Thursday, April 25, 2013

Times Square, I Heart You

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After a few crummy weather days in my hotel, it was finally warm (enough) and sunny. I could hardly wait to get into the city to wander around aimlessly!

My day began by taking the hotel shuttle to the New Jersey Transit bus stop. After paying $4.25, this giant tour bus took me all the way to the Port Authority Bus Station in Times Square!

Butterflies in my stomach, folks. I love this city.

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Once I was off the bus, I walked through the Port Authority to get to Times Square.

As you can see, even the locals thought that it was cold. So wearing a sweater and a jacket didn’t make me feel silly at all!

The temperature for my two days of exploring was right around forty-eight degrees on both days. Not too shabby, huh?

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On the base floor, I always stop to admire this flag honoring 9-11. I love how the flags are made to appear as the World Trade Center.

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We’re getting closer to paradise! Let’s follow the signs to head outside to 42nd Street. We are right in the heart of Manhattan!

That is one expensive bus station!

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I took a deep breath. Ah, at last.

Man, I love this place.

Can you see the Chrysler Building way down there?

And the hotdog(s) stand, of course?

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The famous New York City cab. I’ve never been in one, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t take pictures of them as they attempt to maneuver through impossible Manhattan traffic.

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I passed this Crumbs Bake shop by, thanks to some healthy goals. But I have eaten cupcakes from here before. Do you remember my trip from last September?

Really, how can you possibly go wrong with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcake?

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I’m pretty sure that this Tim Hortons is new, too. I would have definitely noticed if my favorite Canadian doughnut shop had been here previously!

Can you believe that I passed this by today, too?

Sheesh, am I developing willpower or what?!

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Hi, Subway station! Amazingly, I walked during my entire visit these two days. I never even went down below to ride the subway, like I usually do. What a shame!

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I walked a few blocks along 42nd Street, desperate to find somewhere to eat. I didn’t want to waste precious time at a sit-down place, but I didn’t want to trust one of the million food stands, either. But I was ready for some lunch!

There is the Amsterdam Theater, where I saw Mary Poppins last September. Playing there now is The Newsies.

I had no desire to drop $200 on a ticket. I guess I lucked out last fall paying only $67 for a great seat five rows back from the stage!

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So New York City! Cop horses!

How do they deal with all of that noise?

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I got closer and closer to Times Square, hoping to see something edible that also sounded reasonably-priced.

That’s not asking too much at all in one of the most expensive cities in the country, right?

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I never tire of seeing this few blocks in New York City. Isn’t this place amazing?

It was way more crowded than I expected, too. I doubt that this place ever feels empty, but it seemed very busy to me for still being so cold!

Maybe they don’t have a tourist season, but it’s all year long?

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Swoon. Look at this! I love you, Manhattan!

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If you need to advertise, this is the place to be noticed by millions. Unfortunately, it also costs millions to advertise here! Catch-22!

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I was really hungry by now, so I was tickled to see this stationary food truck as an option for lunch.

Baked empanadas? That sounds very healthy to me!

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The hard part was deciding which empanada to try. I asked the worker’s professional opinion, and he highly recommended the Argentine.

Sounds good to me!

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It was warm and flaky and flavorful.

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And beefy. I rather enjoyed this. But, remember…I was pretty hungry.

Everything tastes better when you’re hungry!

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I only had one little empanada, and it didn’t fill me up.

Luckily, this Rickshaw Dumplings Shack was right next door!

And, even more so than the empanadas that I had convinced myself were healthy, these guys were steamed and ready to be devoured!

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I loved the little packaging. But I didn’t make it far carrying these…there are tables right next to the shack. Let’s eat some dumplings!

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Pork dumplings for lunch. Yes, please!

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It even came with a soy sauce-based dipping cup of goodness. This was just the right amount of flavor and salt added to the steamed and delicious dumplings.

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They kind of looked creepy, thanks to the steamer bin in which they cooked. The bottoms kind of look like octopus to me, or something fishy!

But, if I closed my eyes and took a bite…mmmmmmm.

This was one of the best things I ate during my entire two days in Manhattan!

(Yes, I went back the next day. Why do you ask?)

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Mr. Cop and Mr. Horse rode by while I ate. I waved, but he must have not seen me.

Well, it seems like the horse saw me. See how nervous he is? I have that effect on horses.

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After my lunch, it was time to wander around Times Square just a little more. I’m just in awe of this place and am so tickled to be here!

Sorry about the underwear advertisement. Awkward!

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You can glimpse a little of the New York Double Decker Tour Bus in this picture. I decided not to sign up for the New York Pass or do anything expensive like that during this visit.

My reason? Well, I’m going to Disneyland next week. I would much rather spend my money there!

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Fortunately for you, this is not a picture of the Naked Cowboy, though I did see him.

And don’t be fooled by the hippie clown in the lower right-hand side of the shot! He’s not naked, either.

Appropriately, this is a statue of “The Man Who Owns Broadway," Mr. George Cohan.

I wonder what he would think of NYC almost one-hundred years after he made this part of town so wonderful?

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Doesn’t this just make you want to visit NYC? If you haven’t been, may I highly recommend it to you?

Just make sure that you get a Crumbs Cupcake as soon as you arrive…

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As I walked north towards Central Park, I passed the M&Ms Store.

I always think of my friend, Susan, when I see this place. She was here on vacation once and sent me a picture of this storefront from her phone. She thought that I would appreciate four stories of chocolate.

Boy, does she know me or what?! Hi, Susan!

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Not to be outdone by Mars, Hershey’s also has a giant store just a block away. I am no respecter of chocolate stores in Manhattan…I love them all equally.

I hope that you’re ready for a whole lot more NYC, because we’ve only just begun! Tomorrow, we’ll head towards Central Park for an afternoon stroll with the locals.

And a million other tourists, apparently.

1 comment:

  1. Beautiful pictures!..Thanks for sharing that..Whick

    ReplyDelete

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