Today, I will begin sharing my most memorable moments from my first trip to New York City.  After a long overnight bus trip, we finally arrived at the New Jersey entrance to New York City.  My first impression of NYC happened when our tour bus exited the Lincoln Tunnel onto Manhattan island.  We made our first turn and I thought, “Holy Cow!  Look at all the yellow taxis!”  The streets were full of them.  I had heard about them, but I did not expect to see so many.  

We drove a little further and stopped for our first dining experience at Ellen’s Stardust Diner.  We had a great breakfast while the wait staff entertained us with some songs.  They were all young, aspiring actors/actresses working to support themselves while trying to start their Broadway acting career. When we left the diner, our walk around Midtown Manhattan began.

The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent touring Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue.  The area was clean and filled with shoppers and tourists.  I saw groups of women and mothers with small children walking around the streets and shops.  After walking around that section of town, I became much more relaxed about our safety. Later that afternoon, we got back on the bus to check-in to the hotel.  We got cleaned up and headed out for an evening dinner cruise through New York Harbor.  It provided spectacular views of the New York skyline and an up close encounter with the Statue of Liberty.  That was an incredible experience seeing her in person for the first time.  My middle school daughter was not thrilled about going on the trip, but that moment made my whole trip worth it. She said, “Daddy.  Will you take my picture?”  Seeing Lady Liberty had a big impact on her.  More about my New York experiences in the upcoming editions of Weekly Travel News.