NYC

So, we didn't get to do everything we wanted to yesterday while in the city. The bus ride in was interesting, as in the man drove like a maniac and I was afraid we were all going to die. Of course, the people who drive in New York drive like maniacs, too, so he fit right in.

We went to lunch first at The Hard Rock Cafe. We enjoyed some really good food, excellent music, and we even got a souvenir as part of our meal.
No, we didn't steal them; they had a deal going-- for $9.99 you got the drink of your choice and the glass of your choice. Pretty sweet.

We finished our meal and headed on to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is 3 blocks over and 40 blocks up from where the bus dropped us off. This is quite a hike, let me tell you, but it's worth it to see all the beautiful art showcased there. We were lucky to have such a nice day for our trip.

While walking to the MET, I snapped a shot of the fountain that marks one corner of Central Park at 5th Avenue and 59th Street. Last year when we stopped here, there was a choir of Quakers or Amish People or something standing on the fountain performing a little impromtu concert. They just kind of showed up there while we were sitting there, formed a few lines on the steps, and started singing. The majority of them were teenagers. It was so strange yet so beautiful.

So we get to the museum and find out that there are new checkpoints upon entering because of the recent bombings in Britain and Egypt. I get through fine, but Harry gets held up because of our Hard Rock souvenirs. Seems you can no longer bring glass into the museum. Glass? I found this a little strange. I told Harry to just chuck them, but he didn't want to give them up. So we had to forgo the museum. All that walking for nothing.

We started back down 5th Avenue, stopping along the way in Central Park near the remote control boat pond. We got to see all breeds of dogs prancing around, seeing as the dog park is right there. We watched the kids race their boats around the pond, too. There was a breeze blowing and shady spots everywhere to enjoy the lovely day. Good times, good times.

We started walking again, stopping in F.A.O. Schwartz since Harry had never been. Last year, they were closed for renovations when I took Harry into the city. Seems they've changed it immensely, and some of the things I was so looking forward to checking out, like the Hello Kitty section, were no longer there. F.A.O. was a bust. Sadness.

We then went to The Disney Store. Yeah, we have one in each of the malls here, but the one on 5th Avenue is just so cool. We didn't buy anything, but we had a good time just walking around and checking things out.

While walking down 5th Avenue, Harry noticed a sign in a window across the street. While on the third floor of The Disney Store, we were able to snap a shot of it. Harry was tickled that someone in New York loves him enough to put it up in neon.

We did some more walking, cutting over to 7th Avenue at 53rd street, now in search of a cup of coffee. We found a Dunkin Donuts around 50th. Eureka! We sat and drank and used the restrooms a couple of times (restrooms are hard to come by in NYC, so ya use 'em when ya got 'em). We then wandered, searching for the Warner Bros. store, which I know is in Times Square somewhere. We weren't able to find it last time, and we had a repeat this time, as well. Where is that damn store anyway?

There were tons of people walking on 7th Avenue, and they were all in my way, pissing me off at every turn because they insist on just stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to converse with someone. At least move off to the side, for God's sake! Damn tourists. You could tell these weren't locals.

We gave up on the Warner Bros. store and kept going to the corner of 7th and 40th, where a coworker told me a wonderful comic book shop, Midtown Comics, resides. He told me to look for a sign on 40th that led to a set of stairs up to the second floor of the building where Midtown was. And, yes, the sign was there. I bought a really cool hardcover edition of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman - Endless Nights and an awesome Woodland Faeries calendar for next year. I'm itching to go to the comic book shops in CT again now. I miss them.

The trip wouldn't have been complete without a trip to The New York Public Library, so we trekked back over to 5th, and there it was. I needed a picture of the lions who guard all the prized possessions within. "GET HER!" Quick, what movie?
The library entrance. It says it was built between 1895 and 1902. The architecture of the building is phenomenal. There were so many little surprises lurking on all sides of the structure. They don't build things like this anymore.
A fountain flanking the left side of the library entrance. Absolutely gorgeous.
Another cool fountain flanking the right side of the library entrance. Amazing.
We noticed this interesting reflection on a building directly across 40th Street while standing on the library steps. We didn't take this pic at a skewed angle; that's actually how the place was built.

We then cut over to Madison and walked to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where the bus was to pick us up at 8pm. We arrived 45 minutes early, so we rounded the corner at 51st, looking for another cup of coffee. We found a deli that served java and waited in there until it was time to catch the bus.

The ride home was uneventful, and we got back to North Haven at 10pm. We hopped in the car and made our way back to Stratford. After a shower, a couple of drinks and some Iron Chef America, we called it a night and turned in.

All in all, it was a nice day, but damn, am I still tired. In total, we walked 102 blocks.

I need to learn to ride the subway.