New York City Arrival and Walking Tour

We arrived late Sunday afternoon via Amtrak. Great ride, very comfortable ride in coach class with a luxurious dining car attached. OK, not luxurious, more like a high school cafeteria but at much higher prices. Pulled into Penn Station and it was pouring rain. Took a few minutes to find our way out a door and to a taxi stand for the 12 block ride to Hotel Riu Plaza Times Square. (~$12.00) Checked in and headed off for a liquor and grocery store to get some afternoon treats. Good to know: grocery stores can only sell beer & wine, no hard liquor.

Very nice hotel with all the absolutely required amenities, restaurant and bar. We have a suite on the 28th floor, 2 floors from the top, with access to the executive lounge (ice machine, chips). Best part, outstanding air conditioning!!!

Temps have been in the lower 90’s and humidity has got to be above 70%. The first day it rained off and on the entire day. The rest of the week, all that rain evaporated! Fortunately, I found Mr. Green’s laundry service just at the end of the block, a real Chinese laundry, that washes, dries, folds all our sweaty duds for $15. What a deal!

Day 1 of our New York City adventure. Yeah, I know, been in NYC (Manhattan) for 5 days and nothing on the blog. Sorry, but we had a bunch of things going on. First, my friend from 45-years ago, Ike Hobbs joined us. Obviously lots to talk about so time kind of got away from us, but we did do a little touring after all the mushy “where have you been” stuff. Then we had to have breakfast. Can’t tour on an empty stomach so made our way to the Times Square Diner and all day breakfast.

Fueled up and on foot, we’re off to the major “uptown” sites, Broadway, Times Square, Father Duffy Square, the Red Stairs, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall (outside), the British Empire Building, Channel Gardens, Grand Central Terminal, the NYC Public Library, the Chrysler Building, and last but not least, the restrooms at Bryant Park.

Yes, we actually hit every one of these sites but not all as planned. Broadway and Radio City Music Hall are closed due to COVID so nothing to see there except the outside. Rockefeller Center, under construction with barricades everywhere. (Coming back tomorrow to go to the Top of the Rock observatory level) NY Public Library, the Rose Mead Reading room was open but only to scheduled tours, and sorry, all tours are booked, try tomorrow. And last and definitely least, the restrooms in Bryant Park. They may be clean and better decorated than most restrooms but honey, sorry, they just aren’t ornate. (When we were in New Zealand we drove for over an hour to see really ornate restrooms designed by artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. See it in our New Zealand post)

But, here we are and touring Manhattan (NYC) is what we have planned for the next week. Here are a few picks from our first day.

Times Square. Big, not really crowded (until evening!), amazing lights advertising everything from M&M’s to underwear. But at night, this place comes alive with all types of street performers and a few partiers here and there. If you’re looking for some free entertainment, check this place out.

Father Duffy Square. This is a square within a square, it resides within Times Square, and pays tribute to the most decorated chaplain in the military. Father Duffy. Father Duffy served in the Spanish-American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) and WW1, as part of the 69th Infantry Regiment, New York National Guard. He served with distinction and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Conspicuous Service Cross, the Legion d’Honneur, the highest award for valor and courage, and the Croix de Guerre. Both medals are from France.  He was even recommended for command of the 165th Regiment by Gen. MacArthur!

Father Duffy

Grand Central Terminal! No, not Grand Central Station, that’s the post office down the street! Everyone has seen this terminal if not in person, in the thousands of movies filmed here. Not quite as big as I expected but big enough. Opened in 1913 as the central transportation hub, GCT lives up to it’s name with over 750,000 visitors each day! The center piece is the four-sided clock, that does not have solid opal faces as many myths claim.

Grand Central Terminal

The iconic Chrysler Building. This art deco structure was the world’s tallest building, for 11 months! That was back in 1930 when the building was completed. It had a towering 77 floors, and a height of 1,046′ (including the radio antenna). 3,000 workers laid almost 4 million bricks, by hand, at an average rate of 4 floors per week.

Chrysler Building gargoyles

Art-deco top and radio spire

So how does the first day end? Vodka and lemonade appetizers and dinner at Junior’s. Junior’s is a Manhattan tradition and serves some of the best sandwiches in the world. Awesome food and plenty of it. If you’re here, give it a try. They’re known for their cheesecake but their sandwiches are awesome as well.

Junior’s Roast Beef and Potato Pancake sandwich

Junior’s Pastrami on Grilled Rye sandwich

That’s it. Hopefully I can fill in more tomorrow but for now, I’m hungry and ready to hit up 46th street, known as Restaurant Row”, for dinner. So, get on wit it.

Cheers.