New York or Orlando?? Heck, let`s do both.....12 nights NYC & Sapphire Falls...July 18 Trip Report

[keishashadow]

I feel very special thank you. Aside from the spiritual aspect that fills me when seeing such a beautiful church, the architecture is amazing in it’s own right.

Flat iron building has interesting back story. You have to do a double take no matter how many times you see it.
Must be interesting for Tom to have the professional expertise to appreciate it in a technical sense vs purely visual.

Have heard of but never experienced the phenom wherein the buildings tend to make odd noises when swaying in high winds, enough that you can hear in the streets. Not sure if urban legend or not, but it would surely be unsettling to experience if true.

 

[schumigirl]

Wow - I'd not seen the flat iron building before. That is indeed quite a special piece of architecture!

It is an amazing building......and us being total engineering geeks love the history of the whole area never mind the building.

Tom first saw a picture of it when he was very young (very much pre pre pre Internet lol) and it fascinated him so much how they had this tiny awkward shaped piece of real estate and what they did with it......way back then.......

 

[schumigirl]

I feel very special thank you. Aside from the spiritual aspect that fills me when seeing such a beautiful church, the architecture is amazing in it’s own right.

Flat iron building has interesting back story. You have to do a double take no matter how many times you see it.
Must be interesting for Tom to have the professional expertise to appreciate it in a technical sense vs purely visual.

Have heard of but never experienced the phenom wherein the buildings tend to make odd noises when swaying in high winds, enough that you can hear in the streets. Not sure if urban legend or not, but it would surely be unsettling to experience if true.

Well, you are special!!

It is a beautiful building........I think the only other church I found as beautiful was Sacre Coeur in Paris. It was beautiful too.......but this one is nicer.

Flatiron is a little oddity among architecture.........but lovely.

Yes, a scary feeling is putting it mildly!!!

Glad you liked the pictures........

 

[disneyAndi14]

Really enjoying your report, I think your days are filled with delicious food, relaxing times, and exploring the city at a leisurely pace, love it!

I like the selfies because it shows the both of you having fun together!!

Love all the pictures, beautiful church, buildings, and unique architecture!

 

[Lstar311]

Lol.......I will take all the compliments I can get!!!

We did try......and more than a few more were taken......most not flattering as I said my face was a bright red beetroot for a lot of this trip

Oh its totally ok to take multiples until you get one you like!!

 

[schumigirl]

Really enjoying your report, I think your days are filled with delicious food, relaxing times, and exploring the city at a leisurely pace, love it!

I like the selfies because it shows the both of you having fun together!!

Love all the pictures, beautiful church, buildings, and unique architecture!

lol......We did have a relaxing time and oh yes......we always manage to fit in good food...…. I think my days of rushing around like real tourists are over...…..leisurely pace all the way!!!

Thank you!! I`m glad you are enjoying and like our selfies!!! not many do...….

How is DD doing getting ready to leave soon.....and you too of course...…..

 

[schumigirl]

Oh its totally ok to take multiples until you get one you like!!

lol...….we did take one or two more...……

Thing is, it wasn't a phone it was one of those cameras that the side bit comes out rather than look through the lens all the time.....so when it came out....we both looked in different places most of the time...…...everyone asked what we were both looking at away from the other!!!!

These darn new fangled gadgets...…...

 

[klo1335]

Do you remember the name of the restaurant you had breakfast at? I think I've eaten there before too. Is in near Rockafeller Center?

Edit to add - The Red Flame Diner. I recognized the counter in your picture so I googled it. We ate there back in 2016 when we did the Rockette's Christmas Show. Food was excellent.

http://www.theredflamediner.com/Welcome.tpl?action=nc&from=Top133&thisurl=/Location.tpl

 

[AussieBritTraveller]

Great trip report as always

I love that you always report on the behaviours of other people, It amazes me of the rudeness or complete ignorance people have especially in airports!

 

[schumigirl]

So we turn and head back up the way we came earlier...….it was fairly busy along here as there was a parade or a march for people with disabilities...…...there were police bands there and it looked quite busy...…and quite noisy!

