New York New York!

Knights at the MET

Central Park Boat Pond

Central Park

I am here! and I am SO excited! Today went like this:

Parked on 77^th street on the West side (that means west on 77^th street). Parking cost $36 (plus 18% tax)! The car was put into a giant elevator and taken up out of sight! After that we walked through Central Park. I saw a lake where you can row boats and another where they race the small toy boats. We then walked up 5^th Avenue which is called the 'museum mile'. We went to the MET there! Saw all kinds of wonderful Art! Impressionists my favorite, modern colorful art on the roof (YAY), 16 century armor and some Vermeer paintings, too. We then walked south on Madison Avenue, on 6th Street also called the 'Avenue of the Americas' and to Times Square which 42^nd Street. To get home we walked north on Broadway, took the Subway on 50th, got off at 72^nd, ate tea and then went to the car!

Interesting Info:
The number of the streets is a great idea and makes lots of sense. It is pretty easy to find your way around. I can see why people come to New York to live (lots of celebrities). It has a great feel associated with it and is very ALIVE! It should be with over 18 million people living here. Think about it.... that’s almost the population of Australia!! The city is huge. So long and so wide. It smells like cars and people and the air is dense with it. The subway had absolutely no ventilation and is sweltering underground even at night (the trains are air-conditioned). There are steam vents all over the place...classic New York and when you look up at the apartments you can see little gardens tucked away on people’s porches and roofs. Times Square is full of tourists and very, very bright. The famous ice skating rink at Rockefeller Centre is not operating during summer and it is hard to even tell where it goes! There is a cafe there instead...not quite the same. The Hudson River is huge and makes the Yarra look tiny. In fact this whole city makes Melbourne look puny! I keep having all the movies and TV shows featuring New York running through my head! Sex in the City, Spiderman, Ghostbusters, Cyote Ugly, Xmen, When Harry Met Sally, Greencard, Miracle on 34th Street, Splash, Stuart Little, Home Alone 2, Spin City, Friends…the list goes on. Think of some more?