Big Apple Adventure



First glimpse of the NYC skyline

 Saturday, December 11th we headed for the Big Apple via a group tour bus from Fort Belvoir.  We departed bright and early at 7:30 am. 

It was  a full bus with a pleasant driver and  trip "hostess" who had to keep a head count of her charges and hope and pray we would be back at the bus at the appointed time that evening.

The cost of the trip included transportation and admission to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show.  We arrived  at 12:45 after making our way into the city. I didn't envy the bus driver having to navigate through tunnels and narrow roadways.  We saw the theatre district coming in and caught a quick glimpse of The Actors Studio http://www.theactorsstudio.org/

The driver asked us to be on time at 6:45 pm that night at the appointed place and said he would receive an expensive parking ticket  if anyone was late. We had no sooner parked in a bus lane and half the bus disembarked, when a lady cop wrote the driver an expensive ticket- he didn't look pleased!  He pulled the bus up a few yards and those in the back of the bus scrambled off.

We decided to get in line, figuring it might take a while. The previous matinee was just letting out and we were hustled in as soon as everyone  was out. The interior was beautiful and it brought to mind a scene from one of my favorite movies Radio Days.

http://www.radiocitychristmas.com/newyork/

We decided against the$ 40.00 Rockettes Ornament and spent our money on candy and cocktails.





We had time to hit the bathrooms before the show. Never in my life had I seen a "director of seating" in a ladies room. The line was long as it always is for us ....However, the director made sure no stalls were lingering empty and the line moved quickly.

  We had great seats and waited in excitement of the long awaited event.  I haven't experienced such child like wonder and anticipation since waiting for the curtains to part at the Cave Junction Oregon Lion's club yearly extravaganza-  Skimming Low.  Only my family will get this reference, but truly it is one of my fondest childhood memories.

The show was the most professional show I have been to and it was well worth the long bus ride and expense to get there. If you ever get the chance to see it, do!   The Rockettes were stupendous and the multiple dancing Santas' were highlights. The finale was a refreshing, no apologies, Nativity production including a live camel and sheep.

After the show, we had about three hours to explore the city. Tom had been to NYC three times previously, but it was my first trip and it was thrilling. The weather was cold enough for hats and gloves and the sidewalks were crowded to put it mildly. There were three occasions when we literally came to a standstill on the sidewalks- GRIDLOCK!   It was disconcerting as you could feel people pushing forward even though there was no place to move. The crowds were mostly well behaved and only a few began to lose it and shout. I heard many more "excuse me's " than I thought I would. 

The Russian Tea Room

The Naked Cowboy caused a pedestrian stampede

Empire State Building

Times Square








 

Tom took this one.

It was starting to get dark and we were hungry, so we started looking for a place to eat before boarding the bus.  We side-tracked into several stores and found a couple of ornaments to commemorate the occasion. The NBC store was great, but we couldn't stand the crowds and quickly left.
Rockefeller Square was awesome and my pictures don't do it justice.

We stopped by several restaurants around 5-5:30 and forget the myth that New Yorkers eat dinner at 9:00.  We couldn't get in anywhere and were about to give up and have a street vendor hot dog.  We were desperate to sit down though and chanced on an empty table in the Capitol Grille Bar. It was something else to receive the 75.00 bill for two drinks and two hamburgers from the bar menu.It was delicious though, especially the truffle oil french fries. It seemed like the true New York experience and we made our way to the bus.

The trip home seemed endless after all the fun and over indulgences. It took well over an hour just to get out of the city and hit the highway. One word of advice when riding in a tour bus- don't sit in the back near the bathroom. No further comment is needed, except to say it was handy that Tom had his scarf to wrap around his face as we struggled to sleep on the bus. I also could have done without the non-stop movies playing at full volume on the bus( not to be a middle-aged grinch or anything).

It was a wonderful trip and we arrived home around 2:00 am Sunday morning.  After picking up Sandy from the Pet Hotel and attending church, we took the rest of the day to rest and recuperate.  We hope to return to NYC again in the spring and get a closer look at this great city. I have to say how great it is to travel with Tom- ever patient and he enjoys these adventures together-lucky me!