I tell Tom Of course another picture is needed with the building in the background...……

As we headed back up 5th Ave, we didn't realise still quite how early it was...….it wasn't even lunchtime yet...…..but as we wandered a little further we saw a huge line of folks lining up around the corner at 27th...….then we saw they all had either French or Croatian football shirts on......of course the World Cup final...….we had forgotten all about it...…..but they looked a lively bunch and the line really was massive. There was a lovely open air bar we had thought about going to one night up there, but it wouldn't be tonight...….lol...….one set of fans wouldn't be happy later!!

We aren't the biggest football fans in any way, but Tom and Kyle will watch World Cup games......and I have been known to watch when Germany are playing...….always support them

So, we walked a little further and saw this tiny little place that had a giant screen right through to the back of the place...….I couldn't make my mind up if it was a bar, pub or a food place...…..we looked in the wide open front doors and saw the final was just starting...…..I said to Tom did he want to go in and watch.....he said he wouldn't mind so I was happy to stop and watch the game..... I knew he would enjoy it.

There were maybe 7 or 8 people already in there. I was a little wary as I had no clue what kind of place it was......but a man who was either Chinese or Korean smiled at us to come in and he said something I didn't quite make out...….he said it twice more then Tom realized he was telling us two beers on him......well, that was unusual…….I smiled and said ok......I don't drink beer, but would buy some wine once inside...….so Tom got the two beers......Tom had noticed the guy check the beers and disappear...….as we sat down, he appeared with two cans of Coors and removed the poured ones in plastic cups saying they were no good...…..well, ok then.

It was a friendly place and it did have a full bar at the rear, so Tom went up and bought me a glass of white wine...…..and we saw they did indeed serve food......it was an unusual place, but nice with friendly staff......we were glad we had come in.

Upstairs had a massive collection of albums...…..impressive. So I really have no clue what kind of place this was...…..but, friendly staff and nice wine this would do us for a couple of hours...……

And I actually did enjoy the football......although the wrong team won of course!!!!

Tom enjoyed both cans of beer and I ended up with 3 glasses of wine...…...well, it is football!!!!

Everyone to one side of the bar was Croatia supporters and one couple were French, but it was fun...….and it did fill up with more people as we sat......although the seats weren't the comfiest!!!!

We had seen the girls up front all order food and I have to say the aroma was beautiful...…..and what we could see looked lovely......and everything was cooked from scratch as the lady told everyone it would take a little longer......fine by us...…..

We asked the barman for a menu and had a look over it......there was plenty to choose from. We weren't overly hungry, but you know when you are ready for something...…….well, we ordered a couple of appetizers instead of larger meals........a kind of spicy popcorn chicken and spicy chicken wings and drumsticks...….we ended up with two of the wings as she got confused with Tom`s order......of course...…..

They were delicious!!!!! Just a decent sized portion for sharing between us while sipping on wine and beer and watching football……...and it was so cheap. But, this is another receipt we didn't keep somehow so I still have no clue what the place was called...…..but the dishes were only around $8 or $9 each I believe......of course this was one reason we were welcomed in of course...…….they know people will order food...….but it was worth it. The aroma of spicy chicken is hard to ignore!!

If I had seen this place without the game on I honestly may not have gone in...….it did look a little different from the outside, but again, we were glad we did go in.

We sat till the end of the game, had a bathroom visit and headed out with staff thanking us for our custom...….we had enjoyed it!!

Of course disappointed Croatia didn't win.....but it had been at least a good game.

We wandered off towards Bryant Park. Another place we enjoy sitting and watching the world go by. It wasn't sunny today, but it was certainly warm enough...…..it only took around 10 minutes to get there......stopping off to buy a pastry and coffee each...….we grabbed a little table and sat down to enjoy them......noticing how quiet the park was today...….but the lawn was closed so maybe that`s why it wasn't as busy as we had seen it before. Last time we were here, the park was bouncing with families and business people chilling and mingling with each other on such a beautiful day.

Once we had enjoyed our time sitting there we left. We did notice a few more homeless people this time around and police were keen to move them on from areas like this...…..it`s incredibly sad to see though.

