Today we are ALL going together on an adventure to 5th avenue and the Carnegie Deli. We took the bus today, M50 transfer to M2 up to 60th street.
Randy got a look at the southeast corner of Central Park, and we saw The Plaza. The entire building is being tuck pointed, I think, so they have a sheet covering the facade that replicates The Plaza. We found out later that a good place to get free WiFi is to duck into the lobby of 5th Avenue Hotels. We shouldda stopped in at the PLAAAZA
On the way we walked past Carnegie Hall, completely covered in scaffolding. I wasn't sure exactly where it was....but I knew how to get there..."practice, practice, practice!" I am trying to see how many times I can make Stella roll her eyes at me on this trip! Next block we saw nirvana....
We sat next to, and across from people who ordered the cheesecake. From the looks of it, it is an entire cheesecake, formed into just one slice. My favorite part of the experience was the little old couple next to us. She was apparently moved from another tale, while her husband was elsewhere and so she is (yelling) calling to him in a thick New York accent, "Stanley, Stanley, I am here!" He sat and chastised her for moving without him knowing, and apparently they had eaten here before and had not so good food, and had a credit on account. Her name was Judy Smith and the waitress (most of whom are Chinese) kept saying, Julie? ..no Judy, ...Julie?...no Judy. Stanley ordered and he insisted his pastrami be lean...lean, as lean as it can be. The drama continued, but it is hard to describe. Ask me and I will tell you the whole story in my newly acquired New York accent! I listened to them with delight. A taste of true New York.
We did a little souvenir shopping along the way home. If you want something badly from New York, message me before Saturday! I am not doing much shopping here. I would love to find a keychain with the Subway signs on it, but so far it has only been seen on a magnet.
I wanted a picture, reading the New York Times in the library, so I dropped Stella off on a step and went In search of a newsstand. I took a right and walked almost all the way around and through part of Bryant Park and seriously wondered where they kept the papers. As I walked I realized....I am a the Library.....they have periodicals.... So we found the periodical room and checked out a New York Times for an hour! Luckily they let anyone off the street check it out with an I.D. Stella and I wanted to get NYPL cards, but turns out you need to be a taxpayer in this fine city to qualify.
The place was dizzying.
Randy noticed Banana Cream pie on the menu, but sadly they were out. They did have apple, and I could have pulled a " Harry met Sally" but I decided against it. We walked home in the rain, and were trying to decide if the rain made things smell better or worse. Just like day ten or eleven at the Fair, it can go either way!
Randy got a look at the southeast corner of Central Park, and we saw The Plaza. The entire building is being tuck pointed, I think, so they have a sheet covering the facade that replicates The Plaza. We found out later that a good place to get free WiFi is to duck into the lobby of 5th Avenue Hotels. We shouldda stopped in at the PLAAAZA
Our first stop is The Mothership, the flagship Apple Store on 5th Avenue. A clear glass box with a glass elevator descending down the center of a spiral staircase into the store. Stella, hearing the siren call, heads for the box.
In exchange for painting the house this summer, she got a new iPod touch.
We are ascending in the Wonka-vator!
Walking over to 7th Ave, we began our walk toward another heaven on earth destination. Dad's favorite restaurant, The Carnegie Deli.
On the way we walked past Carnegie Hall, completely covered in scaffolding. I wasn't sure exactly where it was....but I knew how to get there..."practice, practice, practice!" I am trying to see how many times I can make Stella roll her eyes at me on this trip! Next block we saw nirvana....
Egg salad on rye, corned beef on rye, cole slaw and Stella, had.........a burger! According to Stella, the best burger so far!
We sat next to, and across from people who ordered the cheesecake. From the looks of it, it is an entire cheesecake, formed into just one slice. My favorite part of the experience was the little old couple next to us. She was apparently moved from another tale, while her husband was elsewhere and so she is (yelling) calling to him in a thick New York accent, "Stanley, Stanley, I am here!" He sat and chastised her for moving without him knowing, and apparently they had eaten here before and had not so good food, and had a credit on account. Her name was Judy Smith and the waitress (most of whom are Chinese) kept saying, Julie? ..no Judy, ...Julie?...no Judy. Stanley ordered and he insisted his pastrami be lean...lean, as lean as it can be. The drama continued, but it is hard to describe. Ask me and I will tell you the whole story in my newly acquired New York accent! I listened to them with delight. A taste of true New York.
Not wanting to wear out Randy, we came back to the hotel for a rest. They have talked me out of a trip up the west side to see Eleanor Roosevelt. Stella would prefer to go to the Library. Can't imagine why.....free WiFi? She wants to play with her new iToy. Funny, she did not want to go to FAO Schwartz...she has a different idea of a toy store these days!
