World on Wheels Home PageWorld on Wheels Home Page

Lunch
 Pizza $9
 Gray’s $6

Dinner
 Sam’s - $58
 Friend of a Farmer - $50
 Tavern on the Green - $120

ATTRACTIONS
 Statue of Liberty Ferry - $21
 Empire State Building - $12 (note - free to disabled visitors)
 Bronx Zoo - $10
 N.Y. Comedy Club - $15 cover plus $30 in drinks

TOTAL - $1743.50

The World on Wheels
New York Revisited

---


By Darryl Musick

Photos by Darryl Musick and Ruben Ortega

 Our 2-day New York adventure last fall whetted our appetite for more.  We had so much fun that we decided to return in the late winter/spring to explore it a little deeper.

 This time, by carefully tracking hotel room rates, we were able to find a hotel in Manhattan.  I hate to say it was inexpensive because at $120 a night it would be up there almost anywhere else.  In Manhattan, that’s a bargain.  We stayed at the Hotel Pennsylvania, across the street from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station.

 The flight was on American Airlines into Islip on Long Island with a change of planes in Boston.  From here, we took Colonial Shuttle from the airport to Ronkonkoma station on the Long Island Railroad.  The train then took us to Penn Station, directly across from our hotel.

 One final note before we begin, all subway stations mentioned in this article have elevators for accessibility (see  transportation sidebar  for more accessible subway itineraries)

 Day One, Friday, was spent traveling.  The only thing worth noting is that when we arrived at the hotel, they didn’t have two standard rooms available...we had reserved two and confirmed them with the provision that one had to be wheelchair accessible.  Just when it was starting to look bad, the manager upgraded us to the Presidential Suite at no extra cost.

 While the bathrooms were not as accessible in the regular sense, the chair fit in it and Tim was able to use whatever bars and counters there were to hold himself up and transfer. 

 The suite itself was immense.  3 big bedrooms, one big bathroom and two smaller ones, a living room, walk-in closets, dining room and kitchen.  We had views in three directions looking east to the Empire State Building, South to the World Trade Center, and west to a room in the other wing.

 Day Two, Saturday.  We woke up to rain and 40° temperatures.  The weather forecast on Yahoo had predicted this so we were ready with our wet weather clothes.  After breakfast in the lobby at Lindy’s...overpriced with an attitude...our expedition begins.

 We walk over to Grand Central Station.  Transit could have got us there faster & easier, but we were in the mood for walking that morning and were rewarded with a glorious, if wet, stroll up Park Avenue into America’s most beautiful train station.  While drinking in the views of the marvelous zodiac ceiling, we pick up our transit passes for the day and make our way over to
the subway station downstairs (access via elevator next to the center 42nd Street entrance).


The wooden walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge

We get off at the Brooklyn Bridge stop, make a lap across this American icon and back, and head back to Grand Central on the subway.  We had a member of our group who, for reasons only known to him, had dreamed of going to the Bronx someday.  We board a northbound Metro North train to Fordham Station in the Bronx.  From there, the #9 bus takes us over to the entrance to the Bronx Zoo.

 While it would have preferable to see the zoo on a clear day, there are still enough indoor exhibits to make a trip in the rain worthwhile.  In with the gift shop was a great display of elephants and tapirs.  Nearby was the monkey house with dozens of playful primates, probably the most enjoyable of all the exhibits.  After that was a display of waterbirds and birds of prey including an enormous Andean condor.


Times Square  To finish off this incredibly hectic day, we toured Times Square with its blinding advertising displays and dined at a wonderful little Italian place called Sam’s on West 47th Street. 
The theaters of Broadway are just off Times Square Our plans were to finish off by downing some cold brews at Times Square Brewery, but it was just way too crowded.
We're soaked, but still enjoying Times Square

 Day Three, Sunday.  Despite a few little remaining sprinkles, the rain appears to be gone and the sun is making a valiant effort to break through.  The temperatures remain mired in the 40's but today we shall be dry.  We start by having a breakfast buffet at Sbarro’s across the street from the hotel.  The price is much less than Lindy’s...$4.99 for all you can eat compared to
$11.55 for two eggs and toast...but the staff’s attitude was downright rude.  At least in New York, Sbarro’s will not be on the itinerary anymore.


Lady Liberty  We start by taking a downtown train, the #3, to the World Trade Center from Penn Station.  From here, we walk along the Hudson to Battery Park...about 8 blocks.  The crowds are fairly sparse here today, so we take a gamble and buy tickets for the Statue of Liberty ferry.  Once you have your tickets, wheelers get to cut in the front of the line eliminating any wait (a Jamaican fellow selling knock-off sunglasses was kind enough to tell us this when we head for the back of the line).
This is as close as you get in a wheelchair  After a quick ride, you’re on Liberty Island looking up at the statue.  Again, wheelers cut to the front of the line but you’re limited to visiting the pedestal and can’t actually go in the statue itself - it takes being able to climb 354 steps to get to the top.   Overall, I think you get a better view of the statue from the free Staten Island Ferry than you do on the island itself.

