New
York is one of those cities that should be included in everyone’s
Top Ten travel destinations. Seeing it for the first time is simply
amazing.
On our first trip to the Big Apple, we began our day by flagging
a yellow taxi at the airport terminal. From the Kennedy Airport
it is about a 45-minute drive to Manhattan (the LaGuardia airport
is only a 15-minute drive). After checking in at our hotel, we went
to the theater district for a wonderful afternoon matinee of “The
Lion King.” After the matinee we walked by a pizza shop advertising
the “best pizza ever”! Curiosity, and maybe even cynicism,
got the best of us so we decided to try some. The sign was right!
One New York highlight was the enormous selection of plays! The
first play we saw was “Wicked,” the prequel to “The
Wizard of Oz.” It was about the beginning life of the wicked
witch and her dear friend, the good witch of the east. It had a
very clever twist and you will probably never judge the wicked witch
so harshly again. The acting and singing was amazing.
Our next stop was the Empire State Building; from the base to the
top of
the pinnacle is 1,453 feet. What an amazing sight, to view the entire
city lit up at night. We were so high up we were literally in the
clouds!
Central Park is a must! It contains 843 acres of beautiful parks,
lakes and walkways. Wear comfortable walking shoes if you choose
to stroll along, or spend the afternoon riding in a carriage. Some
fun attractions at Central Park include the statue of Romeo and
Juliet, the grand bandshell and John Lennon’s memorial mosaic
with the word “imagine” at the entrance of Strawberry
Field Park.
Near Central Park, in upper Manhattan and along 5th Avenue, is the
Metropolitan Museum, which contains a huge display of fine art.
There are also many high-society shops along 5th Avenue that attract
the very wealthy, with stores like Sax 5th, Armani, DeBeers and
Neiman, to name a few. The display windows are grand, and showcase
the most beautiful sceneries of clothing with elaborate fabrics
cut and designed to perfection.
In the Battery Park district is a ferry that shuttles tourists to
Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I recommend arriving in
the morning. The Statue of Liberty, with all its symbolism and meaning,
was a must-see. Ellis Island, due to recent privately funded renovations,
is a spectacular sight!
For more information about some of the sights in New York, visit
www.Centralparknyc.org
and www.National911memorial.org.
