The Big Apple of My Eye

For this avid people watcher, the Big Apple is about as good as it gets. For example, I was walking down (or is it up, I forget) 8th Avenue and found myself next to a silver person. Nope, not a person who works with silver, but one who IS silver — from head to toe. No small undertaking for this guy! It was hard not to stare. And that, my friends, is why I wear sunglasses. More than once I’ve been caught recklessly eyeballing – one of the last of our worldly vices not yet subject to taxation. (I digress).

As a tag along on my husband’s business trip to the City, I had all of last Friday to do as I pleased. So I thought it best not to waste a minute.

First, I set my alarm for the ungodly hour of 4:45 AM so that I could walk to Rockefeller Center Plaza and beat the crowd to line up for the NBC Today Show summer concert series. Thousands of characters to keep these eyes occupied.

Featured artists were James Taylor and Carole King – I kid you not. What are the chances — two of my all-time favorites! What a blast. Your tip for the day… get there earlier than 5:45 am. The line starts forming around 1am!! Another great tip,..if you go to an outdoor event like this and you’re as short as me and stuck behind rows and rows of tall folks, use it to your advantage. Look pitiful and slouch and most people will let you stand in front of them. I made it almost to the front of the crowd. I have no shame.

I filled the rest of the day with the obligatory trip to MACY’s, found a table for one at a really, really good Mexican restaurant for lunch named Mi Nidito (852 8th Ave), took in the sites in Central Park, then headed to Yankee Stadium to watch the Yanks duke it out with the Mets (Mets won — dang it!). Over 49,000 people, three hours and only one set of eyes. It was almost too much to bear!

I wrote this from my Amtrak seat on my journey home surrounded by a whole new cast of characters. But you know what’s really creepy….I have this feeling someone is watching me.

Here are some photos from my day-long adventure in the Big Apple.