We always like to attend the Randolph 4th of July celebration, but this year Daisy was in DC during that time. I found some reasonable flights to New York City, so we decided to do the 4th of July big this year in the City That Never Sleeps. I had not been since my nanny days after my freshman year of college, and no one else in the family had been.
I am going to say, New York City has taken a turn for the better since the late 80s. We stayed around the touristy parts of Manhattan, but it seemed pretty clean and it felt pretty safe. People were walking around nonchalantly with their bags and their phones out and we didn't witness any nefarious activitiy.
We rented an apartment near Time Square. After dropping off our bags, we walked to Central Park. On the way we enjoyed a slice of New York pizza. The first pizzeria in the US opened in NYC in 1905. Since the 1960s, the price of a slice of pizza has been roughly the same as a subway ride, hence the idea of the 'Pizza Principle' among economists.
Settlers in the 1600s are responsible for the current pidgeon population. Pidgeons were brought over from Europe with the first settlers and raised on farms at the time as a source of food.
Splash spent most of his life on an Amish farm, but has been giving carriage rides around Central Park for the past few years.
There were huge rocks located around the park that were never removed from the original landscape.
Bethesda Fountain was placed to commemorate the aqueduct that first brought fresh water to New York in 1842, which reduced diseases spread through contaminated drinking water.
While Cherry Hill Fountain looks very much like the fountain at the beginning of Friends, that one is a dupe at a studio in LA; they are not the same. This particular fountain was originally designed as a drinking fountain for horses, as many carriage riders would stop and enjoy the views of the lake.
This is the famed Tavern On The Green, but we didn't go inside. The 1880s saw the building as a sheep fold to house the 700 Southdown sheep that grazed in Central Park's sheep meadow. It was transformed into a restaurant in 1934, and the rest, as they say, is history.
This gentleman honors the Seventh Regiment of 1861-1865. It is one of 141 statues in the park.
This statue is dedicated to the pilgrim fathers of Plymouth Rock who first landed in Massachusetts in 1620. The base has various scenes and symbols portraying the Pilgrim's story: a bible and sword, the Mayflower, Native American weapons, a globe surrounded by navigation tools, an anvil, and a spool of wool. The dedicating procession in 1885 passed President Grant's house; Grant, being ill, saluted from his window.
The hill it rests upon is commonly referred to as Pilgrim Hill. It is known for its cherry blossoms in the spring and is a popular spot for sledding in the winter.
Daisy, Abe and I left the boys in the apartment and we took a stroll around Times Square.
Everywhere there are digital billboards, lights, restaurants, theaters, stores and people. Times Square is one of the world's most visited tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 50 million visitors annually. No wonder it is one of the world's busiest pedestrian areas!
Longacre Square was renamed after the newspaper, The New York Times, in 1904. The newspaper moved locations less than 10 years later, but the name of Times Square stuck.
The brightly-lit digital billboards and signs are so bright that astronauts on the International Space Station can see it from outer space!
Characters are having a pregame pep talk before they charge to take photos with tourists.
We had to pose by the Big (jelly bean) Apple.
While in Times Square, the M&M shop is a must-see.
In order to take in the whole city at once, we took a trip to the Edge. That little triangle sticking out inbetween those two buildings is where the Edge is located. 
To give you an idea how high it is, the building in the middle is where we were.
The deck is suspended in mid-air, with a glass floor on part of it. Here's the view looking down. At 100 stories high, it is the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere.
The glass walls are angled so you can lean out and look down.
What a city!
A little over 8 million people live in The Big Apple. That means that one in every 38 people in the US call NYC home (at least that's what I read). New York City itself has more people than 40 of the 50 states.
New York City houses the highest Jewish population outside of Israel, the highest Hispanic population of any US city, the highest Chinese population outside of Asia and the highest Puerto Rican population in the world. I read in a few places that over 800 languages are spoken here, but I also read it's closer to 200. Regardless, that's a lot of languages!
Here's the Empire State Building.
The tall building is One Vanderbilt building, which is 73 stories, but the spire on top meets the sky at 1401 feet, making it the 4th tallest building in NYC (the 28th tallest in the world). Next to it stands the Chrysler Building. In 1929 the architect was trying to create the tallest building in the world. He hid the 27-ton sunburst-patterned spire inside the building, surprising his nemesis (who also had a building under construction) upon its big reveal of the 1046-foot tall skyscraper. A day after the big reveal, the stock market crashed, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.
My people, taking in the view.
We spotted a helicopter on top of this really tall building.
Fun fact: New York City has 520 miles of coastline, which is more coastline than Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston combined.
