Howdy, Everybody;
We visited many places in NYC; I'll hit some of the high points here.
The Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island -
Our son had acquired online ferry tickets and the other ticket you need for access to the inside of the base of the Statue of Liberty. The instructions said to get there a couple of hours early, so we did, and had only a short wait (in a tent with several hundred people) before getting on the ferry. I should mention that you go through airport-type security to get on the ferry. We quickly grabbed seats on the top of the boat, and the view was excellent - until the ferry finished loading and people started standing at the rail around the deck. At that point, we couldn't see much. The short ride delivered us to the island, where we debarked (I've always wanted to 'debark' somewhere! Now there's no bark on me anywhere!). OK, that was lame. Deal with it.
We ate breakfast at the little snack bar near the dock, then walked around the outside taking our time, taking pictures. The ticket for access into the statue has a time range when you have to show up, so we weren't in any hurry. Around on the other side we saw the line to enter the statue base, so we went ahead and got in line. I should mention that you go through airport type security AGAIN to visit the statue. After 30 or 45 minutes, we got to the front of the line - we thought. It turned out that we were just entering a big tent. It had the serpentine lines set up in it, with another several hundred people in it. We looked around a bit, and it exited - into another tent. When we looked in the door, we saw ANOTHER tent with serpentine lines. At that point, we abandoned trying to get in, not wanting to spend the next 2-3 hours standing in line.
We then boarded the ferry to Ellis Island, which is where the immigrants used to enter and be processed by the government. This is now a historical museum, with exhibits. If you're interested in that sort of thing this is a good place to go. Outside there is a circular wall that surrounds a courtyard, maybe 150 feet across, that has the names listed of the immigrants. I'm sure this is for a specific time span, but I don't know what that is. There were about three columns of my family listed, one or more of which was my direct ancestors, I am sure.
One group I did notice while out on the islands was Amish. There were actually several groups, but they all appeared to know each other. I noticed one lady in traditional dress, but wearing modern sneakers. No judgment here, just thought it was interesting - the Amish have virtually no presence in East Texas.
And then we ferried back to Manhattan Island and continued our visit.
Museum of Natural History -
We walked from Central Park over to the Museum of Natural History, and made our way inside. This was not like I expected - I always visualized a big museum to be more like a library with exhibits. This was more like an 8th grade cafeteria at lunchtime. We got in a line to buy tickets to the things we were interested in, and then proceeded to go find them. First we went to the planetarium and watched a show about planetary collisions. The show was good, but we should have gotten seats nearer the edge - I had trouble seeing some portions because of my bifocals and not being able to turn my head far enough.
Then, we headed to the dinosaurs, something I had always wanted to see. This was my first time ever to see full-size dinosaur skeletons, even though I am aware almost all of them are actually replicas. It gives you a sense of scale you'll never get from books or movies. Wow. Worth the visit.
After that we left, earlier than anticipated, due partly to the crowding which I find uncomfortable, and partly due to a mild medical issue of mine.
And that's all I'm covering this time. Have a nice day!
-Pop
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
A Texan in New York City - Explosions and Bomb Scares
Howdy, Everybody;
Funny how things just happen in New York City. First, on Tuesday 7/17/07 somebody leaves a container of used clothes at the Library, and it clears the library and several surrounding city blocks while the police bomb squad checks it out. Then, on Wednesday, 7/18/07, a steam line blows, taking a big chunk of road with it, killing or injuring several people, in an intersection two blocks over and one block down from the entrance to Grand Central Terminal. We walked those same streets last week.
I'm glad we missed both incidents. Our son saw the cloud, but he was far enough away that he didn't attach any significance to it until he saw the news. This is a Good Thing.
Where we live, one time a pickup truck caught on fire across the road at a (now defunct) gas station. Since several other people were coping with the fire and our help wasn't necessary, we got out the lawn chairs and watched the show. Well, not really- we didn't Actually get out the lawn chairs. But we thought about it. This was high excitement around here.
