Mac Daddy and the Mini Macs' Mega Trip Report '08

[Princess Buttercup]

I love all the pictures in your latest entry!



You are a great dad and are giving your kids such an awesome trip and memories!

[penguinsoda]

Yes! More!

[Armadillo4]

I'm loving this trip report. The merged photo of the Gettysburg battlefield was gorgeous. It really made me feel like I was standing right there. Beautiful. As was the sunrise over Lake Erie. And it seems that you're putting that gorillapod to good use. Can't wait for the NYC portion of the trip!

[TraceCub]

Loving the report so far!

Those coasters - meep!

[xalesa]

Congrats on making the Editor's Pick on Miceage this week. This truly is a great trip report. Your photos are wonderful! Nice job!!!

[SCUBAbe]

wonderful trip report. I'm really enjoying all the pictures and your commentary. i can't wait to see more.

[Mac Daddy]

Part V - New York, New York, ( it's a wonderful town...the Bronx is up and the Battery's down, it's 105 and humid in the hole in the ground...)

So as I was mentioning in the other post, there was quite a contrast between the quiet countryside of Bird In Hand and the insanity of New York. As we had just been to visit my mom's home town, I figured we should also visit my father in law's. So our first stop was in Brooklyn to see the Brownstone that he grew up in:





The entire family lived on the top floor. This was the Italian side of Brooklyn. I was fortunate to visit Uncle Vido and Aunt Francis a few years ago when I was in New York for a convention. Uncle Vido regaled me with tales of the mafia as he had worked on the waterfront before taking a job at the Lincoln Center where he worked for over 40 years. He said it wasn't unusual for the police to find a body in the sewer every so often. He described the mafia as a benevolent group who simply watched over the interests of the community. Hmmmmm.....

Anyway, if you are ever on that side of Brooklyn, near Kane St. and Court St., the Court Street Bakery and Sal's Pizza are highly recommended.


After stopping off at our Hotel, which was down town, just two blocks from Ground Zero, we set off for Macy's as we had some shopping to do before heading to the Neil Simon Theater on 52nd to see "Hairspray." Macy's was just as huge as I remembered it, and we spent at least an hour on the seventh floor getting lost. We finally discovered a McDonald's behind the boy's department and grabbed a quick bite before heading back to the subway.

Time Square is always so amazing. The kid's couldn't get over the crowds. I told them that the traffic lights were really more like general guidelines and "Don't Walk" really meant "Look both ways and keep going unless death is imminent."




(Sorry about the quality of some of these. Several of these were taken with my iphone.)


As we rounded the corner on 52nd, we could see what I took to be the David Letterman audience moving in to the Ed Sullivan theater across the street. In spite of my concern that we would be late, we were actually one of the first inside the theater. It looks a bit empty here, but it was standing room only as the curtain came up. I snapped a couple of iphone shots even though the ushers were militant about not allowing cameras in.






The show was amazing. I was looking for a show that I could take my kids to, and was thinking about "Young Frankenstein" until I bought the soundtrack. After imagining my nine year old singing "Don't touch our t***" on the playground, I thought I would look for something more...um...PG. My daughter and I had already been to see "Wicked" in L.A., and we had seen the movie of Hairspray last year and were familiar with the story so it seemed like a good show to see. The cast was incredible, and our favorite, bar none, was George Wendt as Edna Turnblad. Who knew "Norm" from Cheers could sing and dance? He was hilarious, and the cast from this show had the audience on their feet screaming at the curtain call. We had seats in the Mezzanine and I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to see well, but we could see everything. Great show and highly recommended if you are in town.


The next day featured an all out brawl with the automated metro card machine as it refused to take credit cards. It was hot and humid down there and the f.....rrrreaking machine didn't want to give me more than 7 dollars change at a time, i.e. it wouldn't take $20.00 bills or credit cards.



After finding enough ones and fives, we were off to see the Empire State building. Here's a shot of the kids once we fought our way through the turnstiles:



Now....the last time I went to the Empire State Building, I bought a ticket, hopped on an elevator and off I went. Since it has been taken over by new management, the ENTIRE second floor is a very long queue and with the security check, it took roughly an hour and a half just to get on the elevator! Added to this was another long line upstairs AFTER shelling out almost $100 for the four of us!



However, once we got to the top, it was almost worth it. Here's some shots from the top...


Looking downtown towards the Battery...




Zooming in on the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island...




Looking uptown. Central park is behing the center buildings and the Chrystler building is off to the right...




It's a long way down. And you gotta wonder about people who toss water bottles off...




The Mini Macs up top....




Edit...OK...we're back from our trip to DL this morning. Just as a side with nothing to do with this thread, we finally got on to TSMM this afternoon and loved it. We also got to ride in the nose cone of the new Monorail Red which is AIR CONDITIONED. Whoo hoo! The passengers might not be too comfortable, but the driver sure is.


