NYC Days 1 and 2

New York City is the stinkiest place I’ve ever been.  The whole city reeks of trash, even in the nicer parts of town, such as 5^th Avenue.  I’ve been shocked and disappointed at the filth that permeates the entire city.  Such a shame that New Yorkers are ok giving off the air that they don't care about their city.

Germs have not kept us from learning, however.  Yesterday we took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and then on to Ellis Island for a workshop.  Ellis Island is fascinating!  I have many ancestors who came from Ireland and at least one some odd numbered great-grandmother from Germany, but I don’t know if any of them came through Ellis Island.  From school, I was under the impression that Ellis Island was just a horrid crowd of people waiting and waiting and waiting to see if they would be allowed admittance into the USA.  While the crowding was very much a reality, the immigrants were fed and cared for as much as possible considering something like 5,000 folks a day walked in and then out of the doors of Ellis Island.  An immigrant had to have at least $25 in cash to prove they wouldn’t become a ward of the state.  Amazing times in American history.

The waiting hall in the main building on Ellis Island.

After Ellis Island, we watched Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones preparing to film scenes of Men in Black 3.  We had seen them setting up early yesterday morning on our way to the dock, so it was cool to see them still at it hours later.  My camera didn’t get any good pictures, but a few people did, so I’m hoping to get one or two.

We didn't have much time to linger at the 9/11 Memorial, but some of us made sure we made the trek from Battery Park to Ground Zero before our Broadway show.  Freedom Tower is under construction, so there isn't much to see without visiting Trinity Church, but we did the best we could with a limited time budget.  It's a moving and touching place to visit and deserves more time than we gave it.

Last night was incredible!  Mamma Mia was a hoot!  Fifteen of us wanted to go to Broadway together, and Wicked had been our first pick.  Sadly, the date was sold out except for the super expensive seats, which few of us could actually afford.  I was not sad at all that Mamma Mia ended up being our destination as I have lots of memories of my family and singing and dancing to ABBA as a small girl.  The movie adaption is great, and I was excited to finally get to see the inspiration for the film.  I’m not sure the two can be compared though.  A musical can have more numbers than a film, and yet a film can provide better sets and effects.  Phantom of the Opera is a perfect example of this in my opinion.  The fifteen ladies took up an entire row of seats, and we laughed and laughed throughout the night.  And yes, we did a bit of singing as well. :)  After the show we headed to Sardie's for 'supper'.  We didn't manage to run into anyone famous, but our food was excellent.  Of course we thought we were special dinning in a restaurant that's served the rich and famous of the City for over 100 years.  It was a great end to a wonderful day.

Inside Winter Gardens.  It's a beautiful theater!

Walking through Time Square on our way to Sardie's.

The girls at Sardie's

Today we toured the Tenement Museum and went on a walking tour of the historical immigrant neighborhoods of the Lower East Side.  The Tenement Museum was impressive.  A tenement had been built at 92 Orchard St and grew into the quintessential tenement community.  A bar was in the basement, and the families were so tight knit that when the building’s owner finally refused to update the building to meet code in the mid-30s, they all moved to a new building together.  One tenement (in Texas, we call these apartments, in case you’re wondering) was restored to how it looked in the 1880s: no electricity, no windows in any room except for the front, no running water, and no bathroom.  Another was restored to how it look in 1928.  The three rooms had windows in the walls so that air and light could travel from the front window throughout the tenement, and running water and electricity had been installed.  At the time, there only had to be one toilet for every 20 building in the building.  Whoa.  

92 orchard Street, where the marquis is hanging in front.

The afternoon was spent exploring 5^th Avenue, Tiffany’s, FAO Schwarz.  Miss Tightwad of course didn’t purchase anything, but it was fun to see the fancy buildings as we walked past the Russian Tea Room and Carnegie Hall.