Highlights from New York City

We just returned from our vacation in New York. If you are a fan of NYC, see if you recognize these places...
  • The Belvedere Hotel, on 48th between 8th and 9th Aves. A clean and affordable hotel within two blocks of Times Square. I recommend it!
  • The huge Hersheys and M&M stores within a block of each other. We learned that the two companies despise each other.
  • The amazing phenomenon of Times Square. Did you know that businesses in the Square are required to advertise in bright lights? Times Square is so bright that it actually shows up on satellite photos. And it never sleeps. One night Lauren and I were walking around at night (which is completely safe to do), and they started jackhammering the sidewalk at 11:30 PM!
  • The double-deck tour buses. We learned so much about NYC from our tours! Highly recommended.
  • Carnegies Deli. Great fun, and their sandwiches are the most intimidating skyscrapers in NYC.
  • St. Patrick's Cathedral. A truly awesome structure! It has to be one of the finest cathedrals in the United States.
  • Pizza at Triamonti on 46th St. between 8th and 9th. This place is worth going to if you are in the mood for a sit-down pizza or pasta dish. Great pizza and not outrageously expensive.
  • Eating Smiler's bagels for breakfast on an outdoor table in the middle of Times Square.
  • Lunch in Little Italy. Definitely not in keeping with a good nutrition plan, but delicious. I could have sworn I heard the Godfather music playing in the background.
  • The Nintendo World store was a favorite of our two boys. So were the enormous FAO Schwarz and Toys R Us stores. The latter has a 60' tall ferris wheel inside the store!
  • The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. (Unfortunately, post-9/11 security around Lady Liberty is painfully slow-going.)
  • The nighttime view of Manhattan from Brooklyn.
  • Walking through Chinatown to find bargains, only to discover that we were the only white people in that particular part of Chinatown. We never did find those bargains.
  • Tiffany's on 5th Ave. A must-stop for Lauren. :-)
  • Eating food from one of the street vendors. We ate dinner one night on the sidewalk across the street from the Radio City Music Hall.
  • Rowing a boat around the lake in Central Park. The boys and I managed to do this without losing any personnel or cameras into the lake.
  • The Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3 on 60th St. All the food here was great, but the desserts are unbelievable. This was a perfect way to end our trip to New York City.

Many thanks to Dar Drake for his recommendations. I carried those notes in my pocket when we were out and about. Thanks Dar!

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