Now...where was I? :

Back to New York. After the Empire State Building, it was back down to the Battery to get tickets for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Down at the battery, we found a sculpture that used to be located in front of the Twin Towers...





Not sure how I felt about these guys. Very talented but considering what the statue represents, I wasn't too crazy about them...




No matter what they do in terms of rebuilding, there will never be a suitable replacement for the Twin Towers. I was just watching a film a couple nights ago and saw them as they were before 2001. In a way, they defined the Manhattan skyline. Every time I look at this view now, it makes me very sad.




Our hotel was just a couple blocks from ground zero. Work continues, but it seems to move forward at a snail's pace. I heard a report while we were there that the time table has been pushed back to around 2013 for the first building to be finished. Here's how it looks now...






Back to the statue...













Click here for Part VI (New York and Philadelphia)

[RenMan]

Fun! I live in NYC now so it's nice to see your photos. Did you try a different metro card machine? I haven't had trouble using plastic at them before.

Man, Cedar Point looks intense. I like coasters, but I'm betting these would be a little too much for me.

[SCUBAbe]

I went to the empire state building ion 2000. It wasn't bad getting up the elevator (they did pack us in like sardines), but it took over 1 1/2 hours to get back down. I could not believe it and it was hot up there. This was in june and I remember they had big fans out, but they weren't helping much.

[PortieOwner]

Civil War "survivors" preferred to be called "Veterans"!

[disneysnout]

That is Aweomse! thanks for posting the pics, I love them!~ Post pics of all your trips

[aurorarose06]

I'm in NY interning for the summer and I've really enjoyed sightseeing. One place I hadn't gotten to was the Empire State Building. The price is a little steep and I wasn't sure the view was worth it. After looking at your photos though, I might just have to go. Thanks for a wonderful trip report!

[Mac Daddy]

Originally Posted by PortieOwner

Civil War "survivors" preferred to be called "Veterans"!

My bad. I went back and fixed it. I think the term "survivor" came from the fact that they were both probably centurions and were still around in the late 1930's. But they were certainly veterans and were described as such on the plaque.

Originally Posted by RenMan

Fun! I live in NYC now so it's nice to see your photos. Did you try a different metro card machine? I haven't had trouble using plastic at them before.

The first night we used them we were able to use plastic, but you could only put two metro card charges on at a time before you had to switch credit cards. The next morning, neither machine would take credit cards. The whole system was down and it was cash only.

And can we talk about expensive? We drove our rental in and of course we had to park over night at our hotel.

SIXTY-FIVE BUCKS for parking for ONE NIGHT!

Originally Posted by aurorarose06

I'm in NY interning for the summer and I've really enjoyed sightseeing. One place I hadn't gotten to was the Empire State Building. The price is a little steep and I wasn't sure the view was worth it. After looking at your photos though, I might just have to go. Thanks for a wonderful trip report!

The price was certainly what I would call steep (for a half hour experience at the top) but the view was pretty amazing. I would certainly encourage you to go for it, but expect a ginormous line on the second floor that goes on...and on...and on....

Originally Posted by xalesa

Congrats on making the Editor's Pick on Miceage this week. This truly is a great trip report. Your photos are wonderful! Nice job!!!

Thanks xalesa, and thanks everyone for your encouraging comments. Sorry for taking so long to get these up, but I'm digging through 1500 or so shots to find just a potion to share with you all.

Just a few more of New York, then Philly, Virginia and DC coming up for the final section.

[dsnylndmom]

What an amazing TR. Your pictures are just awesome, the pictures from the Empire State Building and the Amish farmland are breathtaking. What a wonderful memory you made for your kids!

[Armadillo4]

Originally Posted by Mac Daddy

Time Square is always so amazing. The kid's couldn't get over the crowds. I told them that the traffic lights were really more like general guidelines and "Don't Walk" really meant "Look both ways and keep going unless death is imminent."

Mac Daddy, I love how you described the "Don't Walk" guidelines to your kids. LOL! And your panoramic shots from the top of the Empire State Building are AMAZING. Brilliant work sir! I can't wait to see the rest of your report. I grew up in the DC area, so I'm excited to see how you saw the city through your lens.

Originally Posted by aurorarose06

I'm in NY interning for the summer and I've really enjoyed sightseeing. One place I hadn't gotten to was the Empire State Building. The price is a little steep and I wasn't sure the view was worth it.

Aurorarose06, I absolutely agree that the view from the Empire State Building is fantastic. One other option to think about is the observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Center, aka the Top of the Rock. Another MiceChatter posted a TR from NYC and noted that the views from Top of the Rock are equally breathtaking, but without the crowds and waits that you'll encounter at the Empire State Building. Of course, the latter has more history going for it, but Top of the Rock is another option.