NEW YORK CITY IN NOVEMBER - 

With tickets to the Titanic Artifact Exhibition in hand, my sister and I headed to NYC together for the first time since covid handcuffed us to our houses. We also went to see a play at Wagner College on Staten Island (a leader in the field of performing arts) where a friend's daughter had a lead role in their theatre production of The Gentlemen's Guide and Grace was brilliant! We ate at the Stone House Restaurant on Staten Island and it was perfection!

We didn't book a room in advance in NYC as it was a Thursday in mid-November and we figured we wouldn't have a difficult time finding a room. We were (kind of) right. We ended up grabbing a room at the DoubleTree on 29th Street at midnight and no, I don't recommend it. I won't do a hotel review but let's just say the bed was comfortable so it served its purpose. Just don't book it.

If you're like me and you've watched the Titanic movie over 20 times, you will love this exhibition. It's everything you would expect and more. It's a basic museum style format with wall portraits and display cases but there's an audio narrative that explains every artifact and every family portrait and the whole thing is about as close as you can get to feeling like you were a part of the whole Titanic experience.

I will say that the set-up of the tour drove me crazy. I don't think they expect people to stay in line but everyone does because we're decent people but I'm giving you a tip right now that this is a time where you don't have to follow the herd. The exhibits are numbered and most people go from 1 to 43 without veering off the path but go ahead veer. 

Worth $31 to see real Titanic relics.

This is a letter from a passenger who most likely died from hyperthermia (which was how most people died) and not from drowning. It broke my heart that his sendoff was "goodbye" and not something like "yours truly." I'm so happy he at least got to say goodbye. And his sister Anna lucked out.

MOMENTS FROM THE WEEKEND

Walked past a chef taking a break with a Red Bull and a cigarette and gladly let me take a photo. True New Yorkers are always "all in" with pictures.

A chef takes a break with a cigarette and a Red Bull

There are just too many shapes and designs in NYC for me to keep up with. This was part of a staircase inside a store. Such an unexpected, beautiful piece of artwork that kept me thoroughly entertained.

What came first...the lot or the idea for the building? The Flatiron Building is a tourist attraction for photographers (hence the photo) and lovers of architecture. It was built in 1902 to fit the spot. 

The Union Square GreenMarket is an amazing outdoor market with the freshest of everything. Local farmers bring fruits, vegetables and just about any homegrown goods (no marijuana...sorry) and it's excellent. I bought an apple but didn't want to carry perishables around all day so didn't buy anything else.

I really wanted the bouquet of flowers that were only $10 and were gorgeous but I controlled the urge. I would love to have this market outside my door on Cape Cod. Everything from honey...to gourds...to turkeys was available.

I found an "island" on the island of Manhattan that I never knew existed. It's clearly newer and it is fantastic! My sister was shopping in Chelsea Market so I followed the sun which took me to Little Island. 

If you get sick of looking at buildings and pavement, this island is filled with winding paths and lush landscape and it's a perfect spot for sunset (the High Line that runs above the city was just too damn windy and cold to walk along so this worked out perfectly. The trees act as buffers). 

You can't really go to NYC without stepping your tired little feet into Central Park. We walked 19,000 steps on Friday and 18,000 on Saturday so we had to push ourselves to walk in the park for a little while. It was worth every tired step.

We finished our day with some light shopping in the Nolita and Soho area. It was a Saturday before the holiday and the weather was decent so there were plenty of people out and about. Too many for me since I'm not a big shopper and I hate crowds. Strangely, my sister wasn't really in the mood to shop so I now know there is a God.

Tidbit - We stopped at Rays since a celebrity started the restaurant and it has country music so we thought it would be fun. We pictured ourselves doing the Cotton Eye Joe all night but it was full of young, loud, stoned people so we didn't stay (and not because I'm old. It was packed). 

The guy at the entrance offered me a toke but I declined. Somehow a pandemic has taken the sharing of wet stuff from a stranger's mouth right out of me. My sister was already in a taxi so I had to run along anyway. Nice that he was so friendly though. 

Tidbit #2 - I wanted to go to Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn but my sister said no. I just want to get that noted.  

Fact - I never have enough time to spend in New York City.