New York City - Day 3 - Hastings-on-Hudson and More

 It's a day for tripping down memory lane for my sweetheart.  We are heading north out of the city to Hasting-on-Hudson, the village where he lived as a child.  

First step - Grand Central Station and on the outside, Mister tells me to look up.  The Graybar rats are an homage to more nautical times and the effort made to keep rats off the ships. (Hey Gwen and Frieda - remember talking about this on the cruise?)  The Graybar Building, built in 1927, was designed to pay tribute to New York City’s position as a key transportation hub, with its trains (the building is right near Grand Central Terminal) and its seaport. The cables that connect the canopy in front of the exterior to the building itself are made to look like the mooring lines of a ship.  And as with real mooring lines, these mooring lines have rats climbing up them, attempting to get into the “ship” that is the Graybar Building. The rats are thwarted by conical structures called baffles near the top of the lines that stop the sculpted rodents from getting all the way to the building, as they would stop rats from entering ships.  At some point, the rats disappeared from their mooring lines, but during the building’s restoration in the late ’90s, a special note was made to “replace [the] missing rats.” And so there they are, once more, still unable to board the ship. The architects had one more little joke, though: The carved rosettes that the mooring lines lead to depict the heads of clever rats that, presumably, made it on board before the baffles were put in place.  Kinda cool, right?  Now, get those tickets purchased and find our train.  Tickets were $6 a piece and we've located the right terminal.

New York City - Day 2

 I am pumped for the first full day in New York.  Less than 40 degrees out, we are bundled a bit but that's okay.  Time for some fun.  We are starting out in Upper Midtown and Mister has a place in mind for breakfast so we are on foot.  As we walk, my eyes are darting here and there, looking for as many images to imbed in my memory as possible.  If you think I take a lot of pictures on this trip, I will let you know that this is only a tenth of the many things to see and absorb.  Einstein on a Bicycle was painted in 2018 and the Weeping Fireman, which is an image taken on 9/11 and recreated here.  One makes you smile and the other helps us to remember how lucky we are to smile.  (49th and 3rd)

New York City - Here We Come! Day 1

 When I arrived home from a cruise on the 3rd (yes, 15 days ago), Mister indicated that he wanted to go somewhere.  The very next day, we had booked a trip to NYC and today we are off. Why NYC?  Well, it's the Birthday Season for him and he's going home.  You know - the kind of home that touches our heart as we started out there.  We have five glorious days and, now, at the you know what of dawn - we are getting started.  It's a quiet airport this early on a Sunday, but that's okay.  Oh, maybe I should mention that at this point we only have $330 invested in the trip.  BOTH flights on American (upgraded) and our hotel for the week (Marriott) have been paid in full along with insurance just in case.  I am merely pointing this out because there are ways to travel on the cheap and live nice - ya just gotta play the games.  The aforementioned dawn, is starting to show her face.  We have a plane and a crew - life is good.  Boarded and leaving just as the sun makes an appearance.  Up, up, and away we go.

Girls Trip - Day 9 Debark and Home

 Well, that's it for this cruise.  So sad to be leaving as I have discovered that I like the longer cruises so very much.  Gwen and Frieda are up and at it this morning, while, I, on the other hand, are moving very slowly.  I guess we need to get up and join them since we are already docked at the port and have a 7:30 departure.  Get going girls.  One last look at our menagerie and we are outta here.

Girls Trip - Day 8 Sea Day and Pasta Class

 With the port days behind us, our last sea day begins and we're starting with a pasta making class.  I've been super excited about this one and am ready to learn and taste yummy Italian goodness.

Girls Trip - Day 7 - Cozumel and Chef's Table

 Our final port day is today and Kelly is in charge.  We are going to be in Cozumel, Mexico and just do some exploring around the island.  However, before that happens (we are not even docked yet) I am wandering the ship in the early hours and have a few more pictures for you.  The towel animals are on display on lido today.  Take a peek.

Girls Trip - Day 6 - Mahahual (Costa Maya), Mexico

 What a beautiful morning!  It's another port day and today we are stopping in Costa Maya, which is simply the name of the port (and, again, pretty much owned by the cruise lines).  The town is Mahahual.  New to you?  Yep, me too and I've been to Costa Maya before. The last time was in 2005 and I was with a ton of family, so not venturing too far out.  I'm up before the sun again this morning and it's simply divine.