OUR VACATION IN NEW YORK - DAY THREE - TUESDAY

On Tuesday morning, after a restful night, we were ready to go again. The plan for Tuesday was an architectural tour of Midtown, the heart and soul of New York City. Again, we took the train to 33rd street. this time we walked north on seventh avenue then east on 40th street to the New York Public Library. When you approach the front entrance of the library you are struck by the opulence of the facade of this Beaux-Arts masterpiece.

New York Public Library

 Inside the library there is sheer elegance. we toured all the sections of the library eventually winding up in the Rose Main Reading Room where we had some free time on a public computer to catch up on some of our emails. All we had to do was show some picture ID.

The Rose Reading Room

After the library we headed east on 42nd street towards Grand Central Terminal. As we walked, we had various views of the Chrysler building. I took pictures at various vantage points.

The Chrysler building

When arrived at the 42nd street entrance to Grand Central I was so impressed with the facade that I had to take pictures of the sculpture, Transportation, adorning the top of the clock. The three figures are Mercury flanked by Hercules and Minerva.

Mercury, Minerva and Hercules on top of clock of facade at Grand Central Terminal

Inside the terminal we were awed by the immensity of the great hall.

Great hall at Grand Central Terminal

When you look up there are figures of the zodiac across a pale blue ceiling.

We walked around the mall and looked in the various shop windows. I took a few pictures of the wonderful cakes in Zaro's window.

Zaro's bakery at Grand Central

We literally walked through the terminal to get to Park Avenue. A few block north of Grand Central is the famous Waldorf Astoria. We waltzed into the hotel as if we were long term residents and sauntered around the lobby and the promenade beyond taking in the art-deco murals, mosaics and ornamentation. If nothing else, the Waldorf Astoria is opulent.

Continuing north on park Avenue for just one more street to 50th street we cane upon St. Batholomew's church. What you notice about St. Bart's from the outside is its intricately tiled Byzantium dome.

St. Bart's Byzantine dome

Inside the church is an oasis of stillness in the activity of Park Avenue. There are lovely stained glass windows

Stained glass window at St. Bart's

and an absolutely beautiful baptismal font that is a sculpture of an angel holding a basin.

Baptismal Font at St. Bart's

Of course, my wife lit a candle which she has done in every church that we have visited.

Back out on the street, we realized that it was noon and we were hungry. After our little extravagance at Momofuku the day before we decided that we would dine off of one of New York's famed curb side food trucks. Since we did not know which one's were best we went with the truck that had the longest line figuring that the best would have repeat customers. We were not wrong. I had a lamb pita and my wife had a Greek salad. For both, we paid $11.00. both of us agreed that lunch was outstanding. We found a place to sit along the side of the church. It was great.

After lunch we walked west along 50th street to St. Patrick's Cathedral. When we entered mass was already under way so we sat down in a pew and waited respectfully until the mass was over. After mass we toured the church. I was impressed with the sheer immensity of the church. Of course, there were also outstanding works of art and sculpture. The architecture of the cathedral was a statement to the faith of the Irish workers who built the church in 1859.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

After St. Patrick's cathedral it was time for more secular sights. We continued north on 5th Avenue then west on 53rd street with the intention of going to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Unfortunately, MoMA is not open on Tuesdays so we had to content ourselves with going into the MoMA shop which probably has one of the most extensive and up to date collections of books on Modern and Contemporary art that I have ever seen. It is a worthwhile trip just to browse through the books in the museum shop.

After browsing through the MoMA shop we walked south down the Avenue of the Americas to Radio City Music hall where I took several pictures of the facade.

Radio City Music Hall

Around the corner and we were in the Rockefeller Center. There is so much to see in the Rockefeller Center that it is hard to see it all at one time.

After all the walking that we had done we felt it was time for a break so we went into Bouchon Bakery that was across the street from NBC.

Bouchon Bakery

I had a coffee, My wife had a tea and we split a muffin. Those three things cost more than the lunch that had purchased from the food truck! Still, it was very good and the ambiance at Bouchon was wonderful. After our brief but expensive refreshment we went back to the lower plaza of the Rockefeller Center to take pictures of Prometheus.

Prometheus

We agreed that we had walked enough and began the trek back to the 33rd street station to take the train back to Jersey City. Taking 7th Avenue to 33rd street took us through Time Square. My wife and I agreed that Time Square was the least favorite part of New York that we toured. Time Square is a larger than life barrage of billboards, flashing neon lights, hustlers and hawkers.

