I LOVE NY

Seven hours on a train or 45 minutes on a plane to New York City. I can now say I've done both and both have their pros and cons. The train; it is a long ride but we left at 6 am and slept for a few hours so it wasn't too bad. It came into Penn Station right in downtown Manhattan.

A plane; a short non stop jaunt but can be filled with delays. Upon landing in JFK you have to get transportation into Manhattan whether is be bus or taxi, expect at least a 50 minute ride in traffic. If you're not in a hurry, take the train.

This was at the one stop you could get off the train and get some fresh air. This engine looks like it has hit something on the track at some time.
The Empire State Building, the view from our hotel.

Looking out from the lobby of the Time Warner building

looking out on Columbus Circle.

We saw the Rockette's Christmas show and it was wonderful.
Rockefeller Center and the Christmas tree. We had great weather, sunny during the day and clear at night but cold. This area was shoulder to shoulder people and indeed some of them were rude. I found that the native New Yorkers were friendly. We had an older gentleman in a business suit stop and offer us directions when we were puzzling over a map on the sidewalk. The rudest people we encountered were tourists, specifically Europeans. (I apologize if I offend any Europeans that may read this. I'm sure that if you do read my blog, you're not rude.) I got the distinct impression that they felt they were a little superior to Americans.
Visiting Santa in Macy's. He asked if I wanted to sit on his lap
but I spared him a broken leg and cuddled up next to him.


The entrance to Macy's on 34th Street.

Next time, Times Square.