Category: NYC

St. Patrick's Day in the NYC!

"If you're Irish, it doesn't matter where you go - you'll find family."
~~Victoria Smurfit

Cold! Cold! Cold!
That requires a hot Irish breakfast at "Maggie's Place" to warm the innards before the parade...

And we have already scoped out our place for a hot Irish coffee afterwards!

There is no such thing as too many pipes and drums!

Seriously! No such thing as too many!

Remember the quote above?
He knew everyone as though they were family.
I think, in fact, they were...

~Nancy ~ 76/365

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Afternoon Tea at The Palm Court
of the
Plaza Hotel

The pictures speak for themselves...

Why, tea, of course...

Cucumbers sliced so thin and stacked so carefully...

The BEST scones ever...

One for each of us...

I don't believe I have ever eaten "gold" before.

Perfect.
Checked off of my bucket list.
(But as the head waiter, said,
"We hope you make this an annual affair, rather than a 'once-in-a-lifetime' event."

~Nancy ~ 75/365

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Remembering

"Time is passing.
Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th.
We will remember every rescuer who died in honor.
We will remember every family that lives in grief.
We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children."
~~President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

We got up early on an amazingly bright and beautiful day to take the subway to The 9/11 Memorial.
We arrived just as the New York Fire Department EMS Pipes and Drums finished a tribute performance after placing a memorial wreath.

Can I just tell you that Diana and I love, love, love the "Pipes and Drums"?
We didn't love it as much when we were 12 and 13 years old,
and Dad woke us up bright and early on the weekends playing his favorite recordings.
But now?
Yes, we love them.

A couple of lads who were willing to pose for the cameras.

I snuggled right up next to the "official photographer" for this one.
He only turned to look at me once.
Diana told me to "own it".
I'm working on that.

Here's the "official" picture.

And my first "photo bomb". A little late,
but I'm strictly an amateur.

The drum major gave it up for me.
Good times, good times...

It's amazing how the sound of the water at these fountains muffles the sounds of the city...

The Survivor Tree.

...and my favorite picture of the Survivor Tree.
Serendipity.

Rebuilding.

A visit to St. Paul's Church on a Sunday morning.
Over the eight months following 9/11,
St. Paul's operated full time as a relief site for emergency workers,
keeping its doors open around the clock in order to provide food, respite and sanctuary.

On September 11, 2001, the church yard was filled with debris, but only one tree was felled.
It was a giant sycamore tree, almost a century old.
Not a pane of glass in the chapel had been broken, nor were any headstones damaged.

On the grounds is the remains of a village green that was the site of the Election of 1733...

...and a historic cemetery with burial stones dating to 1704.

George Washington's box.

One of the two pews that have remained after the church was reopened to the public.
The marks left on the pews were made by the boots and heavy equipment worn by members of the fire department and other workers.
The pews became an unintended tribute to the Ground Zero workers and the victims.

Nancy ~ 75/365

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New York City ~ Day 4

3/15/2014

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Our morning started with an early walk to the Austrian Café Sabarsky on Fifth Avenue for a cup of melange with Linzertorte.

We were hopeful that the sun would pop out and the day would warm up,
but until then, we detoured to the nearby Metropolitan Museum of Art where we strolled until two in the afternoon looking at so many famous images that we've read about and have seen in books.

And some very beautiful ladies...

I would love to own this still-life,

or some stained glass by Tiffany.

Diana and I decided that if we ever lived in New York City,
we would belong to the "Met",
and each week we would visit and study one room at a time thoroughly.

And I would draw and be an artist...

Edgar Degas' "Little Dancer".

Next, Central Park.
Sun,
park benches,
music,
children,
horses and carriages,
street lights...

...and a wedding.

A late afternoon walk to the subway,

...and dinner at the Oyster Bar and Restaurant at Grand Central Station.
Another perfect day...

~Nancy ~ 74/365

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New York City ~ Day 3

3/14/2014

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This morning the visibility was perfect for a subway trip to the top of the Empire State Building.
Bucket List Item. Check.

Soon after we stepped onto the deck, a young man proposed to his girlfriend, and she tearfully accepted.
Perfect.

