NEW YORK, NEW YORK-- DAY 10

Well you can just imagine the mess my notes on the trip would be if I weren't so conscientious? about it. Hence the reason you will read today about us going to "Ellen's Stardust Cafe". Reviewing my notes it wasn't before "Mary Poppins" but actually the following night before "Jersey Boys".

A.M. Headed for the Morgan Library--

another wonderful place. Then up to the Neue Galerie where the young man at the reception desk treated us like trailer trash but we didn't take it personal- everyone else looked as average as we did and I think he just needed an attitude adjustment.


We wanted to see the Klimt painting of Adele Bloch-Bauer and it was beautiful but smaller than I had thought it would be. "The Alfred Kubin Drawings 1897-1909" exhibit was very dark and depressing. We thought the Diane Arbus exhibit a couple of years ago was grim but it was a ray of sunshine compared to this one. The beautiful building that houses this Galerie was once the home of Mrs Cornelius Vanderbuilt III which was one of the reasons we wanted to see it.
Took the bus to Times Square and thought we would try to get last minute tickets to "Jersey Boys". Bingo- they had 4 tickets in the 4th row. We thought that was a bit close but they turned out to be fine. And they were on the aisle and left side of stage where most of the action took place.

Ate at "Ellen's Stardust Diner" before the show and will certainly go there again. The food is better than average and the entertainment is great. The waiters and waitress's are working Broadway actors and sing great songs all while you eat.

We are having a really good time

Jersey Boys was incredible. It was electric. Seems like every member of the audience was 15 years old again for 2 1/2 hours. During the last song/standing ovation one of the "Jersey Boys" made eye contact with Janean and gave her a big smile. The "too close to the stage seats" paid off. I hope it's playing next year so we can go again. Bought the CD and have been playing it full blast as I toodle around doing 66 year old errands.

Misty, warm and low clouds-- beautiful night

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - - DAY 9

7588 steps today. We like to keep track so we feel better about the junk food we eat. Back to Top of the Rock (love that place) and then on to--

MOMA-- it was as good this week as last week-- maybe better.



Picked up lunch at 42nd and Broadway at Europa and took the bus to Circle Cruise Lines.
I'm so used to the subways I sometimes forget the bus lines--I've got to use them more.
On way back we stopped and picked up 50% tickets for Mary Poppins tonight. A Microsoft employee with a camera approached us to take our picture to put oh the Jumbotron tomorrow as an ad. They were suppose to send a copy to my E-mail but it hasn't arrived yet?


Two Classy Ladies


Yes---the waterfalls are working this time.
Got a small demonstration going on across from Grand Central. That's as close as they could get to the U.N. this week. Having the U.N. in session has really tied up the bus's and traffic in general on the East side of Manhattan.





Back to Times Square


Tikki Barber was on the balcony of Hard Rock and they were panning the crowd below and showing it on one of the Jumbotrons. We attracted their attention by doing the "Rockette's Kick". We were approached by a very nice lady who wanted to be part of our group. We said "Sure". Then she said she wanted to do something outrageous-- "would we all like to

pull our shirts up and flash the camera" "No, we don't think so" She decided we weren't as fun as we looked.

The New Old Amsterdam Theatre is drop dead gorgeous. I would pay the ticket price just

to walk around and stare at the restoration.

Mary Poppins was great. The staging and props were over the top.

Was an eerie night. It was warm but misty and the clouds were about 2/3 of the way down

the buildings. It would swirl in and around the skyscrapers and it was beautiful.

Times Square is one of my least favorite places but it was beautiful that night.

Picked up KeyLime Cheesecake at Magnolia and played Rummkube until 1:00 A.M.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK DAY 8

Girlfriends are coming this evening. I made a run past Housing Works and picked up a great Oatmeal cookie and smoothie at Elixir at 523 Hudson St. It was so good. Located LePain Quotidien Communal Dining - planning to go there later this week.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK 7

Headed for the beautiful on the Eldridge Street Synagogue Lower East Side. It just opened last
January. The guide was wonderful and the great-grandson of the first Rabbi. The Synagogue was built in 1887 and took $90.000. to build. Later it raised 17.5 million and took 20 years for
the restoration.

Original unrestored door frame

Original Contribution Box

From here just a short walk to The Lower East Side Tenement Museum which is one

of my favorite places in New York. They had opened a new apartment based on The Moore
Family, Irish immigrants. The guide here was exceptional.

DH left today and girlfriends will be in tomorrow. I ran up to Macy's to make a small purchase and noticed these original wood escalator rungs on the 5th and 6th floor.

Headed up to Bryant Park to catch the opening performance of "New York Now in Bryant Park".

8 years of coming to New York and I've not spent any time here. Couldn't believe what I have been missing. The New York Philharmonic was performing and it was great of course.

I stopped at a great little deli on 38th and 6th called "Pret" and bought a wonderful sandwich and the carrot cake wasn't bad either.

Merry-go-round ticket booth

Huge planters of beautiful flowers everywhere

Fresh Floral Bouquet in outdoor bathroom---now that's classy



Found a friend to sit with- he was charming, well behaved and quiet.

New York Philharmonic String Quintet and Quartet played Mozart and Dvorak

Beautiful Lamppost

Sandwich Shop


If a friend couldn't teach me to play Bridge, then I think the ship has sailed on Chess also.

W What a great idea. An Outside Reading Room. Lots of tables to sit at and 2 rolling

carts of books. You just choose one and sit an read for awhile and then put it back.

I'm going to be spending some serious time here next year.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DAY 6

First trip to MOMA and it did not disappoint.

The Van Gogh exhibit was wonderful

The metal prefab house from the 50's was

so interesting. I remember cabinets like

these. We're still voting on this one

But we all loved the 3 paneled Monet "Waterlilies"

A "small " Jackson Pollock

"Kirchner and the Berlin Street" was great



Headed for the Whitney which we hadn't been to before either but I hadn't done my homework
and it is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Walked through to 5th to catch a bus and on the corner of 75th Street and 5th Ave was
the entrance to this drop-dead gorgeous vintage house.
There were lights on and I thought it was an embassy or something so I went over and
tried the big wrought iron door and it opened. Then the interior door was also unlocked.
Inside was a beautiful young receptionist behind a beautiful desk. I ask her what it was
and she said "The Commonwealth Fund". I ask her if she could tell me the history
of the house and she gave me a lovely pamphlet.
"Harkness House is a notable presence on the cityscape of New York. The outside of One East Seventy-fifth Street today looks virtually as it did in 1908, when Edward and Mary Harkness moved in. Although the house has not functioned as a private residence fore more than three decades, inside it retains even more of the ambiance of Fifth Avenue's great houses do mansions better known to the public."


Can't imagine what it would be like to go to work in a place this beautiful each day.