Final License Plate Map 2011

NYC - Day 3

Empire State Building, World Trade Center, Battery Park, Top of the Rock... what a day!

We took the subway to the Empire State Building this morning and used our CityPass tickets to go to the observation deck.  (The tour guide on our bus said the extra $15 for the higher observation deck wasn't worth it.)  The CityPass ticket includes the audio tour, which is nice.  You bypass the first line when you get to the building, but there are more than enough additional lines to make up for it.

At the top, it was pretty crowded, but good views.  It was a hazy day, however.

After the Empire State Building, we took the tour bus to the World Trade Center.  The new World Trade Center building is about 2/3 done.  We got totally snookered by a hot dog vendor who charged us $23 for the same lunch that cost us between $6 and $8 down at Times Square.  Oh well.  From WTC, we walked to Battery Park, saw the bull statue near Wall Street.  We navigated over to Canal Street where Diana did some inspired, nerves-of-steel haggling, and got a nice leather purse and sunglasses.

We went back to our hotel before heading out for our final NYC adventure.  We walked to St. Patrick's Cathedral, then to Grand Central Station (wow!), and back to Rockefeller Center to visit the "Top of the Rock" observatory.

Top of the Rock is better run than Empire.  Instead of standing in all these crazy lines, you get your ticket for a specific time.  Then come back at your ticketed time.  The result -- fewer lines.  The view is great.  Instead of railing and fences like Empire, there is thick Plexiglass around the observation deck (with slits where you can stick your camera to escape the glare).  Then you can head up to the second observation deck for a similar view, and finally you can go to the third observation deck which is smaller, but has now surrounding Plexiglass.

And as they say, the view from Top of the Rock has something Empire's view will never have: a view of the Empire State Building.

NYC - Day 2

Started off today with a bus tour that dropped us off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We have tickets for the double-decker bus tours that loop all over the city.  We started with the uptown bus and stopped at the Met.  The place is HUUUGE!  We only saw a little of it, finding more of Diana's Ac-Dec artworks.  Then completed the two-hour bus tour and transferred to the downtown bus loop for two more hours of NYC info.  The downtown loop had a lot more shade, and was much more comfortable.  It got us oriented around the area, and we kept track of what places we wanted to come back to tomorrow: Empire State Building, World Trade Center, Wall Street, Battery Park, Staten Island Ferry, Canal Street.

When the tour was over, we went back to our hotel and got cleaned up for the theater.  We stopped and got Sbarro's pizza in Time Square and picked up our tickets to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  It stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and John Larroquette (Night Court), and was really good.  Well, the first act was really good, the second act was awesome.  The last couple of dance numbers get outrageous.  Radcliffe's dancing was really good, and I kept thinking, "When in his career did he learn to dance?"  It's not like those actors who are discovered later in life and cut their teeth on the stage or in vaudeville -- he has been Harry Potter since he was a kid.

After the show, we realized we were right next to Shake Shack's theater district location, so we stopped in.  The food was just as good as last night in Madison Square Park, but they did lose our order and we had to wait about 45 minutes to get our food -- oops.

Walked back to our hotel and tried to figure out how much we can cram in to tomorrow.

NYC - Day One

Took the train from Philly this morning (man, that Philadelphia train station is beautiful!) and arrived in New York City just a little after lunchtime.

We navigated the subway to our hotel (a tiny little place with tiny little rooms -- but very "efficient"), then walked a couple of blocks over to the Museum of Modern Art.  Saw several very nice -- and many very famous -- works there, including Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Then we walked down to Times Square.  Explored the Hershey Store, the M&M Store, the Toys 'R' Us... all the things you come to NYC for!

We met my cousin for dinner at Madison Square Park's "Shake Shack" which was really good.  The line stretched forever, but moved fairly quickly.  We ordered great burgers and shakes (Diana's burger had cheese-stuffed portobello mushrooms that she said were awesome).  The park is beneath the MET Life building and within site of other great sites (Flatiron building, for example).

Tomorrow we're going to go see a show!

Philly - Day Two

Best weather of the trip today, so we were able to do lots of exploring.  Plus, here in Philadelphia, many of the sights are close together (and our hotel is in a good location).

I walked to the US Mint and walked through the tour right as they opened at 9.  Had the place to myself.  Several windows look over the production floor, and at the last window you could see the room where they produce the five-ounce silver bullion coins.  Today they had a table of Mount Hood bullion "pucks."

Then Diana and I took the trolly to the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts.  She was able to track down some of this year's Academic Decathlon artwork.  Along the way, we snapped photos of the City Hall, a phenomenal and ornate structure.  From there we walked to JFK Plaza and the LOVE statue.

We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and made our way to the Independence Park visitors' center to pick up our reserved tickets for the tour of Independence Hall.  Today's tickets had been out of stock for over an hour, but evidently some people were missing from our tour because we were able to accommodate many walk-up guests.  Tours can be as large as 80 people.

