Conquering New York on foot

 We always start our visit to NYC by looking through all the magazines for what is happening. Then we head off to Lincoln Center to pick up their schedule of activities. We like the free student concerts at Juilliard, but they are not in session for the summer.

            So, on Monday we did that and ended up walking from Lincoln Center to TKTS on Broadway. We made a stop at the Art Students League on 57^th Street to look at the exhibit of art by military veterans who were students or teachers at the school. Sometimes they have art sales and we have enjoyed shopping there.

            At TKTS you can buy discounted tickets for plays. We bought tickets for the play “39 Steps” at Union Square Theater. After a rest from all that walking, we took the subway to Madison Square to look at the art installation, “Fata Morgana,” by Teresita Fernandez. It is a 500 foot long golden metal sculpture that creates canopies above the park’s pathways - quite fascinating.

            From there we walked to Union Square to have a bite for dinner and see the play. It is a spoof of the Alfred Hitchcock movie, “39 Steps.” It was extremely well done and very enjoyable. Four actors play all 150 roles in this spy mystery thriller. Need I say more?

Manhattan Island from Governor's Island

             The next day we decided to take the ferry to Governor’s Island, which is now a National Monument. It was a gorgeous day and the 7 minute ferry ride to the island was delightful. We left from South Street at the tip of Manhattan Island. We could see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and all of lower Manhattan as we crossed the water. On the island we toured two forts – Castle Williams and Fort Jay. We gradually walked the one mile circle of the island admiring the beautiful landscaping, the fun playground installations, the red Adirondack chairs, and lots of public art installations. What a great place to come with your family for a day of play and picnicking!

            From the return ferry we walked to the 9/11 Memorial Park. We had seen it the last time we were here and decided there were too many people. We walked over to Brookfield Plaza, which used to be the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center. About all I recognized were the steps and glass dome over the building! We were tired and it was time to give up and head back to the hotel.