TAKING A BITE

Yesterday we caught a train from Boston to New York.  It often ran right beside water: marshes, bays,      lakes, inlets.  We passed through various towns, some looked reasonably prosperous but others less so.

Arriving at Penn Station, we walked less than a mile to our hotel on East 34th Street, near Lexington Avenue.  It is an apartment hotel, so we have a living area with kitchen off it, a bed room with comfortable armchair and footstool, one wall of storage, and small ensuite.

This is our first full day in New York and we are back at our air conditioned hotel mid afternoon, pooped already!!!  It is hot and muggy outside.  But first this morning was buying a weekly pass each for the Metro.

Thank goodness Robert has read up on the subway system.  At street level, a green globe means an exit or entry, but a red globe is exit only.  You need to know if you are going up town or down down.
We got out at Grand Central Station.  There is a strong presence there of both police and military guarding it.

 The Food Market there has a delight to see and smell.  Below are bowls of pungent spices.

 So many types of bagels and breads, cakes and pastries.

 And cheeses!!!   And cold meats and several fishmongers.  And more!

 This is me experiencing the real New York.  Police and a shoe shine man.

We walked into the foyer of the Chrysler Building, then to the New York Public Library, which is full of reading rooms and "research only" areas, marble hallways and ornate wooden carved ceilings.

As we entered the first exhibition space in the library, this large mirror above allows you to take photos of yourselves (that's us on the left)!   Fittingly, it was a photography exhibition.  On the third floor, under the dome, was a Gutenberg Bible on display.

More New York.  Another obliging policeman.

 Behind the Library was Bryant Park.  The large lawn area in the centre was virtually empty, but around the perimeters were many red metal tables and chairs, with locals and tourists alike eating.  I had my first New York hotdog from a vendor on the street.  It was delicious.

We walked past the Bank of America building, shaped like a crystal, then detoured down to Times Square.  It is not square!!!  It is not even a rectangle.  Here is Robert outside the Armed Forces Recruitment Centre there.

 It is an assault of advertising.  Some are static billboards and others electronic.

We walked along part of Broadway, with so many theatres and even the famous Sardi restaurant.  Walking through the Diamond District, where 2,600 individual business sell gold, silver, gems, pearls and DIAMONDS, we saw this efficient parking officer at work, writing up many tickets for vans illegally parked.

On Fifth Avenue, we visited the new-Gothic St. Patrick's Cathedral, the largest Catholic cathedral in America.  The alter was designed by Louis Tiffany.

 Nearby in the forecourt of yet another skyscraper was this enormous sculpture called CLAY NO. 4.  That is Robert standing on the left, to give a sense of its size.

We both remarked how many yellow cabs cruise the streets.  If the light above the windscreen is on, they are available for hire.

Next we went into to the Rockefeller Centre and sat by the fountains for a break, then headed home, passing Radio City on the way.  Two Metro stops and we were in our area.

But we will venture out again later.