There was in fact a gas line blowout over near my niece's house a few years ago - major big flames going high in the air. So far as I can remember, nobody got hurt. And, also years ago, Texas Eastman suffered several explosions over several years. People died in some of those incidents. Rattled the glass at my house, some 16 miles away. So I guess there's always some risk of the infrastructure going wrong.
Sometimes, boredom is a good thing.
-Pop
Funny how things just happen in New York City. First, on Tuesday 7/17/07 somebody leaves a container of used clothes at the Library, and it clears the library and several surrounding city blocks while the police bomb squad checks it out. Then, on Wednesday, 7/18/07, a steam line blows, taking a big chunk of road with it, killing or injuring several people, in an intersection two blocks over and one block down from the entrance to Grand Central Terminal. We walked those same streets last week.
I'm glad we missed both incidents. Our son saw the cloud, but he was far enough away that he didn't attach any significance to it until he saw the news. This is a Good Thing.
Where we live, one time a pickup truck caught on fire across the road at a (now defunct) gas station. Since several other people were coping with the fire and our help wasn't necessary, we got out the lawn chairs and watched the show. Well, not really- we didn't Actually get out the lawn chairs. But we thought about it. This was high excitement around here.
There was in fact a gas line blowout over near my niece's house a few years ago - major big flames going high in the air. So far as I can remember, nobody got hurt. And, also years ago, Texas Eastman suffered several explosions over several years. People died in some of those incidents. Rattled the glass at my house, some 16 miles away. So I guess there's always some risk of the infrastructure going wrong.
Sometimes, boredom is a good thing.
-Pop
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
A Texan in New York City - #2
Howdy, everybody;
It's really interesting to me how I keep thinking about this trip to New York City from which I just returned. I find myself wanting to go back, to explore things at more leisure. NYC has a curious sort of fascination to me, now that I've actually seen it.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'd ever want to live there. But it would be nice if I had the resources that would allow me to explore it a bit less hurriedly. I'd like to sit somewhere quiet and watch people go by for a couple of hours. I'd like to explore the museum a lot more.
They had a bomb scare at the New York Public Library yesterday, and it was interesting to see places I recognized on Fox News. (Turned out to be a sack of discarded clothing.)
All in all, a positive trip. I suspect we'll go again.
I plan to make a couple of more entries here about specific parts of our trip, such as our visit to the Statue of Liberty (some people actually do buy those foam hats), and Central Park, and the Museum of Natural History.
Have a nice day!
-Pop
It's really interesting to me how I keep thinking about this trip to New York City from which I just returned. I find myself wanting to go back, to explore things at more leisure. NYC has a curious sort of fascination to me, now that I've actually seen it.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'd ever want to live there. But it would be nice if I had the resources that would allow me to explore it a bit less hurriedly. I'd like to sit somewhere quiet and watch people go by for a couple of hours. I'd like to explore the museum a lot more.
They had a bomb scare at the New York Public Library yesterday, and it was interesting to see places I recognized on Fox News. (Turned out to be a sack of discarded clothing.)
All in all, a positive trip. I suspect we'll go again.
I plan to make a couple of more entries here about specific parts of our trip, such as our visit to the Statue of Liberty (some people actually do buy those foam hats), and Central Park, and the Museum of Natural History.
Have a nice day!
-Pop
Monday, July 16, 2007
A Texan in New York City - First Impressions
Howdy, Everybody;
My wife and I went on a visit to New York City in July 2007, to spend some time with our son. Talk about culture shock! From what passes for rural living in East Texas to probably the densest city in the United States. Educational.
Disclaimer: We only visited Astoria, and areas south of West 72nd Street. If anything I say here is not true elsewhere in NYC, please forgive me. We flew in on a Wednesday and flew out on the following Sunday, so exposure was not all-inclusive or complete by any means. Also affecting my perspective, is the fact that I am an introvert. What follows is a lot of random observations. Before you get mad, read the whole thing. Also, bear in mind that some of what sounds critical is actually just observation, and itself is part of the experience of going.