You have to pass through security to enter the majority of the city block where Independence Hall stands.  Once inside the security fence (your bags are searched -- not too bad), you have access to the buildings and courtyard in that area.

The tour guide at Independence Hall was very knowledgeable.  He asked us if we could name signers of the Constitution.  As people would suggest names, we would respond with plenty of information:  "Thomas Jefferson was in France at the time and did not sign the Constitution." or "John Dickinson did not actually sign, he was sick -- you see him in the painting here -- and left before the signing, but his name is on the document because George Read -- shown in the painting here -- signed Dickinson's name for him."

After the orientation, we visit the court room in Independence Hall, then we see the Assembly Room where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted and signed.

In the building next door, I took a short tour of Congress Hall, where the US Congress met while the Capitol was in Philadelphia.  The House of Representatives met downstairs, the Senate upstairs (lower house, upper house...).  Much of the furniture is reproductions, so you actually get to sit in the House chamber -- pretty cool.

Then we walked out of the secure area and toured the Supreme Court Chamber.

Later for dinner, we went to Campo's, then walked around Penn's Landing.

Tomorrow, NYC.

Philly - Day One

Took the train from Union Station (DC) to Philadelphia's Historic 30th Street Station.  Wow, had no idea the Philly station was so cool.  Great architecture, huge war memorial statue, old-fashioned flipping sign.

Once in Philadelphia, we dropped of our bags at the hotel and took the PHLASH trolley to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Diana was looking for more of this year's Academic Decathlon art, so she toured the museum while I explored outside.  (She reports ~20 Picassos, a handful of Degas, Renoir, Monet, Manet, Rodin originals, Chegall, and other odds and ends.  Who knew?)

In front of the museum are the famous "Rocky Steps."  In several of the Rocky films, Sylvester Stallone's character works out (in part) by running up the steps in front of the museum.  It was really fun to hang out at the steps.  There is a a brass set of footprints at the top of the steps where Rocky makes his triumphant stance, there is a pretty steady stream of folks re-enacting the jog up the steps (and if you make the dash, a local hawker tries to sell you a t-shirt), and there is a larger-than-life Rocky statue to the right of the steps where plenty of folks pose for photos.  So there are three important photo ops here.  You are supposed to get a photo actually running up the steps, a photo at the tops with your arms raised high, and a photo with the statue.  You got all that?  It was so fun to watch everyone, they should totally put a webcam on this like they have on Abbey Road in London.

Then we headed back toward our hotel and stopped at the Liberty Bell Center.  Crowds were light on Tuesday at 4:15.  We also saw the Presidents' House, one of the precursors to the White House.  Washington and Adams both lived here for a period.  The original house has been long demolished, but excavation has revealed some of the original foundation.

DC - Day the Fourth

Diana commented that in all our time in DC, today we took our first guided tour.  We toured the Capitol Building.  Our tour was at 9:30, and we showed up early to be sure we had time to get through the security line.  The line wasn't bad when we got there (about 30-50 long on our side of the Visitors' Center), but it looked like the line does get nasty during the day.

The Capitol Visitors' Center had some nice displays about the history of the Capitol and houses some of the National Statuary Hall Collection of statues.

The tour begins with a nice film about the Capitol and what is accomplished there, then a guide leads you through the Crypt, the Rotunda, and Statuary Hall.  Now, think about the logistics for a second.  The tour is about 20 or 30 minutes long.  Tours begin every ten minutes.  Each tour is split up and led by four or five tour guides.  Do you have a picture of how many different tour guides are shepherding separate groups around the Capitol simultaneously?  Well, each guide speaks in a normal speaking voice into a mic that is broadcast to headphones that his group wears.  So the noise level isn't bad, but those headphones are kinda quirky.  If your guide goes behind a marble column -- you've lost audio.  If your guide gets too far ahead -- you've lost audio.  Sometimes your headphones just don't work.  I had to exchange my first set, Diana went through four sets before she got on that worked.  The tour was quick but good.  We didn't feel rushed, and the guide was very friendly and knowledgeable.

From the Capitol Visitors' Center, we took the underground tunnel to the Library of Congress (which meant we didn't have to go through security again... though the Library of Congress also inspects bags upon your departure).  There were a handful of fascinating displays and great architecture/ornamentation.  They are currently displaying Thomas Jefferson's library, which he sold to the Congress for $26,000 to form the original collection of the Library of Congress.

Next we walked to the Supreme Court.  You can see the court room, walk the halls and see statues and portraits of many justices, and view the two spiral staircases (which are amazing pieces of architecture with no center support).  The cafeteria here was really good.  There's a salad bar, many ready-to-go meals, and custom-built hot sandwiches.

We took the Metro to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to see the Visitor's Center there (skipped the tour) and returned to our motel.  For dinner, we went to the Hard Times Cafe -- a "Chile Parlour" -- which was pretty good.  Tomorrow we catch a train!