Goofy thing I want to remember....every time we all return to the hotel, Stella runs ahead and tries to hide near the elevators. Why. I. Do. Not. Know. It is just silly.
Stella and I headed off to the New York Public Library Schwartzman building on 5th Avenue. We took two trains and surfaced next to the museum.
I feel like this is the only building we have seen that is not under construction or renovations. It is beautiful! We walked through reading rooms and looked up at all the ceilings, and Stella happened upon the Guttenburg Bible!
The stories on the front page and the articles Stella is reading are history making events!
Turns out, there are about six newsstands on the other side of the library where I could have could have found a paper. Like the one at the top of the Subway station we came out of. I was just looking up....the Library was there!
Beautiful ceilings everywhere you look
And I found the Truman Capote portrait!
I am so glad we got here! Stella was thrilled to stay for awhile....free WiFi!
I knew she was getting tired and AGAIN the heat and humidity are oppressive today, but she was up for one more adventure, as long as we didn't have to walk too far. We were off to Serendipity and Dylan's,
I have to say, despite the grit and smell of the subways, there is beauty in it!
I have found in this city, you can walk just as far underground, catching a subway and connecting train, as you would just walking on the surface streets above. I think maybe it is the A/C on the train that has some appeal, but the sauna like atmosphere of the subway is not really worth the cool air, to me. Also Stella and I have walked faster than most busses and cabs travel in crosstown traffic. The up and downtown busses have us beat, so we'll ride those!
We took one more train to get up to 60th and 3rd to see Dylan's Candy Bar.
Kids and mothers everywhere clambering for candy bins. It was too crowded for us to really check out all three levels, but we bought a few Reses Peanut Butter cups, for $14/lb! I think they were worth it, especially since the plan for having ice cream at Serendipity 3, was detoured by an hour wait for a table. And the waiting option was standing outside in the heat.
We did as Becky suggested and just got a pack of the frozen hot chocolate mix to go, and we will try it when we get home!
Stella and I found that a shortcut through Bloomingdales was a cooler option to get to the subway station. Stella said "Mary was right, everyone does wear black in New York!" and I explained to her, this was the employee entrance to Bloomies, where everyone must wear black!
We hopped on the crowded train and I heard the announcer say, next stop was 68th street. OOPS! Wrong train. First time we have done that! It was an easy train to hop off and hop on the other direction! This was the most crowded train we had been on yet. Five o'clock trains on the East side of Central Park. I think after this trip, Stella might have had enough. We got a seat on the shuttle and then took the busses home from there. We stopped for some peanut butter and a roll at the Skyline deli, knowing we would not have dinner until after the show. We also found milk! We are both in a little milk withdrawal after six days without! We decided to run up and check out our pool, which we decidedly have no time to swim in.
It's cute, and they have swimming lessons there for kids in the area! What, no YMCA?
We got back with 20 minutes to make and eat our peanut butter sandwich and change clothes before catching a cab to The Majestic, to see Phantom of the Opera. We thought we were going to be late, when we pulled up to the theater at 7:55, but we noticed there was a line to get inside....and it stretched all the way down 44th Street, almost to Broadway! It took about 20 minutes to get everyone in, and we had a lovely chat with some people from Kentucky in front of us in line. The show was pretty spectacular. Stella did not really know the whole story, so it was fun to see it through her eyes, her teary, smiling eyes. I admit I cried a little too in the graveyard scene!
Not having made a reservation we decided to take our chances at 11 pm and find somewhere near the theater to eat dinner. It poured while we were in the show, so we dodged puddles of what we think may have been water at one time and checked out lines and menus as we walked. We passed on a few pricey, loud, and crowded places and found a crazy little diner, called the Olympic.
It was old and gritty with blue Naugahyde booths and the menus were worn out on the edges! There were three little old Greek men running the place, the waiter who took our order in a suit! Breakfast served 24/7 and the French toast looked great! Randy ordered a great club sandwich and Stella found fettuccini Alfredo. The coffee was great, and I needed blogging fuel.
Randy noticed Banana Cream pie on the menu, but sadly they were out. They did have apple, and I could have pulled a " Harry met Sally" but I decided against it. We walked home in the rain, and were trying to decide if the rain made things smell better or worse. Just like day ten or eleven at the Fair, it can go either way!
The jury is still out on what caused Sella's upset tummy when we got home....but my guess might be cream sauce, at midnight, in a diner, after walking all day in the heat.
Tomorrow is forecast another hot, steamy day, so we plan to go to the Natural History Museum. The List is dwindling, and the items left are either scheduled, or have lessened in importance! Plus, we are getting tired! One thing on The List got a drive by today, The Russian Tea Room....we did not enter, it is the flag only on the opposite end of the street!
Maybe the coffee fairy will deliver again tomorrow! Goodnight!
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