July 20 - 21

NYC day was finally here. Stuffed with a hearty continental breakfast? Check. Public transportation into Manhattan all planned out? Check. Dressed for a day of excessive walking and urban trekking? Check. Raining cats and dogs? Check. Since this was our one shot at hard-core touring of NYC on this trip, we had no choice but to grin and bear the very wet weather, so we raced out to the bus stop outside the hotel and rode it right into the Port Authority Bus Terminal just a couple blocks from Times Square.

Until you've been there, that old phrase, "...in a New York minute," seems like a metaphorical reference to the high tempo life of the world's most famous metropolis. But here's the thing--time really does seem to slow in that electric, frenetic wonderland so that it actually feels as though you can squeeze more into a single minute. And squeeze we did. Here's a summary list of everything we hit in a single day:

• Empire State Building: Due to the weather, lack of visibility and fishy nature of the horde of dudes trying to sell us tickets outside the entrance, we declined the very pricey privelage of going up a few dozen floors.
• New York Public Library: Wow! The famous guardian lions greeted us on the way into the architectural marvel. Seeing A.A. Milne's original Pooh bear (and friends) in the children's section was also a cool highlight.
• Grand Central Terminal: Once again, breathtaking architecture, especially the winter constellations painted onto the ceiling of the main terminal. We grabbed some lunch in the popular food court too.
• St. Patrick's Cathedral: Grandiose and mesmerizing.
• Museum of Modern Art: Standing face-to-face with those famous works you've been seeing in books and movies your whole life is hard to describe. Van Gogh's Starry Night had to be the highlight, and it was cool to get a photo of Vince next to an original painting by his namesake.
• Fifth Avenue: Just window shopping.
• Central Park: Is there a movie that DOESN'T have a scene in Central Park?
• Trump Tower: OK, all we did here was get a snack from Starbucks.
• Times Square: It really does feel like the center of the universe in a way.
• The Subway: I know it's a mode of transportation but it's also an event in itself.
• Staten Island Ferry: It was night time when we got off the subway, but cruising by the Statue of Liberty at night held it's own special charms, and the ride was a nice day to begin to wind down from all the sights and sounds.

All in all, we were extremely pleased with everything we'd gotten in. Falling asleep that night was not difficult.

Outside the NYC public library. Made entirely of white marble.

The original Pooh was a long-distance runner and not as chubby as today's.

Grand Central Station was immense.

Vince caught some cool orbs in this photo of the famous ceiling of the main terminal.

At MoMA, Paula posed with a self-portrait from Frida Kahlo, one of her favorite artists.

Vince and his namesake's most famous piece

Central Park

This "Times Square" place seemed kind of popular.

That one lady. 

July 21

Just a travel day to DC. We got to our hotel in Fairfax, VA by late afternoon and just kind of settled in, anticipating another huge tourist day the next day.