Paula and I took a day trip with the Coastal Historical Society to the Plum Orchard Mansion. We had a beautiful day for a boat ride to Cumberland.
The tour was very informative with interesting stories about the mansion which was built during the Gilded Age 1890s-1900s. The mansion was built for one of the Carnegie family members and enlarged to fit the 'showy' times.
Beautiful thick wood floors, specifically shaped doorknobs to designate servants' quarters, and lots of stain glass lamps.
Hamilton was great - the seats were very uncomfortable (probably due to my size or the age of the theater) but well worth the cost and effort. I am looking forward to seeing it again when it comes to Jax in 2020.
Our tour guide, Dante, was entertaining and informative - I definitely would recommend him. Nice Guy Tours - Lower East Side
Beautiful thick wood floors, specifically shaped doorknobs to designate servants' quarters, and lots of stain glass lamps.
Servant side of the door....
Owner side of the door
After the tour we took a quick walk to the beach to collect shells
New York City
Maria was our star! Maria was able to purchase Hamilton play tickets for us and then proceeded to plan and organize a fantastic 5 day trip to NYC. After 2 drama-free plane rides, we rode the subway to our hotel where we stored our suitcases for the afternoon. (I tweeked my knee climbing the subway stairs with my suitcase - trying to keep up with the three 50 yr olds. Future travel -- I will definitely pack lighter and remember to include my knee brace.) We started out with a Bryant Park picnic lunch from Sweetgreen, then a tour of the NY Public Library. Our 3 media specialists were over the moon.
Even though it was cold - Spring was evident
New York Public Library
St Patrick's Cathedral
Next on our itinerary was the Rockefeller Center Tour
lots of art deco, marble, and strange looking women's breasts.
Next stop was checking into our conveniently located hotel that included a famous view right outside our window.
I broke from the group to meet up with my cousin Charles Luce whom I hadn't seen in more than 50 years. We went to a couple of art openings and then to his loft for dinner. It was really good to catch up with him. There sure seems to be a lot of artistic talent in this family, even his wife Helen.
All the above was just the first day. Thursday was a cold rainy day, which seemed appropriate for our visit to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Wow - no words - just sadness.
To the Top of the Freedom Tower for Lunch
Luckily, the weather had cleared a bit. The elevator ride up and down was very impressive, educational and a little thrilling. The view, even though foggy, was still spectacular.
Later that afternoon we made our way uptown to Times Square and had drinks and appetizers at the Crowne Plaza Broadway 49 Bar and Lounge where we met up with Steve and Lucy - Paula's brother-in-law and wife. Topping off the night was Hamilton ! As we were waiting to get into the theater - we noticed across the street was the Church of Scientology building with an outside banner advertising the Book of Mormon Play.
Our night time view outside our room
Friday - Food Tour, Central Park, The Met and The Lincoln Center for My Fair Lady.
Where "When Harry Met Sally" famous fake orgasm scene was filmed.
Great Pastrami
Remember these ?
They even pickle pineapple !
Central Park
I had to take a selfie where Mathew Perry sat during one of my favorite RomCom movies "Fools Rush In"
Pre-play appetizers and drinks at the Met
Lincoln Center
Saturday
It was another sunny but cold day. We took a quick subway ride to Battery Park to boat out to our Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour
Soon after we arrived we did our Hard Hat Tour of the hospital part of the island.
After our tour and a decent cafeteria lunch, we did a free and very informative self-guided audio tour of the museum.
Back on the Other Island - we stopped by to visit the Wall Street Bull, then back uptown for an early dinner at the famous John's Pizzeria. We got there just before the invasion of the Frozen Play matinee attendees. The beer, pizza and calzone all lived up to their hype. John's is housed in a beautiful repurposed church - complete with the original stain glass roof - that resembles a pizza.
I headed back to the hotel - while the rest of the group went to the play "Hello Dolly".
Sunday
Sunday morning, with Maria guiding me, we found the Amtrak station where she dropped me off so I could catch my early morning train to Saratoga Springs. Four hours later (52$ senior fare) Zac picked me up for my Vermont part of my week. The train ride along the Hudson was gorgeous! Make sure you sit on the left side going north. Comfortable seats and lots of leg room.
