Navigating New York (part 2)

October 18, 2008
The next day started out bright and early as you can tell from the last post.

I think we ended up leaving the hotel around 10:00 to 10:30 I can’t quite remember when. Our sites were set on the Empire State Building. On our way to our hotel the day before looking to the south we could see it standing tall and proud so we just decided to walk. We headed west on 42nd turning south on 5th and navigating in and out of traffic towards our destination. The thing about New York pedestrians is that lights really don’t mean anything.

You can go when it says stop and quite frequently have to stop when it says go due to cars continuing to turn or go through even though the light has changed. They are kind of there as a guidance, but not really used. Anyway, continuing down fifth avenue we observed all the sites, sounds, and smells believe me there are smells both good and bad (Cigarette smoke being the worst. Everywhere you went people were smoking. I may even have come back with lung cancer JK).

Suddenly the buildings no longer obscure the view and ESB comes in to view. From a ways away, you can see all the way to the top but when you are right next to it, the top pretty much disappears.

We entered into the building believing because we had a pass, (this is what the book told us anyway) that we would be able to skip the lines and go up pretty quick. Don’t believe everything you read because we were told we were required to wait in line with the rest of them. Fun stuff.

The nice thing is they really do keep you going pretty good. It was probably one of the fastest lines I have ever been in. Security was first then we proceeded to another line to wait to get tickets. Then again another line to wait for the elevator. (If you don’t like lines or elevators, I probably would recommend you stay away from here). After arriving at the elevator we were then packed in like a can a sardines which did nothing for my claustrophobia though I must admit I handled it pretty well. The elevator takes you up to the 80th floor. They are doing all kinds of construction there. Then you get out walk a ways and get on another elevator 6 more floors to the 86th floor observation deck.

Walking outside the air was bitter cold on every side of the building except the south. It was really weird but the wind was kind of blocked on that side and the sun was there. We all split up and just enjoyed the view coming back together occasionally and then spliting apart again.

The view was amazing but whenever I took a picture with my phone I had a fear shoot through my entire body because I just kept imagining it falling out of my hands and crashing 86 floors to the ground possibly killing someone in the process so I kept a tight hold when I was reaching out.



Especially for this picture looking straight down.
When we decided to leave we took the stairs down 6 flights of stairs then had to take the elevator the rest of the 80 floors down to the bottom.
We next decided to go to the NBC studio tour. We took the subway up to the rockafella center exit and made our way to into the building having to ask directions to where we were suppose to meet.

This was around 2:00 and the next tour started at 2:30 so we were walking around looking and hadn’t eaten lunch so there was a little shop there that sold muffins, bagels, and gourmet popcorn. I got a bagel which was really good and a mixed bag of popcorn for later (it was very good later also. Mmm mmm good. Cheese and caramel the best combination.
This is where they put the Christmas tree at Rockafella Center every year.

We started the tour in the very thing I hate, more elevators. They crammed 32 people into 2 regular sized elevators (because the space in Manhattan is so limited, every thing is crammed into the smallest spaces possible to make room for more. Crazy) Anyway. We went up to where they shoot the news and then went back on the elevator and went to another floor where they shoot Saturday night live.

It was kind of fun because they took us to a room with windows overlooking the set and some of the cast and guest members were down there practicing for that night. We then got back on the elevators and went to another floor where Miranda and another girl in our group got to pretend to be a news anchor and a weather girl. It was really funny because she totally got into it and they said they were sending her tape over to SNL for her to take over Tina Fays job. It was very funny and we could have bought it but it was $30 for something that didn’t even last a minute so we didn’t. After the tour we went to the gift shop and found many fun things to do with different shows.

I had been searching for a note book and found a Dunder Mifflin one (The Office for those who don’t know). It was a little more than I would have like to pay but I figure it would be kind of fun to have. We then went to the Rockafella Center tour which was kind of interesting but not at all what I had expected. The lady just took us around to different architectural sites there. Really cool but not what I thought it would be.
We had decided to have one really nice meal while there and I had been told by someone from there that they had Broadway specials that if you went before 6:30 you could get a 3 course meal for around $25.00. We started walking towards Broadway thinking the street should be somewhere nearby. We never found it. We found 2 restaurants with a 3 course meal for $30.00, but nothing too appealing. Miranda’s called her friend who had lived there and she recommended the Republic.

It was so good. At least mine was. I would highly recommend it. I had sliced porkchops with curry rice. Mmmm so good. We also tried this non alcoholic drink that had coconut and pineapple and I can’t remember what else but it was very good.

After dinner we looked around at some of the street vendor stuff. We also did a little shopping around in a couple of stores in that area. Michelle found a good coat but no luck in the shoe department for me. We then went and looked around Grand Central station because it is huge.

There are some steps there that tell people not to sit on them but everytime we went by there, people were sitting on them it was quite funny. Michelle breaking rules.

We made it back to the hotel around 9:00 thinking how lame we were to be in our hotel on a Saturday night in New York City instead of out and about but all of us were just so worn out from the day we decided to take it easy. I went down to the lobby for a bit and just enjoyed the atmosphere.

Later we watched SNL to see the skit for real that we had watched being practiced. It was really kind of dumb and not really worth watching. In the middle of the show my body suddenly jumped and I realized I had fallen asleep. It was my cue that it was time for me to go to bed.
TO BE CONTINUED........