Blog Special. NYC Holiday 12/22/2016

 

Usually I blog only when on a bike trip.  This is an exception.  Glenn and Patrice and Brenda and I decided to spend Christmas in New York City.  This idea was hatched after we saw a PBS special on the play Hamilton but then we learned that tickets are $600 to $900 so didn’t get to see the play.  We found an alternative – read on.

We’re at The Lucerne, 79th and Amsterdam, 2 blocks west of Central Park.  There is an attached French restaurant, Nice Matin where we get 15% discount for breakfast.  The Moroccan waiter is very helpful, telling us how to get to the 9-11 Museum on the subway and also recommending a place for lunch – read on.

On my first NY subway ride I’m able to help a local, probably a “street person”.  He’s cursing because the train doesn’t stop where he wants to get off.  Using an app on my smart phone I’m able to tell him “Only train #1 stops at that station; we’re on #2.”  “I’ve got to go back.”  Someone pipes up, “You can do that  at the next station.”

We have a 9:45 reservation for a tour at the 9-11 Museum which opened only 2 years ago.  They did an incredible job designing this museum and our guide, a young Oriental girl, was also excellent.

  

Above, museum at left, wall protecting the basement from the Hudson River (If that had broken, all of Manhattan would have been flooded.) and a twisted beam.

                                 

Right photo: “survivors stairs”.  15,000 of the 17,000 people in the buildings survived.  But over 400 first responders lost their lives.

The breakfast waiter recommended EATALY for lunch.  This Italian based enterprise has 30 restaurants in over 24 countries – the two in New York are the only ones in the US but soon will also be in Los Angeles and Boston.  They’re enormous, taking a full city block.  The one we went to had an Italian grocery store, 5 restaurants, 2 coffee bars and a wine bar.  It was jam packed with people but we finally got a table in the fish restaurant.  Patrice ordered a Branzino, a whole fish.

          

Next stop was MOMA, the  Museum of Modern Art, although I don’t know how they define “modern”.  Surely they have more Picasso’s than anyone, although he’s not my favorite.

              

                 

And then there’s Mondrian’s wall:

You remember we weren’t willing to pay the price for Hamilton, but we were willing to pay $70 for an off-Broadway spoof of it called Spamilton.  It was hilarious, maybe better than the original play.

Grandson/chef Austin recommended Lincoln Ristorante; I didn’t realize it was the restaurant for The Lincoln Center.  We has a late, great dinner.  With maybe the best service I’ve ever experienced.

         

We started at 7:00 this morning and got back to the hotel around 11:00 pm.  Patrice’s Fit-bit says we walked 17,000 steps.  I’m REALLY tired.