New York City - Day 3

No tour of NYC is complete without viewing the Statue of Liberty. We were there early on a rainy morning and we were ahead of the crowds.

Lady Liberty

This statue, a gift to the United States from France, was dedicated October 28, 1886.

My Grandfather was an immigrant to America in 1904 when he was just sixteen years old. He came through New York. So I'm thinking he viewed this same statue then - 111 years ago -  as I do today. 

We made a stop at Ellis Island, before heading to Chinatown where we had lunch.

Chinese spring rolls were served as the appetizer. This little restaurant offered the very best spring rolls I have ever had anywhere before. 

 

For my entree I chose a vegetable lo mein. It was very good, and a generous portion.

Then it was back on the bus and on to Herald Square where we toured Macy's. This store has been in this same location for 114 years and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Macy's logo always includes a star.

Macy's tour guide gave a presentation on the history of the store and current strategies in retailing. The store is huge. As an example, the guide said that there are 300,000 pairs of shoes in inventory. Thousands of people are employed at this location.

What fascinated me was the wooden escalator that dates back to 1902, and is still in use. We enjoyed taking it a few times.

From Macy's it was on to the American Museum of Natural History. Another major museum - here I focused on looking at rock formations.

This is the Acasta Gneiss. the oldest rock found on eath, located under the Canadian Shield. 



The rock contains zircon crystals which helped in dating it as being some four billion years old. 




It was also amazing to see and feel petrified wood. This log came from a California Redwood; it still looks like wood, but because it is petrified, it feels like rock.

This was the first time I came up close to a real meteorite.















Final stop today was Buca di Beppo's, an Italian restaurant on Broadway. Our meal was served family-style, so we kept passing the platters around the table. The salads were especially good with tasty ingredients, and the CHEESECAKE was the best! 

I heard that one of the dining rooms is called The Pope Room. Before leaving, I made sure to see it. Sure enough, there were photos of the popes around the room and a display of  what looked like a cardinal's hat. Our own Pope Francis was featured. 

If Buca di Beppo's ever opened in Vermont, I'd be a "regular."

Only one more day left on our four day tour...