Today we wander the Upper West Side. Starting in the morning we arrive at the 125th stop on the 1 train. Heading south we pass the General Grant National Memorial, where is the grave of General and 18th president of America, Ulysses Grant. His wife Julia is also buried in the same mound.
Going down Broadway we passed Columbia University where the campus is open to the public. Walking in we marveled at the grand buildings, the cleanliness and how well maintained the area was. The only distraction was the work being done on the library building and it spoiled the opportunity for a nice photo.
A little further down from the university is the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. A temple which began to be built in 1892 and officially has not been completed until today.
It was time for breakfast just before our visit to the American Museum of Natural History. I had stamped from Athens the Metro Diner, on Broadway, a classic American restaurant that we have all seen in movies. Arriving there, and to our great surprise, the person in charge was a 2nd generation Greek, Dimitris, who confided in us various tips about the city. After having our breakfast of 3 different dishes with eggs, juices and coffees ($68) we went a little further south to Bloomingdale’s Outlet.
There we found some pieces at great prices and didn’t hesitate to buy them. After all, shopping day hadn’t arrived yet.
After a while we arrived at the AMNH (sightseeing pass). What to see about this gigantic museum. First let’s say that we entered at 11:00 in the morning and left at 4:00 in the afternoon, without having time to see everything and with quite a bit of traffic. It goes without saying that the dinosaur section was the most popular and crowded. The dioramas with the life-size animals stole the show and of course the huge blue whale that adorned the ceiling of an entire room. Among others we toured the halls of anthropology, mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, rocks, gems and many others. Unfortunately we didn’t get to enter the planetarium, but we did see it from the outside. We also took a photo with Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the USA. and one of the founders of the museum.
Leaving the museum we passed by Lincoln Center where the famous Metropolitan Opera of New York, the New York Philharmonic, The New York Ballet and the Julliard school of art are located.
A little further down we ended up in the circular square Columbus Circle where in the middle dominates the column with the statue of Christopher Columbus with his caravels. At this point, all the kilometers from New York City are measured.
Still having time we headed to Rockefeller Center to take advantage of the free admission to the Top of the Rock. Unfortunately they did not accept us without an appointment but booked us for the next morning. We wandered the streets and boulevards some more before ending up in Lower Manhattan. There we walked a little more in Bowling Green with the famous Charging Bull, we also saw a 7-8 meter limousine parked outside the former customs office and after eating something, we ended up at the hotel.
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