The Final Hoo-Rah!

I'll have to admit, that by Sunday, we were getting tired! And we would have never survived another full day in the city by Monday!! But we RAN full speed ahead on Sunday. .and still got to see lots of cool things! Are you ready for the final tour?

First stop was the Intrepid museum.  It was an old aircraft carrier turned museum.

At 912 feet long and 192 feet wide on the flight deck. .it was the biggest vessel I had ever been on.

They had a lot of interesting air crafts inside and on the landing deck at the top of the ship. This old army rescue helicopter was intriguing to me. .especially when we saw that the gurney for the injured was the little attached platform OUTSIDE of the craft!! See where the red cross emblem is. .that was a very small head covering that was open on the end over the body. I didn't see any straps to keep the injured body from falling off the platform. .but surely they used them!!

We all decided that the bunks didn't look that comfortable. .especially for long, lean mechanic type people. .he had to twist his upper body around to even get his feet remotely on the end of the bed!

It was a brisk and breezy day. .which made the sightseeing on the flight deck a little chilly. I am pleased to report that NYC is every bit as "breezy" as western Kansas!!

Right next to the Intrepid is the USS Growler. .a retired submarine. I've never been on a sub. .and have always wondered about the logistics within them. I'm a bit claustrophobic, and I really love the sunshine. .and am quite sure that I wouldn't do well on a submarine for 3 months at a time!!

First of all, the average sailor, we found out, was about 5 feet 8 inches tall. .we asked!! I am 5' 10" tall and Jeremy is 6' 3". We spent a lot of time watching out for our heads!

I found these bunks to be even worse than the ones shown on the Intrepid! There are three high, with a narrow hallway in between and 3 high on the other side. The particular bunks are shown in the missile room. The little fan blades on the right were attached to the torpedo thing that shot out of the submarine during an attack! I am hoping to construct a vacation scrapbook online to include the other million photos I have of the inside of a submarine!! The bottom line there was. .it was small. .it was dark. .the bathrooms weren't inviting enough to even desire a very  long shower. .and a superb reminder of how much our servicemen and women REALLY sacrifice to fight for our freedom and preservation of our own comfort! WOW!

The Museum of National History was our next, but not our last adventure of the day! I knew it sounded like something Jeremy would enjoy when we saw it! This is the "Night at the Museum" museum. .I am not afraid to say I didn't put two and two together until we got there. .probably not a surprise to all of those who now know that I didn't know the Toys R Us mascot :-) I'm still laughing over that one!! I appreciate you cluing me in!! Seriously!!

The trees were a spectacular sight around here!! I was intrigued to see nails coming out of Teddy Roosevelt's head. .as well as the head of his horse. The purpose was to keep the crazy multitudes of pigeons off their heads. We saw other statues where the birds are allowed to sit. .and defecate on them. .not pretty!

The African mammals exhibit was SOOO cool. .If you could get past the glass cage, you would totally swear you were standing right in the desert with the animals. The back of the exhibits are rounded and it really makes the background look realistic. Of course, all the grasses, tree branches, and dried flowers are real. .and lend to the realistic portrayal!

And the dinosaurs were totally fascinating!! Some of them were unbelievable HUGE!!

Like this tortoise! I think I would have run if I had met him on the street. .even with skin!!

We think this is the dinosaur that was always running amuck in the movie "Night at the Museum."

They had lots of exhibits of cute little people scenes. I didn't see one that included the railroad building cowboys that get in trouble in the movie. .but in 3 1/2 hours. .we still missed many exhibits!! A person about needs a whole day to do this museum!!

Dum dum from the movie!

They had lots of life size replicas. .and they looked so real!! This guy had an interesting contraption sticking out of his nostrils. .it extended about 18 inches out to either side! OUCH! And we think today's piercings are odd!

The sea exhibit was also intriguing. .and I enjoyed taking photos of some of the replicas of the fossils that we find on our geology trips.

Another example of their incredible life-like 3-D replicas!

Next stop was Central Park. .which was right across the street. I'll have to mention that I was enjoying a lamb gyro off the street stand on my way through. We tried lamb a couple different times while we were there. It was very tasty!!

This view is SO amazing to me. .a serene peaceful park in the middle of looming skyscrapers! What a contrast!! No wonder people flock here. There were several people boating on this little lake. It is my understanding that there is a much larger lake in this park somewhere. There were people laid out on the grass with lunches and reading. .people walking dogs. .people throwing frisbees with their kids. .and. .

. .the famous runners (the ones who always end up missing in CSI!) We only had about 15 minutes before we needed to catch a cab for our next appointment. It was enough time to enjoy what we could see. .after all. .minus the breathtaking colors. .OUR world is quiet and peaceful. .much like this park! By the way. .the report I saw before we went was that the big snowstorm had taken out like 1000 trees. .you could not even tell that!! Aside from that sign above that warned that they were cleaning as fast as they could!

Our next appointment was a 4:00 boarding time for the Harbor Cruiseline boat. We had a 2 hour harbor cruise. It encompassed a little more land than we had seen the night before on the water taxi. And this was more like a cruise ship. .and less like a speed boat. Lane didn't tolerate this trip very well, and spent much of his time on the cold, windy back deck. .trying not to hurl for the fish. Bless his little heart!! The rest of us enjoyed it immensely! We chose to sit INSIDE the cabin this night. .cause it was COLD!!

I went out long enough to snap a few photos of the extraordinary sunset!! I was glad that we enjoyed the sunset 2 nights in a row. .cause I have a feeling that very few people in that city get to enjoy the sunset every night like we do in Kansas!! I would totally miss that glorious gift from God!! Way back behind the Brooklyn Bridge, directly to the left of the middle pillar, you can see the thin stick of Lady Liberty!

Look at the sunset dance on the water! So, even in a city of 3 million people. .one can still sense an aire of pure simplicistic beauty! Deep breath in. .Ahhhhh!

After enjoying fish and chips in an Irish pub off Times Square. .we hit the Rockefellar Center again. .and made the trek to. .

The TOP of the ROCK!

For a divine view of the Empire State Building at night! Now. .I nearly penned that it was a still view of the building (in contrast to the speed boat views from a few nights earlier). .but I would be lying. .when we got to the top of the Rock, you could FEEL the entire building swaying. .and if you fixed your eye on something steady. .you could SEE the entire building swaying. .

Now, you'll see. .it's a LOOOONG way to the ground. .and THAT, to me. .was a LOT disturbing!! I didn't notice the Empire building swaying like that when we got up to the 102th floor. .but surely it was too! Very unnerving when you are up that high in the sky!

Overall, New York City is incredible!! A city that has so much to offer!! A city that is on the top of people's vacation destination lists in more countries than I could name! A city that has totally captured my heart! Could I live there??

I don't think so. .but I could visit there. .even regularly. .and enjoy every minute. Jeremy doesn't think he will want to go back again. .he had the opportunity to appreciate a lot of things in our 3 1/2 day excursion. .and is satisfied that he has "seen" it all! But, THIS girl will be saving her quarters up for the sake of a girls trip. .or maybe. . girls TRIPS. . some day!!

Thanks for joining in on my ramblings and I hope you enjoyed the NYC tour through my viewfinder and narration!!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving week!! I'm planning for a "Thankful Thursday" post on Thanksgiving. .be sure to come back when you have a minute while digesting and chime in on what YOU are thankful for!