City, Sand, and Savanna - Link to new trip report

[glennbo123]

Longwood Gardens always makes me giggle. When I was a kid, we took a field trip with my day summer camp and our bus driver totally missed turning into the Gardens and we wound up in Delaware.

It's not that far from Delaware, so it's not as bad as it would seem, but yeah being in the wrong state is always a little disconcerting.

Now I forget -- did you grow up around Philly?

no way that would help you out and still leave me pointless.

Actually, the Rules Committee just informed me that they would dock you 5 points if you did that.

Beautiful photos of the Longwood Gardens, Glenn. Nice job.

Thanks Kathy. Glad you liked them.

Sorry, I was on painkillers and my reading comprehension skills were dulled. Sigh ... I fell down the stairs and hurt my ankle real bad. I hope it heals before our next trip in 6 weeks. Will check out Photo Collage Free

No problem at all. I just didn't want you to start using Instagram and get frustrated because you couldn't figure out how on earth I made a collage with it...when really I used a separate app for that.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Hi everyone! Sorry for hijacking your thread Glenn but I don't have a PTR just yet and thought your TR would be the perfect place to tell everybody.

I'm engaged!!!!! Andrew proposed yesterday at the beach. There were about 10 of us there and everyone had known for about a month! It was a big surprise and so awesome. I just needed to share this with my DIS friends.

 

[jedijill]

Hi everyone! Sorry for hijacking your thread Glenn but I don't have a PTR just yet and thought your TR would be the perfect place to tell everybody.

I'm engaged!!!!! Andrew proposed yesterday at the beach. There were about 10 of us there and everyone had known for about a month! It was a big surprise and so awesome. I just needed to share this with my DIS friends.

Congrats!

Jill in CO

 

[onelilspark]

It's not that far from Delaware, so it's not as bad as it would seem, but yeah being in the wrong state is always a little disconcerting.

Now I forget -- did you grow up around Philly?

Yes I did! I was born in Reading, moved to South Jersey, then up to Allentown, and finally down to Blue Bell. My Mom's whole family is from that area and still lives there. I joke that when it comes to sports if I didn't root for the Phillies or Eagles I'd be disowned!

We almost moved to Kennet Square, which I think is around you? Maybe? But then wound up in Blue Bell instead due to some changes with my parents' jobs at the time.

 

[glennbo123]

Hi everyone! Sorry for hijacking your thread Glenn but I don't have a PTR just yet and thought your TR would be the perfect place to tell everybody.

I'm engaged!!!!! Andrew proposed yesterday at the beach. There were about 10 of us there and everyone had known for about a month! It was a big surprise and so awesome. I just needed to share this with my DIS friends.

That's awesome Yuki!!! Congratulations to you and Andrew both!

I'm glad that you picked my thread to broadcast your great news.

Have you set a date yet?

 

[glennbo123]

Yes I did! I was born in Reading, moved to South Jersey, then up to Allentown, and finally down to Blue Bell. My Mom's whole family is from that area and still lives there. I joke that when it comes to sports if I didn't root for the Phillies or Eagles I'd be disowned!

We almost moved to Kennet Square, which I think is around you? Maybe? But then wound up in Blue Bell instead due to some changes with my parents' jobs at the time.

Wow, you've lived all over the....tri-state area! I didn't realize that.

Yes, we're close to Kennett Square. Just a little further west.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hi Glenn!

I'm back and all caught up. And thanks for the Longwood recommendation!

 

[glennbo123]

Hi Glenn!

I'm back and all caught up. And thanks for the Longwood recommendation!

Welcome back. I'm sure you wished you could have stayed longer. Tell us, how did you love AKL?

No problem sir! Your photog-wife would love it.

 

[glennbo123]

 

[glennbo123]

 

[glennbo123]

Hi....Glennbo posting here for a moment. I probably should have commented with my perspective on the room at the Manhattan Club in the last chapter when Lauren posted pictures of it, but better late than never. From what I’ve seen from the pictures, and hearing Judy and Lauren’s comments and review, it was a really great room. Comfy, spacious (which is saying something considering it was in the midst of Manhattan), and had everything they needed. But the best thing about it was the location. They went everywhere around that city (Lauren’s report is just getting warmed up) and it was a fantastic spot to have as a “home base”. From a DVC trade value, it was okay, probably a fair trade but not a “deal”. It cost 70 DVC points for 3 nights, which from an opportunity cost standpoint I could have rented out at $10/point easily. So that’s $700. There was also a one-time trade fee of $90. And, with this particular hotel there was a $30 hospitality charge which I thought was one-time, but turned out to be for each night so that’s another $90. So, I could look at the total cost as $880, or $293 per night. If I use my “true” cost per DVC point (maint. fees plus a portion of the purchase price) it gets down to around $235 per night. I didn’t really price what it would cost to find something paying cash, but I imagine they’d be comparable to this range of prices, and they would also incur tax. So I think we did all right. I’d do it again as long as I had enough points to use.

