Austins in the Big Apple5/10- It's Complete!!
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statelady01 · 05-03-2005, 10:43 PM

After exiting the Zoo, we headed back from whence we came and stopped back by the Dairy- which we had seen earlier. We also came across a lovely building that turned out to be the gift shop for the park, run by the Central Park Conservancy.

It was quite busy but really had many nice things for sale, including a pretty impressive selection of Strawberry Fields themed merchandise- I considered a tee but they looked on the tiny side so I decided against it. In the middle of the store, there was a lovely display diorama of the whole park and many people, Kevan included looked at it for some time.

Even though the Gates display had been taken down from Central Park a few weeks ago- there was a lot of souvenir merchandise still being sold. After looking around quite awhile, we found a really cute coffee mug for Kevan’s mom and it was $10- which I think is the going rate for a coffee mug at Disney? We bought the mug and headed out of the shop to see if we might be able to get into Tavern on the Green a bit early before our 12:30 reservation time.

It was quite a walk but we enjoyed it and found ourselves upon the Sheep Meadow section of the park- it was actually open for people to sit, walk and play on. I couldn’t have imagined a better area- HUGE wide open green spaces with the Manhattan skyline surrounding. Several groups of school kids were playing way off in the distance. New Yorkers have a tremendous natural gift in Central Park- it was everything we pictured and then some.

Kevan found a spot and we just sat there soaking in the sun for about a half an hour- also just taking in all the views. The weather was perfect for doing this!

Hunger was setting in so we decided to make our way to Tavern on the Green - which was slightly visible from our vantage point in Sheep Meadow. When we got there, it was surreal after seeing it for many years in photographs and television. It’s a beautiful place, inside and out.

When we opened the door to walk in, there was a line extending right to the door frame and we figured out that they technically weren’t open yet- it was shortly before 11:30. Kevan suggested sticking it out even though he would have to wait in this line not sure if they could accommodate us with an early seating. Me being the photo hound- I asked the host if I could wander and take a few pictures on the terrace and in the corridors to which he replied an accent thick “Sure.”

The corridors leading to the dining rooms are almost covered in exquisite stained glass- it’s positively stunning.

Out on the terrace are tables and a small bar if you choose to wait out there. Several topiaries are also bordering the terrace- this elephant was very cute although the gorilla seemed an odd choice and I would come to notice that more when we were seated.

I caught a glimpse of the Crystal Room, which overlooked the terrace and been hoping for weeks that this is the room they would seat us in.

After taking a few gazillion photos, I found Kevan who was on his way to get me- no problem in getting us in early. We handed a seating card to a host at the end of one of the corridors- low and behold, he showed us to a table in the Crystal Room!

I can only imagine how exquisite this area must be for a wedding or even at Christmas- it’s truly breathtaking and probably one of the most spectacular dining rooms I have ever been it. All the potted plants and flowers (which were everywhere and in gorgeous spring colors) were real. The ceilings had intricate moldings and the chandeliers were beautiful.

Our Captain- Francias came immediately to take our drink orders while we looked over the menu. The price fixe lunch at $34 per person immediately caught my eye- for that you got an appetizer, main course and dessert- which I thought was extremely reasonable. Kevan agreed that might be the way to go so we both went for it. He chose the Caesar salad, Roast Pork Loin with Barbecue Glaze served with black beans and sweet corn salad with Jalepeno corn bread. I went for the Herb Roasted Chicken with Fresh Green Beans and Creamed Potatoes. When we ordered, we were asked for our dessert selections- which sort of took me by surprise having to pick them out before the meal was even served- but at any rate, we picked the cheesecake (of course!) and lemon torte.

In true Disney style, a photographer showed up and started a spiel- no obligation to buy, so why not? The picture turned out to be pretty good and we ended up buying it- it came in a really nice book like folder for $20.

Our salads came first and were excellent- Kevan thought the Caesar was some of the best he had ever had and mine was just as good. There was a bit more of a wait for the main courses- but were they ever worth it!

Everything was superb and I immediately ranked the quality up there with the California Grill- definitely one of the best experiences I have ever had. Remarkably, I finished about ¾ of the main entrée- and Kevan managed about the same. I finally pushed the plate away as dessert was still coming.

As we were waiting on dessert I got a glimpse of that gorilla topiary- clearly visible from our table and boy, it was weird- it was like he was standing there trying to convince someone to let him in: ??

Dessert was served promptly after the main course- and let me say four words- melt in your mouth. I preferred the lemon torte over the cheesecake and actually, Kevan did too.

The total for the meal with tips for the Captain and the server assistant came to $108.81- and we felt a fair price, given the quality of the experience and food. It sounds kind of hoky to say a meal was a dream come true but given the heritage of Tavern on the Green- getting to eat here was exactly that- and it ranks probably in my top 3 favorite things about our trip.

On the way out- I stepped out onto the terrace to get a few photos- this one being one of my favorites:

Coming Up Next: How many movies do we have to watch???

statelady01 · 05-03-2005, 11:00 PM

Onward and upward to the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. It was bit of a walk and the wind had really kicked up to make it a very cold and miserable walk for someone who didn’t dress appropriately! Sigh!

Time Warner Center is a really sleek modern building. We entered on the 58th street side to find our way to the CNN Studios to check in for our tour- even though we were really early. There’s a great shopping mall inside called the Shops at Columbus Circle- it was so neat to walk in to that expecting an office building!

There were some great shops on the first floor- including the New York shop of Stuart Weitzman- ladies- you know him- the designer of the one million dollar Oscar shoes??

Also on the first floor were some names I didn’t recognize. Up on the second floor was a huge Borders Books and Movies- so we headed up there to browse. We found a Lemony Snicket book for Aaron- who has become quite the reader. There was quite an extensive selection of bargain books as well.

