The Big Day Is Here, Part One

To continue my New York/Churchill adventure....

I woke between 5 and 6 am on Thursday, 7 June 2012: the 'big day'--that is, the day of the reception at The Morgan Library & Museum, to open the exhibition Churchill: The Power of Words.   It was the culmination day for so many people, who worked so hard to bring this event to pass--the staff at The Morgan, and especially for my friend Allen Packwood, and his team at the Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College in Cambridge, England.

Before that event occurred, however, I decided to take in a few of New York City's sights (and at the same time not over-exert myself, to be 'fresh' for the evening's festivities).   So after showering and dressing, I headed out to the Pret A Manger restaurant on Fifth Avenue at 40th Street for breakfast: a tomato and mozzarella cheese sandwich, and granola and yogurt.   Thus fortified, I headed south on Fifth Avenue, to the Empire State Building.    Despite my occasional fear of heights, I was determined to get a bird's-eye view of the New York City skyline.

It was a good thing I arrived at the Empire State Building when I did, around 8:30 am; the lines were already forming for admission to ride the elevators to the 88th floor Observation Deck.   I took an escalator to the second floor, where the tour would begin.   I followed the line going to the ticket window: but before one ever gets there, one has to go through a Security Check similar to that for the airport!   I bet it's been in place since the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack.

We had to take off any handbags, backpacks, camera cases--and our belts!--and put them in a tray to go through the x-ray machine, and then walk through a metal-detector.   When my turn came, I told the attendant I wasn't wearing a belt....but I really was wearing one.   When I went through the metal-detector and it went off, I sheepishly went back to the attendant--who was now scowling at me.   She said, "You told me you weren't wearing a belt."   And I replied: "I forgot"--and I unbuckled it, and placed it in the tray.   This time, I didn't set the detector off.   I grabbed my backpack, camera case and belt, and put them on..and tried to find an inconspicuous way to put the belt back on.   What a pain....

After purchasing my ticket, I was directed to stand in front of a blank wall and have a photo taken.  It wasn't for security reasons: it was for an over-priced souvenir (more on that later)!    Then, I joined the throngs waiting for the express elevator trip to the 80th floor, and I crammed inside with about 12-15 people: several Chinese and French-speaking tourists among them.   My ears popped as the elevator smoothly climbed its way up.   We got off at the 80th floor, and waited in yet another line for another express elevator, to go to the 86th floor, and the Observation Deck.   As we emerged from the second elevator, a huge wind-gust hit our faces--which meant we were at our destination.

I have to confess: my knees initially went weak as I stepped out onto the Deck, and looked out over the scene: all of New York City appeared to be at our feet!   To the south: Lower Manhattan and New York Harbor; to the west, the Hudson River.   To the east: the East River and Brooklyn; to the north, Fifth Avenue and Central Park.   It was windy and quite comfortable, as I wandered around the Deck and took lots of photos.

The far skyline had a little bit of smog and haze, but I could still make out the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York Harbor.   And in Lower Manhattan, the 'new' World Trade Center tower (sometimes called the 'Freedom Tower') was really taking shape; most of the lower floors were already done (photo above left).   I watched the ferry and tour boats making their ways along the Hudson and East Rivers, and in the Harbor.   A huge cruise ship lay just beyond Lady Liberty.

On the south side of the Deck, I could make out Central Park and Fifth Avenue, and Rockefeller Center--and a wee bit of St Patrick's Cathedral (photo right).   The Chrysler Building wasn't far away, either.   There's a high fence between you and a 'long way down'--but I still had visions of me losing my grip on my camera, and watching it fall 86 stories to the street (or on someone's head).   So I wrapped the strap around my wrist, and snapped away, like my fellow visitors.   So many languages were heard: Chinese, French, Scandinavian, German and English--people from everywhere and anywhere were taking photos.   I'd venture to say that over a million photos are taken atop the Empire State Building in an average day.   It's amazing....

I think I stayed around an hour or so, just savoring the views.    Eventually, I decided to go back in, and head back down the elevators.   But not before I stopped at the 80th-floor souvenir shop: a place filled with all kinds of Empire State Building tchochkes: from ESB pencil-sharpeners and paperweights, to fridge magnets and key chains and t-shirts....and not to mention the stuffed King Kong toys.   I admit it: I bought a King Kong/ESB fridge magnet, a Wish-You-Were-Here ESB fridge magnet, and a bottle of water.   Later, I couldn't help but think that the bottle of water alone cost $10....   All the Chinese visitors must have felt at home here.   I bet most of these tchochkes were Made In China!!!