Time Square

We moved through Time Square as quickly as we could. However, we did make one detour to a sewing notions and supplies shop in the fashion district which is just south of Time Square. My wife bought some buttons for the Christening gown that she was making for our granddaughters upcoming christening.

After dinner that evening but before it was dark we went out onto the deck on the top of the building to take pictures of Manhattan. here are some of those pictures.

Lower Manhattan

The Empire State Building  and the Chrysler Building

A close up of the Chrysler Building

OUR VACATION IN NEW YORK - DAY TWO - MONDAY

On the second day of our vacation we decided that we would go see the Empire State building then walk across to Chelsea and visit some of the art galleries that specialize in contemporary art. At least that was the plan. We left the apartment early to go to Exchange Place but instead of going to the World Trade Center we went to 33rd Street station. We figured that Penn Station would be a lot closer to where we wanted to go on Monday. Getting to 33rd Street was a little tricky, we had to go to west to Grove Street station then catch the train to took us to 33rd Street. Altogether, it took about 25 minutes to get to 33rd Street.

When we walked out of the 33rd street station we were a little disoriented so we stood just outside the door looking at our map. Two New Yorkers came over to us and asked if they could help us. They gave us directions to get to the Empire State building. This happened over and over during the following days. There were many New Yorkers who were very friendly and helpful. This was untypical of the stereotype that New Yorkers and rude and indifferent. From 33rd Street we walked east to see the empire State building. As you walk towards the Empire state building you can see it looms large in the skyline. I started taking pictures of the Empire State building from several blocks away.

After looking at the Empire State building we walked to Chelsea around 10th Street and East 29th. to visit some of the art galleries in Chelsea. Unfortunately, we did not count on that fact that most of the galleries in Chelsea would be closed on Columbus day or maybe they were closed because it was Monday. At any rate, we tried half a dozen galleries and they were all closed. On top of that, we did not particularly like the area that we were in so we decided to leave. we walked east to seventh avenue then south to 14th street. the area became much nicer and we enjoyed walking along looking in the shops. we stopped in a bakery and bought a palmier which was delicious.

Flowers outside a flower shop in Chelsea

A really cool looking chair that I saw looking through the window of a design studio in Chelsea that was closed.

This amazing building across from Union Square is called the Decker Building. it is notorious for being the building where Andy Warhol was shot.

Our goal was to make our way to Union Square. There is a farmer's market that is held every Monday at Union Square. as we walked along 14th street there were a lot of interesting things to see. We stopped in a shop were my wife bought some interesting costume jewelery. Eventually we made our way to Union Square. It was a large and varied market. There was every kind of fruit and vegetable that you could think of. I discovered some varieties of apples that I had never heard of. We bought some apples and other items then decided it was time for lunch.

My wife wanted to go to Momofuku, a high end trendy Japanese restaurant in the East Village on 1st Avenue  between East 10th and East 11th streets. By the time that we arrived at Momofuku we were had walked our feet off so we were more than happy to sit down for a while. the place was bustling with people but we were seated almost immediately. A server brought us water and menus as soon as we seated and returned in a short while to take our order. For such a busy restaurant the service was amazing. We ordered their famous pork buns. I ordered Cold Spiced noodles and my wife ordered a ricotta and tomato salad. The pork buns quickly. We had one pork each. It was wonderful! the pork was rich and flavorful and the bun was soft and chewy. It was one of the most original pork buns that I have ever had. The cold noodles that I had were also interesting. The contrast between the spicy noodles and the sweetness of the candied walnuts combined with the spinach made for an unbeatable combination. I thoroughly enjoyed the noodles. My wife loved the ricotta and tomato salad. The cheese was very flavorful and the tomatoes were heirloom tomatoes which added a unique flavor to the salad. All in all, our lunch at Momofuku was a memorable experience.

After our wonderful lunch we were full and content. We decided that we would take the subway all the way to the Bowling Green station where we would take the ferry across to Staten Island. It wasn't that long a ride from the East village to the bottom of Manhattan to catch the ferry. It wasn't that long a wait before the ferry was at the dock and ready to be boarded. Once on board we worked our way to the upper deck and positioned ourselves so that we would have a good view of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We were not disappointed, we were right in position when the ferry chugged passed the Statue of Liberty. I took a lot of pictures just to make sure at least one of them worked out. I think I got at least one good picture.

When we arrived at Staten Island we thought that we might visit some of the sites on the island such as the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. As it turned out, it was enough for us to see the Statue of Liberty and the views of Manhattan. We waited for the next ferry and returned to Manhattan.