I loved every single minute of it.
Now I have officially been to the top of the three tallest buildings in the nation.

Next we took the subway to Delancy Street for our tour of the Tenement Museum.
We stopped for lunch at the Essex Street Market (best Cheddar Cheese Cornbread and Basil Tomato Bisque EVER) and met the cheese monger. (We've never seen a real cheese monger before.)

The tenement tour was a perfect step after yesterday's visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
We visited the homes of a German family from the 1860's and an Italian family from the 1930's.
If you ever visit New York City, it is a "must-see".

After the tour, we watched as an ABC film crew shot a scene on Orchard Street for an upcoming pilot show called "Forever".
Remember it!
It stars Judd Hirsch and it was a scene shot from the inside of a corner restaurant.

You know,
stuff happens in the city.
All you have to do is take a walk!

Our last stop for the day was walking through and resting in the New York City Public Library.
It was beautiful and hushed.
People walked through and worked much like it was a church.
Two majestic lions at the entrance reminded me of the Art Institute in Chicago.

A walk back to the hotel,
dinner at an Italian restaurant that is now our favorite restaurant in the city,
and for tonight,
it's time to turn the page on this day...

~Nancy ~ 73/365

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New York City ~ Day 2

3/13/2014

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Serious wind.
Seriously freezing wind.
We left the hotel early to head for Battery Park to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
We had to leave all of our bags in a locker and went through airport type security.
This is a city that is very cautious.
Our monuments are protected...

Next, the climb to the top of Lady Liberty's crown.
What an amazing view!!

This was the September verse that my students memorized every year.

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
~~Emma Lazarus

Next was a trip to Ellis Island...

This place feels holy...

I thought the mechanism to operate the transoms on the windows was amazing...

And finally...
our trip home on the subway.
We stepped on,
and we saw the car was filled with students.
They were all reading.
Quietly.
Books.
Not just comic books, as pictured here,
but all kinds of books.
Diana sat down in the one empty seat,
and the young boy next to her looked up and asked if I would like to sit.
I looked around.
Finally I saw a young lady, and when I asked her,
she told me that she and the young man who was standing next to her were their teachers.
The students were all sixth graders in a public school.
They take them on public transportation to a field trip three times a week to teach them skills.
How to be polite on the subway.
No pushing.
No crowding.
"Use your manners".
When they got off at their stop,
they were as quiet as I have ever heard sixth grade students.

~Nancy ~ 72/365

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New York City ~ Day 1

3/12/2014

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"You can't live in New York City and be the most important person in town; y
ou just can't.
There are too many other important people here."
~~Sarah Jessica Parker

Yup. Times Square!!!
No minivans anywhere to be seen...

Not today, thank you...

"I could do this..."

The view from the "Top of the Rock"...

I cannot believe I am really here!

Diana's turn...

I can't get enough views...

...nor can they.

Lighting a candle for Mom in St. Patrick's Cathedral...

Seen as we walked to our first Broadway show...

New York City at night...

The Chrysler Building at night...

"So many people from so many places,
and the uniqueness of it is that you never feel a foreigner.
English is almost hardly ever heard in the subway.
In fact, it's weird."
~~Mira Nair

~Nancy ~ 71/365

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Author
Nancy Brachbill
Still learning...

This is my place for daily images that represent memories.

I will try to "focus" on the best each day.

My Etsy Shop

New York City ~ Day 6

St. Patrick's Day in the NYC!

New York City ~ Day 5

Afternoon Tea at The Palm Court
of the
Plaza Hotel

New York City ~ Day 5 Again

Remembering

New York City ~ Day 4

New York City ~ Day 3

New York City ~ Day 2

New York City ~ Day 1

Archives

Categories

New York City ~ Day 6

﻿St. Patrick's Day in the NYC!﻿

New York City ~ Day 5

Afternoon Tea at The Palm Courtof thePlaza Hotel

New York City ~ Day 5 Again

﻿Remembering﻿

New York City ~ Day 4

New York City ~ Day 3

New York City ~ Day 2

New York City ~ Day 1

Archives

Categories

St. Patrick's Day in the NYC!

Afternoon Tea at The Palm Court
of the
Plaza Hotel

Remembering