I’m sitting in the Internet Salon at the Hotel Beacon in NYC as I type this reflecting on the trip so far. We got off to a whirlwind start with a trip to see a taping of “The View” which, despite the lines getting in, was a lot of fun. I even got a good shot of the Gorn with the cast in the background. I also managed to get a nice close-up shot with me, the Gorn and Robert Verdi of Discovery’s Surprise by Design. We then headed over to see the Christmas show over at Radio City Music Hall. Overall, it was a good show, but dang, them Rockettes sure know how to get a crowd going. I thought there were only 10 or so, but there were 36! Afterwards, we got over to Rockefeller Center and strolled down 5th Ave. We then got word of the immanent snow so we wanted to get an early start on Friday.
Friday rolled around and we were at the Empire State Building at 10 am. The Accuweather ™ forecast said snow by 2 and when we were in line they said that visibility at the top was enough to see the Statue of Liberty. Sadly, by the time we got to the top, it was snowing and COLD. Ever the troopers, we kept going as long as we could making our way down to the WTC site and then over to the United Nations. I must say the slog to the UN was tough since it was blowing snow (4-6 inches by the time we got to the UN), but it was very educational and worth it. We then found a shortcut back to the Grand Central Station and then made our way back to the hotel.
Today, the snow was worse, but that didn’t stop us from getting to Macy’s at Herald Square (the one featured in the classic “Miracle on 34th Street”) and getting a picture of the Gorn with Santa. We then went to the CBS Store after some pizza. I had hoped the CBS store would have the Amazing Race poster they had on the outside but no luck, they had less merchandise than the one at Television City in LA. We then headed back to the hotel, only venturing out for food.
I have been nagged by a cold on the trip, but have tried to keep my spirits up. Still might venture out tonight to see the nightlife since the snow has stopped coming down (17 inches in Central Park – a few blocks from where we are).
All in all, its been a good trip, despite the lack of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. If I feel up to it, I am going to try and get up early tomorrow and go down to see if I can get a pic of it. I am a bit worried about the airport situation since many flights were delayed the past two days, hopefully it won’t be too much of a mess when I get there tomorrow night.