Welcome to a new civiLIZation!

On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of my birth I am launching a blog! 

I can still learn new tricks! 

You have received an invitation to my blog because you are family or a valued friend. 

I am fond of saying "my advice is worth the same thing I'm charging you for it."  This quote also applies to my blog.  My thoughts regarding family, friends, home, garden, food, movies, TV, music, geneaology, books, theatre, travel and other topics will be FREE.  Now you will be able to choose which, if any, of my thoughts you wish to hear.

So, where do we go from here?  As it turns out, we just returned from New York...State #32!
You know the story don't you...

See AMERICA First!

A little over 14 years ago, at the New Orleans style "funeral" for Liz's Hallmark Shop, we were dared to visit all 50 states...in ALPHABETICAL order!  As you know we took that dare, seeing as how Alabama was the first state on the list (right next door.)  We thought it would be easy (and we might have had a little too much to drink!)  At any rate, in 1996 we began Liz & Guy's Excellent Adventure!  Let's review... 

December 2010 - State #32 - NEW YORK



On top of the Empire State Building

When it came time to visit State # 32, we wanted to see New York City all dressed up for Christmas.  So we spent 6 days in the Big Apple seeing as much as we possibly could.  We attended 5 Broadway shows, visited 2 museums, toured 6 landmark sites and dined in 5 very good restaurants and spent the Saturday before Christmas shopping on 5th Avenue!  We had one fabulous dining experience!  Thank you, Eric Ripert! 

And a partridge in a pear tree!

  We took all of these photos!

For all of you making recommendations for my very first visit to NYC...my heartfelt gratitude!  Without you I'm sure we would have missed out on something wonderful.  And I strongly recommend Frommer's Travel Guides for your travel research!  As always, we flew Delta...we love our hometown airline!  And while I'm on the subject of our hometown; we love the Atlanta Airport!  We have seen many domestic airports in our travels but none of them compare with the "Several Dead Mayors" airport here in ATL!





We love this hotel!
http://www.elyseehotel.com/

 If you are traveling to NYC we would like to recommend a marvelous boutique hotel...Hotel Elysee!  Right in the heart of midtown and dwarfed by glass towers on either side; it is small and discreet.  A hotel since 1926, the rooms have a nice size and modern bathrooms done in marble!  In the hotel Club Room a complimentary continental breakfast is served each morning and on weekday evenings a complimentary wine and cheese reception is held.  Every member of the staff was gracious and charming. (Evidently a great sense of humor is required!)

You can't possibly see all NYC has to offer in 6 days but thanks to all of your recommendations we saw the best! (Besides I need an excuse to go back.)  On your way to the top of the ESB remember to admire the beautiful art deco lobby.  Architecture in NYC was one of our favorite attractions!  The library was amazing!  You have to see Times Square in person! (Look closely and you can see the ball.)  And the tree in Rockefeller Plaza is beautiful but smaller in real life. (I guess the TV cameras add 10 pounds!) 

 

The Met was gorgeous inside and out!  Be sure to go on a Sunday morning; (opens at 9:30), we had 3 galleries all to ourselves! (Monet, Renoir & Degas)  Tour for 3 hours and then leave for Sunday Brunch at Cafe Boulud; (12 block walk) and return to The Met via Central Park.  We stayed 3 more hours and hardly saw it all.  Of course, some of that time we were shopping in the best museum store EVER!  When you visit the Statue of Liberty you should be on the first ferry of the morning. (Thanks, Chickie!)  However, you should know this was the coldest Guy and I have EVER been in our lives!  While standing in Battery Park waiting for the Statue Cruise my right foot FROZE to the ground!  As expected Lady Liberty was awesome!  (Note: In November 2011 the statue will close for 9 months for extensive remodeling of the stairs & elevators.)  When you visit it is worth taking the time to see Ellis Island (same boat, different island); I loved looking up my ancestors who came to this country through here at the Family History Center.

After Ellis Island we took a short walk to the WTC site.  I had an emotional moment here...the scale of tragedy on 9/11 was revisited on both of us.  We were inspired by the working construction site and busy New Yorkers moving on with their lives within steps of the Tribute Wall.  A couple of blocks north and we were inside Trinity Church; here was the reverential awe for NYC's tragic loss.  The next morning we visited Grand Central Station; beautiful art deco building, absolutely thriving with commuters and sightseers!  We caught a cab and took a wild ride to the American Museum of Natural History. (AKA: Larry Daley's museum - according to our grandson!)

This museum covers four blocks!  I think we could have spent our entire vacation here and still not seen it all!  We went to a place "no Guy had gone before"...the Planetarium!  And saw incredible displays of animals in beautiful dioramas; (Guy's favorite!)  A special exhibit was a walk through Brain; amazing interactive display!  And my favorite...The Butterfly Conservancy!  A hothouse filled with over 500 butterflies!  Enjoy the photos and then I will tell you a funny story...



Guy took these photos!

 So, after you have wandered around admiring these beautiful creatures for about 10 minutes they get curious and decide to "admire" you!  One beautiful specimen landed right on my diamond bracelet!  I named her Tiffany because she loved the bling!  (Besides butterflies are the inspiration for stained glass!)

Tiffany

After Guy took this photo he moved on.  You are instructed NOT to touch the butterflies so I remained still and other tourists enjoyed Tiffany communing with my bracelet.  Now here is the funny part...a large Blue Morpho decided to commune with Guy in an unexpected place!  Now I'm about 15 feet away with my own butterfly and a total stranger grabs Guy's camera and she says "Let me take a picture!"  Her daughter declares loudly "That butterfly is drinking your husband's pants!"  And tourists descend from all over to photograph Guy and his new friend!

This is the only photo on our camera but there must be a couple of dozen of these in the world somewhere!  (Some of the tourists were speaking French and German)















On that note I will end my first post on this inaugural issue of my blog.  Next time...Give Our Regards To Broadway!