After we left the station we walked towards Wall Street. We walked directly into a street festival. I imagine that it was for Columbus Day. I guess any excuse is a good excuse for a party! It was interesting, there were all kinds of vendors of jewelery and clothing and all varieties of foods to tempt any pallet. We continued up the street and came face to face with the protesters in Zucotti Park. We took in the situation, took a few pictures then left. There was a frisson of tension in the air that we really did not want to be part of.

It was back to the World Trade Center station, a quick ride to Jersey City and we were back at the apartment for the evening. We had dinner by ourselves and spent a quite evening along. Out second day in New York was as interesting as the first if somewhat tiring.We literally walked from one side of Manhattan to the other. but look at what we saw!

OUR VACATION IN NEW YORK - DAY ONE - PART ONE - SUNDAY - CHINATOWN

We landed in Newark Airport around 11:00AM. we quickly went through customs and retrieved our bags. In no time we were outside waiting for our driver to pick us and take up the apartment that our son-in-law had graciously made available to us for the our vacation in New York.

By noon, we were settled in the apartment. We had a quick bite to eat then we were ready to head out to Manhattan. As it turns out, the apartment was minutes away from the Exchange Place station. It was just one stop to the World trade Centre and we were in Manhattan. We walked straight up Broadway towards Chinatown. Cutting through City Hall Park we had a great view of the Woolworth building

and saw the amazing sculptures of  Sol Lewitt, something that I did not expect to see.

Continuing on, we crossed into the complex of courthouses that took us directly into Chinatown. Chinatown is like a city within a city. We have been to many Chinatowns in many different cities but nothing matches the depth and breath of New York's Chinatown. As we walked we saw so many different stores.

We were attracted to one of the bakeries that was exuding the most wonderful fragrances. After buying a bag of Chinese pastries we continued our stroll around Chinatown. At one green grocer we saw a grocer selling fresh Durian. Durian is a fruit that you either love it or hate it. The fragrance or Durian can be off putting but the flavor is wonderful. The fruit itself is hidden inside a gourd that is actually used as a weapon in Asian countries. They fruit is soft and yellow. To make a long story short I bought the fruit of the smallest Durian I could find. The grocer extracted the fruit for me and wrapped it up. I would be looking forward to eating it later in the day.

The grocer who removed the durian fruit

The durian husk after the fruit has been removed

There were many jewelery stores in Chinatown that displayed gold pieces like this cute rabbit. This is the year of the rabbit according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

One of the out of the way side streets in Chinatown

Another side street in Chinatown

We walked to the northern limit of Chinatown that turned around and walked back. It was getting on in the afternoon, we were told about an out of the way noodle shop called Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles. The restaurant is located on Doyers St. between Bowery and Chatham Square. It is a little out of the way and takes a little searching to find it. The restaurant is tiny and the decor reminds me of the restaurants that I ate in on Spadina street in Toronto when I was a student at the University of Toronto. Then, we could buy a dinner in Chinatown for $1.25. The table that was left when we arrived was a tiny table beside the front window. We wedged ourselves into the chairs. There was not much room for anything else once we were sitting down. Anyway, Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles lived up to its name. We were hungry so we ordered a lot. We ordered a bowl of soup with noodles, a plate of dumplings, a plate of fried noodles and a plate of baby Bok Choi. The dumplings were definitely the best dumplings that I have ever eaten in my life and i have eaten great dumplings in Hong Kong and mainland China. The fried noodles were also outstanding. The noodles in soup and the baby bok choi were also very good. There was so much food that we wound up taking the bok choi back to the apartment to have for a meal another day. All the food that we ate at Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles was less than $30!



After eating our fill we spend more time exploring Chinatown as we eventually made our way back to the World Trade Center to take the train back to New Jersey. It was a great first day in New York!

OUR VACATION IN NEW YORK - DAY ONE - SUNDAY

We were up at 5:00AM on Sunday morning to catch our flight from Toronto Island on Porter airlines. we could have taken a taxi to the Royal York Hotel but we decided to walk instead. The streets were mostly bare except for the odd person going to or from work or various vagrants sleeping on the streets. We went into Tim Horton's which was right beside the bus stop for the shuttle to the island ferry. We had bought danishes at St. Lawrence market the day before. As soon as we walked out of Tim Horton's the shuttle arrived so we climbed on board, took a seat, ate our danishes and sipped our coffees. It was a typical Toronto, on the go, kind of breakfast. By the time we had finished our danishes the shuttle was ready to go.

