Road Trip...er, plane trip.

We got home last night after five nights in New York City. Laura and Ross, Wendy and I ate much, saw plenty, did a lot of things, missed even more, and had a great time.

We arrived Saturday, too early to check into our hotel (about which more later). So we left our luggage there and hopped on a Gray Line downtown loop tour. The day was incredibly hot, so the upper deck of the bus was almost too much, but the lower deck isn't so good for seeing what the guide is telling you about. We hopped off at South Street Seaport, which has to be a Rouse development, like Pier 39 in San Francisco and a bit like Inner Harbor in Baltimore and Quincy Market in Boston. Shops, restaurants, etc. Over the East River, looking out at Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Bridge, it was a nice break from the bus tour. The first half of the first glass of beer evaporated somewhere in the esophagus, never reaching the stomach. Then we split a platter of hors d'oeuvres at a pier restaurant. We hopped on another bus to finish the route.

TIP: every time we stood in a line for Gray Line buses, we saw City Sights buses go by with seats open while we might have to wait for a second or third Gray Line bus. They appeared to run the same routes. If I needed another set of bus tours, I might try City Sights for faster access. Also, depending on your other plans, consider a multi-day hop-on, hop-off pass so you can go see more things.

After checking into our hotel, and a brief rest period, we set out for dinner. We walked to John's Pizzeria, one outlet of one of the better-known pizza joints. Smack in the middle of the theater district, it was busy: we waited about a half-hour for a table. The restaurant is in a former church, which means a high ceiling, some stained glass, and multi-level seating. We could see four brick pizza ovens from our table, and our pie came quickly enough. It was delicious! The thin crust was brown at the edges, the sauce and cheese were in balance, and everything was just what you'd want. There's something that comes from the brick ovens, a taste in the crust, that takes pizza baked this way a step higher than otherwise.The Caesar salad was also tasty, with enough but not too much dressing evenly distributed. After dinner we walked back to the hotel, stopping at a deli grocery for beer and other room essentials.

The Hotel Edison is located on 47th Street, halfway between Broadway and 8th Avenue. It's old, from the 20's or 30's, and it's fairly big. While the lobby has a wonderful art deco feel, with several excellent murals (and with people actually sitting in it!), the rooms are not much more than functional. We had a two-bedroom "suite," with the bathroom in one of the rooms and no sitting room. This worked well enough. Ice was purchased at the bell stand in the lobby, and vending machines were not available, but there were two or three delis and the hotel gift shop within a block. The air conditioners were window units, and Wendy's and mine worked better than Laura's and Ross's. The water temperature in the shower was unpredictable, causing people to exclaim or jump out from both hot and cold surges. Our room was on the 21st floor, and the hotel elevators did a good job. We thought we might get a view from up there, but not so much: there are a number of taller buildings within a block or two. The hotel's location can't be beat: several subway stops within a few blocks, Times Square half a block away, restaurants and bars beckoning from all sides, bus service, theatres, etc., etc. The price wasn't dirt cheap but for the four of us it was well under $90 per person per night, even with the 15%+ taxes added. I think that Wendy and I would stay there again, depending on the price. Within a block or two are the Marriott Marquis, the Renaissance, the W, the Crowne Plaza, and other hotels which would likely have cost double or more.

TRIVIA QUIZ: what is the Javits tax?

Breakfast seemed never to be important. I ended up going to the deli next to the hotel every morning for a coffee and a little something (often the chocolate chip pound cake), and bringing it back up to the room for showering and dressing. There was a Starbucks half a block each way, but I could do up my own at the deli, and it was closer and cheaper. We didn't ever hit the street much before ten, which cut a little into the amount of exploring but felt luxurious.

Sunday morning, we walked about ten blocks to have a look at Grand Central Station (er, Terminal). The vaulted ceiling of the lobby, the huge sculpture above the main entry, the multiple levels, the food court, all were interesting to see. It would have been fun to go at a rush hour and watch the swarms, but it was much more leisurely our way. We found a deli and ate a late breakfast or early lunch, then began the subway adventure. We bought 7-day unlimited MetroCards, a huge convenience as they work on subways and buses. The vending machines only allow you to buy two MetroCards per credit card, probably to limit exposure to stolen or bogus cards.

TIP: if you have more than one credit card, bring them both, in separate wallets or pockets. If you meet up with a limit as above, or if you lose one (about which more later), you will have a fallback position.

