New York City - My First Time

I noticed today, when I threw on my socks and shoes (because it is cold here today) that I had grabbed my socks that say "NYPD" on them.  They bring back a great memory!  I love New York City. I have had the privilege of traveling to different places with my job.  And I am very thankful for some of the places I have gotten to see for myself. In December of 2000, we were working in Delaware.  Our stay was extended a couple of weeks.  My friend and mentor, Nadine and I decided to take the weekend and go to New York City.  I had never been there, she had.  I was so excited, I was beside myself! I talked her into driving into the city instead of taking the train because I wanted the full effect!!!  So against her best wishes, we drove in. The temperature was dropping fast and on one of our pitstops, I realized that I needed some warmer socks and I bought these socks with NYPD on them. I am not sure the length of the drive but before you knew it, I was starting to see the signs!!! First, was the skyline of course, in the distance, excitement was mounting! I was the little kid that was driving the adult driver concerned about traffic, plumb crazy! Then we arrived at the entrance of the Holland Tunnel, severely cool, almost there!  We drove under the river!  We had arrived - NYC traffic!  I wasn't driving of course, I loved every minute of it.  New York City traffic is such a sight and sound to behold!  It is like choreographed chaos!  And the honking and sounds were a crazy wonderful symphony.  I loved it! I was hanging out the window like a puppy dog, pointing "look at that, there is the...."  I know Nadine was a mixture of "shut up, I'm trying to drive" and completely amused by this girl's amazement! This is going to be a multi-parter I can tell.  There is no way to tell it all in one post.  We stayed at an older hotel called the Ambassador or something like that.  It was just a block off Broadway.  We parked the car in a garage for the weekend and checked into the hotel.  My room was so small, the bed took up the whole room.  My suitcase was on the floor in front of the door or the bathroom door, I had to keep moving it back and forth.  I looked outside my upper floor room window and saw the much seen multi level roof tops with the wooden water towers all over the place.  The first thing we did after that was take out on foot to see the city!  A couple of blocks away (it was now dark) was the amazing Times Square!   My favorite part, like a kid in a candy store, I could barely take it all in, so big, so bright and so wonderful.  I loved, loved, loved Times Square at night.  It was amazing.  Not just the marquees, the lights, the plays and the people.  It was the life, the excitement!   It truly is the city that never sleeps. Now to add to ALL the excitement and things to see, let us add the fact that it was CHRISTMAS!!!!!  So all the lights and decorations were everywhere multiplying my excitement! I have to stop here and say, the temperature was dropping dramatically.  I love the street vendors, I stopped and bought another muffler, heavier gloves and a couple of those head bands that cover your ears!!!  It was more than cold, it was freezing!  But we kept walking. Down a little to Radio City Music Hall and then around the corner to the Rockefeller Center.  The huge Christmas tree was beautiful, a very large Grinch was walking around and of course I had my picture made with him in front of the tree.  We saw the ice rink and walked around for the view through the lit trees down the center to the gold statue of Prometheus.  We were then on 5th Ave.  Stopping to look at the decorated holiday windows and to get a Starbucks warming cup of coffee, we kept walking all the way down to the Empire State Building.  My feet were now numb from walking and the cold.  Talk about a freezing activity, we were on the top of the Empire State Building until it closed at 11:30pm.  The view of course was not as good as during the day, but all the city lights were amazing from up there. By the time we arrived back at the hotel after midnight, we were blocks of ice.  I estimated that we had walked over 45 blocks that night in teen digit temperatures. This post only spoke of the first night I had arrived.  We did 100 things that weekend, seems like.  It was not my only trip and I intend that I have not had my last trip there.  I will tell more of this and other trips to NYC later, but one of the great things about this special trip was that we were in Grand Central just at the right time when they started the laser show on the ceiling!  I love the Grand Central Market too!  Another great thing was that I was able to do Christmas shopping at NY Macy's, FANTABULOUS!  NYC rocks!