Well, it took me a bit longer to complete my trip report than Perky2sol (Gail) to complete hers but I'll just say it was because my trip happened after hers.
We did many of the same things as Gail but I decided to include everything we did for completeness' sake.
Here it is in all of its glory.
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Travelers: me(Lew, aka L2L), DW(Lisa), DD(Lauren,11), DS (Luke,8) and our close friends, Wes, the dad, Charlotte, the mom, Sarah (16), and John (10)
Purpose: Lisa has wanted to go to NYC all of her life and never been able to go except for a layover at JFK on our trip to Europe in 1990, and that doesn't count. All she wanted for Christmas this year was this trip but we had to do it on a low-dollar budget because of the upcoming trip to WDW later in the month. Our friends had been planning to go with us to WDW just as they had in 2003 (Charlotte is one of us Disneyholics but keeps it in the closet
) but Wes' work got crazy just as we were making airline reservations and he knew he'd have to back out as there was no way he could miss a week of work. He wanted the rest of his family to come with us to WDW but they wouldn't leave him behind.
Although we had everything planned for this NYC trip, Lisa felt bad for our friends and asked if Wes could miss one day of work to come to NYC with us and they lept at the offer, especially since the day he would miss was they day after New Years, practically a holiday for many anyway.
We left home (Northern Virginia)early New Year’s Day 2004 and had very little traffic up to Jersey City where we arrived at Liberty State Park at about 11:00. From there we took the very short ferry ride to Ellis Island where we explored for a couple of hours. The main building itself is impressive. The most interesting thing to me was the display of “artifacts” for lack of a better term, brought over by the immigrants from their native lands. Such a wide variety of items!
I had always heard the sob stories of Ellis Island, of families divided with perhaps a member or two returned to the mother country for whatever reason. The fact of the matter was that this was a very, very small fraction of the total number of immigrants that poured through the island. And it wasn’t a single decision to reject a person, either. If there was a suspicion that a person had a physical or mental problem that would cause them to rely on public support, their clothes were marked with a code and they’d be inspected by another and then yet another team. If there was still a concern about the person, they went before a board for a final hearing and they only rejected about 3% of those they saw. The immigrant could then hire a lawyer and appeal to Washington but the board’s rulings were rarely overturned.
An interesting point was the “kissing post”. It was a guard post inside the main hall and perhaps the best duty station on the island. Immigrants would take one of three paths out of the main hall. The first was to go for additional screening. The second was to go and purchase ferry and train tickets once you had cleared immigration. The third, by the kissing post, was where you went to meet someone who was waiting for you once you had cleared immigration. If you had this post you would witness numerous heartwarming reunions every day.
Up until immigration quotas were set by Congress, it was pretty much a free flow into the country. Once the quotas were in place, however, entire shiploads of passengers could be turned away if the quotas for the month had been filled. Ellis Island closed for immigration purposes in the 1950s but now is a part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. I wish we had been able to spend at least another hour there.
We then took an even shorter ferry ride to Liberty Island and the statue itself. The Statue is still closed due to security concerns so we had about 15 minutes to hike around to the front of the island, take a few snapshots, and head back to the ferry or be stranded there for another 90 minutes with nothing more than a gift shop to look at. We chose the 15-minute option.
After returning to Liberty State Park, we moved on to our hotel, a Courtyard by Marriott also in Jersey City ($84.95/day AAA plus $14/day parking), where we checked in and freshened up before heading into the City. Nice rooms, standard Courtyard. We headed over to Little Italy for dinner, which was wonderful. Everything was still decorated for Christmas and Mulberry Street was jam packed with people, so it was quite a festive atmosphere. Afterwards we caught taxis to the Empire State Building, taking in several of the attractions there but there was at least a two-hour wait to go to the observation deck so we held on to our tickets for that part until the next evening and returned to the hotel for a good night’s rest. [One note here. We had The Unofficial Guide to NYC and our friends had The Idiots' Guide to NYC. Their book was much better than ours, IMHO.]
Ground Zero was first on our itinerary the next morning (Friday, 1/2). Our hotel was right on the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) subway line, which was very convenient. While most times we took it to and from Herald Square (maybe 10 minutes), this morning we took the WTC line. Much to our surprise, the train took us right into the cavity left after the cleanup of the events of 9/11. It was exciting to realize where you were, but it also felt like we were violating sacred ground.
