Wednesday, December 26, 2012

2012 Holiday To London-NYC-Niagara - Day Fourteen

Started the day off with brekkie before venturing to the Port Authority, then the building next door, to check out the tickets for tomorrow's adventure to Six Flags. Can't buy the tickets until tomorrow but at least I know where to buy them from.

Caught the subway, right train (local) this time, up to Central Park at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) exit on 81st St again. The place was crowded with joggers and much to our chagrin the centre area was closed to the public as a concert was taking place that evening. Got up to Jackie Onassis Lake for a look before heading back. Belvedere Castle, one of the highlights of the park, was closed to the public. Found a beautiful section of the park, nearby Oak Bridge, that was very easy on the eye. Bought a jumbo pretzel to share between all of us before walking through the Strawberry Fields section that Yoko Ono paid for as a tribute to John Lennon.


Time for lunch at Shake Shack, behind AMNH, and just managed to get a seat. Really busy after we ordered. Food was so much better, and cheaper, than in the museum yesterday.

Caught a bus down to 44th Street, just near the Majestic Theater, and collected our Phantom of the Opera tickets. Had an hour to kill so we went through the souvenir shops and Toys 'R Us - well laid out store and very entertaining. Twenty minutes before the musical started the queue was enormous. Must've been 80~100m long and three people deep. Got inside very quickly though as everybody had their tickets already. Sat next to an older couple from California, who'd never attended a Broadway musical, and spoke about solar power, Obama, NYC prices and the subway. Interesting conversation. The husband, who lived in Queens and New Jersey until he was 10, told me that they'd spent $65 on a salad and sandwich at Lusardi's and didn't recommend paying that much. Dressed in a suit and tie I don't think that it hurt him though. He showed The Boy a magic trick with two silver dollars so he knew how to handle kids.


The Phantom of the Opera was absolutely magical. The singing was strong, the music powerful, the storyline tear jerking and the costumes marvellous. Fabulous production. Not including the 15 minutes intermission we were treated to a 2 hr performance that was worth every penny.

Too early to head back to the apartment so we journeyed to the Rockefeller Plaza - Top of the Rock Observation Deck. Some pretty good viewing up there from the three levels but rather too many juveniles in attendance.



Couldn't believe the traffic along 42nd Street on the way back. Walking, which we did, was quicker than the bus. And the human traffic was almost crushing too. Did some grocery shopping before dinner.

Photo Album Vol I
Photo Album Vol II
Photo Album Vol III
Photo Album Vol IV (Final)

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