That's me standing at the glass wall.
The Edge is located in Hudson Yards. One of the attractions there is the Vessel. It's the little pine cone looking thing at the bottom of those tall buildings.
From the High Line, we spotted the Empire State Building peeking in between those buildings.
While most of our experiences were based on iconic New York landmarks, we decided to try something new. Spyscape is an immersive and interactive spy museum.
This is looking down into the Vessel from the top of the Edge.
We took a walk along the High Line. Much like Seoulo 717, it is an elevated parkway converted from an abandoned freight line above the west side of Manhattan. Not gonna lie, Seoul did it better, but it's still a great way to use railroad lines that have been disregarded.
Next we hopped on a Big Bus city tour.
The first electric display billboard in Times Square was installed in 1917. Zoning now requires buildings to be covered with digital billboards.
The Empire State Building is the 4th tallest in Manhattan, and the 6th tallest in the nation.
The face of the New York Public Library, established in 1895, boasts the gorgeous and finely detailed decor of the time. It took 16 years to complete construction, and when it opened to the public in 1911, there were 50,000 people in attendance.
It is the 3rd largest library in the world.
The building is so large it has its own zip code!
Butterbeer is a wizarding drink that was served in magical cafes, pubs and shops across the wizarding world. We couldn't leave Harry Potter World without having some,
nor could we leave without trying on Hagrid's shoes.
New York City meets Dublin, Ireland through a visual bridge. We were actually viewing people in Dublin who were viewing us through a real-time visual stream.
The Flatiron Building is known for its iconic triangle shape, which resembles a clothes iron (hence the name). At its narrowest point at the very top of its 22-story structure, the building is just 6 1/2 feet wide.
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| I didn't get a picture from afar, so this old photo helps you to see the shape. |
After its construction in 1902, its nickname was 'Burnham's Folly' (the designer) because people assumed due to the building's height and the odd shape that it would not withstand the strong winds in the area that are created due to the building and the odd layout of the roads. Today it is one of New York's oldest surviving skyscrapers.
If you have ever heard of the term '23 Skidoo' it is thought by some to have originated with the Flatiron Building. It means to be forced to leave someplace quickly. I read that the aforementioned wind was so strong at the intersection of 5th and 23rd Streets, that some passersby were blown over by the winds. That may be extreme, but it definitely blew up the ladies' dresses. Policemen would yell "23 skidoo!" to the men that were taking advantage of the view.
We took the suggestion of trying a chopped cheese sandwich. We gave it a thumbs up.
Chinatown was established in the mid 1800s by those who emigrated from several Asian countries, China in particular. The first business was a cigar shop opened in 1858, and the area is now two square miles, making it the largest Chinatown in the US.
DanFam5 did some walking through the city.
The Brooklyn Bridge links the boroughs of Manhattan to Brooklyn across the East River. It is one of the oldest bridges in the country. Started in 1869, at its completion in 1883 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Being a steel-wire suspension bridge--the first in the world-- the construction was solid enough that the original still stands to this day.
The opening of the bridge to the public began at midnight, and within the next 24 hours over 150,000 people streamed across all 1595 feet of Brooklyn Bridge. Just a week after the opening, there was a rumor that the bridge was about to collapse, sending the 20,000 visitors on the bridge at that specific time into panic mode. Twelve people were crushed to death and many more injured as the frenzied pedestrians all tried to exit the narrow stairway. Shortly after, P.T. Barnum marched Dumbo and 20 other elephants across to prove its strength and safeness.
Upon opening there was a 1¢ toll to cross on foot, 5¢ on horse, and 10¢ per horse and wagon, plus fees for livestock. In 1911 the governor declared he saw no reason for a bridge toll, and to this day it is still free.
The view of downtown Manhattan from the bridge.
Lady Liberty is in view from the Brooklyn Bridge.
New York City was originally named New Amsterdam by the Dutch settlers (later named after the Duke of York when the English took it over). Wallstreet's namesake comes from the Dutch who built a wall in the early 1600s to protect the settlers from Native Americans, pirates and the British. The streets in this area are thought to be some of the oldest streets in America. Here is the iconic stock market bull.
The English crown granted a piece of real estate at the corner of Broadway and Wallstreet in 1697, resulting in Trinity Church. The original building was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1776 during the Revolutionary War. The second building was attended by notable parishioners President Washington and Alexander Hamilton, but the roof collapsed in 1839. The final building was erected in 1846. With its 281-foot-high steeple, it was the tallest building in the United States for 23 years and remained the tallest building in New York City until 1890.
One World Observatory is located in One World Tower. More on that in a bit.
Look at us, eating healthy.