We headed towards Grand Central Terminal...…..I have a thing about this place...….it`s a truly fascinating place......of course I love to travel so anywhere that is a starting point to any journey, I like!!! Again with the history and sheer stature of the building, I could bore for hours on the subject...….but, not today

And of course another place that appeared in North By Northwest...…….

The view here taken from Michael Jordans Steakhouse area...….somewhere we had considered eating at one point, till cousins had gone and received appalling service......won`t be going there then!!!

There is a fabulous, although we`ve never actually gone yet, restaurant underneath called Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant...….I do regret never going as I haven't heard one bad thing about it...….we had looked at the menu and thought we`d love it...…..but, it`s one of those things you think later...…

We spent a little more time wandering around and then headed back out into what was turning into an incredibly hot day despite the gloomy look.

We passed Best Buys and went in and surprisingly enough they didn`t stock the battery we needed. Darn it. It wasn't really a problem, but it would be nice as this camera went through a lot of battery!!!

On to some window shopping and found a barnes and noble, so spent over an hour in there...….and found the only unhelpful person in NYC...….I asked if she had a specific book, she told me they did......showed me the book within other stories...….no, that's not what I asked for...but thank you for the help......she then sneered well its only $25 you may as well have it...….eh no thanks!!!

More window shopping before we were back at the hotel and found out surprisingly that our legs felt quite weary...….although we hadn't marched all day we had covered quite a lot walking...….so we relished the chance to chill out a little and each had long showers, ordered coffee from room service and watched …..yep, some Harry Potter......Tom said at this point as we kept just catching snippets of each movie, we should do a Potter marathon when we got home......I was up for that.

We both fell asleep and woke up much later...…..now I was worried we wouldn't sleep tonight...….. This bed was just so comfortable!!!

Once dressed and ready to go out we wandered over to Hell`s Kitchen area...…..this is really a day of disasters for us......although not disasters......the battery on the camera kept failing, so we managed to get some food pictures and that was all.

The other thing was, we have no clue where we ate...….normally I have receipts and pictures, and my goodness me, I usually remember every restaurant we frequent, even on an almost 3 week visit...…..but, we looked at so many over this way we got kind of bogged down. You would not starve in any part of Manhattan, but Hell`s Kitchen is fabulous!!! We wandered around so much I don't even remember what street we were on!!! Unusual for us.

There is a huge choice of places over here as there are everywhere in Manhattan. The place we chose was somewhere I wouldn't go back to even if I could remember it`s name...…..food was ok, nothing great but the place just lacked a friendliness and atmosphere we usually like...…..I do know I had a burger with no cheese and sweet potato fries, and was very quickly told there was an additional charge for them...…..yeah fine, and Tom had Lobster mac n cheese...…..

The burger was decent, it had a nice flavor and was cooked well, and fries were ok. Tom`s I have to say was better...….but not the best meal we`ve ever had...….the cocktail was again, just ok. I think they needed me behind the bar making them ...….I`d show them!!!! It`s annoying in a place with thousands of good places to eat we picked this one...….after we came out we found a place we had on our "to try" list......we just didn't walk far enough but I had forgotten it was here. But, we paid and looked happy about it. It wasn't a bad place, just not the usual place we enjoyed.

With the camera battery done, we wandered around and found a pub that looked lively but not too manic...….I did write the name down, but lost it. I think this is the only day in any of our trips, we haven't documented anything!!!!

This place was lovely though...….friendly staff, good drinks and good atmosphere...….we sat at the bar and had very animated and lively discussions with the bartenders over several subjects...….they were good at their job!!!! They know how to make a customer feel welcome...

We had three cocktails each and they all had a fabulous pour ...…...and what we thought was around midnight we stumbled carefully back to the hotel...….it was still busy around Times Square area, and still incredibly hot...….My face was now as red as red can be........Tom said I should be careful as traffic might stop if they saw me standing still Charming!!!!

It was actually 1am when we got in the room...….we must have left the bar later than we thought...….but, I had a quick shower and came out to find......yes.....Potter was on again......and Tom was sound asleep...….so I carefully turned the tv of, lowered the blinds I had just raised and put the lights out...…..I noticed he had thoughtfully charged the camera I did have the other camera, but this one fitted in my bag better......

