New York City, again and again

The Holiday Season is most probably the worst time to go to New York City! There are thousands of people in the streets. It’s like rush hour times ten plus tourists. And us right in between! The crowd is collectively moving and stopping, like suitcases on a conveyor belt. One can trust the “wisdom of the crowd” to be pushed to and moved past the city’s most scenic highlights.

Beggars like us are no choosers and the Big Apple is always worth a visit! We bundled up warm to walk the streets in the blistering cold. Despite mild temperatures and a glimpse of sun, the wind notoriously whips through NYC, accelerated by funneling high risers seaming the streets.

Rising, not as high as the Twin Towers, are six of the seven buildings which once marked the World Trade Center site. A year ago, Glenn and I saw the foundations and first stories of the new towers going up. Today, they are almost complete, their mirror-like facades magnifying the buildings’ appearances through endless reflections.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is open to the public. Tickets are free but only a limited number is available per day and we were surely too late to fall in line.

Instead, we fell in line to get a subway ticket to get closer to Radio City Music Hall. NYC’s subway network is great for two reasons. First, it’s a fast way to cover a lot of ground quickly relaxing your feed (assuming you got a seat). Second, it’s a great place to conduct social studies and to find an answer to “what does an American look like?” I’d say nothing proves the “Big Apple” to be a melting pot better than the endless different faces in a New York City subway train.

The “Christmas Spectacle” at Radio City Music Hall turned out to be a Christmas debacle for us… At the box office we found out we had bought tickets for the following day! Of course, no exchange or refund was possible for online purchases. Armed with a warm pretzel in hand we conveyor-ed back to Time Square.

At Times Square preparations for the infamous New Year’s Eve ball drop were in full swing. We saw the practice run of the ball going up and dropping down - two days ahead of time! Unfortunately no camera was handy to capture this moment. And of course, no repeat for us either.

To treat ourselves we took the famous New York yellow cab for a short ride along 6^th Avenue. The highlight of the day was dinner at the interactive Jackle and Hyde Club. In Dr. Jackle’s and Mr. Hyde’s laboratory dining is a mix of food intake, responding to actors, and exploring each floor of the four-leveled restaurant. It is advised and encouraged to keep an eye out for singing skeletons, talking rhino heads, an ominous-looking Frankenstein, and secret boxes.