After the bookstore, we found the CNN store which was the starting point for the CNN tour. There was lots of merchandise on sale other than CNN- stuff from the Time Warner networks like Cartoon Network, HBO and others.

Kevan headed back to the desk and as luck would have it there were two spots on the 1:45 tour- an hour earlier than we planned- the rep offered us the spots. I jumped on that as I was already getting pretty tired and the thought of getting back to the hotel early was sounding more and more appealing.

We met our tour guide Sarah who was a little over the top with the hand gestures but other than that was fairly good. In true Disney fashion, we were subjected to the pre-show, a 5 minute long film narrated by Paula Zahn about CNN changing the way the world viewed news. After it ended, we were given our passes and taken down a hallway to the first set of windows on to a studio floor. The set we saw was from Newsnight with Aaron Brown- half of our tour group did not even know who he was. Then we were shown the Anderson Cooper 360 set and I immediately recognized the Larry King Live Set- because of the lights- very distinctive. These three actually shared one giant set and the individual ones were absolutely tiny- nothing as they appear on TV.

We asked about the American Morning set but Sarah told us that set is on 6th avenue for the street background- however, most likely would be moving over within the next year or two.

Behold another hallway – complete with flat screen televisions and another film. This one was about the launch of CNN as a network and frankly, pretty boring even for a CNN watcher like myself.

Next we were led to a green scree with a teleprompter where Sarah explained some special effects and asked for a volunteer to try out reading the teleprompter. A British guy did it and mighty well I might add.

We then were directed to a long window overlooking a news production floor- there were about 20 producers in cubicle like set ups working phones and on computers. To the immediate right and left of the main floor were the offices for Anderson Cooper and Paula Zahn- and actually, they were pretty small. They weren’t anywhere around.

After this we were taken to the window to the control room and another movie outlined the specific duties of each production job. Control room was also quite small and I found it interesting that they had a complete row of televisions with the competitors on each one.

In the next hallway, we were shown the massive servers, cables and wires as well as given an explanation of satellite transmissions and feeds. CNN mainly broadcasts news programming from Atlanta and then the different shows such as Aaron Brown and Anderson Cooper are from New York. One thing I did learn is that even though you may have heard of the many national and international bureaus around the world ( I think there were 22 in all) only 4 have broadcasting capabilities- New York, Atlanta, London and another one I forgot.

On the final hallway, there were two display cases and the only things in them were a hardhat signed by first responders to the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995 as well as a news camera that took the first footage from the fall of Baghdad.

We ended the tour with another movie- this one narrated by Soledad O Brien, Wolf Blitzer and Lou Dobbs of how they came to be journalists. Overall, this tour was a big disappointment- it felt like it was thrown together and a makeshift operation- I am sure the Atlanta one has got to be better.

Exhausted, we headed via the subway back to the hotel as light rain began to fall. Kevan was not a happy camper as the last thing he wanted to do was watch the Yankees this evening in a downpour.

Coming Up Next: They call it like they see it…

loobyoxlip · 05-03-2005, 11:09 PM

Wow, that restaurant is incredible. And I was VERY surprised to hear the fixed price lunch. I was figuring it was way more than that! How beautiful. But I do agree, that gorilla is quite odd!

Sorry the CNN tour seemed to be a bust.

**DopeyGirl** · 05-03-2005, 11:16 PM

Great update!!! We have the CNN Tour on our list of things to do in Atlanta next time we go up there . . . I really just want to go see Bill Hemmer

. . . hubba hubba!!!

Having just seen a baseball game in a downpour myself, I am interested to hear about what happened with the Yankees game that night!!!

**LizardCop** · 05-04-2005, 06:00 AM

I

your trip reports!!!

More... PLEASE????????

GoofyMom · 05-04-2005, 07:55 AM

Hoo Boy! That Crystal Room was breathtaking!!!

I love that picture of you in the park with nobody nearby! Certainly not the typical NYC stereotype of people everywhere!

lauren-roxy · 05-04-2005, 08:18 AM

Great update Maureen!! I just ove Tavern on the Green too, one fo the best meals I have ever eaten!! Sorry your CNN tour wasn't the best, would love to meet Anderson Cooper or Soledad O'Brien. Hurry back with more, I am really enjoying your trip report!

crystalloubear · 05-04-2005, 10:16 AM

I am so glad that you enjoyed lunch in MY room

It really is beautiful there and the food is so yummy!! When you came in from the lobby area to the Crystal Room - did you notice the hallway to the right just past the one podium?? I think its the 2nd door on the left - that's the "private" dining room that Regis frequents.
Cool report! Its funny - we live 1 hour 15 minutes out of the city and have gone there on day trips all our lives. Heck, my sister went to Columbia U. in NYC - I guess we take it for granted all the things there that are amazing like just sitting on the grass in Central Park.

Jennifer2003 · 05-04-2005, 10:45 AM

Great update!!!

Jennifer

mestitch · 05-04-2005, 11:10 AM

I'll have to tell DH you went by the spot where John Lennon was killed. He is a HUGE Beatles fan and has already said we have to go there ourselves on our day. How exciting you ate at Tavern on the Green!! And that really wasn't too bad for lunch for everything you got. I might have to mention that one to hubby

poohsgirl · 05-04-2005, 11:39 AM

<font color="purple">Wow, Tavern on the Green, is gorgeous! I loved the detailing on the ceiling and the Crystal Room!

Reading everything that you've done is really making me feel so guilty for not taking advantage of the city!

</font>

BabieeMelly · 05-04-2005, 12:05 PM

Oh, Tavern on the Green in my favorite! The NBc Christmas party is there every year and we've been going since my brother and I were realy little... it's GORGEOUS in there, especially when it's all decorated for the holidays!