Okay, now I’ll turn it back over to Lauren and she can fill us in on the start of Day 2…


My mom and I woke up at 4 am after a restless night of sirens, honking and other city noises. People weren’t kidding when they called it the city that never sleeps! We both got showered, dressed, had breakfast and did the other necessities for readiness. I also grabbed the poster that I had made before we left. I find it to be pretty clever.

Then, right around 5 we left the hotel for the Today show.

On our way, we met another family headed for the show as well. Thanks to the map Mom had on her phone we were able to show them the way. They told us how this was their last day and they were so excited to be on the show. They also told us how their daughters had wanted to camp out near the Today show, which I found odd. Who does that just for the Today show?? Also along the way we met a few men selling Justin Beiber shirts. I personally, am not a fan of his. But I found it odd that this specific shirt was being sold. What was the occasion?

As we came closer to the plaza where the Today show is held I understood. There were screaming teenage girls all over the place and fenced-in pens where fans could stand. The girls were holding signs and going absolutely insane and then I knew. Justin Beiber was doing a concert here today. My heart sank. How was I ever going to be seen and why hadn’t we known that this was happening? Oops. Epic Fail on the part of your Trip Planner.

My mom and I tried to get inside one of the pens that was only about a third full because we were motioned by a security guard. But, one of the other men said bluntly “where are you going?” with a scornful face and that was the end of our hopes.

I cried most of the way back to the hotel as my mom tried to comfort me. I grew up watching the Today show. Being unable to go on and get my shot at seeing it live and in the flesh was heart-breaking. My mom reassured me that we would come back tomorrow but I was still disappointed. We would just have to wait and see.

We got back to the Manhattan Club and immediately slept for a few hours. Thankfully my mom set an alarm. We woke back up at 9 to get ready for our tour of Rockefeller Center at 10. As we walked there, we didn’t see any Beliebers which was lucky for them. I really wanted to punch one of them right in the face. We got to the building and got very little direction on where we were supposed to go for our tour. We had to ask several people before we finally found it, which was my only complaint.

Luckily we did find the right spot and not long after our tour guide, Jason, arrived. He also brought a man with him who was training to be a tour guide. Sadly, neither my mom nor I remember his name. So, I have dubbed him “Unnamed trainee”. Creative, I know. Jason began to hand out headphones and a portable thing to clip to your clothes so you could hear. I was thinking oh no, we’re listening to an audio tape? Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. -- The portable headphones were connected to his headpiece that he spoke into. It was ingenious because we could hear what he was saying no matter where we were, like if we lagged behind to take a picture or if it just got too loud in the building. He asked each group where they were from and the farthest away were from Hawaii and Switzerland!

Then we started the tour and Jason told us we’d be learning mostly about the history, art and architecture of Rock Center. And, he encouraged us to ask questions. But, I never know what to ask. Plus, the whole reason I came here was to learn, because I know little to nothing about the place.
So, he took us around and told us that the floor was still the original from the ‘20s or ‘30s when it was originally built. Sorry it’s blurry, we were moving at the time.

I decided to snap a photo of the NBC peacock, just because.

I didn’t realize how cool it was until I took this next one. This is of the older version of the peacock that was apparently around when my mom was a kid, so the middle ages I’m guessing, lol. You can also see Jason to the right probably talking about the Rockefeller family.

The next four pictures are of paintings on the walls in the building. They show the evolution and civilization of man. It starts with hunter-gatherers, then enlightenment in Greece and Rome, then industrialization, and then a picture of Jesus on Mount Sinai, I think. (Dad interjecting here. It was Moses who went up Mount Sinai. In looking at the picture (4th one down) I think it must be Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount. Okay, back to Lauren.) They actually painted it so you can’t see his face because it’s “too religious” for that building or something ridiculous.

As a side note, while we were standing in this hallway here, the Justin Beiber concert somehow got mentioned. It was funny because Jason said it was the biggest concert they’d ever had on the Today Show. And then someone asked how old Justin Beiber was and everyone looked at me, since I was the youngest person there. I kinda stood there for a second while everyone’s eyes were on me, trying to think if I had recently heard any news about him. It made me pretty nervous. Finally, I said that I thought he was 19 or 20 because I knew he was older than me (I’m 18). Everyone was glad to have missed the crowd and I wished I could’ve. Anyway…just thought I’d tell you an awkward story…

This next painting is how humans hope to be gods one day or something.

Oh, as a side note, we learned that the reason all of these paintings were in the building was because of Mrs. Rockefeller. She wanted to give artists jobs during the Depression and she really loved art. I love a good woman in power. Moving on, I really liked this painting on the ceiling. It’s supposed to represent the past, present and future. And, depending on where you stand, it looks like the man in the middle is leaning the opposite way.

This next painting is behind the front desk. If you look close you can see Abraham Lincoln in the middle with his top hat.

Here’s that same painting I was telling you about before, closer up and now on the other side. Cool, huh?

After that, we went outside and admired the glasswork on the outside. It’s actually made from Teflon, because glass pools at the bottom. Plus, in the time the tower was built, they used all natural light.

This is the artwork above the glass window and it has a god and goddess to the left and right of it (the next two pics).