This was a hard day to write about. We genuinely didn't do anything but our legs ached and we felt as though we had.

Originally we had thought today we might do a boat cruise around the Island, but the weather had put paid to that...…..I had done it twice, but it was the one thing apart from walking the Brooklyn Bridge at night he really thought he might like to do. We would see if it came into our plans again.

But for now, sleep.

 

[schumigirl]

Do you remember the name of the restaurant you had breakfast at? I think I've eaten there before too. Is in near Rockafeller Center?

Edit to add - The Red Flame Diner. I recognized the counter in your picture so I googled it. We ate there back in 2016 when we did the Rockette's Christmas Show. Food was excellent.

http://www.theredflamediner.com/Welcome.tpl?action=nc&from=Top133&thisurl=/Location.tpl

Yes that was it...….

It was lovely, and we commented how nice the dinner menu looked.....everything was lovely.....

I`d love to see the Rockette`s Christmas Show!!!! Was it everything it`s claimed to be??? My aunt and cousins loved it...….

 

[schumigirl]

Great trip report as always

I love that you always report on the behaviours of other people, It amazes me of the rudeness or complete ignorance people have especially in airports!

Thanks Matt!!! I appreciate it...….glad you`re still reading along......

I`m very observant apparently...……

Although sometimes I miss the blatantly obvious in front of my nose...…..I really do!!! Some people have no regard for others in any way at times, but then there are the hundreds of others who are just lovely...….

Then there is the lady who approached us in Sapphire...….that's a real doozy!!! Still to come...….

 

[pattyw]

Too bad about the disappointing restaurant! Sometimes the attitude of the staff and the atmosphere at a restaurant can make up for average food, but here they struck out on that, too!
But at least the evening ended better when you found the friendly pub!

 

[schumigirl]

Too bad about the disappointing restaurant! Sometimes the attitude of the staff and the atmosphere at a restaurant can make up for average food, but here they struck out on that, too!
But at least the evening ended better when you found the friendly pub!

It really can make a difference Patty. Staff can raise the standards of a lot at times...….but, just again, couldn't quite pin it down to one thing...…

The pub was amazing!!! Just wish I could remember where it was!!! And I can`t blame too much to drink, as we were stone cold sober entering and leaving.....although maybe leaving we were at a slightly slower pace

 

[angryduck71]

oh man, one of the few things I haven't done and want to do is walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Couldn't persuade Davy last time. I hope you guys get to!

 

[klo1335]

I`d love to see the Rockette`s Christmas Show!!!! Was it everything it`s claimed to be??? My aunt and cousins loved it.

It was great. My youngest was of the age where running to the bathroom every 15 min was the funnest thing for her. So I would like to go back and do it again since she can sit still for longer now. The live nativity with the animals is amazing. When they first bring the animals to the city, they will walk them around right in the front. Pretty cool!

 

[schumigirl]

oh man, one of the few things I haven't done and want to do is walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Couldn't persuade Davy last time. I hope you guys get to!

Nah, we didn’t get around to it this time........it was a little too energetic for this slow moving sloth like tour.......

 

[schumigirl]

It was great. My youngest was of the age where running to the bathroom every 15 min was the funnest thing for her. So I would like to go back and do it again since she can sit still for longer now. The live nativity with the animals is amazing. When they first bring the animals to the city, they will walk them around right in the front. Pretty cool!

Lol.......I remember days like that too!!!

I didn’t realise there was a live nativity!! Wow! That would have been nice to see.......it just looks an amazing show all round.........

 

[kimmyg26]

Loving your report. We live only a few hours from NYC and its still a treat each time we visit. I have to admit that we have never been to Central Park.
Your pictures are just lovely. Can't wait to read more adventures.

 

[schumigirl]

Loving your report. We live only a few hours from NYC and its still a treat each time we visit. I have to admit that we have never been to Central Park.
Your pictures are just lovely. Can't wait to read more adventures.

Thank you kimmy.........

Central Park is stunning! It really is the most beautiful place.........you are so lucky to live so close......

I’m glad you are enjoying this one too.