Rhonda Bracey: At Random

After a 3-hour drive from Lancaster, PA, we crossed into New Jersey, and then into New York City! As expected, the last hour of our trip was the shortest but took the longest — getting through the Lincoln Tunnel and then to our hotel near Times Square. But we arrived safe and sound.

The hotel couldn’t check us in at that time, so we walked to our first stop — Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center. What a rigmarole to get in! I reckon we were checked, counted off, or security checked by at least 15 different people. The elevator ride to the 67th floor is not for everyone — first they pack you in like sardines, then the lights go out, and everyone looks up the lit elevator shaft. Everyone except me, that is. I started to get all clammy and put my head down and shut my eyes. By the time we stopped, my palms were dripping with sweat. I was OK at the top as I felt pretty secure with the thick glass, solid flooring, and the fact you couldn’t see directly down. But the elevator ride down sure wasn’t a thrill for me. The views are amazing, even on a hazy day like today.

My feet were pretty sore by the time I walked back to the hotel, so once I was checked in and unpacked, I put them up for a bit before our early dinner at The View revolving restaurant in the Marriott Marquis. We had a wonderful meal, with great service (no doubt it cost a heap, but it was part of our tour experience!), and left to walk to the St James Theater on W 44th St where we had tickets to see ‘Something Rotten’. The whole Broadway/Times Square pedestrian experience is madness, but we all made it in the end — and on time too.

‘Something Rotten’ is very clever and very funny, with some amazing costumes and sets. The Will Shakespeare character (played by Eric Sciotto) reminded me a lot of Keith Urban in looks, hair flicking, and general demeanour 😉 But why oh why did the theatre have to be SOOO hot?! We were cooking in there, and it was very uncomfortable because of the heat — my mini hand fan from Bali came in handy!

Some photos from today:

View over Central Park from the Rockefeller Center

Stacking car park

Art deco even surrounds the trees

Rockefeller Center

Empire State Building (foreground); Statue of Liberty (background)