We were tourists. We had limited time. And there was stuff we HAD to do. I was a tad ambitious for Day One

After Bryant Park,  we drank in post-rush hour Grand Central Terminal . . .

. . .  and then headed for the Empire State Building.

Though visibility was not going to be good, it seemed like it was clearing, so we took a chance.  While wending our way through the line, we got some history on the building.

We finally got to the observation deck, and I have to say, this was my least favorite spot. It was cramped and crowded and as you can see, visibility sucked. But, when life hands you lemons . . .

Instead of looking OUT, I looked DOWN.  Much better.

Macys.

The Yellow Cabs are everywhere.

And water towers adorn every building over six stories tall, whether you see them or not.

Many rooftops are put to good use.

One last hazy look out . .  .

We went looking for some lunch. Sweetie had told be before we left home that we HAD so have some New York pizza.

Cheapest meal we had the pleasure of eating. Tasty. And the crispy crust was to die for. And we did it in New York!

Then we were off to the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t give the museum the time it deserved. Day One was passing far to quickly.

Directly across the street from the Museum of Natural History is the oasis known as Central Park. I really wish we could have spent more time there, slowly exploring the place and maybe having a picnic lunch, but what we did manage to see was beautiful.  The park features prominently in my favorite move, “The Fisher King,” so I was doing mental cartwheels whenever I came across a spot where a scene had played out.

Wedding pictures in the park. I love the bride’s footwear!

Capturing the photographer capturing the moment.

Did I mention we had tickets to The Phantom of the Opera that evening?

And aside from the cab ride from the airport and the shuttle to the airport, we rode the subway and walked everywhere.

We also discovered that Google Maps GPS doesn’t work so good when you are walking the canyons of New York City. It would consistently show us a block away from where our lying eyes told us we were. But we figured it out, and after three days, were pretty darned good at getting ourselves around.