NYC: Partial Day 3

Our last day started out a little warmer with intermittent sun!
First, breakfast!

It was like eating somewhere on the Enterprise.

Then to Central Park.

Below: Excited to walk down the Mall. (You all know it, it's in basically every movie with a Central Park scene. You know, the wide walkway with the benches and trees lining it?)

Can't NOT get a picture of the rink...like every other tourist probably.

Did you think we could stay away from food for long? You HAD to know something special would be waiting for us in the park.

Adam was mad at me for taking pictures instead of letting him eat his waffle. So I will show you Jamison's GREAT photo instead!

I think this was the YUMMIEST thing I ate ALL weekend. I think about it often.

We ate right in front of all the runners. Hey, I just wanted them to know there were other things they could be doing besides running. It's good to have options.

The city is such a different backdrop than we've ever experienced before. It's awe inspiring and impossible to show the magnitude of.

After walking north we decided to exit the park and walk through the upper west side to have another go at a New York Slice.

Alas, the pizzeria didn't exist anymore...and was being torn apart. Oh well...we decided to walk south and search for something else. I really liked this part of town by the way, wish we'd had more time to dawdle.

And we happened upon the temple!

One side is the temple, and the other side is the chapel. So of course we went in (a quick bathroom break was a bonus.) The chapel looked just like any other one...except the artwork was ten times better...and the doors.

Doors to the temple

And then just a bit further down the road we came upon the Metropolitan Opera House! Eeee!

I was so thrilled to have seen it in person. (We were kind of in a rush so I didn't get any closer than this but still!) After seeing several live broadcasts from the Met, and then finally being there—I got a little emotional.
Later while recounting our experience, Adam's Dad asked me, "What's so great about New York? Isn't it just another city?"
To which I replied, "It's great because the best of the best is there; resources, talent, and inspiration. Anything you could ever be interested in you can find." (Granted the worst of the worst can be found here too, but we ignore that part.)
And that's why I get emotional about New York. It's world class everything. Who wouldn't get emotional over that thought while standing in the middle of it?

I Snapped a quick chat to Dwynne and Dad. Later I got a message from Dad. At the moment I Snapped this (below)—he was sitting in a theater in California waiting for the live opera performance to begin, probably watching patrons enter the building who had likely passed ME as I was standing on the steps in person. There's a fun happenstance!

After a few strikes at finding a sit down restaurant that was open from our list—we ran into another Magnolia Bakery. Lee says we planned it. No. No we did not. I bought a tiny little pudding and stuffed it in our bag to take home.

By now we'd had the option to eat a real meal but we were all so full, we probably wouldn't have enjoyed it. So we opted to try something from Bouchon Bakery.
(When Adam and I were in Napa, we'd waited in line to try the Bouchon, but the line was long and it was getting late so we left. It was nice to finally have a shot at it.)

Then on to our final destination. We'd basically been waiting all day for the weather to clear up so we'd be able to see the Empire State building from the Top of the Rock.

Visibility was a 3 out of 5 with clouds moving in fast. We could see Central Park (Left). And 432 Park Avenue (Right) which is the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere, click here. Residences cost well into the millions, for listings and prices click here. Personally, I think it's UGLY. Others don't like it as well and you can easily find scathing reviews of it online, calling it the "new cathedral to uber wealth."

Below Titled: Groupie While Staring Directly Into the Sun.

Here's a shot of St. Patrick's Cathedral with protestors from the Women's March in the streets out front. I was amazed how easily their combined yelling reached us so high.

Below: Don't try to sand on the benches on top of The Rock. Why? Security guards will yell at you.

Another shot. And you can still see the crowd in the street below.

The clouds came in and we never saw the Empire State building. But I would still recommend the view from the Top of the Rock versus the ESB. It's cheaper and the wait is MUCH shorter.

A little worried about crowds and making it to the airport in time, we came down for a quick drink at Joe the Juice before taking another insane taxi ride out of the city.

Evidently, the protestors had the same idea...it was so packed outside and inside...

...that Jamison and I climbed behind a tree and smashed ourselves up against the window just for some peace.

Later at the airport the TSA kicked me out because of my banana pudding. I wasn't about to give it up, and they wouldn't let me eat it "inside." So, though I was full...I exited, sat down in the hall, and ate outside the gate with everyone watching. Scrumptious. Though, I was hoping to experience it in a total and complete different way. Sheesh.

As we flew away, all we could see of New York and our adventures there, were the tips of the tallest buildings poking up from the clouds.