The people in New York City are an incredible mix of races, religions, nationalities, ages, physical types, languages, and you-name-it. Walking along most major avenues, or riding the subways, you will frequently hear several different languages. New Yorkers have a bit different perspective on personal space. When walking it is usually easy to find a way through the crowd, although you will do a lot of weaving. On subways you will frequently be standing very close to other people, as if you were in an elevator. And yet, in the subways and elsewhere, most of the time no one will meet your eyes or greet you. And any time a group goes through a constriction, such as a door or the stairs at the subway, you will be in contact with those around you. Nobody thinks twice about this. So far as I saw, people are pretty forgiving of bumps and shoves. But I carried my wallet in my front pants pocket.
I noticed that, walking down the street, you will see lots more New Yorkers smoking, than in East Texas. In the same block you might see evening dress on down to rags. I saw two or three people living in boxes on the sidewalk, and another time we saw a homeless person sleeping in the famous 'Love' sign. We stood in front of him to get our picture taken with the sign.
Most of the shops are old, small, many are multi-floor, and yet they do have quality goods generally. For instance, Thursday morning we had breakfast at a bagel shop on the corner - pick your stuff, pay for it, go upstairs to eat while watching the street. The guy who takes your money is polite until he gets it and makes change, but after that he has no more time for you. Next! Prices are generally high - I paid between $5 and $6 for each of three different milk shakes. Bottled water from the numerous street vendors sells for between $2 and $4 a bottle. Hotels and apartments are expensive.
The pavement is dirty unless it is new. Amazing used bubble gum patterns. In the morning, fetid, stinking steam rises from the sewer gratings. And taxi drivers are crazy - one of them told us so.
Subways actually surprised me at how effective they are at getting you from one place to another. You buy a metro card for the time you need, and ride the subways or busses. In the many places we went, guided by our son, most of the time you were within a block or two of a subway station at either end. Generally the wait is not excessive, and it is an effective way to get around. The subway cars are not excessively dirty, and bless them, they are air conditioned. Some are newer than others, and the noise level varies. About one in three people have an iPod stuck in their ear. Nobody meets your eyes. The major killer for me was the walking. I weigh about 260 pounds; after you ride 5 or 6 subways in a day, you've gone up and down numerous stairs, plus the walking at both ends - you're doing a lot of work. So I think the natives are probably generally in better shape than yours truly, who has a desk job.
Central Park is very well done. Everything is mowed, lots of rock formations with glacier scars, grassy areas, trees, paved paths, fountains, benches, very nice. Squirrels and birds are not afraid of people. Hint -you cannot feed just one bird. If you try, you get a flock. Like the city, a wild mix of people come by, if you sit for a while. One individual was either deranged or high, walked by, talking loudly to himself. Don't make eye contact with crazy people. (Maybe that's why nobody else makes eye contact! They think I'm crazy!)
There are some things in NYC that just aren't anywhere else. And some of the things that are elsewhere are done with more class in NYC. For instance, the Apple store under the glass cube is really, really cool.
In no particular order, I was very impressed with Central Park; the view from the observation deck of the Rockefeller Center; the Statue of Liberty; the Museum of Natural History; the Brooklyn Bridge; the St. Patrick Cathedral; and the city itself. The city seems to have taken care to have little parks and fountains, or cozy little places with benches, randomly located in each neighborhood so that it feels like a lived in place - not just all brick and mortar. Each of these things really needs it's own article, but that will have to wait.
Oh, yeah, we went to see the Blue Man Group. Absolutely awesome - highly recommended.
All in all, I am glad we went, and we'll probably go again. We had a good time. After this experience, I think everybody should go there at least once - it's a whole different world.
To be continued...
-Pop
My wife and I went on a visit to New York City in July 2007, to spend some time with our son. Talk about culture shock! From what passes for rural living in East Texas to probably the densest city in the United States. Educational.