 I then left the souvenir store, and headed for the elevator back to the ground floor.   I didn't leave the Empire State Building, however, without one more stop....for the 'souvenir' photo taken earlier.   Turns out that 'empty wall' behind me was really a backdrop of the Empire State Building at night!   When I saw how horribly ugly my photo was, I didn't buy it.   Good thing too; it would have cost me $20!!!!   It got shredded, thank goodness.

Outside the Empire State Building, I headed north along Fifth Avenue to Rockefeller Center (photo left).   Judging from the view from the Observation Deck, I thought it would be a short walk.   I should have known better: it was about six long city blocks away.    The morning was a bit warmer than the day before, around 80 degrees and sunny--so I stopped about half-way, and rested in the plaza of the New York Public Library.   I found a table beneath a shade tree, drank some water and got off my feet for a few minutes.   Good thing there was still a little breeze.    I started back up Fifth Avenue again, and turned west across from St Patrick's--and about half a block away was Rockefeller Plaza.

The plaza was full of locals and visitors going to and fro, or seated on stone benches in the shade.   Rockefeller Center itself soared above my head.   In front of me was the sunken plaza with the statue of the Greek god Prometheus, (who brought fire to mankind from heaven--so the story goes) surrounded by fountains (photo right).   This is where the ice-skating rink is set up during the Christmas season, along with the huge towering Christmas tree.

Rockefeller Center, which is comprised of a series of buildings, is the home of NBC News; I could see the studio where the Today show is done every day.   (NBC's HQ is in the GE Building, which is the main building in the Center.) Flags from many nations fly from poles surrounding the plaza, and it's a great place to see and be seen.   I sat down on a bench in the shade and did some writing, and rested.

Close by were two cool stores: the LEGO Store and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Shop.   Two more contrasting stores couldn't be found anywhere; the LEGO Store is for kids of all ages, filled with kits to build everything from London's iconic Tower Bridge to the latest Star Wars ship!    Two huge walls were on the ground floor, full of colorful LEGO pieces of all sizes and shapes; a customer could fill a bag with them, and build whatever they wanted.

One side of the store held LEGO kits for buildings like royal castles, or cars and such; the other side was full of kits of Star Wars and Harry Potter stuff.   And in the middle of the store was a replica of Rockefeller Center--in LEGO (photo above left).   It was complete with little people, vehicles, the Prometheus sculpture and little flags--AND none other than Darth Vader from Star Wars, standing on Rockefeller Center's roof with some 'storm troopers'! (photo right)   Thankfully, an NYPD helicopter was nearby, to come to the rescue...

In total contrast, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Shop was very elegant and stylish.   You could buy replicas of some of 'the Met'''s artworks on items like silk scarves and stationery, to smaller-scale sculpture works by Auguste Rodin (his The Thinker was on display).   There were also some really beautiful jewelry pieces based on various artworks, or artistic periods represented at the Met; for instance, necklaces and brooches inspired by the Russian Easter eggs created by the jeweler Peter Carl Faberge, for the Romanov Russian Imperial Family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  And I think there were also posters of some of the artworks too.

Most of this stuff, however, was a bit out of my price range.   Instead, I wandered over to the book tables and music CD displays.   There were some lovely coffee-table sized books for sale--including one that really caught my eye: The French Dog, by a female American photographer whose name escapes me now.   But the photos of dogs in rural and urban France, and the stories behind the photos, were really entertaining.   In the event, I bought this book for my sister Joanne.   It was too sweet to pass up!

And so, armed with my purchases, I headed south on Fifth Avenue to Madison Avenue via 40th Street, for lunch at the Pret A Manger shop on Madison.   I bought another chicken Caesar salad, a chocolate brownie, red grapes and strawberry lemonade.   Stupidly, I forgot to buy salad dressing--and, most important, pick up eating utensils for the salad.   I didn't notice until I got back to my room to eat!   Good thing I didn't get dressing, because I ended up eating lunch with my fingers.   Still, it was awesomely delicious.

I halted my sight-seeing around 1 pm, and went back to my room to eat, and take a nap before the reception that evening.   I left a wake-up call for 4:30 pm at the front desk.   The reception would start at 6 pm at The Morgan Library & Museum, and I wanted to have plenty of time to shower and dress up.   So after lunch, I settled down for a good nap.   Next up: the Churchill reception!