Tuesday night - We arose at 6:00 am this morning in NYC and ended up back home in Eureka, California, after an interminably long plane ride across the country (see attached "Journey's End) photo).

But first - can you believe this? Last night, as promised, we went to bed around 10:00, without venturing out into the city's New Year's Eve party. Gil fell asleep pretty quickly and I quietly watched TV coverage of Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve celebration at Times Square, just about 18 blocks away.

Then suddenly, at 11:30 pm, Gil sat bolt upright in bed and declared "We should go out." I, of course, thought he was kidding, but within seconds he had leaped out and was pulling his clothes on - "no need for undies," he exclaimed, in a moment of madness. So next thing I know, we're walking briskly through the mean streets (and rather empty ones, at that), in the general direction of Times Square. We had less than 15 minutes to walk over a mile - yikes! Police everywhere, in jovial holiday moods "Happy New Year!!" Helicopters hovered overhead, huge spotlights illuminated the streets from the tops of the skyscrapers...think of the movie "Blade Runner" if you've ever seen it. Streets cordoned off - no cars within a 20 block circumference of Times Square. We got at far as the park behind the New York Public Library, where we found a happy crowd of a few hundred standing on the corner, peering at a narrow gap in the skyscrapers, towards the spire blocks away.

And so, Becky and Gil (sort of) made it to the big Times Square celebration.

And before we sign off for the last time, here is our own personal "best" and "worst" list of our visit to Manhattan:

Worst:

Lines. You stand in line for EVERYTHING! Food, transportation, even getting into museums...I never did get used to having so many people about.

Cold. We actually had "our cashier" tell us that this was lovely weather for this time of year. Believe me folks...it was a long way from "beautiful." Sure it wasn't raining/snowing/sleeting but it was damned COLD!

Expense. NYC is a terribly expensive place for us poor working folks to visit. Even though we used Frequent Flyer Miles to cover the plane tickets and even though we got a hell of a deal on a wonderful room in mid town we still went through way too much money. Example, we thought we would have supper one evening at a small, modest Italian restaurant just down the block form our hotel. We walked in off the street with no reservations, ordered up a simple meal and ran up a bill over $100 plus tip for the two of us. This is more than I'm used to...but then perhaps I'm just a cheapskate. (But breakfast as coffee shops is incredibly a good deal though.)

Food. This is a bit unfair to put food on the worst list. We had some wonderful meals but all in all your everyday sort of food was bland and expensive. I prefer California cuisine.

Airplanes. I don't like riding on planes...simple as that and 6 hrs. of sitting in one of those cramped seats is way too much for me.

Best:

Our Room. What a delight! Large, quiet, inexpensive ($99!!!) and with the best damned bed we've ever slept in. Every morning we argued over who had to jump first into the (marble walls, counter and floor) bathroom (with gold fixtures) and who got to remain behind to "luxuriate" in the king sized fantastic mattress, with crisp pima cotton sheets, down comforter, down pillows, ahhh. The Carlton on Madison Ave...we recommend it even if you have to pay full price.

Subway. By far the fastest way to get around the city. Everything is far away in Manhattan and the surface streets are always clogged. You do miss the drama that takes place on the city streets and for that reason alone one should really use the bus system every now and again but if you want to cover some ground go subway. And hardly frightening at all.

Food. I know I also put "Food" on the "Worse" list but I'm adding it here because of Katz's Kosher Deli (motto "Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army").

People. We met/saw some real dandies. All in all we found New Yorkers to be polite, friendly and helpful...quite the opposite of their reputations.

Buildings. Unbelievable! Empire State, Chrysler, Grand Central Station. If we were to return to NYC, I'd definitely want to look into taking guided tours of the buildings.

New York Style. I'm one of those who applauds individuals who have "their own style"...someone who is makes a bold statement by the way they present themselves. I don't always agree with their tastes but New Yorkers embrace originality and it makes for some truly delightful "people watching."

I'm sure we're missing much here...but oh well. We've been home for about 12 hours now (collapsed from exhaustion last night before finishing the Dispatch and it's now Wednesday morning) and the memories are already fading...

Now off to edit the 100's of photos we didn't plague you all with :-)

Becky and Gil

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