We arose relatively early on Christmas Eve day. My husband, daughter, and I trudged up the
hill from Erin’s Brooklyn apartment to catch the train into Manhattan. Our destination: Times Square.
It was a work day for Erin and we followed her a couple blocks to her
place of employment, the Discovery Museum.
She was able to get us into Harry Potter: The Exhibition. While we wandered through the exhibit, Erin
went to work selling audio tours. Of
course, we got audio tours, too, and found it really added to the
experience. It was interesting listening
to the people who worked on the movie while looking at the displays of costumes
and props.
We wave goodbye to Erin, walked down to the waterfront, and paid for
our admission to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum complex. We chose to stand in line to see the Growler,
the only American strategic submarine open to the public. We crawled down into the sub and as we walked
its length we viewed the crew’s living quarters and the once top secret missile
command center. It was a short walk
through history.
Next, we walked across the pier and boarded the Intrepid, a World War
II aircraft carrier. We began on the
hangar deck and were amazed to see a large model of the Intrepid made totally
out of Legos. We started with the
aircraft then viewed the display of historic uniforms, equipment, and other
memorabilia. The highlight was the
flight deck with it sizable collection of historic planes and the great view of
the Manhattan skyline. My husband, with
his love of airplanes, especially enjoyed strolling along the deck. We crawled up some steep, narrow stairs to
the Navigation Bridge, the highest point on the ship. On the far end of the flight deck we got a
glimpse of the Space Shuttle Enterprise, but couldn’t actually get close
because it hadn’t yet re-opened after damage to its pavilion during Hurricane
Sandy.
Down on the third deck we viewed the old galley and mess halls—they fed
a lot of men. Since it was past lunch
time we took advantage of the new mess hall set up especially for
visitors. When we exited the Intrepid we
walked down the pier to see the British Airways Concorde, a very sleek looking
jet which looks entirely capable of flying 1,350 mph. Then it was time to meet Erin back at the
Discovery Museum at the end of her shift.
We went back to her apartment to rest. 
Early evening we headed back to the subway and to Manhattan. When we emerged from the subway station at
Times Square, we were disappointed to be greeted by a light rain. However, we walked on to see the sights. Erin and I pulled out our little umbrellas,
but Bob didn’t have one. Finally, he was feeling wet enough to stop and buy an
umbrella, which are readily available in many shops. We were not going to allow the weather to
ruin our plans. We fought the crowds to
peer into the Macy’s store windows. The
displays were cute but Erin was disappointed—she said they weren’t as good as
last year. We walked with the crowds in
the rain and viewed other store windows.
We passed through Bryant Park with its crafts fair, Christmas tree, and
ice rink.
Soon we reached Rockefeller Center and its well-known Christmas
tree. My first impression was that the
area was much more compact than I had imagined.
There were hundreds of people and they were all trying to take pictures. And it was still raining. We got up to the railing for a view of the
famous tree with the ice rink below, and we took our own photos. Next, we walked past Saks Fifth Avenue to see their store windows. At this point it was getting late and we were
hungry. Erin had located a Chinese
restaurant in the area so after a little walk we found it. We were glad to remove our wet outer garments
and rest our feet in the warm restaurant.
The food came quickly and was delicious.
I should mention that Chinese food on Christmas Eve is a family
tradition—it began when I was a child (no, we're not Jewish).
Satisfied, with full stomachs and leftovers, we pulled on our wet
coats, hats, and gloves. The rain had
stopped. We headed to Fifth Avenue
Presbyterian Church for their late Christmas Eve service, arriving early to get
good seats and to hear the music. I
quietly removed my soggy shoes so my socks would dry. The church is a beautiful old building built
in 1875; the congregation is over 200 years old. Dominating the front of the sanctuary stands
a wonderful pipe organ. Just before the
service began, the choir filed in and stood in front of it. This was a service of lessons and carols with
an inspiring message delivered by the pastor.
It concluded with the lighting of candles. What a beautiful way to usher in Christmas.
We emerged from the church to more light rain and we began to
walk. Erin still had more to show us (at
12:30 a.m.). We passed by more lights,
including the front of Radio City Music Hall.
Along the way a line of young boys, all dressed as Harry Potter, passed by
us—we never figured out what that strange little procession was all about. We ended up in Times Square. Considering it was after 1 a.m. and nearly
everything was closed, there were a fair number of people present. A line had formed at McDonalds. We descended into the subway and headed back
to Erin’s apartment. We stripped off our
wet clothing and jumped into bed, extremely tired but content.
Merry Christmas!
No comments:
Post a Comment