Before I move on any further I do want to talk about some of the things we learned about the Rockefeller family. We learned that they were very strict Baptist. They didn’t believe in radios or dancing or playing cards or anything like that. I thought that was really interesting. Oh, I think they asked Picasso to do some art in there, but he declined. Also, there are tunnels underneath the Rock Center that were built for the employees way back when. They could go down and get something to eat for lunch and then head back to work all in the same building. We went down there later in the trip and of course now they have modern stores and stuff. It was kinda like a mall. Very cool.

After that we went out and saw the seal where they put the gigantic Christmas tree each year. It even has the date that they’re putting it up, which is November 28th of this year. After the tree is taken away, they give the seal to the family that donated the tree. Isn’t that awesome? Too bad we don’t have any trees big enough…

Then we came out and saw where they put the ice skating rink. Right now, they have some temporary restaurants and stores down there with tents, because it’s just too hot for ice. The gold sculpture is of Prometheus, the greek guy who took fire and gave it to the humans.

continued in next post

 

[glennbo123]

continuation from previous post

This is a picture of the gardens when Prometheus is to your back. Can you see that guy sitting down? He’s the “unnamed trainee”. And the lady in the bottom left corner who’s squinting was in our group as well. I think she was one of the Hawaiians.

This next photo pays homage to the Prometheus sculpture, Lego style.

These are the fountains and hyacinths in the garden. I love hyacinths and the many hues they exude. So pretty.

This is a picture of St. Patrick’s cathedral. It’s a beautiful building.

This is a really nice picture of the Rockefeller building we were previously in. I couldn’t get all the way to the top, but I really like how you can see the sun shining off of the windows. It looks like it’s sparkling.

They have these metal decorations that they put around every tree. Every once in a while, someone has to come out and scrub it down with a toothbrush and cleaner. I don’t envy that person.

This is a picture on the side of the British trading building. It has all of the different colonies and their products represented. Sorry some of them are cut off, but you can see tobacco, coal, sugar, fish, salt and wheat among other things. It’s really beautiful.

This statue is a picture of Atlas holding up the world. The reason it’s just the frame is so that people can see the church and other buildings.

This one is also interesting. When you stand looking at it in the front it looks as if it represents power and perseverance, but looking at it from the back, it seems more like struggle and suffering.

I love this next picture because it almost looks like Jesus in front of the church with God as the sun shining down. This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Then we went inside this other Rockefeller building that had Japanese art on the walls. It was supposed to move, but it hasn’t for a couple of years now.

I just love the beautiful marble walls.

After we exited that building, we saw this artwork that another lady in our group recognized. She must’ve been very into art because she was constantly commenting on it and asking questions. More artwork, more pictures.

Before we went in I took a picture of the NBC sign out front.

Up next: The Top of the Rock
Link to next chapter

 

[marvali]

Zero Judy's

.....although in the first update where Lauren talks about going outside to look at the glasswork that is actually teflon, the bottom left corner shows the very top of someone's head and you can see the hair that very possibly could be Judy, but that would be a stretch to know that for sure..........

I'm guessing once again the two updates will count as actually one for contest purposes........lol

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

im going to say 1 as you can see the reflection of all of hte passerbyes in the doors.

 

[Reddog1134]

I checked for an update just before you posted this one.

Very nice update. I love looking at old buildings and learning about their history. I love learning the history of anything actually.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

wow alot of information sounds like a good tour, and good picture taking.

 

[vamassey1]

Hi everyone! Sorry for hijacking your thread Glenn but I don't have a PTR just yet and thought your TR would be the perfect place to tell everybody.

I'm engaged!!!!! Andrew proposed yesterday at the beach. There were about 10 of us there and everyone had known for about a month! It was a big surprise and so awesome. I just needed to share this with my DIS friends.

Congrats Yuki!

 

[Poolrat]

Zero Judy's

.....although in the first update where Lauren talks about going outside to look at the glasswork that is actually teflon, the bottom left corner shows the very top of someone's head and you can see the hair that very possibly could be Judy, but that would be a stretch to know that for sure..........

I'm guessing once again the two updates will count as actually one for contest purposes........lol

I concur unless Judy was wearing blue and that is her in one of the first pictures.

 

[vamassey1]

Impressive update! Lots of great information and pictures. So much art work and history. I also love history. I think I would really enjoy this tour too.

 

[BMC423]

Love this update! Great Rock Plaza history, I love NYC building history as well.
I'm sorry all the JB fans ruined your morning, the were girls camping out there for days. I try not to judge because I was (still am) a huge Backstreet Boys fan.

I love the church picture as well what a great shot! Just an FYI that's actually St. Patricks Cathedral, Judy and Lauren should have gone inside it's very beautiful and you can tour the cathedral at no cost.

That area is really nice and it's extra nice at Christmas times with all the decorations and lights. I never even knew they had a seal for the tree! We go see the tree every year, and I walk by this location all the time and I never noticed!

I like Lauren's description of Atlas... I've never thought of it that way but yes it makes sense.