After we left the station, we walked the perimeter of Ground Zero. There was much work going on inside the gaping hole and a fence had been constructed all the way around it. On the fence were placed signs showing the history of the area, a history of the towers, and detailing the events of 9/11/01, not only in NYC but also in DC and PA. There were lists of those lost at each location. On the Pentagon list I was able to find the wife of a co-worker of mine. This area reminded me of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in DC. There were pictures, notes, and other mementos placed near names or at the base of the fence. Most striking was a cross, actually two girders from one of the towers, mounted at one end of the site. I remember when they found it and I am glad they kept it there.
The site left me with mixed emotions. It was heart-wrenching to say the least to remember the events of that day and to imagine what it must have been like. There was also a bit of anger at the tourists just snapping away with their cameras. “Can you get a picture of me and the Mrs. with Ground Zero in the background?” But I had to admit that I also felt as they did. It reminded me of driving through the Manassas Battlefield near my home. Sometimes it is just a route between here and there. Other times it is as a tourist, “Look at the cannon ball stuck in the side of that house.” And, especially in July and August, it is with a sense of awe and grief remembering how many people were killed there in two separate battles.
We next walked over to the World Financial Center where they had on display models of the various finalists in the competition for the memorial to be built at the site. Also there was a display of various items recovered from the site. None of the proposed memorials struck me as much as the cross did but I understand how things like that go.
We then struck out for Chinatown for some lunch, walking past City Hall on the way. New York City is made for walking! Lunch was a very different experience for us. The restaurant (The Golden Unicorn)had a menu but it also had ladies pushing carts around the dining room. On each cart would be three to five different items, some, like spring rolls or fried rice, fairly common in our past experiences. Others, like shark fin soup or chicken feet, we’d never seen before. Most everything we tried was new to us but we did stay away from the more exotic items.
We figured it must be fairly authentic as the place was packed and we were the only Caucasians in there. I thought it was tasty and would go back again but not everyone in the party shared my opinion, especially the kids. It was reasonably priced, too. The eight of us got out of there for less than $50, including tip. It really helped make up for dinner in Little Italy the night before, which was quite expensive.
After lunch we walked through Chinatown and took in all of the different sights and sounds along the way to the subway station. It was a real eye-opener to the kids. We then hopped on the subway and rode it up to 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue). We strolled up 6th Avenue to Radio City Music Hall and headed into Rockefeller Plaza. The tree and decorations were quite nice and the kids said they enjoyed watching skaters fall down on the ice.
We had our picture taken by an NBC photographer but ended up not liking any of the proofs so didn’t purchase any of them. Then it was across 5th Avenue to look at the Christmas displays in the windows at Saks. It was hard to believe people were actually queued up to look at department store windows but the line went all in front of the store and half way down the side. The windows’ theme was “Life is a Song.” The series of six windows showed three young students preparing for a Christmas sing-a-long concert. They had narration that went along with the windows that the kids said reminded them of something at Walt Disney World, and I agree. It was fun to try to find the tortoise and the hare in each of the windows. Of the three stores we saw (Lord and Taylor and Macy’s came later), Saks was definitely third place.
After a brief walk through the store to look at purses on sale (50% off!) for $300 (no, not original price but rather the marked down price!),
we headed over to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. As with all gothic-style cathedrals, I found it to be beautiful. We spent about an hour taking it all in.
From there it was down Fifth Avenue towards Times Square. We had hopes of going to the TKTS booth to try and get some discounted tickets to a Broadway show. We enjoyed looking at all of the shops and people along the way. One stop was the American Girl Place where Lauren did a little shopping while the boys made sure the pavement didn’t go anywhere.
Once we entered Times Square, however, it became a frantic attempt to keep the group together. The place was absolutely packed but it was also spectacular. We couldn’t even get into Toys R Us, it was so crowded, but at least we could see the legendary Farris wheel inside. One problem was at Planet Hollywood, which made sure its doors were opened out onto the sidewalk, taking up almost half of the walking space and creating quite the traffic jam. If anyone tried to close them, the rather imposing bouncer yelled rude things at the offender and opened the doors back up. Ah, New York!
