were several men taller than he...but she could set a pace!  I was very glad for the little blue flag or we'd have lost her a few times.   It was a good way to get an overview but we'd all like to go back and linger at exhibits that piqued our interest.  And if you ever go there, just grab a bite to eat at the museum.  There are not restaurants in that area.  We finally sleuthed out an internet cafe in the YMCA on 63rd, recharged our batteries and set off across the street to Central Park where a bicycle-taxi guy must have been pretty hard up for business on that frigid day because HE approached US--all 475lbs+ of us.  We said yes, he earned his money!  He knew all the places where different films were made and stopped at the Imagine memorial for John Lennon.  After thanking our hardy Turkish friend we hoofed it on through Central Park to 5th Avenue in search of FAO Shwarz and were delighted to find the Apple Store, its entryway a glass cube on the plaza with a glass elevator that lowered customers down to the store beneath ground level.  We also stopped in at Tiffany's on our way back to the hotel to get ready for Billy Elliot.

...streets will make you feel brand new...

The play was fantastic. Perfect. The boy who played the main character was about Grant's age--we were mesmerized.  My friend, Kathy Mears, who had lived and worked in NYC gave us her friend's daughter's cell phone#.   She was one of 4 who worked with the children of the cast during the play.  There are a lot of kids to 'wrangle' while not on stage in what we soon found out was a very tight environment.  After the play I called her and while folks were filing out we made our way toward the front of the theater.  She invited us up on stage and gave us the whole 'back-stage' tour.  Fascinating, the circular set alone, which transforms the stage into Billy's home, cost millions to build.   Out the back door we went making our way back to the hotel.

On stage at Billy Elliot

Wednesday started with a ride on the subway, and then a walk across Central Park to the Metropolitan which didn't open until 10 and since we had an afternoon play we opted for another tour.  Our tall guide  wound her way through the museum seeming to find the best route with the fewest crowds (there were no school groups here!).  We learned about Japanese screen, Chinese art, Vermeer, Monet, Van Gogh and finally Pollack.  I will go back and spend 3 days just at the Met--I may have to go by myself, they might have to kick me out each day.  To see the real piece of art in person after seeing pictures for so many years, is quite emotional.

Gregg found his mom's favorite Van Gogh

Outside the Met we experienced the famous street vender hot dog as we made our way back across the park to the subway.  Next, The Lion King.  200 artisans and craftsmen spent 6 months making preparations at the Minskoff Theatre for this production.  We were spellbound.  It was such a great contrast to have first seen Billy Elliot performed at the 1920's era Imperial Theatre.  To appreciate Billy's story of human struggle,  costumes of the era and dance.  Then to follow with The Lion King.  The opening scene captured us and transported us to another land; costumes, the music, the sets and dance...it's a must, especially for anyone who has 20-something year old kids who watched the Disney movie over and over (and over!).

After the Lion King we boarded the S train from Times Square to Grand Central (geez, there are millions of people traveling around under ground ALL the time--think about it, freaks me out a little) where we met Gregg's old college buddy Peter Zander and his daughter Clara.  Grand Central Station is beautiful...apparently it, too, has received a recent renovation.  We all hopped back on the subway and headed south to meet Peter's wife Nan in Chinatown where we ducked into an art supply store to browse and warm up.  This was the most fabulous art supply store I have ever seen--everything, 5 floors of every color of anything you'd want to create your own masterpiece.  Pearl Art & Craft.

Peter treated us to dinner at one of their favorite Chinese restaurants.  It had been years since Gregg and Peter had seen each other so the 'catching up' was fast and furious before we all found ourselves dashing down the street to catch the next train.  Thursday, 6a.m. taxi ride to JFK.  Homeward.

Nan, Clara and Peter