Playing Tourist

We spent Sunday being typical tourists starting out with brunch at Carnegie Deli--the entertainment value is worth the high cost of the sandwiches. The waitstaff goes to the University of Rudeness and Chutzpah, which is part of the fun. Our waitress was about 80 with palsy, and shuffled along as she served us food. Actually, she was rather pleasant. When I asked another waitress where the restroom was, she replied, "It's right in your face." The portions are ginormous. Dan ate about 1 lb of salami--no kidding. I had blintzes. I asked for a side order but no such luck so I got 3 humongous blintzes. If you've never been there...patrons are seated at tables with other people. The couple next to us were a brother and sister from England. Somehow when I spotted her black spangled beret, I knew she was in show business, which she confirmed--a theatrical agent. It turned out her sister is the female star of Billy Elliot!

It was a magnificent autumn day in the mid 70's so we enjoyed a three hour Circle Line boat tour all around Manhattan. The commentator was excellent combining sightseeing patter with philosophy, and I learned a lot about New York City. He also had a political agenda--if we passed something that he felt needed fixing, he told us which city officials to contact.

We finished the day (not counting dinner) at the top of the Empire State Building. (We had purchased a NY City Pass, which gave us entrance to the Met, MOMA, Guggenheim, Circle Line Tour, Empire State Building, Natural History Museum....well worth it!). Our pass was supposed to zip us past the ticket lines....which it did. However, after that we were in lines a la Disneyland to get our picture taken (mandatory), take the elevator to the 80th floor, take the elevator to the 86th floor, etc. When we got to the 80th, we were advised we could walk up 6 flights or wait 20 minutes for the elevator. Guess what we did.........................we walked with all the teens and twenty-somethings and foreigners. I think Dan and I were the only Americans over forty to make the trek. It was packed at the top, but I patiently waited (elbowed my way) to the edge and pushed people aside) to get the best view. We had free audio guides that were very informative. I thought the best part was the art deco style of the building. Oh, the elevator ride was very smooth. I was prepared to leave remnants of blintzes but didn't even notice we were moving.

Dinner was at a charming neighborhood Italian restaurant near our hotel..cost: $44 compared to the $165 rip off we had with Dan's cousins.

All this took place yesterday. Today was fantastic, but we're getting up early to leave for the fall foliage, which I hear is two weeks away. I'll tell you about today in the next post. Is anyone reading this?