Look at us, not eating healthy.
There are lots of spy artifacts that were used by real spies.
This is the WWII Turing machine.
There are also lots of spy activities that we completed. This particular one had us surveilling several monitors and it asked us questions about things that were going on. Other activities included logic puzzles, lie detection, code-breaking, and laser dodging.
At the end they analyzed our results and gave us each a personalized debrief of what type of spy job we would be best at. Abe and I were both assigned intelligence analyst. Eli got agent handler, Zeke hacker, and Daisy spy catcher.
Zeke, Daisy and I got Broadway tickets to see Six. It is about the six wives of Henry VIII that were divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, and survived.
'Broadway' includes theaters that hold 500 or more guests, while 'off-broadway' theaters hold between 100-499. 'Off-off Broadway' holds less than 100. I always thought it had to do with the location of Broadway Street, but it does not.
When we tried to hail our first taxi, no one would take all five of us at once. Said there was a law. Which there probably is. After our first ride we learned we could get us all in at once without asking. You live and learn. For our two-car trip, the boys and I jumped in first and took off. Along the way Daddy and Daisy's taxi pulled up next to us. That's them in the car.
This is me in this car taking Abe's picture.
I found the Statue of Liberty very intriguing. First of all, it's reverent to be in the same place where over 9 million immigrants first laid eyes on Lady Liberty well over a century ago with their hopes and their dreams and all of their worldly possessions.
Liberty Island is off the southern tip of Manhattan Island in Upper New York Bay. Over four million visitors step foot on the 12 acre island annually.
Weighing in at 225 tons and standing 151 feet 1 inch, having a 35-foot waist and a size 879 shoe, Lady Liberty is a sight to behold. The statue and pedestal together are 305 feet high, which is about 30 stories tall, making it the tallest structure in the nation at the time. Her full name is Liberty Enlightening The World. She represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom.
Gifted by the French in 1886 to celebrate 100 years of independence as well as the end of slavery (symbolized with a broken chain and shackles at the statue's feet), three engineers entwined their creativity and skills, one of which was Gustave Eiffel, as in the Eiffel Tower. Lady Liberty's head first spent some time in Paris at the World's Fair before being shipped to America along with the rest of her body. The disassembled statue arrived in 214 crates with 350 separate pieces, and was assembled like a huge 3D puzzle for four months.
Her right hand clutches a torch while the left hand holds a book inscribed July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals. The seven spikes that adorn her crown represent the seven oceans and continents of the world, seen as a symbol of universal liberty.
Manhattan is in full view from Liberty Island.
The Manhattan Bridge connects Manhattan with Brooklyn across the East River. It has two decks and seven lanes that change direction depending on the need at any given time of day. It also has four subway lines, a pedestrian lane and a bike lane.
Oxidation of the copper sheets, turning it the current green color, took about 30 years. The designers knew this would happen, but chose it any way. Copper is strong enough to be the outer layer, yet is malleable enough to be hammered into the shape they needed. The copper is very thin--about the depth of two pennies pressed together. Most of it was derived from a copper mine in Norway.
The iron structure beneath the copper sheets consists of four gigantic steel supports. It was at the height of innovation at its time, capable of shifting in the wind without cracking or bending. Lady Liberty can sway up to three inches in any direction during heavy winds, while her torch can sway up to five inches.
Fun fact: the Statue of Liberty is struck by approximately 600 bolts of lightening each year.
In 1916 Black Tom Island, located on the Jersey side of Liberty Island, was a distribution point for thousands of tons of munitions, explosives, and black powder shipped across the Atlantic to Allied forces fighting in Europe. The US was still neutral at this point in WWI, but Germany did not like that we were supplying England with munitions. So they blew up the distribution point. Two million pounds of ammunitions going off made quite an explosion.
The statue suffered minor damages. The explosion was massive enough that it broke thousands of windows in Jersey City and Manhattan all the way to Time Square. The statue's arm and torch were damaged with flying debris. No one has been allowed in the torch since.
The statue's original torch was modified many times. It was finally replaced in 1984 by a new copper torch covered in 24k gold leaf. This was a nod to the original vision of gold for the entirety of the statue which had to be scrapped due to the exorbitant cost. The original torch, which measures 29 feet from the flame tip to the bottom of the handle, is on display in the pedestal lobby.
Lady Liberty's face was said to be modeled after the sculptor's mother, Charlotte.
The Manhattan skyline honors the Twin Towers with the empty space where they once stood.
The seagulls enjoy the view, too.
It was a hot day--ice cream cones for the win with life imitating art.