It was a short ride to the ferry, less than five minutes. We walked out of the bus and walked directly onto the ferry. It seemed that as soon as we were seated and relaxed for a few moments that we were already docking at the island. I hadn't realized that we had actually left Toronto harbor!

It is a nice set up, you walk off of the ferry and directly into the terminal. we checked in at the desk which was very quick and courteous.

Here are a few pictures I took as we made our way down to the waiting lounge.


Then we took the escalator down the waiting area where we dropped off our check luggage and went through security with our carry on luggage. It all took a few painless minutes and we were in the waiting lounge. The waiting area was open and spacious. There were comfortable chairs to sit in and you could help yourself to coffee, cappuccino, juice and water. There were also biscotti and nuts to eat. while we waited, we read the Globe and Mail newspaper, drank cappuccino and ate biscotti, not a bad way to wait for an airplane. There was also time to use one of the many computers that were available to check my email on line.

Then it was time to leave. After a short walk to the airplane we were seated and the plane took off shortly after. Once in the air we were offered, tea, coffee, wine, beer, water or juice. We were also given a snack to eat; fruit salad and a muffin. Since it was still early in the morning I declined the wine and had coffee instead. The coffee was served in a real cup not a paper cup. Maybe all these little extras seem frivolous but to a frequent traveler like me I really appreciate the little extras that make you feel comfortable and yes, a little special. The flight attendants were also excellent, courteous and attentive but not fawning. flying on Porter Airlines is really flying in style. It reminds me of what air travel used to be like, twenty years ago. I would fly Porter any time, anywhere.

Before we knew it, we were descending to land at the airport in Newark, New Jersey.

OUR VACATION IN NEW YORK : IT STARTED IN TORONTO

For our anniversary this year we decided that we were going to have a vacation in New York City. We took a roundabout way of getting there. Instead of going directly to New York we spent the better part of the weekend in Toronto at the Delta Chelsea hotel. The Delta Chelsea is a great place to stay. It is a very elegant hotel, the service is great, there are three restaurants, and the hotel is strategically located near to the heart of the commercial area of Toronto.

We checked into the hotel about mid morning and immediately went down to St. Lawrence Market.

We had taken the GO train into Toronto and when we arrived at Union Station we purchased a family pass which gave us unlimited travel for the day. The pass cost us $10 but we used $30 worth of subway travel. It is one of the great deals in Toronto. Since it was Thanksgiving weekend in Toronto, St. Lawrence market was packed with people. There were lots of fruits, vegetables, meats and cheese because it was a holiday weekend. After browsing and sampling in the market we had two roast veal sandwiches that were flavorful and filling.

After spending time at the St. Lawrence Market we took the subway to Yorkville to look around the shops and the art galleries. Many of the art galleries were closed for the holiday but we did find two galleries that had interesting art. I like spending time in galleries. It keeps me current and often inspires me with new ideas and concepts.

Between walking around St. Lawrence Market and the art galleries in Yorkville we were exhausted so we returned to the hotel for a rest before dinner. I read while my wife watched cooking shows. Our reservation in the hotel restaurant was at 6:30 PM. We decided to take the Italian buffet at the restaurant Bb33 which was wonderful. There were plenty of salad and vegetable choices with many types of roasted vegetable. I took a sampling of meats which were all excellent as well at Egg Plant Parmesan which is one of our favorite dishes. After dinner we more or less retired for the evening because we had to be up at 5:00AM for our flight to New York but more about that in the next post.

THE BURLINGTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

On Sunday, October 23, 2011, the Burlington Performing Arts Center hosted a community party in honor of the opening of the Burlington Performing Arts Center. It was a lovely fall day, we thought that it would be a nice way to spend an afternoon.

We parked downtown  near city hall and walked the few blocks to the Burlington Performing Arts Center. From a block away we could hear the buzz of activity outside the center. as we approached the center we could see that there was a lot going on outside the entrance of the center.

There was a station where someone was making cotton candy. We had not eaten cotton candy in years so we shared one, a guilty pleasure for sure!

There was a young singer accompanying herself on the guitar. She had a folksy, Nora Jones sound. It was nice to listen to.

Inside the center there was a giant cake that was composed of innumerable cupcakes. There was going to be an official opening later in the afternoon. There were also individual cup cakes that were being given out; more sugar!

The inside of the arts center is very spacious and open. I liked the look of open space.

