I flew into NYC La Guardia airport around 2 on a sunny, absolutely gorgeous afternoon. As I disembarked the plane, I could not control the big huge grin that was on my face. I was actually in NEW YORK CITY. The Big Apple!
I emailed my host to let him know I had landed and phoned my husband as I picked up my suitcase from the carousel. I was still grinning out of control.
I walked outside and found the line to catch a cab. The cabs file through all orderly like and the people hop in. I guess it would be chaos if they didn’t have a system in place. There were about 20 people in line when I got there, but the line moved fast as they would fill 3 cabs at a time.
Once in the cab I told my driver where to go and then chatted with him the whole way. I was too excited to relax and leave him alone. He told me he had never driven anyone famous, but that he almost got the fair for the actor who plays Tony Soprano but the man got in the cab in front of him instead. He told me the hardest part of being a cabby is remaining pleasant when people are mean to him. He was super nice to me.
After I dropped my suitcase off, Brian and I ventured out into the streets of Brooklyn to grab lunch and look around. First stop was at a café where we grabbed some coffee and I had a salad with avocado. Yum-yum.
Next we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. Such a photogenic bridge it is.
Then we walked around China town and tried some authentic Chinese ice cream. I had red bean and it was surprisingly tasty.
This was my favorite building in all of NYC. When the sun shines it shines all silvery. It looks tall and strong but a little dented up. Maybe I identified with it.
We walked some more and finally the coffee ran through us so we ducked into the NYU Bobst Library to use the facilities. This building is 10 stories tall. Mind boggling.
Next we walked through Washington Square Park.
We saw this amazing sand art drawn on the ground with colored loose sand.
Here is the famous arch.
Washington Square Park memorial arch. In 1889, to celebrate the centennial of George Washington's inauguration as president of the United States, a large plaster and wood Memorial Arch was erected over Fifth Avenue just north of the park. The temporary plaster and wood arch was so popular that in 1892 a permanent marble arch, designed by the New York architect Stanford White, was erected, standing 77 feet tall, was built just inside the park. White modeled the arch after the 1806 Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
During the excavations for the eastern leg of the arch, human remains, a coffin and a gravestone dated 1803 were uncovered 10 feet below ground level.
The inscription on the arch reads: Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God. — Washington
In 1918 two statues of George Washington were added to the north side.
The first fountain was completed in 1852. The fountain was replaced in 1872. The monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi was unveiled in 1888.
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Look, they have a Blue Note too. We also walked around Greenwich Village but it was dark so I didn’t take any photos.
It must have been nine o’clock when we found the subway and went home. My feet were so tired. I bet we walked 10 miles or so.
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