Time in New York City

Charlie and I were in NYC with our kids and their spouses for four nights over the long weekend. Our daughter, Martha, made the arrangements--starting with this brownstone (actually brick) B & B in Harlem on W.141st St.

Our rooms were on the second and third floors. Ours had a huge bathroom with a deck off the back, Peter and Lynne's room had a miniscule bathroom created in the old servants' staircase!

Martha got us tickets to see the play "Thurgood" on Broadway--a one-man-play with Michael Fishbourne as Thurgood Marshall.

I took this photo of the stage as the audience was coming in--and then an usher told me I wasn't allowed to take pictures.

The light colored flag in the background was used as a screen for photos and special lighting.

On the evening of the 4th, we went on a cruise in the New York harbor on a two masted ship. We were down at the dock early, so here we are having a drink: Peter and Lynne, Martha and John, and my Charlie.

The fireworks from Jersey City went off for the half-hour before the East River display (paid by Macy's), so we had a good HOUR long barrage of flashes and booms.

Then the sails were put up and we had a night time close-up of the Statue of Liberty. All in a light drizzle.

Saturday afternoon we participated in a "scavenger hunt"-like game or drama in lower Manhatten. We were to deliver four plane tickets to hoodlums so they could escape the city and get to a Caribbean island. Each one gave us the clues to find the next, and see different neighborhoods along the way.

At one point we had a fortune cookie with a fortune that was all written in Chinese. That meant we needed to walk into Chinatown, get it translated by someone, and then "pick-up" the required item for delivery. The translation was "I want a frog." At a fish stall, there was a barrel of frogs, and we purchased a whopper for $3.00 (which we had been given). Lynne carried the frog. (And you can see she is wearing on of the two identifying baseball hats members of our group had to wear.)

We spent about three and a half hours completing this exercise which led us from the harbor to City Hall, the Brooklyn Bridge walkway, Chinatown, Little Italy and to the edge of SoHo.

Lots of fun between our two meetings for the family foundation--one held at brunch in a Westend cafe cum pastry shop for two hours, and one in the evening at the hotel room with two board members in their pajamas. Great tiime together as a family. Good job setting it up, Martha!

Sunday afternoon Charlie and I met Chuck and Liz Howell, with their daughter Georgia, at the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side, and then we all had supper at Katz' Deli together.

Sara

Gratitudes:

No travel problems for anyone.

Generosity of Grandmother and Grandfather

Electricity back on when we got home