Main Concourse of the Grand Central Terminal.
Who does a Sunday morning tour? Anyone wanting to see Grand Central Terminal (Station). And it’s no wonder, you would never be able to get around so easily during a normal business day.
We learned about this great tour from some good friends and are so glad we hauled ourselves out of bed and out into the freezing weather – it was fantastic.
And fortunately for us, most of the tour was indoors.
Our tour guide, John, was excellent as he wove together the history of New York City. He brought just the right balance of a historian’s knowledge and perspective, combined with a visitor’s sense of discovery and an insider’s wisdom. He did a superb job of keeping it colorful and entertaining as he conveyed a tremendous amount of information to a wide assortment of ages, tourists and even a few locals. My group of three included one local and one who used to live in NYC and we all agreed, we learned so much (and the info we did know, our guide was spot-on).
We explored the terminal from all angles, as well as the Art Deco showpiece lobby of the Chrysler building. Our visit made it abundantly clear how often we take what’s around us for granted. We never knew the value of the opal clock in the main hall, the acoustical tricks near the Oyster Bar, the design intentions of the intuitive architecture, it was a Nazi’s target in WW2, or that the clocks inside are set a bit ahead to help people catch their trains on time . . . and so much more.
Inside Info: I know these tours are billed as “free” but I do hope you tip well, because they deserve it; guides split any tips with their office. This company has lots of creative excursions and we will try another walking tour on our next visit to the city. Explore options and book on-line: http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/
One of the more than 2,000 saved pieces of the World Trade Center, stands as a sentinel next to museum windows overlooking the memorial site.
This is a fitting, somber, respectful museum, strikingly curated and staged, to honor those who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks. A must-see for every American, exhibits show not only artifacts from the devastating tragedy, but beautifully honor details about the lives of those who died. The museum includes information about the Pentagon attack and Pennsylvania crash as well as a haunting, detailed timeline and background of the terrorists’ planning. Video and audio clips greatly enhance the experience. Much of the story is told through family members of those who were killed as well as the men and women who survived and responded to the sites.
It’s those personal stories that really make your heart break . . .
Essentials: Guided tours are available for an additional charge and there is a self-guided tour with a smartphone app narrated by Robert De Niro. Admission is $24, $18 for seniors, and free on Tuesdays after 5PM (on a first-come, first-served basis, available after 4PM). If you are buying tickets, the on-line process will save you time. Tickets are sold with entry at 30-minute intervals, beginning at 9AM. Allow 2-4 hours. We entered at 9:30AM and by the time we left, at midday, it was getting very crowded. Visitors need to review the rules of decorum, as is befitting. It’s quiet, no sitting on the floor, no flash photography and in many sections, no photography at all.
Known as “the last piece standing”, bearing “signatures” of the many rescue, recovery and clean-up teams working the aftermath of the tragedy.
One of the twin reflecting pools inscribed with names of those lost at the World Trade Center on 9/11; part of the Memorial located outside the museum.
The 75+-room Whitehall mansion Henry Flagler built as a wedding gift for his third wife Mary Lily, is a Beaux Arts masterpiece. Completed in 1902 in just 18 months, the Palm Beach estate featured all the latest technical advances including electricity and telephones. Palm Beach was just one stop of Flagler’s famous Florida East Coast Railway, fulfilling his dream of reaching Key West in 1912, the year before his death at 82. His private rail car, #91, is housed on the property and also available to tour. We didn’t hear about Flagler’s rivalry with Henry Plant, a wealthy entrepreneur who was building his own railway and resort hotel along Florida’s gulf coast.
Both original and typical furnishings from the Gilded Age are on display throughout the mansion. Pictured here, part of a set of Tiffany dinnerware, typical of the era, but not original to the home.
Tours are available four ways: with a docent, audio, by app or self-guided. Tours with a docent are about an hour and are offered three times a day. Be sure to leave time for a tasty high tea in the lovely Cafe des Beaux-Arts.
Admission is $18 and all tour categories are included at no additional charge.
For information: 561-655-2833
http://www.flaglermuseum.us, and/or
download the Flagler Museum smartphone app.
Beautiful waters surround Grand Turk.
Dune buggys!
Reminiscent of Aruba, Grand Turk shares the same arid climate, sand and wild donkeys. On Grand Turk there were also lots of cute wild horses, a vividly gorgeous Atlantic coast, and thankfully, not so much wind. OK, so maybe it’s just the desert climate and wild donkeys the two islands have in common.
We decided to take a dune buggy ride, and it was a good choice. With lots of sand and roads full of potholes it made for a bumpy, energetic, fun ride all around the island. We were off-road much of the time, so the left-lane driving was no factor. In our two-hour journey, we visited Gun Hill, saw many of the lakes formerly used to harvest salt, and passed the possible (NOT) Columbus Landfall Marine National Park, on the way to the lighthouse at North East Point. The famous wild pink Flamingos were nowhere to be seen.
All along the stunning coastline, we saw the incredibly beautiful, brilliant, turquoise water that turns a deep, dark blue, at the “wall” where the depth drops dramatically to 7,000 feet. A good combo for divers and snorkelers.
A British Territory, Grand Turk is the capital of the 40 island archipelago known as Turks & Caicos; about 7 miles long and a mile wide, there are less than 5,000 residents. We visited while on a short Princess Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, a nice and easy four-night getaway.
After we returned to the cruise company-built, port area, we grabbed a cab for the $5 per person ride back three miles into Cockburn Town. A once-thriving salt-trade community, this sleepy little village features narrow one-lane roads built for horse traffic, and colorful, Bermudan-style buildings. Unlike most colonial-era towns with a central plaza, this community was built strewn along the coast and former salt flats (Salinas), located through the middle of the island.
We had some terrific fresh fried grouper and conch fritters before taking a brief walk around the area. It is definitely laid-back and unpretentious. No big resorts, or celebrities here; head 25 miles across north Atlantic waters, to the neighboring Caicos Islands for that scene.
Grand Turk is just sun, sand, crystal clear water, wild donkeys and friendly faces.
Locals are proud of this replica of the Friendship 7 space capsule that splashed down with John Glenn, in 1962.
Built in London and erected on Grand Turk in 1852, the 60′ high lighthouse protected ships in the salt trade from the island’s surrounding reefs.
