20 | May | 2018 | frans travel tales

Over breakfast at Rosemary’s on Greenwich St we decided to head in different directions.

Steve wanted to look at the big train stations and I wanted to visit Jordan at work.

I walked through West Village, down to Soho winding my way through some very trendy streets with very lovely shops.

I love people watching and found the dog walkers particularly interesting. And the gardens!

Spring is coming. The gardens are looking good. The bulbs are flowering. The sidewalks are festive. The planter boxes inviting.

I met Jordan at the Glossier Showroom. Her office is a few blocks away but we decided to meet where the action is! The Glossier Showroom. It is a relatively new skincare and make up range. It’s aim is to make good products available at a good price.

And it looks great! The showroom was buzzing with young women clustered around work benches with the products out for everyone to try. At one end there’s a big sink to wash off said products.

The flowers , the packaging, the room is all pink. Very cool.

Needless to say I loved being there with new daughter-in-law , Jordan.

Then it was lunch at Seamore a very ‘on trend’ seafood restaurant.

Then it was home to see what a boy’s day in NY looked like.

Steve had visited Penn Station and the Post Office,

Grand Central Station, and had a beer and hot dog!

The Empire State Building

Radio City Music Hall

And Times Square

Together we finished our day by visiting Rob’s club, right on Central Park. He was invited to play waterpolo at the New York Athletic Club, a very prestigious club in NY. As well he was invited to be a member, so has access to all the wonderful facilities the club offers. He took us on a tour before dinner.

The main foyer

The pool, where he trains.

The gym and basketball court.

The Billiards room and the rooftop with its spectacular views.

Then it was bibs on and into our lobsters.

After dinner it was a one block walk to the amazing Carnegie Hall. We had tickets to the Mets Orchestra and planned to introduce Rob and Jordan to some wonderful music. Debussy and Tchaikovsky and Mezzo Soprano Anita Rachvelishvili singing Mussorgsky.

The concert hall is beautiful. The concert was great and Jordan and Rob said they had enjoyed it.

What a day1

Today we visited the WTC with Galapagos Bill. The site of the worst attack of terrorism in American history. Known simply as 9-11

Bill had pre-bought tickets to avoid the queue and that worked well.

It’s well organised and everyone working there was so helpful.

We started with the half hour movie which brought it all back. It’s one of those events that you say ‘where were you?’. It’s something Americans living here, particularly in NY, will never forget.

Our friends Lois and Lynn were in their apartments near the United Nations and after the first plane hit were on their roof top and actually saw the second one hit. How could you forget something so terrible?

The centre tells the story and our guide was informative and a good storyteller. I heard recounts of incidents from the day I’ve never heard before.

The displays were moving. I really can’t say much about these pictures. Each one tells it’s own story.

We left in a sombre mood and made our way to the National Museum of the American Indian. Our friend Lois Dubin, the landscape architect, is also an expert on glass beading. She wrote a book:

‘Since its publication in 1987, The History of Beads has become the world’s definitive guide for bead lovers, collectors, and scholars. In her new edition, Lois updates all chapters with the latest archeological discoveries. ‘

Lois is particularly interested in American Indians – their culture and in particular their beading.

She is on the board at this Museum, which is part of the Smithsonian group.

So we were very fortunate to have her guide us through the Museum. It’s in a restored building, that is just so beautiful. It was previously the Port of NY Customs House, was going to be pulled down but has been saved and restored.

The collection is wonderful, the beading exquisite.

We were able to visit the newly opened Children’s centre, a very interactive display which aims to make information about the American Indian accessible to all.

Me in the canoe trying to stay afloat!

We moved on from the museum to have a few drinks and particularly liked the jazz trio at the Lovelace Gin Bar near Wall St. [Trombone and vocals, bass and vocals, guitar]

We moved on to Wall Street to check out the bank our son works in. It’s not a big street but has some grand buildings particularly the Stock Exchange. The security in the area is amazing. No cars are allowed near the Stock Exchange so it feels a little like a movie set.

Rob is not the Wolf of Wall Street like in the movie! More the Lion 🦁 !