The final episode

Of my Manhattan adventure with the White Ranger (a very nice host, by the way). We'd gotten off the Harbor Cruise and walked to the hotel so I could pick up another layer. I was frozen and I'd left my backpack in Craig's room at a very fancy hotel. It was the Radisson on Lex (or Lexington Ave for the non-New Yorkers).

I wanted to see the Manhattan temple, which was a ways from the hotel. We decided to try for a cab... not as easy as it would seem. The city streets are teeming with cabs, but they all had people in them already. So we thought, no worries, we'll get on the subway. It seems to me that every time I try to figure out the subway in NYC, I get confused. Just looking at the map makes my head spin. We asked the people who work there how to get to Lincoln Center (which is near the temple). The route they explained to us consisted of at least one shuttle and two transfers on the subway. Waaaaay to complex, so we attempted the cab hailing again.

I was surprised when Craig grabbed bike cart guy instead of a cab. But I think the ride with him was the one of the neatest things we did. There we were in this itty bitty cart being pulled by this skinny, perspiring man. He wove in and out of traffic like a professional (or someone who wanted to kill us. I'm not sure which). It was definitely a keep-all-body-parts-inside-the-vehicle-ride. I still don't know how he got that big cart to turn so sharply and to fit alongside buses and between cabs that didn't look like they were going to stop. We made much better time in the cart, passing all the cars who were stuck in traffic. And it was really fun to zip along the crowded streets (and up on the sidewalk at one point) in a bobbing, weaving little cart.

He dropped us off near Lincoln Center and we looked around for the temple. I had no idea what this one looked like, I just knew that it's different from most other temples because it's built in such a small space. But the angel Moroni sticking out from the city lights and tall buildings gave it away. Unfortunately, my camera doesn't take such good pictures at night, but here it is:

It was a short walk from Lincoln center to Central Park. We walked through the park, which isn't well lit and doesn't have the police presence of the rest of the city. After a few minutes we came to a more populated section. We watched the ice skaters and wondered how they would all fit on the ice (there was a huge pack of people waiting to get in).
We also saw some Central Park wildlife. We came upon several people all with their cameras out as if they were on safari. So of course, I joined them and photographed the raccoon to.
Here is one of the many displays in the window of one of the big department stores. Craig posed the astute question, "So does this give us any idea what they sell inside?"
"Why, no, none at all."
"Does it make you want to go in and buy their stuff?"
"No, I can't say that it does." Although this display did make me think of my upcoming trip to Nepal. I'll be going into the jungle via elephant back. I don't think it will be quite so elaborate and my pachyderm will be alive, smelly, and bejewelled with hair and flies instead.

Rockefeller Plaza was our next stop. It was packed, but I wanted to see the big ole tree with all the lights. So there it is, a big Christmas tree.


And here we are, exhausted after a long day of traipsing around Manhattan. I'm so glad I got to go and hang out with Craig. It was a real treat and I had a great time. I don't get to see, let alone spend time with, my buddies from high school. It was really nice to have Craig all to myself for the day.