The Big Apple

New York City has been on my "list" for a long time and after last weekend, I could put a check beside NYC.

My first trip to the Big Apple was a swirl of skyscrapers, people, a Naked Cowboy and hot dog stands. It was four days that were jam-packed with as much New York as we could fit in!

We arrived at JFK and headed to our hotel (in Queens) on the subway. Seemed like a good idea at the time. We purchased the unlimited pass making getting from the hotel to Manhattan a breeze. However, getting from the airport to the hotel with our luggage....not such a breeze. Augh. So many stairs! But, eventually we made it.

We headed to Times Square and it was exactly as I thought. HUGE! Everywhere you looked, super-sized advertisements. And within moments of arriving...we saw Naked Cowboy! (for those of you that are not familiar, he is an institution in NYC) We hit a few stores and got some big city pizza. Our first evening, we did a trip over the Brooklyn Bridge...and finally hit the hotel, exhausted.

Day 2 started early, but we had lots to do! We hopped on our "Hop on, Hop off" bus and headed to Central Park. Wow, it's absolutely huge...and beautiful! I love how New Yorkers just go there for chilling out, rollerblading, cycling, picnics, etc. Across from the park on the west side, we saw the Dakota building. This is the building where John Lennon lived (and Yoko Ono still does) and also where he was shot.

Not far away, we stopped by Tom's Diner, of Seinfeld fame. (also the song of the same name) We took the obligatory photos and then had lunch. The interior is nothing like Seinfeld, but it was fun. I had a grilled swiss cheese and rice pudding. I was aiming for typical diner food!!

...stay tuned...