New York City - Part Three - Sites & Destinations

A week is really not enough time to spend in New York City to get a good sense of what it might be like to live there.  I suppose that’s true of most places that are worth visiting.  I went through some of our daily notes that we took and came up with a list of 10 places that we can endorse as being worthy of your valuable vacation time.  Well, actually nine that are worthy and one that was just memorable for perhaps all of the wrong reasons.  No, you won’t see the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty here, as they’ve gotten enough guidebook press over the years.  No scenic walks either.   That will be the topic of the next blog post.

So here we go, in no particular order:

1. Top of the Rock:  We heard this is the best view of the city, hands down.  We also heard it’s even better after dark but we’re morning people and were there at around 10:30am.  Well worth the experience, even if you just want to take a couple of pictures and hang out for a few minutes.  We didn’t have time to parlay this with the NBC studio tour but it was a great thought.
 

The Stellar View of Central Park and the City

2. Eataly:  Chef Mario Batali is of of the major backers of this huge “all things Italian” building.  Delis, restaurants, stores and so on.  Can you really choose among 40 brands of olive oil and 30 brands of pasta?  I would say at the very least, yes.  We didn’t eat or buy anything there but it was an amazing walk-through and is some serious foodie sensory overload.

The Olive Oil Aisle at Eataly

3.  Wall Street/Trinity Church:  These two things really have little to do with one another, other than the fact that they’re within a couple of blocks of one another, and Wall Street brokers are likely to drop into the church to pray after the latest financial meltdown.  The narrow Wall Street makes the buildings appear dark and somewhat evil.  The church and its beautiful stained glass is a welcome sight.

Visiting Our 401K at The NY Stock Exchange

4. Greenwich Village:  While this part of town is clearly not what I’ve read that it was like in the sixties and seventies, I’d still recommend it as a place to visit with some parks, shops and old taverns (such as McSorley’s Old Ale House).  Bob Dylan’s place at 161 West Fourth Street is still there, although nothing tells you that it was Dylan’s residence.  In fact, it exists today as just another garden variety sex shop.
 

One of the Narrow Streets of Greenwich Village

Mr. Zimmerman's Former Residence

5. Ground Zero:  We didn’t actually take the formal tour here but just walked around the perimeter and imagined what it must have been like to have been there on what started as a beautiful sunny weekday morning.
 

The New One World Trade Center:  Opening in 2014

6. Grand Central Terminal:  New York City has changed and updated this busy train and subway station, making it into a destination in and of itself.  The main floor is spacious and beautiful, with more than a tip of the hat to what it must have looked like 80 years ago.  The lighting and architecture are worth noting.  And if you’re hungry or want to go shopping there’s plenty of that, too.
 

Grand Central Terminal

7. Chelsea Market:  This two-block-long indoor market has just about everything.  Gifts, an oyster bar, spices from all over the world, boutique clothing, fancy cheeses…..etc.  And doesn’t it just figure that The Food Network headquarters are one floor above the market?
 

Inside Chelsea Market

 

More Chelsea Market:  Spices from Around the Globe

 8. Little Italy:  This part of town is slowly being consumed by Chinatown, but the several square block area that’s there is worth a visit with its restaurants, stores and general scenery.  And there’s even a Christmas store to satisfy BowlingWidow’s requirement of buying a tree ornament in every city we visit.

 

Little Italy's Restaurants:  Busy on a Nice Evening

9.  Chinatown:  The above mentioned Chinatown is the place that for us was memorable but not pleasant.  From the moment we got off the subway we were urged by folks who were very eager for us to check out their store, their produce, and I’m sure in some cases their stolen property.  We’ve been to Chinatowns in other cities and comparatively this one is at the bottom.  Almost no open space, and the stores and restaurants looked like they are on the verge of being condemned.  We couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

 

A Chinatown Street Corner

10. Columbia University:  I want to end on a positive note and with a place that we didn’t expect to make this list.  But if you have a couple of hours to spare, it’s worth taking a subway or a cab to 116^th Street and walking around the Columbia University neighborhood.  There are even a few hills here, something not often seen in most of Manhattan.  St. Paul’s Chapel is a nice visit, but most importantly how can you not like a university whose mascot is Roaree the Lion.

 

Inside St. Paul's Chapel

Next up:  I’ll review some great New York City walks.