Our first subway ride was up to the American Museum of Natural History. The place is huge, about three blocks long and two deep, three floors, with over a dozen main halls and many more rooms. Ross and Laura went one way, Wendy and I another. One interesting aspect of this museum is that it shows a history of museum exhibit styles, from mid-20th century and earlier to very modern, from stuffed animals and fake people in dusty dioramas to dramatically lit walk-through environments. Some signs attribute the sources of samples to countries no longer on the map. Also, some of the items on exhibit have been so since the 1880's or earlier, including the 50-foot Northwest Indian canoe hanging in one hall. The entrance hall is an architectural spectacle all by itself, and a memorial to Teddy Roosevelt. We stayed only a couple hours, saw only a portion of the museum, and would happily go back.

The AMNH is across from the west edge of Central Park, between 77th and 81st Streets. We crossed the street and hopped on the Gray Line Uptown Loop tour; we had waited for this at its supposed origin point but no buses showed up in twenty minutes so we did the subway. This took us along Central Park West, then past Columbia University, Union Theological Seminary and Riverside Church, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The nave of the Cathedral had been under renovation for two years, and was due to reopen the NEXT DAY. So we stayed on the bus along Riverside Drive, saw Grant's Tomb and the George Washington Bridge, then hopped off in Harlem. We walked along 125th Avenue for a couple blocks, and took note of the entirely different tone of street life, found nowhere to eat on that busy shopping street (Burger King was a non-starter, except for a life-saving cold Coke), and caught the next Gray Line bus. We hopped off along Central Park, near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and walked along 5th Avenue past the museum and the art vendors outside. The east side of 5th Avenue being mostly luxury apartments, we didn't see any likely restaurants, so we turned east and asked a police officer what street might be likely to help us.

"Where ya from?" he asked in a friendly manner.

"Wisconsin and Minnesota."

"Oh, you're not from here. That's why you're so nice."

He directed us to Lexington Avenue, the block east of Park Avenue (no, Park Avenue isn't along the park), and we found a neighborhood restaurant. Very good, not great, you don't need to look for it but it did the trick. We all chowed down pretty good. It was also near a subway stop that, with one transfer, got us back within two blocks of the hotel.

TIP: In Manhattan, north-south blocks, between the Streets, are short, "20 to the mile." East-west blocks, between the Avenues, are over twice that long. The three block width of Central Park, from 5th to 8th Avenues, is surprising. Also, in lower Manhattan, numbers tend to disappear and street directions - and names - vary. It is wise to travel with a good map reader, for subway and bus maps and for surface maps. It's OK to ask for directions, as most folks are willing to help, if briefly, but the results are spotty. Also keep in mind: "uptown" is roughly north, away from the Battery, "downtown" is roughly south, toward the Battery, and crosstown is just that, east to west and vice versa. Most Manhattan addresses are given including the cross street, as the numbering of buildings and blocks is apparently intelligible with a chart but is not obvious.

We stopped back at the hotel for a breather, then in the early evening set off for the Empire State Building observation deck. Wendy had obtained tickets online in advance, as she did for several places, and this saved us a portion of the standing in line. There was still plenty of that, from outside the building, through the line for the security check (similar to airports), and to the line for the elevators to the 80th floor, to the line for the elevators to the 86th floor (stairs available for these six flights). We were probably in line for a total of maybe 45 minutes, maybe a little more. Then came the deck, crowded both inside and outside but giving stunning views in all directions. We were there at the last of the light, so we could see things with the natural light but enjoy the lighting show as well. It was windy on the outside deck, but my hat stayed put. The hot, muggy weather left a haze, so the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was barely suggested to the south, as if painted by an Impressionist running out of paint. The Statue of Liberty was there in outline, with a hint of gold from the top of the torch. Not far away from the Empire State was the metal-clad spire of the Chrysler Building, and we could see the glow beginning to rise from Times Square. Then the descent: the line for the elevator to the 80th floor, and the line for the elevators to the 2nd level; these took about ten minutes.

This was thirsty work; luckily, we found a brewpub on the street level of the Empire State. We enjoyed a few beverages and, when the spicy fries came out cold, were comped a couple of them.

TIP: this did not make things cheap. You need to do some looking if you want a cheap beer. The only beer I bought that cost under $3 was part of a six-pack from a deli grocery; the only other one under $4 was one with dinner at the restaurant in our hotel. You can do better in neighborhoods away from Times Square and midtown Manhattan; Laura and Ross suggest that, based on happy hour signboard pricing, the Lower East Side near Chinatown is probably a cheaper place to party.

We took a short ride on the subway to the other end of Times Square from our hotel and took in the amazing lights and signs on our way to the hotel. That was enough for that day, and it's enough for this entry.