As we approached the TKTS booth, it became obvious that there was no way we were going to get any discounted tickets that day. The booth is located on a small traffic island all by itself and the island was jam-packed with people. It looked like there was no available space to stand and a quick poll of the adults resulted in a unanimous vote to try next time we come to visit.
There were also street performers everywhere. Two of my favorites were a group playing percussion on 5 gallon buckets, trashcans, etc. like the JAMMitors at Epcot while the other was a fellow who’d painted himself and his clothing totally in gray and then acted as a living statue, like Imaginum, also at Epcot. While neither was as good as what we saw at Walt Disney World, both were very good none the less.
We were all getting to be quite hungry so we opted to head into the ESPNZone. The boys had been such good sports while the girls and ladies shopped that we felt it was time to do something for them. We were told it would be a two-hour wait for a table but we ended up waiting not even a half-hour. After a fun dinner at a table looking right down on Times Square, we got the kids passes so they could play some of the games. While they tried many games, duck pins was the big winner.
As it got darker, the lights of Times Square came to life and it became even more spectacular to behold. It was time, we decided, to head over to the Empire State Building to use our tickets for the observation platform. We headed back over to 5th Avenue and saw the famous lions in front of the NY public library and the windows at Lord & Taylor. They told the story of the famous “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” editorial in the New York Sun.
The windows illustrate the story, starting with a scene in the well-to-do family's grand home (the father was a successful doctor). As the mantle is hung with garland, Virginia voices her doubts and her father urges her to write a letter to the newspaper. “If you see it in the Sun, it's so.” The windows then follow the story to Virginia mailing the letter at the main post office; the reply being assigned to editorial writer Francis P Church, the “go to” guy for tough subjects at the New York Sun; Virginia and her Mom shopping for the holiday, as the front page of the New York Sun proclaims “Santa is Real;” and on to bed the night before Christmas with Santa, who has been seen undercover in every scene, now in his sleigh with his reindeer flying through the sky. The final window shows Santa and the elves relaxing on Christmas Day after a hard job well done. A lot of fun! Overall, the windows were very well done indeed, very lush and plush, and my personal favorite of the three stores we viewed.
When we finally arrived at the Empire State Building it was virtually empty. We went quickly through the security check and straight up to the observation deck after winding through empty queue areas that had been full of people just the night before. The city at night was a sight to behold, as was the building itself, decked out in red and green lights at the top. One could see the glow of Times Square, the lights on all of the bridges from the George Washington in the north to the Verrazano Narrows in the south, and the torch of Lady Liberty glowing in the harbor. It was a mild night so we were able to stay outside as long as we wanted without being rushed inside by a cold wind or rain.
After we left the ESB, it was on to Macy’s at Herald Square to view the windows there. They were based on the film A Christmas Story, a favorite of mine during the holiday season. The widows show six scenes from the flick: The first was the boys (Ralphie Parker and his brother Randy) looking through the window of a department store at all of the toys in the window; the famous scene where Ralphie's friend gets his tongue stuck to the school flagpole; Dad Parker receives a “Major Award,” a lamp in the shape of a fishnet-stockinged leg; Ralphie's visit to Santa to plead for his BB gun (“What d’ya want that for? It’ll put your eye out,” says Santa); the four dogs chowing down on the turkey Dad has been craving before the Parkers can sit down to dinner; and finally Mom and Dad relaxing before the tree with a glass of champagne while Ralphie and Randy are asleep with all of their new toys. What we didn’t know is that around the corner on the 34th Street side of the store are, appropriately, the Miracle on 34th Street windows. I wish we’d known…
The girls took the opportunity of an amazing lack of traffic to jump into the center of the star in front of Macy’s that you always see during the Thanksgiving day parade so I could snap their photo. It was pretty funny. Glad they made it out alive as I guess a light changed somewhere and the traffic started to pour down Broadway. Afterwards it was back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and whirlpool, then off to bed.
