Sunday

The Lt.'s back on Maplecrest.  Great visit with the fam in NYC.  They are the Family Branch of the Day!  This first pic is a shot taken yesterday morning in front of 4's work place.  She had to work all of the days that I was in town...and for the next six as well.  Lots of hours to fill for others who are out on vacation.

Gotta say, I love visiting The Big Apple, but that three-day-stay is my sweet spot.  I think I need to see more grass to balance my synapses.

The new digs on 13trh Street are very nice.  Plenty of space, great location, attentive doormen.  The Union Square station is maybe a 7-8 minute walk from the front door of the building.  Coffee shops are closer. Same for eating spots.  Its a lay-up.

I was mildly surprised at the number of commercial establishments open on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day.  We did have to go to a back-up plan for the primary Christmas Eve dinner location, but there were plenty of alternatives in the area of the closed restaurant.  Street traffic was obviously down in volume, but there were lots of people out and about.  The City That Never Sleeps earned its moniker.

3 and 3.1 also get props on Christmas dinner.  Pot roast in the crock pot with potatoes and vegetables..  Really good.

The culture portion of my visit was a stop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday afternoon.  Busy place.  4 got in with a corporate admission through work, plus one, so we only had to pay for my Senior ticket...$17, which I rounded to $20.  There was a special El Greco exhibit, and another display of some Degas' sculptures of the Little Dancer's.  We got separated in the Egyptian galleries/temples/tomb's.  But enough was enough.  (My favorite on this visit was a Renoir painting of a country road scene.)

My mid-afternoon departure yesterday permitted a morning meet-up with 4 at the Union Square Starbucks, and then a subway ride uptown to check out St. Pat's.  The crowds around Rock Center were thick!  Lots of languages spoken on the sidewalks.  And lots of folks going through the cathedral.  But it was great to get the extra bit of time with 4, and then to be able to stop in to light the votive candles for the folks.  Perfect end to the visit.

Not sure how I got the designation this time, but my return ticket boarding pass was TSA pre-approved.  Suite!  No issues getting out of LGA, but the plane was packed, and I had the person in front of me crank her seat back as soon as we were in the air...ouch!  Double Bloodies at ORD to decompress.  My pal Ron was my ride home.  I owe him and @bcbison a bottle of The Good Stuff for their transportation services.

Special thanks to 3 and 3.1 for the housing arrangements.  It worked great.  (And you know how much I like the Grand Central Westin!.)  Christmas couldn't have been better. 

And thanks to 4 for making the effort to get to our fff when her schedule was just not very convenient. 

Lots of compliments during the trip on The Hat.  Barista's.  Doormen.  Passer's-by.  Not a lot similar headwear in the big city,  Orthodox Jewish hats aside.  Next viewing will be in the New Year on Harvest Path.

Hope its a good last couple of days of 2014 for the Peanut Gallery.  Thanks for reading.

BCOT