And Ron Will Stay With The Bus

Probably one of my most favorite things that we did on our trip was a city wide guided tour. I had actually heard about this from a friend that had gone to NYC in November and had a good time. It was a six hour tour that took us to several must-see sights around New York. This is again something that I would highly recommend if you're on a budget and want to get the highlights of the city. New York Party Shuttle Tours.

Anyway, we were supposed to be in Times Square at 8:30am so we got up early. Now normally on vacations you're supposed to sleep late and really enjoy yourself. We were up before the sun was practically every morning we were there. Anyway, we got up and got dressed and headed out. (Bethany this is just for you!) My friend had given me a subway map and great tips for getting around the city. She also helped me understand why one train had three names. I was so proud of myself that I remembered the 3 was the express train and to celebrate that I had Deniece take a picture of me pointing to the 3 on a subway sign. We went down into the bowels of the city and bought our all day pass (another tip from B) and then stepped up to the platform to wait for our train. Somewhere among people watching and watch watching I noticed that the trains on the other side were going in the direction that we needed to be going. The train we were going to get on was going this way and we needed to be going that way. So, up the stairs we went and crossed the street to the other subway entrance. After several trips up and down the stairs we finally got on the right platform and on the right train. I was very surprised. I was expecting dirty and crowded, but it wasn't bad. We got where we needed to be and it was actually a pretty fun experience.

Well, I should clarify that the experience was fun on Monday since the public transit workers went on strike Tuesday. This was a major deal...especially in the wallet area. Thankfully, we were smart and had planned for something of this nature. And as an added bonus...more taxi rides!!! I know I've gone on and on about these little rides of death, but I think that was one thing about New York that I will never forget. I even bought a Christmas ornament of a little taxi to hang on the Christmas tree from now on.

Anyway, back to this tour. We had the neatest guy for tour guide. He'd moved to New York from the heartland and had been in NYC for 30 years. He knew all kinds of neat little things that you wouldn't learn on your own touring the city. He totally made our trip enjoyable! I think my favorite thing he told us was that Ron would stay with the bus. Everywhere we stopped, Tom would say that we could feel safe leaving things on the bus because Ron would be staying with the bus. Poor Ron...he was always with the bus. If you hadn't noticed I'm easily amused. And this just struck me as funny each time Tom said it. Here is just a little run down of some of the more memorable stops:

1. Pier 17 - I had my first "city" hot dog there for lunch. Okay it was my only city hot dog, but it was good. This was also where we saw the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, and Brooklyn. Oh we also got up close and personal with some pigeons!

2. Staten Island Ferry - This was neat. It's also as close to the Statue of Liberty as we got. Boy was it cold on the water! I think I probably took an entire roll of film just at this one spot.

3. The World Trade Center Site - I'm not sure what I was expecting (probably to still see rubble sitting around) to see. It was very somber and made me feel very proud to be an American. I think it would be neat to go back and see the site after the memorial has been built.

4. Fifth Avenue - I'm girly to the core so this just spoke to me! Deniece and I went shopping the next day, but boy was my heart racing as Tom pointed out all those uppity shops!

5. Wall Street - I'm not good with numbers, but I had fun exploring this little piece of New York. And of course there is that huge bull. Did you know that it's supposed to bring you good luck if you rub it? Well guess what the most rubbed place is? Yeah...the balls. Once chick was even having her picture taken where it looked like her head was up it's rear. Oh goodness...another one of those amusement things!

Stay tuned for the next entry...it's about my TV debut!!