The next morning (Saturday, 1/3) we had tickets to the 11:00 showing of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. I had found a 25% discount code if I ordered the tickets online through Ticketmaster. What we later discovered is that it also included a free bottle of Coke and popcorn for each ticket, a pretty good deal. Since we had to check out and get to the show, we got a pretty early start and had time to walk up 6th Avenue to Central Park, through the Plaza (the kids had seen it in so many movies and wanted to see the real thing), and across to FAO Schwarz (which is in bankruptcy and going through a final clearance, kinda sad). We found a little deli across the street that served breakfast and we all got a bagel or something to eat as we strolled down Fifth Avenue back towards RCMH.
I had originally ordered our tickets when this was just a Christmas present to Lisa and only the four of us were going. A few weeks later, Lisa invited our friends along and they decided to go to see the Rockettes also. With that much time in between ordering of tickets, we figured we’d be somewhat far apart, even though we knew they’d be in the same general area. Well, we never bothered to look at the tickets and boy were we surprised that in a sold out show we were sitting right next to each other! And what a show it was. It stared the Rockettes, Santa Claus, at least one camel, six sheep, two donkeys, a 35-foot-tall Christmas tree, and more than a hundred other performers.
It begins with a pre-show about twenty minutes before curtain time of two men playing holiday favorites such as “Sleigh Ride,” “I'll Be Home for Christmas”, and “Carol of the Bells” on the humongous Wurlitzer organs situated on either side of the stage. Then the live orchestra starts the show proper with the overture. And they don’t just stay in the orchestra pit. They rise on a platform from the back of the stage, move towards the front of the stage, then the platform descends into the traditional orchestra pit area. Of course it doesn’t stay there the entire show. You never know when or where it is going to show up.
When that was done, we popped on our handy-dandy Spectacular Specs (a pair was glued onto every program) to watch a great 3-D movie in which Santa Claus, the Statue of Liberty, and a number of other landmarks loom so close that we really feel we can reach out and touch them. Even in the 3rd Mezzanine the 3-D effect was great, and it was a fun movie to watch as well.
Our host for the show was a jolly fellow known as Santa Claus, who now made his entrance, and introduced the acts in turn. There were teddy bears dancing an abridged Nutcracker; the Rockettes impersonating a parade of toy wooden soldiers who get knocked down with astonishing finesse at the end of the number( my second favorite part of the show); a New York street scene featuring Santa and company rockin' and rollin'; a gorgeous segment entitled “White Christmas in New York” featuring the Rockettes as mannequins in a store window who magically come to life and then perform their trademark taps and kicks under the approving eye of an animated man in the moon (he indicates his favor by showering the ladies with glittering moondust) followed by a pair of skaters dancing on the ice in a replica of the famous Rockefeller Center rink. Likewise, the “Santa's Toy Workshop” number, though it does drag on for a while, peaks with the Rockettes decked out as three dozen reindeer, hoofing (sorry) and then leading Santa's sleigh out as a grand finale. Speaking of Santa, the “Here Comes Santa Claus” number features a stage full of Kris Kringles - more than I could count! The show was charmingly old-fashioned. It reminded me a little of those Bing Crosby/Andy Williams Christmas shows back in the 60s and 70s but it was exactly everything I’d hoped it would be.
Just as you think everything is over, we were reminded of the reason for the season. The lighting changes and the music becomes more serious as they present “The Living Nativity” (complete with camels, donkeys, and sheep). It is really gorgeous. The a narrator begins to read (this is close to what he says):
[ QUOTE ]
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.
[/ QUOTE ]
After the show, it was time to head out of town. We headed down to Herald Square and ducked into Macy’s to do a little last-minute shopping then it was time to catch the PATH to NJ to retrieve our cars, and then to head down the turnpike and I-95 back home.
It was a nice visit and it was fun to see the city decorated for Christmas, something none of us had ever seen. I would be remiss if I failed to note that mutual friends of both families were staying in the same hotel as us on a trip separate from ours (they had been visiting family in NJ and decided to take their kids into the City for their first visit there). We tried numerous times to link up but it was almost comical how close we were to each other but just couldn't close the gap. Well, the bottom line is that they had a good time and so did we, and we all have gotten together to compare notes and laugh about it since.
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Pixie Dust
Glad you had a great time, it's such a great city to visit, especially at Christmas 
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