Since it took the statue 30 years to oxidize, I wonder if these pennies have been here for at least that long, as well?
While the statue itself was a gift, New Yorkers were asked to foot the bill for the base. About half of the $250,000 was raised by the Committee for the Statue of Liberty in the form of theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prizefights, but the funds ran out. Joseph Pulitzer ran an ad in his newspaper asking the public to donate; roughly 125,000 people donated the final $100,000 mostly in sums of coins equaling $1 or less. Emma Lazarus wrote a poem for the fundraising efforts. Her now famous words are hung on the pedestal:
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore..."
On the ferry back we stopped by Ellis Island. Known as the Gateway to the New World, Ellis Island was the nation's major immigration station from 1882-1924. It is estimated that 12 million immigrants passed through here on their way to pursue the American dream.
Most first and second-class passengers on the ships were checked only briefly on board their ships and allowed straight into the country, with the assumption being that they had sufficient means and would be good citizens. The third-class passengers are the ones who were processed by immigration authorities, passing medical and legal checks before obtaining permission to enter the US. On average, most inspections took from 3-7 hours. Most people referred to Ellis as "The Island of Hope"; for some not so fortunate it was dubbed "The Island of Tears" as their families were separated and some denied entry.
Momma had places to go and things to see, so I pushed the tired teens on for more.
Much like Lady Liberty, St. Patrick's Cathedral was financed by donations, these from both the wealthy and thousands of poor immigrants. In its completion in 1879 it was built in the wilderness and considered to be too far out of the city to survive. The Archbishop was indeed correct with his prediction that this would one day be the heart of the city.
The bronze doors each weigh over nine thousand pounds. My question is, how do people open them if they weight that much?
The stained glass windows were added after the original construction; at its completion there was no electricity so the windows were clear to provide light. There are now 94 stained windows.
Over 5.5 million people visit the Neo-gothic cathedral each year.
In the 1940s the Rockefellers were not big fans of the church, hence the nod to Greek mythology with the Atlas statue directly across from St. Patrick's. A tour guide of the cathedral once explained, "The Rockefeller statue is a reminder of their struggle to hold the world on his shoulder. Our God holds the world in the palm of His hand."
We traveled to and around the city in planes, trains and automobiles...and buses.
And boats.
🎆Happy 4th of July!🎇
Our cruise included a buffet dinner and all you can drink drinks.
Iconic view of the Brooklyn Bridge and One World Tower.
Heading up the Hudson River.
So many boats out to view the fireworks.
The white metal things are the top of the Oculus, a transportation hub that was rebuilt after they were damaged when the towers fell. It contains 12 subway lines and access to all the World Trade Center buildings plus a shopping center.
while the opposite side honors Washington as president.
The Empire State and the Chrysler Building were lit up to celebrate.
The show was cool. The front of the boat had a show in front of lower Manhattan, and the back of the boat had a show from New Jersey in front of the Statue of Liberty.
That's the Lady Liberty on the bottom right. As amazing as the ambiance was, we decided the fireworks show in downtown Randolph was just as good. Definitely not the same views, but sitting on the lawn with fireworks exploding directly above you is the kind of show that we like.
The two reflecting pools with waterfalls in the footprints of the Twin Towers were very sobering.
The 9/11 Museum tells the story through artifacts, photos, personal stories and interactive technology. It's pretty somber, but something to see at least once.
We hit up the Stardust Diner in Times Square for lunch.
The wait staff sings and dances thoughout your dining experience. The hope of each of the staff is to get discovered and make it to a Broadway show.
We all enjoyed Blueman Group.
While waiting on the show to start, funny messages were shown on the little red screen. Much to our surprise, a message came across that read, "If you are setting next to Tricia Daniels, wish her a happy birthday!" Don't know if they randomly wrote that to be funny, or if there was another Tricia Daniels in attendance who actually had a birthday on July 5th. But after that, I doubted some of honesty of the show--were those 'rando' people who went on stage actually audience plants? Regardless, it was still a good show.
Washington Square Park was originally a marsh fed by a a brook near a Native American village.
In 1797 the city acquired the land for use as a 'Potter's Field', which was a public cemetery for the poor, unknown persons, and criminals. Soldiers from both sides of the Revolutionary War were buried there, many free and enslaved Africans, and people who were victims of the yellow fever epidemic. It was also used as a place for public executions. Over 20,000 bodies were buried here until its use as the Washington Military Parade Ground 1826, and then a public park the next year.
The marble Washington Arch was added in 1892.
This statue honors Washington as Commander-in-Chief,
And that, folks, wraps up the DanFam5 whirlwind tour of New York City over Independence Day.
[July 2-6]