On the main stage there was a musical group that was playing Beatles songs while a slideshow of Beatles pictures was projected in the background. The most thing for me was that the acoustics of the main hall were quite good. I think it will be an excellent venue for performances of all genre.

This is a picture taken from the mezzanine at the front of the center looking across towards the main hall.

 The sign outside the arts center.

A picture of the front entrance of the Burlington Performing Arts Center.

As we were leaving, the Burlington Teen Tour Band started to march towards the arts center where they would be part of the official opening ceremony with the major of Burlington, Rick Goldring.

I am very proud that Burlington has its own performing arts center. There were many people who opposed for many different reasons. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. The Burlington Performing Arts Center will enrich our community culturally as well as provide economic opportunity to local businesses and inindividuals. The entire community will benefit from the Burlington performing Arts Center.

WHAT WE DID ON OUR VACATION : FLORENCE, ITALY

After our brief visit to France at Toulon we were headed to Florence, Italy. There was so much to see in Florence and so little time. As much as possible, we had everything laid out in Rick Steves guide book. We had it planned that we would have an early breakfast, get to the train station as early as possible which should get us to Florence just after 9:00AM with a change of trains in Pisa. That was the plan but that was not how it turned out.

We left the ship just after 7:00AM as soon as it was possible to leave the ship. We walked as far as the end of the ship where we were stopped by security. They told us that we could not go any further because it was not safe, we would have to take a taxi to the train station which, of course, would be at a ridiculously exorbitant rate. We argued but they would not budge. We were soon joined by two other couples who were as irate as we were. As it turned out the husband of one of the couples was an Italian who grew up in Montreal but still spoke fluent Italian. he struck up a conversation with one of the taxi drivers who offered to drive all six of us to Florence for a mere 55 Euros each. It was a bargain. We all readily agreed and we were on our way. As he drove the driver gave us a running commentary on everything. He said that he would also drive us to Pisa at no extra charge. This was shaping up to be a great day!

The driver parked and let us off directly opposite the cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore with the dome that was completed by Fillipo Brunellischi. The dome of this church is truly one of the engineering wonders of the world. No one had done what Brunellischi had done. He had to invent the machines and technology that he needed to build the dome of the church.

For me, Lorenzo Ghiberti's bronze doors in front of the Florence Baptistery were truly wonderful. I do not know how long I stood there but I could have spent hours studying these magnificent bronze doors.

It was incredible what Ghiberti did in such a small space. He created perspective in a panel that was not much more than a few inches thick.


  After I tore myself away from Ghiberti's Bronze doors we toured the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Even though it was still early in the day It was a small museum but it had an amazing collection of sculpture, mostly from the Renaissance. There were Donatello's

A pieta by Michelangelo.

 

Vincenzo Danti - The Execution of  St. John

After the museum we walked through the streets visiting various sites.

We ate lunch  in front of Santa Maria Novella. It has a beautiful facade.

We would have gone inside to look at the art but we were on a tight schedule and we still wanted to see the sculpture at the Loggia della Signoria..

After lunch we made our way back to the Duomo. It was amazing! When we had first arrived at the Duomo in the morning there were not that many people around. At noon the square was completely packed with tourists. We made our way across the square as quickly as possible holding on to all our belongings because the area was known to be rife with pickpockets. It took us about five or ten minutes to get to the Loggia della Signoria.

On the way to the Loggia della Signoria we stopped at the church of Orsanmichele.

The outside of the Orsanmichele displays many outstanding works of art.

We went into the church and sat for a short time but we had to keep going to get to the Loggia which was our main goal. The Loggia is literally two minutes away from Orsanmichele. I was amazed at the quality and variety of sculpture there. Two of my favorites were The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna and Perseus with the head of Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini. Of course there was so much more but this post is getting too long already.

After we quenched our artistic thirst at the Loggia we stopped at a gelateria for gelato. No matter where you go in Italy the gelato was always outstanding.

We hurried back to our meeting spot near Santa Maria del Fiore to meet our driver. When everyone returned he took us to Michelangelo Park where there were some fantastic views of Florence.

To finish the day off, the driver took us to Pisa on the way back to the boat. We had not planned to go to Pisa because we did not think that there would be enough time.

I hate to say it but once you see the leaning tower of Pisa and perhaps the adjoining baptistery there is not a whole lot to see in Pisa. We were glad that we only planned to stay an hour.

All in all, we had a fantastic day in Florence and Pisa. We were all back on the boat by 5:00PM. I cannot say enough good things about our day in Florence. Sometimes, you just have to take a risk and take advantage of the opportunity that is presented to you.