After a very pricey breakfast in the hotel ($45) we hit the streets of NYC. It was quite warm and humid - upper 80's and not much of a breeze. The Chrysler building is right up the street so we checked out the lobby - beautiful. Then we wandered through Grand Central Station which is fascinating. Next was a walk towards downtown during which we decided to go to the top of the Empire State Building. We started on 42nd St and it's on 34th so it's not a long walk. The city was crowded so it took a lot of people dodging. At first we were so careful of waiting for the green pedestrian crossing light, but after a few blocks (and the example set by Daniel and Elizabeth last night) we were soon doing as the natives do and crossing if there was no traffic coming. As we approached the Empire State we noticed people hawking tickets. They assured us their price was the same and this way we could bypass the 75 minute wait. We declined. When we got there, we saw that their prices were the same, but they were selling the full package which included stops at the 86th floor outside observatory, the 102nd floor observatory, the "Experience" which is a movie of a helicopter trip over Manhattan and the museum. We opted for just the 86th floor. The price includes a free audio guide for the stop on the 80th floor where you have to change elevator banks and they have set up lots of information about the building of the ESB. Then on up to 86. The day was a little hazy, but we were still able to see quite a distance. Supposedly couples have been known to create sparks (static electricity) when kissing at the top. We were unable to duplicate the experience.
By this time it was lunch time so we ate at the Heartland Brew Pub on the ground floor. Had a delicious beer and a kale salad. Michael had gazpacho. We started heading back uptown taking our time. Somewhere along the way, by right upper ankle began to hurt - I think from the new sandals I was wearing. We had to stop a couple of times for me to massage it. Getting back to the hotel seemed to take much longer. I was tempted to stop at Bryant Park to sit under one of the lovely trees in the cool shade, but decided to soldier on. We spent a little time in the cool of the hotel and since my ankle was feeling a little better, I changed shoes and we ventured out again to look for a better spot for breakfast the next day. Got a couple of coffees at a local Dunkin' Donuts and people watched for a while. Then it was time to head back to change for dinner and a show with the kids. Because of my ankle, we took a taxi. I think we got the only timid taxi driver in town. Before we had even made a U-turn and turned uptown, we got stuck in traffic and the meter read $6.50. Finally we got moving but came across a closed street near the restaurant. It was going to take too long to negotiate the traffic (especially with this guy), so we just hopped out and walked. Ouch, ouch.
We met them at a nice Italian restaurant and had a fabulous meal (salmon that was cooked perfectly with spinach and mashed potatoes.) Then it was off to the theatre - walking again of course. We saw "Kinky Boots" which was energetic and fun. It was a musical, but while we enjoyed the show, the music wasn't very memorable. Then it was time to walk across Times Square, which was packed, to get back to the hotel. Even Elizabeth, the native, was frustrated by all the people.
Once again, we fell into bed dog tired. Fitbit registered 16,774 steps. This I believe to be more accurate, although it alerted me that I had just hit 10,000 steps while I was brushing my hair before going out to meet the kids. Mmmhhh. Apparently even that wrist movememt counts.
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