New York City

What a hectic week! There is so much to see in and around NYC and we tried to do as much as we could. We spent 4 full days in the city and 2 days in the Hudson River area. We had some rain and cool temps, but it did finally get sunny and warmer. We stayed in a park north of the city on the Hudson River. To get to the city, we drove about 1.5 miles to the rail station where there was plenty of parking for daily people - most stations only have parking for commuters. It was a 45 minute ride on the rail to Grand Central Station. The first 3 days we had a double decker bus pass for touring and learning about everything. The first day we just rode the bus on all the loops (Uptown, Downtown and Brooklyn) and got off at Central Park for a walk and lunch. The next day it was off to see the Statue and Ellis Island. We had pedestal tickets for the statue so we could go up to the observation deck and also see the stairs to the crown. She is magnificent!




We then took the ferry to Ellis Island. It is inspiring to see where the immigrants first came and the procedures they went through to be admitted to this country. Only The Main Building is restored, but they are working on the many other buildings.



We spent a day at Rockefeller Plaza. We toured NBC Studios, Radio City Music Hall and even got to see some of the Today Show on the plaza. Just seeing the plaza, fountain, ice rink and where the Christmas tree is placed was very exciting. They were also filming a movie nearby!


Last stop at Rockefeller Plaza was the Top of the Rock. What a view of NYC!


We visited St. Paul's Church which was adjacent to the World Trade Center site and now houses the memorials. On Ground Zero they are rebuilding Tower 1 and one other building. It is totally fenced and you cannot see anything except what is above the fence. Many people were upset by this, but we were told it is private property and thus the owner can keep people from viewing with the fence. Many buildings in this area were so damaged they had to be destroyed, but this historical church survived. The globe that stood between the towers is in another park for now and will be moved back to the original site when construction is completed. It is very heavily damaged, but was saved. This site is 5 blocks long and in NYC blocks are very long, so it is a huge area that was destroyed.




We spent several hours in Times Square surrounded by videos, billboards and lots of people. The theater district is also here and we went to see The Lion King - it was fabulous! The first picture shows the ball and the second picture is of the whole building with the ball. A large area is closed to traffic, but is absolutely full of people! We can't even imagine New Years Eve.




We spent one day on a Hudson River cruise and saw West Point Military Academy from the water. We then did the tour of West Point. It was very interesting and you are able to see everything except the main campus which is classrooms. Then another day we visited Washington Irving's cottage on the Hudson.

There is much history along the Hudson, from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. Sleepy Hollow was established in 1640. These villages are quaint and have many historical homes and buildings. Also very prominent in this area is the Rockefeller family and their summer home built in the early 1900's was given to a historical society in 1994 and opened to the public. It was set on 600 acres overlooking the Hudson River. The family kept the golf course and a rather large building called The Playhouse with tennis courts and several pools. It is used by the Rockefellers and their friends. The home and the history of this family was very interesting on the tour here.

It is fun to watch shows from NYC and know exactly where it is and what they are talking about.


We are now near Hershey PA. This is our third time here, so we have seen most everything and will just have a relaxing time.