PanaGals Attack the Big Apple - Day 2

PanaGals at Our First Stop

Our brief sojourn in New York City ended yesterday with an epic day spent trying to show the PanaGals as many sights as possible while I tried to keep them from shopping.  I went one for two.  I posted late last night about the first day.  If you missed it – you can find it at:

 http://fraildeedsdancing.blogspot.com/2014/08/panagals-attack-big-apple-day-1.html

After the free and very generous breakfast and storing our bags at the hotel I marshalled the forces for our foray into the tourist maelstrom of August in New York.  We’d been accosted several times by the double deck tour bus operators over the past day and my wife had selected one.  I asked the guy, a very nice Nigerian (should have been a clue there), and he promised a bus every ten minutes along the route if we chose to get off at any point.  Since we had to leave in the afternoon we chose a downtown route that hit Central Park and then went all the way to Battery Park before returning to Times Square.

On the Bus

PanaGals in Shadow in front of Plaza Hotel

 

Wife and Sisters in Central Park

More of Central Park

I'm Always Struck by How Peaceful and Quiet the Park is Just a Few Feet From the Big City

PanaGals Wondering Where all the Shopping is

Since there were no apparent shopping destinations I felt it was safe to dismount near Central Park and wander through the park a little bit.  We were blessed with a fantastic day, weather wise, mid 70s and breezy.  The PanaGals thought it was too cold and were looking for a store to duck into. We returned for to the bus stop for the “10 minute wait” for the next bus.  Forty-five minutes later we were once again mounted on top of the bus ducking traffic lights buzzing a few feet over our heads.

Empire State Building - Best Seen from a Distance

Back through Times Square via Carnegie Hall and then Bryant Park to the Empire State Building.  I then had to use physical force to restrain the PanaGals as we passed by the sun center of shopping – Macy’s.  My injuries were minor compared to the prospect of losing them scattered through that maze (we would probably still be there).  We passed through Soho and Greenwich Village and while I was distracted the PanaGals staged a mass escape from the bus and disappeared into the shopping stalls of Chinatown.  I had failed.

Most Dangerous Part of Trip

Instead of watching the ensuing hour and a half wrangling between the PanaGals and an elderly Chinese lady selling purses I fielded a call from my excellent boss who needed some help to quell the political boss.  This did nothing to help my mood as the seemingly interminable negotiations in the purse booth dragged on.  The PanaGals emerged with a number of purses and declared victory but the Chinese lady was smiling too. 

PanaGals in Chinatown

The Wrangling

Back to the bus stop for another 45 minute wait before we headed by Wall Street towards Battery Park and a distant view of the Statue of Liberty.  We also passed by the site of the 9-11 memorial which was mobbed with tourists.  I was a surprised that I felt a little anger by what I saw.  It shouldn’t be a tourist mecca with the attendant trappings.  I felt it should be somehow more somber and personal and not the object of glib tour guide patter.  The new World trade Tower was immense and impressive.

Wall Street

Flat Iron Building

The rest of the trip was beating our way back up to the Times Square area.  The day turned hot after noontime so the PanaGals were a little baked after the hours spent exposed to the sun travelling slowly above the NYC traffic. 

The New World Trade Tower

Impressive

The 9-11 Memorial

If you’re going to NYC do not use Go New York Tours buses.  They’re very nice people but we didn’t have less than a 45 minute wait between buses.  During our interminable waits in the hot sun numerous other buses from the other vendors passed by.  Don’t go near the guys in the green shirts!

My Wife Might Have Missed Part of the Scenery

It was late afternoon and traffic was at a standstill around our hotel but my wife was insisting we find a taxi for the ride to Grand Central Station. After recovering our bags I made a token effort at hailing a cab for her (I only chose cabs that had passengers sitting in them).  I sent a text to the daughter asking where the nearest subway stop was but she was tied up at work.  I reasoned a stop had to be close and off we went.  A block and a half later we were on the subway on our way.  Ten minutes after we left the hotel I was buying the return train tickets to New Haven.

Heading Back to the Hotel

While we were on the train we heard from our daughter who said we were lucky to have such a cool day for our sight-seeing (she wasn’t with me in Chinatown so I informed her she wasn’t qualified to make that statement).  The rest of the return trip was quiet as NYC was enough to even sap the conversational ability of the PanaGals.  It was kind of spooky to have this group so quiet for the drive home.  They were finally tired!

I always enjoy my trips to New York City but I leave believing the old saying that it’s a better place to visit than to live.  You surrender your ability to transport yourselves and are dependent on people like the Green Shirts to get around.  As any New Yorker will also tell you – you end up walking a lot; I mean a real lot.  I felt a real sense of empowerment when I climbed behind the wheel of my car – life’s small victories.