 Back on the ferry to Battery Park - we skipped the stop at Ellis Island - where we caught the #6 bus back to Herald Square.  Here we dined on some delicious New York pizza though I couldn’t see a name on the place.   Then it was a two block walk back to the hotel where we rested up for the evening activities.

 Later, another #6 bus took us down Broadway headed for 19th Street.  It broke down at 24th Street so we walked the rest of the way.  We had dinner at Friend of a Farmer on Irving Place between 18th & 19th Streets.  Good food, not spectacular, but decent. 

 After dinner we walked over to the New York Comedy Club where we were met at the door by manager & comedian Steve Aarons.  At showtime, we were led into a hallway where we thought we were on the way to the showroom.  At least that’s what we thought, the hallway turned out to BE the showroom.  In what has to be the most cramped space I’ve ever seen in a
comedy club, we watched several very funny comedians and a few mediocre ones.  When the show was reaching the 3 hour point - with no end in sight - and the raunchiness of the comedians reaching new highs, we decided it was time to call it a night before our 13 year old’s mind was filled with even more clinical descriptions of human sexual behavior.

 With the last comedian calling out “Tim!  Don’t leave...Tim’s dad, bring him back, we still got more” we excused ourselves.  Mr. Aarons was nice to us as we left, bidding us a fond goodnight and we made it back to the hotel at about 2 in the morning - again via the #6 bus.

 Day Four, Monday.  Monday dawned crystal clear - just the weather we’d been waiting for.  Breakfast today was at the A&H store ½ a block from the hotel.  They have a wonderful breakfast made & served by some truly nice people - what a change from Lindy’s and Sbarro’s - for less that $3.  I really wish we’d had found this place a couple of days ago.


The Empire State Building is spectacular at sunset  With this clear weather, we walked the two blocks to the Empire State Building and drank up the views on top - both at the 86th floor outdoor observatory and the 102nd story indoor one.  The outdoor observatory has either wall cutouts or a raised platform that wheelers can use to enjoy the views.  The upper indoor observatory is very small and has a wall blocking the view.  The staff here provides a periscope so that wheelers can look over the wall.  The periscope is then given to the visitor as a souvenir of their visit and it’s a nifty one too.  This was the second time we’d visited here and it’s well worth the trip.  The view on a clear day is truly one of this country’s best.

 Next was a subway ride on the Q line from Herald Square to the Lexington Avenue station where it was a quick walk over to the Roosevelt Island tramway.  The tram was only running once an hour, so we red-lined that off of the itinerary and caught the 57 bus over to 5th Avenue so the ladies in our group could gawk over the jewels in Tiffany’s.

 Several dozen dollars lighter after buying more souvenirs at Tiffany’s, we take the #3 bus up to 72nd Street, and then take the #72 bus over to Broadway to another New York landmark...Gray’s Papaya.

 Fortunately for us, the owners of Gray’s don’t know the recession is over yet.  Their recession special gets you 2 deliciously snappy all beef hot dogs and a glass of the juice of your choice for only $1.95.  After dining on these delicious, cheap dogs, we head back to the hotel for an afternoon rest-up.


The dog walkers at Central Park  Dinner time and we head back up to Central Park West for dinner at Tavern on the Green.  This landmark restaurant built in an old sheep barn is a New York tradition that does not disappoint.  In opulent surroundings under 500,000 sparkling blue lights, we dine on rib eye, prime rib, fettuccine, topped off with delicious New York cheesecake.  After dinner we walk
through the park, coming out at the Dakota Apartments at 72nd Street where John Lennon was murdered on the sidewalk.
Hundreds of thousands of lights adorn Tavern on the Green  A rather well intoxicated bongo playing resident pushing a baby stroller loaded with bongos, boom box, and a couple of cases of beer starts up a jam session with Tim.  After 3 songs and several encores, we are finally able to continue on and return to the hotel where the group celebrated by getting pretty lubricated ourselves before retiring the final time in our huge midtown suite.

 Day Five, Tuesday.  Ah, if it’s Tuesday, it must be time to go home.  After a quick breakfast of donuts and coffee, we check out and take the train back up Long Island to Islip airport.  We do have a 2 ½ hour layover in Boston so we take the T (their subway) over to the State Street station for a quick look a Fanieul Hall and a beer in Quincy Market before boarding the 6 hour flight home.

World on Wheels Home PageBack to the World on Wheels Home Page