New York City Travelogue (Page 3 of 3)
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Saturday, April 3 (Continued)
In the evening we were overwhelmed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), which sits within Central Park. Their art from antiquity and from cultures around the world is simply astonishing. Like MoMA, one would need many days to explore this museum fully.
Sunday, April 4
We're two of the first people in line to the 86th floor observation deck (the 102nd floor observation deck was closed) at the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, the sky was overcast so visibility was quite limited. Riding up in the elevator, one notices a change in pressure via ear popping.
After New York's third tallest building, we visited the Jewish Museum near Central Park. It was pretty disappointing, compared to other similar museums we've seen.
We ate at Serendipity 3, famous for their frozen hot chocolate. It's located among brownstones - thin but deep residential structures, typically three stories tall. The basements were originally built as servants quarters and the building are named for the brown sandstone used as a common building material of the nineteenth century.
That night we saw an off-Broadway play, 2.5 Minute Ride, at the Public Theater.
Monday, April 5
A busy day where we fit many activities in. We first visited the New York Stock Exchange and were able to see the trading floor in action shortly after the opening bell.
From there, we walked across Wall Street to the Federal Hall National Monument, the site of the first U.S. Capitol building (for one year in 1789). The building there now was built as the U.S. Customs House in 1834.
Our third destination was the top of the World Trade Center, America's second and third tallest buildings at 110 stories and 1,368 and 1,362 feet each (Chicago's Sears Tower is also 110 stories but is tallest at 1,450 feet tall.)
Finally, we visited the Jewish Heritage Museum in Battery Park. This brand-new museum of the Holocaust was very impressive indeed.
On our final night in the city, we had an entertaining experience when we ate at the themed restaurant The Jekyll & Hyde Club New York.
Tuesday, April 6
We returned to JFK early in the morning for our return flight to LAX. A mechanical problem on the aircraft prevented our timely departure so the flight crew allows us to disembark for the hour they expect that the flight will be delayed though as soon as we buy or hot dogs, we were recalled back to the gate immediately for takeoff. We arrived home in the late afternoon - exhilarated by our wonderful experience in the Big Apple.
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All photographs are copyright 1999 by Matt Rosenberg and About.com. They may not be reproduced without permission.
