New York City

{Wednesday, August 8, 2012}

Natalie and I spent all day in New York City. The plan was to leave our place at 5:30 a.m. but I made us a few minutes late. Natalie drove us up to White Marsh to catch our Megabus which was to leave at 6:30 a.m.

The goal was to arrive at the stop early as to get a parking place that would leave not getting Natalie’s car towed while we were away. We got a parking space and an early spot in the forming line that would no doubt ensure us a seat together.

The drive was approximately three and a half hours long. Despite the comfortable seats, I was itching to stand up by the time we arrived.

We exited the bus and began walking toward Times Square. It was several blocks before we got there, and on the way, I managed to almost lose sight of Natalie crossing a street. The number of people at each corner added to the confusion, and I scrambled up behind her before she knew anything had happened. I have no idea how parents keep a hold on their children.

At Times Square we found the line to TKTS and joined the end of it. It had opened at 10:00 a.m. but we got there at a quarter after. After waiting for an hour (it went quicker than we thought it would) we purchased discounted tickets to a Broadway play: One Man, Two Guvnors.

Since the play was not to start until 2:00 p.m., we killed time by eating some New York pizza for lunch. The pizza slices were large and thin and delicious. We then made our way north to Central Park.

The park was beautiful and green. I noticed multitudes of bikers and artists on the walkways. Most of the artists had stands with their work and a tourist perched on a chair as the artist drew their caricature. Natalie bought a map of the park from a woman when we entered. 

Using the map, we navigated ourselves next to the carousal and on our way to Balto. A bunch of little kids were lining up to get their picture taken next to Balto, and Natalie and I did too. 

We walked past the zoo, but since it was not free, and it was time to be heading to our theatre, I managed to capture a sea lion on camera before making our way out of the park. Look closely in the water, I promise that it's there. In the smaller picture a sea lion is poking its head out of the water on the far side of the pool.

We rode the Subway and walked a few blocks to the Music Box where we found a long line extending down the street. As we waited I noticed a shirt hanging in a shop that reminded me of Dad. I remember him telling me about a friend of his that had a shirt like this, and he was sure to be careful about which side of his friend he walked on when he wore that shirt. I laughed out loud and would have bought the shirt instantly if I knew Dad would wear it, but uncertainty got the best of me.

Inside the theatre, Natalie and I settled into our seats (which had a great view) in perfect timing. The show began, and we were not disappointed. One Man, Two Guvnors is a comedy that left us in stitches. The main actor, James Cordon, was absolutely brilliant – as the British would say. When we were picking out which plays we might be interested in early in the week, Natalie knew this actor from a Doctor Who episode she had seen.

There were several times during the show that did not go according to plan, however, nothing threw him and the audience was thoroughly entertained.

After the play, we took the subway yet again, down to Battery Park. We looked at the Statue of Liberty, and a war memorial.

We wondered through streets enclosed by skyscrapers. We attempted to see the 9/11 memorial, but apparently tickets are needed, so we did not see it. It was alright though because it was time for us to make our way over to the bus stop again. Our Megabus was scheduled to come at 6:30 p.m. so we found a subway and rode north until we only had to walk west. At the approaching time, we began to run a few blocks. It was comical really, but we were determined to not wait for the light to change again.

I found Wall Street!

It was a miracle :)

Just enjoying the street signs . . . there were some fun ones. I wonder why streets in Utah aren't all named great names.

We made it with time to spare. The line for the bus was very long. When a double decker bus showed up, we learned that the line was so long because it was actually two buses worth of people, so everyone waiting for the 6:00 p.m. bus left and everyone else expecting the 6:30 p.m. bus waited on.

The bus showed up around 7:00 p.m. and we got a seat together on the second level. I dosed off and on all the way back. 

We got home around 10:30 p.m. and found a parking place quickly (in Fells Point that tends to be a difficult feat, considering the hour) and head off to bed.