Greenwich Village - A Line, a Lunch and a Tale

After a coffee, Brett and I took a stroll down to Washington Square garden, which is just down the road. It's a lovely park with lots of squirrels running around. One lady was feeding them and had a little container of water for them. One actually jumped onto her lap for his peanut.

There is also a dog park, which was very cute! Lots of dogs, very happy, running around off lead.

And there's the chess tables that are in lots of movies and shows... Brett is 'virtual' playing...

Then back to sort out plans for the day, get maps and directions. Shaun is happy here for two reasons - he has a smoking buddy and he doesn't have to go down three flights to smoke - our lounge window opens onto this balcony.

My first stop - the High Line - it's a mile and a half (I think) of disused rail track that has been formed into a walkway/garden. Short but nice walk to get there...

Lots of these little parks around New York...

And then onto the line itself. Lots of lovely garden areas, the old tracks are still there...

There's seating areas...

I hop off at the Chelsea Piers coz one of the Google spots says that Law & Order SVU is filming down there. I can see the trucks but that's it, not sure where they are. But it's an interesting area to walk around - there's information panels and photos - it was here that the Carpathia docked with the Titanic survivors.

So no Mariska Hargitay so it's back onto the High Line. It's quite lovely to have that bit of garden around the packed city area. See the bridge crossing the road with some trees...?

Another of the amazing stackable car parks.

And it continues along, changing views and styles as it goes.

It's lovely and I think it was created and might be maintained by locals. Not 100% on that. 

Off the other end at 34th Street, up to our first hotel on 46th just to see if my camera had turned up there. They are lovely and gave me an umbrella in case it rains. And they'll keep an eye out for the camera. I can recommend French Quarters Guest House! Went past classic New York houses...

Then up to Sardi's for lunch - one of the things I wanted to do on this trip. I bumped into Shaun and Robbie at the theatre - they find a Thursday matinee for The Phantom of the Opera - I'm not that desperate to see a show! Into Sardi's...

And I messaged Raff, coz we had tentatively organised to meet at 1:00. It's now 1:35 and he does make his way up. Lovely lunch of spinach cannelloni mornay. Sardi's is the famous restaurant with all the caricatures and we did spend a bit of time looking at them all.

See Lin Manuel Miranda - composer of Hamilton - on the very right. 

After lunch, I'm heading down to the yellow cab lost property, one last check for my camera. It's actually in the police station. The police lady is very nice and says she had the same thing happen, no sign of it, sadly. Have to give it up now - I have replaced the camera, I've just lost all my photos from my last trips.

Popped into St Patrick's as I passed by - beautiful church.

There's an amazing busker on the corner who freezes long enough for new people to come along and then jumps - scaring them. It's hilarious.

Then into the Rockefeller centre to get some stamps - there are two queues, one of the ladies comes out and says if we only want stamps to get into this queue, which we do. Then a lady gets to the front of the line and has a complicated package to sort out - takes forever and the woman in front of me complains as she would have been finished if she'd stayed in the first line! I don't mind - gives me a chance to write my postcards. Time for a sit and relax for a bit before heading off to meet the others.

Unfortunately, I turned in the wrong direction and walked until I saw 3rd Avenue - totally the wrong way. It would have been clear if I was on a street that listed 5th, 6th and 7th avenues, as I would have realised, but they were listed as Park and Madison avenues so I went a long way in the wrong direction! And I seemed to just miss every red light/pedestrian crossing so it took longer.

Finally got to the restaurant - Thai tonight, so more vegetables! Then we still have time before the show so it's into the bar for a bit and then into the queue for tonight's show - the first preview of A Bronx Tale, a musical adaptation of the autobiographical (I think) movie by Chazz Palminteri, with music by Alan Menken and directed by Robert De Niro! 

 

We're in the second row, so looking up. It's great! There seem to be a lot of Bronx folk in the audience, lots of friends and family, some who look like mafia! The show is really good - loved the father and the mafia guy. We saw Alan Menken at interval - that was exciting! And then saw Chazz at the end of the show, being harassed by a guy, "just take one photo with my girlfriend..." Didn't see De Niro, we're pretty sure he must have been there and just snuck in for the show. 

Being a new show, we were a bit worried it it might not be a good one for our last show on Broadway this time, but it was a most enjoyable night.

We headed up to Ditch Fred's to meet up with Robbie and Luke and have farewell cocktails before heading home.

Waited ages for a train and then it stopped for ages in the middle of nowhere - of all nights!! Got back at 12:30, packed, bed and set the alarms for 4:00 to head to the airport! Thanks goodness we can sleep on the plane...