Using our Metro Pass

     I have a long list of things to do in New York City, so on our second day, June 26, we decided to make a dent in that list! We started the day by buying our 7 day metro pass. It is still a bargain at $16 for seniors and usable on the bus and subway. 

     We headed north on Lexington to 77^th Street. We walked over to 5^th Avenue to find a bookstore I had read about. It was in a beautiful old mansion now being used for the French Cultural Institute. 5^th Avenue is filled with these old mansions converted to hotels, consulates, museums and other utilitarian buildings. The bookstore was closed!

     Our next stop was the Carlyle Hotel on 76^th Street near Park Avenue. This is another venerable old building built in the 1920’s with a very classic bar completely decorated with murals painted by Ludwig Bemelmans, the author of the Madeline children’s books. It was quite delightful to look at.

Wind Sculpture (SG)1

     From there we took the bus on 5^th Avenue alongside Central Park to the Arsenal Building. This was built before the park as a storage place for ammunition. It has always been owned by the city and has had many uses. Now it is surrounded by the zoo and houses the park offices. There is a gallery on the third floor and we looked at a special photography exhibit.

The hostas at Mt. Vernon Hotel & Gardens

     From Central Park we wended our way to the Mt. Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden at 421 E. 61^st Street. It was built in 1799 as a carriage house, converted into a hotel in 1826 for New Yorkers to escape the crowded city below 14^th St, and has been preserved as a museum. We enjoyed the hosta filled gardens, but decided not to take the tour of the hotel. The Queens Bridge now looms over the building – what must it have been like in the 1800’s?

Don, Suzanne, Marion & Hildie at the theatre

     That was it for Tuesday and on Wednesday we spent time with my friend, Hildie and her friend Marion. We met at the Greek restaurant, Dafni on 42^nd Street. From there we walked to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater to see the play “The Iceman Cometh.” I enjoyed the intricacies of the story and the characters, Don wasn’t so thrilled! Before we met Hildie we had looked for the New York Genealogical Society (they moved), visited the Art Student's League to see the new paintings for sale, and checked out the Museum of Arts and Design on Columbus Circle (worth a future visit).