New York, New York

It's taken me a while, but here are some pictures of our quick trip to New York City.  Mike and I have decided that we need to go back some day and stay longer.  It was a short trip.  We rode the Amtrak train from Alexandria, Virginia to Penn Station in New York on July 4.  We walked around a little, ate a tasty lunch at Bryant Park, then went and checked in at our hotel.

Mike, Beth, and Scott enjoying lunch.

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn at Times Square.  It was really nice.  We got a room on the 12th floor because we didn't want to be too close to the street noise.  A good thing since the hotel is next door to a fire station.  In fact, it is the fire station that President Obama visited after Osama bin Ladin was killed.

Times Square

After settling in at the hotel we went for a walk through Central Park.  It really is a nice park in the middle of a huge city.  It was more crowded than usual because of the holiday.

Beth and Scott in Central Park

Mike and Mary in Central Park

Before going back to the hotel we stopped in at a local pub for a couple of beers.  They tasted really good because it was really hot out.  After resting at the hotel for a bit we went to eat at John's Pizzeria on Times Square.  As good a pizza as a person can get.  And the restaurant is really unique also.  We went back to Times Square to see the lights at night then headed back to the hotel.  We watched the fireworks on TV while listening to them outside the hotel.

Times Square

Times Square at night

 The next day we took a bus tour of downtown NYC.  It was very interesting and gave us a feel for the layout of that part of the city.  After lunch we headed back to Penn Station to catch the train back to Alexandria.  It was fast, but a lot of fun. We'll have to visit again someday..

Ceramics made by school children who saw the Twin Towers fall

Empire State Building