Jam-Packed part 2

I think we've added another day to our New York stay. I would bet we could spend two weeks and not see everything. Each night we plan our itinerary for the next day based on what we accomplished on that day. It's just amazing how much there is to see and do. Which takes me back to yesterday...

We're getting the hang of the subways and are hesitating less when we make a decision. We haven't had to do too much switching lines which, I think makes things easier. We got down to the South Ferry by 8:30 so we could go to Liberty and Ellis Islands relatively early. The New York City Pass we bought has come in handy several times, but I think none more so than for this attraction. Of course we still had to stand in line (all told, probably an hour and a half,) but the pass gave us the opportunity to go up on the observation decks of The Statue of Liberty. The literature is quite unclear about which tickets give you access to which places. You have the options of going to Liberty Island, onto the grounds and up on the observation decks on the pedestal of the monument, and just recently, you can go up in the crown. Anyone can go to the island, but you have to have a special ticket to go into the pedestal of the monument--that's where the NYC Pass gave us an advantage. We did not have to purchase any of our tickets in advance to get to go onto the monument grounds and up in the pedestal of the statue. Going up in the crown is booked months in advance and requires you to walk up over 4oo steps through the body of the statue, which is not air conditioned and is obviously very hot. We did not not plan the details of this trip months ago; therefore, we did not even have the opportunity to go up in the crown--but no major disappointment since it required so much stair climbing. (Have I mentioned that my feet are killing me?)

Lady Liberty is a sight to see. It was quite awe-inspiring to imagine pulling into New York Harbor as an immigrant and being greeted by her majesty. While her torch was meant to symbolize enlightenment, it become a sign of welcome to all those who entered. As an immigrant, there was a mix of relief and fear as they disembarked from their steamships at Ellis Island, wondering, hoping, praying that they would be accepted to their new home. Approximately 2% were turned away, which doesn't seem like much, but at the peak of immigration, amounted to around 1,000 people per month. There was one specific place on at Ellis that gave me goosebumps--this staircase was divided into three sections by the handrail--one section was headed to the railroad to get to their final destination in America, one to another ship or boat to reach their final destination, and one section was going to be sent back. I have never been superstitious, and still don't subscribe to that concept, but I could not make myself walk up the section of stairs that would send someone back to their homeland. There are many other details of the hardships that people faced, most of which I had read about in history books, but there is something about being there...wow. Tim and I both have family that most probably came to America via Ellis Island...it was a cool thing to be able to walk, if just for a brief moment, in their shoes.

We took a quick train down to Grand Central Terminal (often mislabeled Grand Central Station) and snapped a few pictures, then headed down to Times Square to buy tickets for a show. We called the Broadway expert in my family (props to Deane) to ask which show we should see. She knew the Tony Award winners for the last several years, and has seen a few shows herself over the years. (As an aside, buying tickets the day of the show has it's advantages and disadvantages. You get up to 50% off the price, but are limited to shows that haven't already sold out--therefore, the two choices we had would not have been our first choices, those of course, were sold out long ago.) We had in narrowed down to "Next to Normal" and "Avenue Q." Fast forward a few minutes of standing in line to the ticket counter, "Two tickets to 'Next to Normal,' please.

"All that's left is limited view, not very good seats."

I turned to Tim, "Are you okay with 'Avenue Q?'

Tim shrugged, "Sure."

"Okay, two for 'Avenue Q."

I knew what we were getting into because both my sister and a good friend of mine had seen it. Both had warned us that the show was quite raunchy, but parts of it were really funny...they were right about both. More on that later.

Our hotel is about a block from MoMA, so we popped in there for a few hours to check it out. I love to appreciate and enjoy art, and some of it I did, very much. But, (and I'm goingt to show my uncultured side) some of it just made me laugh. I also know that I was not the only one laughing at some of the pieces in there considered art. Tim made me laugh on our way up the escalator to the 6th floor after a long day of walking when he said, "Now this is modern art." I looked around and wondered what he was looking at.

"What is?" I asked.

"This. This is modern art." He was looking down at the escalator, appreciating the convenience.

I can't say that I disagreed because I couldn't imagine walking up six flights of stairs at that point. : )

After we purchased tickets, we walked back to our hotel, had the concierge make recommendations then reservations at a French restaurant around the corner--Benoit, W. 55th between 5th and 6th Ave. Oh. My. Goodness. The waiter was very friendly and may have had a crush on Tim. I thought it was funny, Tim, not so much. : ) We went with prix fixe menu, each of us trying a different appetizer and entre, but getting the same dessert. (Sorry, we did not bring the camera as we were headed to the theater.) Tim started with asparagus and mushrooms with a cream sauce on puff pastry--the puff pastry gave it a delicate crunch, the asparagus was perfectly cooked, and it a was delicious sauce. I started with salmon tartare and a small sliver of raw salmon with finely diced boiled egg, and something pickled on top--awesome if you're a sushi lover--the tartare's main flavor was dill--I can't pick out the other flavors--great combo, though. For the main course, I had diver sea scallops with fingerling Yukon potatoes and leeks--perfectly cooked giant scallops in a sauce that I couldn't quite identify, but included cream somehow. The whole dish was excellent. Tim had skate wing topped with croutons and capers with broccoli rabe and the same fingerling Yukons. Neither of us had ever had skate wing, but when it finally makes it to St. Louis, we will both order it. The fish was moist, mild, and flaky, lightly dipped in flour, and pan-fried. The topping sounds strange, but it was a perfect compliment to the fish--little tiny, crunchy croutons and tart and tangy capers. It was delicious. For dessert, oh. A dense, rich chocolate cake topped with blackberry sorbet...a great finish to the meal. Oh, I forgot, with the breads that came out at the beginning of the meal were these little puff-pastries with cheese...mmm...

We took the luxury of a cab to the show--money well spent after a long day of walking. The theater (The Golden), like most Broadway theaters from what I've been told, was small. I must say, even though I like the grandiosity of the Fox in St. Louis, this small venue was a better place to see a show...now...on to the show...You would think, with Muppets involved...how bad could it be? As bad as those who have seen it said it was. But also, really funny. Not for the faint of heart. That's all I have to say about that. If you want more details, ask me when I get home. : )

When the show was over, we walked home via Times Square--10:45 on a Tuesday night, the party was still going on...I do like New York. (I'm not sure I love it or that I would want to live here, but it's certainly a cool place to visit.)

Okay, I have to get going--lots to do today!