New York City Christmas Present Trip

Lauve and I gave each other a trip to NYC for Christmas and it has finally arrived May 8^th!

We stayed at our favorite, Park Central Hotel on 7^th Ave just south of Central Park. It’s a good location for walking the park, visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the theater district. Lauve usually gets us a deal!

To stretch our legs after the long flights we did Times Square – electric, but always seems to be mobbed.

Wednesday May 9^th

Ellis Island and the Hard Hat Tour were recommended. The package includes ferry service to both Liberty Island and Ellis and a guided tour of the yet-to-be-restored hospital wings where sick or mentally ill immigrants were detained before granted entry or barred - they didn’t say deported because they were never considered immigrated. Only ~ 2% of those that came were eventually barred.

First stop on the ferry was for a brief walk around the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

One thing the Ellis Island exhibits made clear was that the nation’s attitude about immigration went in cycles from positive after WWI to negative in the 1920’s and so on…till today. Ellis was open from 1892 till 1954 when immigrants started coming more by air than ship and a central location for processing was no longer practical.

The hospital at Ellis was one of the most modern and much sought after for treatment by New Yorkers at the time.

Photographer, JR, placed pictures of immigrants at various places on Ellis

Original fixtures around the hospital

We met Shafer Smith (son of my high school friend, Kendall and Bea Smith) and his girlfriend, Wendy for drinks at Shafer’s apartment near Washington Square. Shafer is a professor at NYU and Wendy is a finance writer at UBS Investments. Both have interesting jobs and enjoy living in NYC. We had a great evening with them at a Cuban restaurant near Shafer’s apartment.

Washington Square near Shafer's place

Thursday May 10^th

Today was Metropolitan Museum of Art day. We did the 30-minute walk from the Park Central through our favorite parts of Central Park to arrive at the Met just as it opened. The special exhibits today were Vatican/Papal vestments, Catholic inspired fashion and the parks of France from Paris to Provence. We also always visit the impressionists section.

Central Park was magnificent

Tonight, we saw Come from Away – a Broadway musical about Newfoundlanders who took in trans-Atlantic passengers stranded in Gander on 9/11. It brought back memories of where we were on the day and all the uncertainty about travel following.

Busy day – dinner was M&M’s at the play and cheesecake for dessert afterward. We walked home in a light rain.

Friday May 11^th

Downton Abbey has an exhibition in NYC. We went at 11 for the self-guided tour. It was well done reminding us of how many historical issues the series covered related to WWI politics, economics, the class system and British/American relations. It demonstrated how world events and technology combined to cause dramatic changes in the viability of the society and establishment represented by Downton Abbey.

We had dinner with Lauve’s nephew, Dan Ward, at The Topaz Thai near our hotel – still haven’t found any place as good as our Tucson Bai Thong. Dan is just finishing up his master’s degree in education and is looking forward to teaching.

Saturday May 12^th

The trip home through Houston on United was routine.