Disclaimer: We only visited Astoria, and areas south of West 72nd Street. If anything I say here is not true elsewhere in NYC, please forgive me. We flew in on a Wednesday and flew out on the following Sunday, so exposure was not all-inclusive or complete by any means. Also affecting my perspective, is the fact that I am an introvert. What follows is a lot of random observations. Before you get mad, read the whole thing. Also, bear in mind that some of what sounds critical is actually just observation, and itself is part of the experience of going.
The people in New York City are an incredible mix of races, religions, nationalities, ages, physical types, languages, and you-name-it. Walking along most major avenues, or riding the subways, you will frequently hear several different languages. New Yorkers have a bit different perspective on personal space. When walking it is usually easy to find a way through the crowd, although you will do a lot of weaving. On subways you will frequently be standing very close to other people, as if you were in an elevator. And yet, in the subways and elsewhere, most of the time no one will meet your eyes or greet you. And any time a group goes through a constriction, such as a door or the stairs at the subway, you will be in contact with those around you. Nobody thinks twice about this. So far as I saw, people are pretty forgiving of bumps and shoves. But I carried my wallet in my front pants pocket.
I noticed that, walking down the street, you will see lots more New Yorkers smoking, than in East Texas. In the same block you might see evening dress on down to rags. I saw two or three people living in boxes on the sidewalk, and another time we saw a homeless person sleeping in the famous 'Love' sign. We stood in front of him to get our picture taken with the sign.
Most of the shops are old, small, many are multi-floor, and yet they do have quality goods generally. For instance, Thursday morning we had breakfast at a bagel shop on the corner - pick your stuff, pay for it, go upstairs to eat while watching the street. The guy who takes your money is polite until he gets it and makes change, but after that he has no more time for you. Next! Prices are generally high - I paid between $5 and $6 for each of three different milk shakes. Bottled water from the numerous street vendors sells for between $2 and $4 a bottle. Hotels and apartments are expensive.
The pavement is dirty unless it is new. Amazing used bubble gum patterns. In the morning, fetid, stinking steam rises from the sewer gratings. And taxi drivers are crazy - one of them told us so.
Subways actually surprised me at how effective they are at getting you from one place to another. You buy a metro card for the time you need, and ride the subways or busses. In the many places we went, guided by our son, most of the time you were within a block or two of a subway station at either end. Generally the wait is not excessive, and it is an effective way to get around. The subway cars are not excessively dirty, and bless them, they are air conditioned. Some are newer than others, and the noise level varies. About one in three people have an iPod stuck in their ear. Nobody meets your eyes. The major killer for me was the walking. I weigh about 260 pounds; after you ride 5 or 6 subways in a day, you've gone up and down numerous stairs, plus the walking at both ends - you're doing a lot of work. So I think the natives are probably generally in better shape than yours truly, who has a desk job.
Central Park is very well done. Everything is mowed, lots of rock formations with glacier scars, grassy areas, trees, paved paths, fountains, benches, very nice. Squirrels and birds are not afraid of people. Hint -you cannot feed just one bird. If you try, you get a flock. Like the city, a wild mix of people come by, if you sit for a while. One individual was either deranged or high, walked by, talking loudly to himself. Don't make eye contact with crazy people. (Maybe that's why nobody else makes eye contact! They think I'm crazy!)
There are some things in NYC that just aren't anywhere else. And some of the things that are elsewhere are done with more class in NYC. For instance, the Apple store under the glass cube is really, really cool.
In no particular order, I was very impressed with Central Park; the view from the observation deck of the Rockefeller Center; the Statue of Liberty; the Museum of Natural History; the Brooklyn Bridge; the St. Patrick Cathedral; and the city itself. The city seems to have taken care to have little parks and fountains, or cozy little places with benches, randomly located in each neighborhood so that it feels like a lived in place - not just all brick and mortar. Each of these things really needs it's own article, but that will have to wait.
Oh, yeah, we went to see the Blue Man Group. Absolutely awesome - highly recommended.
All in all, I am glad we went, and we'll probably go again. We had a good time. After this experience, I think everybody should go there at least once - it's a whole different world.
To be continued...
-Pop
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