Emotional Journey continues

After the Dior exhibition we head back to the car, drive over the Brooklyn Bridge back through Chinatown to Soho to Lure Fishbar, it’s underground, enormous, shaped and designed like a boat with varnished wood panels, it’s packed. We meet up with the Wallick’s, Jim, Cathy & son Eric. James first met Jim when he worked at Gleneagles in Scotland and he happened to be an old friend of Leslie’s. After a lively evening James drives us back & drops us at the corner of our block as we fancy a short walk. We decided to have a nightcap in Tanner Smiths bar next to our hotel. It was quite busy and the DJ played a lot of drum and bass.We watched black and white silent movies of Charlie Chaplin projected onto screens on the back bar which had us in stitches. Bed by 10.30. 9,700 steps.

Monday 22nd Nov. 6c A wet start to the day.

We wake early before 7am, Roger fetches coffee from Starbucks next door, we shower, dress & head for the subway. We take the 1 train downtown to Southferry and walk to the lookout on Battery Park to photograph the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island ferry dock. It’s dry now but very cold with a chilly wind. I am grateful for my full length puffer coat. We turn back and head towards Wall Street, through a fabulous old area called Pearl Street, it’s narrow and dark with old buildings, mainly pubs and bars with the outside seating area now erected all over pavements adjacent to bars and restaurants. At Ground Zero we stop to pay our respects. It’s a very moving experience every time we visit. So hard to believe so many people perished in such a short period. We cross the road and enter the Westfield shopping centre which is massive. We don’t feel in the mood to shop so take the train back to 50th street and find a coffee shop for brunch. Returning to our hotel we rest a while then take a taxi to the kids home – an apartment on the 40th floor where we are shown a display of Alexander quite enormous Lego collection which not only takes up most of his room but most of the dining area too. Leslie cooks us a delicious supper of flounder with capers, roast squash & courgettes & we all relax over a few glasses of Chardonnay. I am suffering from arthritis in my left ankle and plantar fasciitis in the same foot so am very grateful for two pairs of sneakers donated to me by my grandson that he has outgrown. Back to the hotel around 10 pm. 12,413 steps

Tuesday 23rd Nov. Dry sunny 3c.

Awake at 6am. James brings us very welcome Starbucks hot coffee at 8.30 after he drops off Alexander at school. After a slow start we walk to Bloomingdale’s for a spot of shopping. The problem with New York and my daughter in law always reminds me, is that in summer, when it’s very hot outside you need cover ups as inside all store and restaurants have air con and it’s cold. It’s the reverse in winter. You wrap up for the cold, it can be so cold you need to cover your nose and mouth, but inside it’s so very hot. This happened today, it was so hot it was tiring shopping. We leave Bloomingdale’s after buying a few items turn right and head uptown along Lexington window shopping and decide to call in on James’s friend Jason who owns an English bar restaurant on 76th street. Jones Wood Foundry. It’s about a mile or so. Roger samples the beer and I have a glass of rosé. We order a lite snack and are told Jason is in the kitchen but up to his eyes in preparing take out boxes for thanksgiving! Ŵe do manage a quick word with him but can see the amount of work involved so move on and walk back to our hotel. At 6.30 pm we meet up with James and take the subway to 86th street to meet Alexander from his Hebrew lessons. We walk back to Café Luxembourg where we meet up with Leslie for supper. Back to the hotel by 10 pm. In New York all shop & restaurant staff are masked at all times. You cannot get into any restaurant , bar, theatre or shop without showing ID and proof of vaccine. The TV is constantly reminding people to get vaccinated, very slick and informative and are advertising medication to purchase for all sorts of illnesses, we take the NHS for granted, here in the USA everyone has private medical insurance which is very costly. For a family of three medium health insurance is $2.700 a month plus a flat fee per GP visit & that’s excluding dental . 18000 steps today.

Wednesday 24th Nov. 2021. 5c

We wake up late. James brings very welcome coffee. I finish emails, post wages for the Ribs and catch up on this blog. We dress and walk to Columbus circle shops. Roger is peckish so we queue for Tartinery and eventually get a table for brunch. I have an delicious salad bowl of Quinoa, brussel sprouts, avocado, spinach, almonds cilantro & mint. Extremely filling. Roger has pumpkin soup followed by smashed avocado on toast. We walk back to our hotel freshen up then walk to James office, then on to join Leslie & Alexander Radio City to see The Christmas Show with the famous Rockettes. Wow it was so great!!! A straight two hour full on energetic show I’m not sure how they manage three performances a day!

After we all leave and walk to Rockefeller centre to see the Thanksgiving lights. Not all the Christmas lights are on, this happens next week but it’s still beautiful & Roger & I take lots of photos. We walk on the to 72 nd street to Pomodoro Rossi an Italian restaurant a favourite of our grandsons where we enjoyed a superb meal. A stroll home after. 12,520 steps today.

Thursday 25th Nov 2021. 11c. Dry and Sunny. Thanksgiving.

We are awake early again, good job as we need to be on the road walking to see the thanksgiving parade which starts at. 9am. Leslie tells us the roads will be shut, we have seen the barriers being errected all week. Crowds are 20 deep on Columbus circle and we have to divert to get across to the street we need to be on. The floats are fantastic. Parents with children on their shoulders screaming with delight as the balloons and gigantic cartoon characters parade along the street along with marching bands, cheerleaders and magical characters. Street vendors have a field day. It’s all very festive. The atmosphere calm but alive. We make our way along slowly to 72nd street where we are invited to brunch and drinks at Jim & Cathy’s. They have a fabulous apartment close to Central Park with a terrace to view the parade. As I have a fear of heights I stay inside but a managed to take few shots of the parade after a few mimosas!!! An hour or so on we walk back to the hotel for a shower and change ready for meeting the family. On the walk back we notice the traffic lights are being pulled back into position before the roads are reopened. The traffic lights are cleverly errected on swing lamppost post and can be turned almost 90% out of the way of the large floats. The crowds have disbursed now and the roads are full of debris. Men are out with leaf blowers clearing the roads. What seems like thousands of police men & women are helping the cleanup. It’s all very impressively organised . A quick walk back to our hotel to shower and change for Thanksgiving lunch at Orsay on Lexington. This was one of the restaurants James was General Manager of in his first years in New York. He left Orsay to set up his own business in 2007. We meet at 3pm for our family meal. It was so good to see Leslie’s Parents Marcia & Michael and brother Jonathan & hubby Hervê. The restaurant is as we expected extremely busy, the meal delicious most had roast turkey I had the vegi option. We look forward to meeting up again in 2022 for our grandsons bar mitzvah. Taxi home as feet as killing me.

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