New York, New York
In May of 2003 we visited the city of New York.  And what an enjoyable visit it was.

We took the Lakeshore Limited train from Chicago to NYC.  The worst was first...Penn Station
is a pit.  Easily the worst big city station anywhere.  Arrive and get out as fast as you can.

Our hotel was perfect.  The Kimberley is a small hotel on E. 50th between Lexington and 3rd Avenue.
We had a large suite that was most comfy.  It included a small balcony:

Around the corner from the hotel was a nice little market called Azure and we were able to stock
up on breakfast stuff.  Our suite had a full kitchen.  The hotel's exercise facility agreement is with
a health club down the street, and we found ourselves walking on treadmills with a nice view of
St. Patrick's Cathedral across the street.

There's a great outfit in Manhattan called Big Onion Walking Tours , staffed mainly by grad students
at Columbia and NYU.  We took the tour that included walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.  What
a joyful experience.  Here we are:

When you get to the other side you're in Brooklyn Heights.  A lot of famous and rich
folks live there now.  One of the nice spots on the planet is the Promenade there, which
gives great views of the city.  A kind resident passing by took this shot of us on this rainy day.

New York is of course one of the great museum towns in all the world.  We went to many of them.
One of very favorites is the Frick, an old upper East mansion filled with gorgeous furnishings, artwork,
and architecture, with a wonderful relaxing garden room in the center. Children are not allowed in the
Frick, so it is quiet and serene.  We went to the Guggenheim mainly to see the building, which is epic.
We went to the Whitney mainly because they had an Edward Hopper show, and he's a favorite.  And of
course there's the Metropolitan, where one could spend a lifetime looking at stuff.

One of our best times was at the American Folk Art Museum,  where we also had a very nice lunch one
day.  This is a place worth visting.

You can't go to NYC without taking a boat ride, and we had a lovely day for a spin all the way around
the island.  Take this trip...sit on the left side of the boat for the best views.  We took the Circle Line
cruise from a pier on 12th Avenue, and it was a good afternoon.

We spent an afternoon with our friend, actress Natalie Norwick.  Natalie guest starred in tv shows
such as Star Trek, Have Gun Will Travel, Medic and many others.  She toured for a long time as
understudy to Julie Harris in the Gin Game.  She is a true professional and one of the nicest, warmest
people we know.  She kept us entertained for hours with stories of her work in the theater, movies,
and on tv.

Me and Miss Norwick:


We spent some quality time in several parks.  Central Park is so beautifully manicured and was a lovely
walk.  We visited the Belvedere Castle, where they shot an episode of Naked City that is a favorite of mine. Bryant Park is a nice oasis behind the public library.  A favorite is Madison Square Park, which affords a nice view of the famous Flatiron Building.  New York parks are beautifully cared for, and
lovely places to veg out for a while.

FOOD

We had a number of good meals in New York--most of them in the midtown east area.  Here are some places we enjoyed.  We can recommend all of these.  None is real expensive by New York standards,
and all had friendly staffs and good food.

Da Antonio:   257 East 55th St.     Italian     Dinner for 2 was $63.75

La Maganette:  825 Third Avenue (corner of 50th St. and 3rd Avenue)    Italian    Lunch for 2 was $28.70
they have a nice sidewalk eating area...they make a lovely pizza here

Chin Chin   216 East 49th (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues).   Chinese    Dinner for 2 was $49.30

Shanghai Tea Garden    141 East 55th St.  (between Lexington and 3rd)   Chinese

Shun Lee Palace     155 E. 55th St.    Chinese

Imperial Dragon   45 W. 55th St.     Chinese

Coppola's     378 E. 3rd Avenue    Italian      Lunch for 3 was $59.38

Azure     E. 51st. St. and 3rd Avenue....not a restaurant, but a very nice market and a good stop for deli stuff, fruit, and breakfast stuff.  We went there every day and got breakfast stuff and took it back to our suite.

Pintaile's Pizza:   Find one of these....we used the one uptown on E. 91st....New York style pizza by the
slice.  Not much space to eat in, but fun to get some slices and find a park or a bench or somewhere. The one on  E. 91st is a nice place to stop before or after visiting the Met and all the other uptown museums.  A very tony area up there, and not far from Central Park.