The Empire State Building
Wow, the Empire State Building…what a building…it’s now the tallest in NYC. Go early to beat the crowds…which means getting in line at 8:30am to be one of the first groups at the top. We also had pre-purchased our tickets to the top through Gray Line Tours so we avoided having to stand in a ticket line to buy the tickets. Believe me, going early and pre-buying tickets is worth it. Dee Dee and I shared a far less crowded observation deck for the first hour than any other people up there past 10:00am. There is NO NEED for the audio tour the tourist agency tries to sell at the entrance. Be sure to bring a city map to refer to as you take in the views of the cities. It’s pretty amazing to be that high up! Plan to spend about an hour up there.
Uptown
After the Empire State Building, we jumped on the Gray Lines Tours and took the bus through the Upper West side, Harlem and down through Upper West side (Park Ave). The Upper East and West are really nice areas, but there is not much to see other than the outside of buildings where the exceedingly wealthy live. However, if you are a US history person, Grant’s Tomb is in the Upper West side and tucked behind some trees.
When I, we, go back, I’d like to spend time in Harlem. Harlem is going through a facelift, or gentrification. Gentrification is a fancy term for the people who originally made up and created the area being chased out with the cost of living increasing through re-investment by real estate investors and businesses. Harlem looks like a great area full of black history. The Apollo Theater is in this area…along with Weinsteins, a large apartment stor owned the Jewish people, the first inhabitants of the area.
Each of these areas are accessible by the subway…just get on a train headed uptown.
Museum of Modern Art
Following the morning tour we headed to the New York Museum of Modern Art. This is an AMAZING collection of modern art. I have an affinity for the Impressionism, Cubism and Abstract Impressionism. The museum had on display Van Gough’s “Starry Night” and the triptych of Monet’s “Water Lilies”. There was a lot of Picasso on display too, including Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.. Dee Dee is very new to art and also enjoyed the many world-class paintings on display. I keep reminding her that art can be enjoyed by ANYONE and appreciated for any element. One does not need an art education and learn to BS about the hidden meaning in the piece to have a “license” to go to a museum. Keep in mind that many of these artists were the “working” class themselves and were not part of the aristocratic society who later bought their work or housed the work in museums. I encourage everyone to spend at least a half day in this museum.
Wow, the Empire State Building…what a building…it’s now the tallest in NYC. Go early to beat the crowds…which means getting in line at 8:30am to be one of the first groups at the top. We also had pre-purchased our tickets to the top through Gray Line Tours so we avoided having to stand in a ticket line to buy the tickets. Believe me, going early and pre-buying tickets is worth it. Dee Dee and I shared a far less crowded observation deck for the first hour than any other people up there past 10:00am. There is NO NEED for the audio tour the tourist agency tries to sell at the entrance. Be sure to bring a city map to refer to as you take in the views of the cities. It’s pretty amazing to be that high up! Plan to spend about an hour up there.
Uptown
After the Empire State Building, we jumped on the Gray Lines Tours and took the bus through the Upper West side, Harlem and down through Upper West side (Park Ave). The Upper East and West are really nice areas, but there is not much to see other than the outside of buildings where the exceedingly wealthy live. However, if you are a US history person, Grant’s Tomb is in the Upper West side and tucked behind some trees.
When I, we, go back, I’d like to spend time in Harlem. Harlem is going through a facelift, or gentrification. Gentrification is a fancy term for the people who originally made up and created the area being chased out with the cost of living increasing through re-investment by real estate investors and businesses. Harlem looks like a great area full of black history. The Apollo Theater is in this area…along with Weinsteins, a large apartment stor owned the Jewish people, the first inhabitants of the area.
Each of these areas are accessible by the subway…just get on a train headed uptown.
Museum of Modern Art
Following the morning tour we headed to the New York Museum of Modern Art. This is an AMAZING collection of modern art. I have an affinity for the Impressionism, Cubism and Abstract Impressionism. The museum had on display Van Gough’s “Starry Night” and the triptych of Monet’s “Water Lilies”. There was a lot of Picasso on display too, including Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.. Dee Dee is very new to art and also enjoyed the many world-class paintings on display. I keep reminding her that art can be enjoyed by ANYONE and appreciated for any element. One does not need an art education and learn to BS about the hidden meaning in the piece to have a “license” to go to a museum. Keep in mind that many of these artists were the “working” class themselves and were not part of the aristocratic society who later bought their work or housed the work in museums. I encourage everyone to spend at least a half day in this museum.
There are several great restaurants in the area for lunch or dinner. We had a late lunch at Il Gatopardo which is across the street from the museum. The restaurant is in an old house with a balcony. Very cool. For other great recommendations, check out this guide for restaurants near the MOMA.
Patsy’s Italian Restaurant
Dee Dee and I had a very special experience at a restaurant near the Theater District. Through a work connection on my side, we were given the VIP treatment at Patsy’s which is a very old school Italian restaurant that has been running for over 70 years. This means there is 70 years worth of history as the restaurant has been managed by three generations of the Sconomiglio family. Top celebrity guests have included Frank Sinatra (apparently a personal friend of Patsy who started the restaurant), Joey Bishop, Tony Bennett, etc. We were treated to great service, received personal introductions of the owner, chef, Maitre' De, and sommelier. The staff, the food, the ambiance creates the perfect New York Italian dining experience. This is a MUST go to restaurant…and be sure to make reservations.
Top of the Rock
So Dee Dee heard from watching Giada’s travel show that visiting the Top of the Rock is a must do. After going to Patsy’s, we visited the Top of Rockefeller Center at around 10:00pm. The building is slightly shorter than the Empire, but the views are still amazing. The benefit of going at night is that there are minimal crowds and the city lights are really great on a clear night. One tip is to not even try to take pictures of the skyline at night...unless you can control the shutter speed and have a tri-pod. I took 10 pics of Dee Dee and I and none of them came out. The downside is that one could not really tell what to look at because it was dark out. Apparently The Rock has a great view of Central Park..which we saw as a long strip of darkness between the rows of lights on the Upper East and West Sides. Regardless, it was a fun experience…and something fun to do once you have already done Empire State.
Patsy’s Italian RestaurantDee Dee and I had a very special experience at a restaurant near the Theater District. Through a work connection on my side, we were given the VIP treatment at Patsy’s which is a very old school Italian restaurant that has been running for over 70 years. This means there is 70 years worth of history as the restaurant has been managed by three generations of the Sconomiglio family. Top celebrity guests have included Frank Sinatra (apparently a personal friend of Patsy who started the restaurant), Joey Bishop, Tony Bennett, etc. We were treated to great service, received personal introductions of the owner, chef, Maitre' De, and sommelier. The staff, the food, the ambiance creates the perfect New York Italian dining experience. This is a MUST go to restaurant…and be sure to make reservations.
Top of the Rock
So Dee Dee heard from watching Giada’s travel show that visiting the Top of the Rock is a must do. After going to Patsy’s, we visited the Top of Rockefeller Center at around 10:00pm. The building is slightly shorter than the Empire, but the views are still amazing. The benefit of going at night is that there are minimal crowds and the city lights are really great on a clear night. One tip is to not even try to take pictures of the skyline at night...unless you can control the shutter speed and have a tri-pod. I took 10 pics of Dee Dee and I and none of them came out. The downside is that one could not really tell what to look at because it was dark out. Apparently The Rock has a great view of Central Park..which we saw as a long strip of darkness between the rows of lights on the Upper East and West Sides. Regardless, it was a fun experience…and something fun to do once you have already done Empire State.
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