The Big Apple & The Windy City

Main hall Ellis Island where immigrants were processed.

Approaching the Staute of Liberty by boat.

Times Square - thousands of people!

Metropolitan Museum - NYC

View of Manhattan skyline from pedestal of Statue of Liberty

Patrice viewing Manhattan skyline from Rockefeller Center.

There is a reason Frank Sinatra sang about New York and Chicago. These cities are positively alive with energy. I enjoyed an adventure packed 10 day trip and got to share it with my sister, Patrice, in celebration of her 50th birthday.

I left Seattle Sept. 23 for Chicago. Patrice and I flew out of O'Hare Airport Sept. 25 for LaGuardia Airport in NYC. Our previous trip to NYC had been with friends who had lived there so we were on our own this time.

Stayed a block away from Times Square at The Hilton Garden Inn. Great place to stay, accessible to everything we were interested in.

To touch on a few of our outings:

- 2 Broadway plays ("Wicked" and "Lion King")

- To the "Top of the Rock" - Rockefeller Center where we experienced fantastic views of Manhattan and also took a tour of the NBC Studios.
- An entire day spent at The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigration Center.

- Lunch and a walk in Central Park.

- Rode the subway!! Took no taxis!

- Went to Trump Tower where Patrice managed to get a "Trump Tower" labeled umbrella when it was a torrential downpour - a nice doorman took pity on her.

- Bought 48 hour pass to ride a double decker hop-on/off bus to tour the island of Manhattan. We had the best time with great tour guides.

- Got off bus near Little Italy and had lunch at a sidewalk cafe - reminded me of Italy last year. Then we went to Ground Zero which is very moving despite all the construction. Across the street is a church built in the 1700's where George Washington worshipped.

- Took a night bus tour of Brooklyn and the city.

- Admired all the different architectural styles from modern buildings to 18th century buildings - it was fascinating to see how they all co-exist.

Headed back to Chicago on Sept. 30. Stayed with Patrice and Paul for 3 days which gave me an opportunity to see my nephew, Anthony, in a college play. The next day we took the train to downtown Chicago where we had lunch at Navy Pier, then took an architectural tour by a boat ride on the Chicago River. The next 2 days were spent going to some local areas and visiting.

Arrived back in Seattle around 10pm Sunday Oct. 3. All the flights , security and waits at the airport went smoothly. We had perfect weather while we were there (except for the 2 rainstorms we got caught in).

So here we are in mid-October and Fall has set in - there is a chill to the air, but we have been enjoying sun and for the most part blue skies the last few days. The trees, plants and bushes that turn colors are beautiful right now and it's really stunning when we have a sunny day.

Till next time - Joyce