NYC is like no other!

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Over the years, we have traveled and lived in many major cities.  New York City is like no other.  As we got off the escalator upon arrival at the Amtrak Station, we were struck by the sheer number of people and all of the NOISE!  The people everywhere weaving between cars, bikes, and scooters to cross the street on a red light, the horns honking, and the sirens blaring overwhelmed our senses.  Such craziness!!

We've crammed a lot in a week - some of it standing in line for free or reduced price tickets.  The time spent was well worth it.  While standing in line, we chatted with people from all over the world - people with varying views and perspectives.

We stood in line twice for Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show.  We reached the front of the line once - only to find out there was only ONE ticket left - Don had a lot of fun.  We did get in to see Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Amber Ruffin Show.  We laughed so much our cheeks hurt!  No photos were allowed, so this is all you get.  Here we are waiting in line.

We were also able to score last minute tickets to see "The Music Man" with Hugh Jackman and "Company" with Patty Lupone.  Waiting in line for these tickets was outside and much less comfortable - temps in the 20s and 30s with rain and snow one morning.  We were not disappointed - the shows were terrific!
Our time wasn't all spent waiting in line.  We did a fair amount of walking to see the sights on the streets and of seeking the good food recommended by others.
Central Park
Ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza
FAO Schwarz - so full of toys and wonder!
Church of St Paul the Apostle
Times Square
Times Square at night
We learned the hard way that getting our picture taken with these characters was not a good idea.  They would not leave us alone until we paid them for the picture.  One of them had a good grip on my shoulder.  We heard later that people like to dress in costume and try to pick pocket wallets and purses in Times Square.
You can't visit the city without trying New York style pizza and bagels.
The baked goods at Magnolia Bakery (cheesecake and their iconic banana pudding) and Levain Bakery (cinnamon brioche and their iconic chocolate chip walnut cookies) were scrumptious.

We tasted 4 of the 40 flavors of empanadas at Empanada Mama's.  Yummy!
We went to the top of the Empire State Building.  While there, we were asked to record a man asking his girlfriend to marry her.  Don's hands were shaking from the wind and cold while he held the phone to video the proposal.
This is as close as we will get to seeing the Statue Of Liberty (it's on the right side in the middle of the pic).  We were going to go on our last day, but the weather took a turn for the cold - 25 degrees with wind chill of low teens - so we decided not to board the ferry for the island.  Drat!  We'll go next time.
We visited the Harry Potter New York store.  It was very crazy with so many people looking at all of the merchandise.  Before leaving the store, we just had to buy some butterbeer ice-cream.


We're hopping aboard Amtrak again - next stop Philadelphia.

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