This Year's License Plate Map

so far...

DC - Day Three

In which our heroes visit The White House, The National Museum of American History, and Ford's Theater.

We took the Metro to the Smithsonian stop and walked to the American History Museum.  The Star Spangled Banner is in a new display (with no photos allowed?  aw, man!) and they have Julia Childs' kitchen.

From there we took the Metro to Ford's Theater.  We didn't tour, but there are tours every half hour.  They seemed a little pricey, but your National Park Service America the Beautiful Pass may get you in.

Then we walked to the White House.  There is some renovation going on (of course) at the Ellipse.  We took photos on the north side and the south side, then walked to the Metro and came back to the hotel.  Our subway was PACKED.  More Dalai Lama classes and more baseball made for a hot and crowded subway car.

Tomorrow -- The Capitol.

DC - Day Two

We did a lot today... walked a lot, saw a lot.

We started out at the National Archives.  We had a timed entry pass, which lets you bypass the line and go right through security.  We saw a replica of the Magna Carta (oh, sorry, it's out getting a new case), the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution (all four pages), and the Bill of Rights.  We were some of the first ones admitted, and already there was a pretty good crowd around the documents.  Also at the archives is a pretty nice display of the type of records they retain.

Then we got hot dogs on our way to the National Portrait Gallery.  It shares a building with the American Art Museum, and there is quite a bit of nice artwork all over that building.  Saw some great stuff.  Spent a few hours there.  Then we went to Union Station and explored for a while, eating at Johnny Rocket's.  Then we went back to the Mall and went through the American Natural History Museum.  It was kinda crowded there today!

We actually ran into crowds all day.  The Dalai Lama was speaking at the Capitol this morning, there was a baseball game this evening.  All that along with a nice Saturday made for LOTS of people.

We skimmed the Natural History Museum -- Fossils, Hope Diamond, Mummies... we didn't even go find the woolly mammoths.

From there we headed over toward the Lincoln Memorial.  Along the way we stopped at the World War II Memorial for a while.  It's very impressive and a nice addition to the Mall.  Then we discovered more ugly, ugly construction.  The Reflecting Pool is drained and is now a muddy, smelly mess while the renovate it.  I'm kinda tired of this sort of thing -- Sorry, the Jefferson Memorial is half cordoned off by orange cones and hurricane fence; Sorry, there is currently no visitor center at Old Faithful; Sorry, you just get to see a facsimile of the Magna Carta; Sorry, Saguaro is a lame, ugly waste of a national park.  But I digress.

We walked to the Vietnam Memorial, then the Lincoln Memorial, then the Korean War Memorial, then back to our Metro stop and the hotel.

DC- Day One

Got to the airport bright and early with a ride from one of Diana's work friends (THANKS!!).  The plane left 45 minutes late because of a "paperwork issue."  The flight was good.  We took the MARC rail to Union Station, had lunch in the food court, then took the Metro to our hotel.  It's a nice little place.  It's close to a metro station and it's priced well.  We're in one of the "recently remodeled rooms," which means the bathroom, in particular, is quite nice.

Went to the DC Mall.  The Smithsonian is hosting a Folk Life Festival all weekend which is kinda cool, but also kinda ruins the view of the Mall.  HUUUUGE tents all over the entire place.

We toured the "Castle," then went to find some of this year's Ac-Dec artwork at the African Art Museum.  Alas, none of the pieces are currently on display!!  But Diana found very similar pieces from the same groups/time periods/etc.

Then walked around the Hirschorn Statue Garden and toured the National Air & Space Museum.  By that time, we were starting to drag, but we pushed on!  (uh-oh!)  We decided to hike to the Jefferson Memorial.  That wouldn't have been so bad, except the sea wall is under construction -- turning a 10-minute walk into a 20-minute walk after the detour.

Took a cab from there back to our Metro stop and took the subway to find dinner, then back to the hotel.  One photo today, but I think it's pretty grand: (click the pic to enlarge)

Things to do in NYC

• Federal Hall
• Pompeii exhibit @ Discovery Times Square
• GrayLine Double Decker Tour
• 
  

Things to do in Philadelphia

• US Mint
• Franklin Institute (Mummies of the World exhibit, Di Vinci Exhibit)
• Rodin Museum
• Penn Museum
• Independence Park
• Franklin's Press
• Liberty Bell
• Independence Hall
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• LOVE Statue
• Betsy Ross House
• Presidents' House
• Rocky Statue
• Valley Forge

Things to do in DC

• National Art Gallery
• Capitol Tour
• National Archives
• Supreme Court Building
• Smithsonians
• Monuments
• Memorials
• Arlington National Cemetary 
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• Georgetown
• Newseum / Roosevelt Island
• Mt. Vernon
• Rock Creek Park Planetarium
• National Zoo
• National Cathedral
• Holocaust Museum
• National Building Museum LEGO display