The Griswolds take New York

So my parents are in town until early March and I love having them here.  Like me, they enjoy late mornings, strong coffee, sightseeing, and generally just soaking up every inch of New York.

I took Thursday and Friday off work to spend a couple of days getting Mum & Dad reoriented to the City.  We're staying in a lovely, spacious 2-bedroom apartment in Midtown not far from where I lived when I first moved here.  So it has been great just to wander the old neighbourhood, pointing out the closest grocery stores, pharmacies, pubs with generous pours, and restaurants with the most delicious dishes.  So far we've enjoyed ice-cold beers, lip-smacking BBQ, and the crispiest wood-oven fired pizza.

We went to Madison Square Park, past the beautiful Flatiron Building that I love so much.  After a bit of shopping in Chelsea, I showed Mum & Dad my old, booby-trapped apartment, and then we walked the new extension of the High Line (and nearly froze solid in the process).

We retreated to the warmth of Grand Central Terminal, including the last vestiges of the Holiday Train Show at the NY Transit Museum - a lovely model train of New York and the Hudson Valley.  I went on my first tour of the NY Public Library and got to see their copy of the Gutenberg Bible, plus the original stuffed toys that inspired the Winnie the Pooh stories.  

Lunch at the Grand Central Oyster Bar was great, walking underneath the beautiful Guastavino tiled roof.  And even though the New York Knicks lost to the Miami Heat, it was so much fun to get to Madison Square Garden and cheer them on.

But, see?  The literal frosting on the cake came yesterday, when the skies opened up and rained down a slushy wintry mess of ice and snow.  Now we're from a part of Australia that doesn't see snow (unless there is a very freaky weather occurrence up in the Hills) so I was so glad that Mum got to play in her first snowfall.  "Kid in a candy store" is the most apt expression for what ensued.

Post by The ABCs of NYC.