We earned frequent flier tickets from Southwest Airlines....but where do we go?  We realized that both of us had never been to New York City as adults, so let's go there!   Trick was, Southwest doesn't fly to NYC.  But it does fly to Long Island (at Islip).  It required a 1½  hour light rail train ride to Manhattan, but it was well worth it.

Books, movies, even TV shows seem to think everyone knows New York City's landmarks and districts.  Sara and I were determined  to fill our limited NYC knowledge base.  We went in search of their famous landmarks, buildings, theatres, restaurants, entertainment centers, museums, the subway, as well as their famous 'areas'.

The first thing we learned is that New York is colder than California.  On the night we arrived, we queued up for ninety minutes just to freeze on top of the Empire State building.  We checked out the other 'great' buildings of New York during daylight, including the Chrysler building (pictured), the Woolworth building (the original skyscraper and retail store) and the Met Life building.  Many of the building's lobbies were not open to the public since 9/11.  The viewing platform for the New York Stock Exchange was another victim.  We did visit 'ground zero'.  We independently felt the weight of the tragedy and had to limit our time there.

The public is also no longer allowed to climb up the spiral staircase of the Statue of Liberty, but the tour was still great.

The Circle Line Ferry that takes you there also takes you to Ellis Island.  We found out that Sara had not legally immigrated to the U.S. so she was forced to take her place at the historic podium and apply.

A trip to the museums gave us a glimpse at a few masterpieces including the self portraits of Van Gogh and Rembrandt.

A stroll in  nearby Central Park was fun.  A small section near where John Lennon was killed is designated "Strawberry Fields".  Sara's feet were getting uncomfortable, so she sat next to the 'Imagine" mosaic donated by Naples, Italy while I crossed the street to John Lennon's former apartment entrance where he was shot.  While I was away, Sara was invited to lunch by a passing male New Yorker.  And another family visiting Strawberry Fields pointed to the 'sitting alone' Sara and yelled out, 'And look, there's Yoko'!

Recently, we've been into Cole Porter music ("Anything Goes", "Begin the Beguine", "In the Still of the Night", "It's De-lovely").  One of his songs, "You're the Top",compared his love interest with 'the best'.....the Coliseum, the Tower of Pisa, the Nile and a Waldorf salad.  Cole Porter stayed in an 'apartment' at the Waldorf Astoria (a hotel on our 'must see' list) from 1939 to 1964.  Actually, we used it for a rest stop and sat next to a piano in the mezzanine.  I couldn't help a pose, but while there, I read on the piano, "Some of America's loveliest songs were composed on this Steinway".  It was Cole Porter's piano!

Well, we've seen the Coliseum, the Tower of Pisa and the Nile.  OK, we didn't get the Waldorf salad at the Waldorf, we saved that for the "Tavern on the Green" (where we also got an official New York Cheesecake).

We also ate at the famous Sardi's (where the actors often wait for their reviews following a play), and at Delmonico's, America's "oldest restaurant' (they invented eggs benedict, lobster Newburg and baked Alaska).

While in NY's "Little Italy", we asked a 'local' where the best pizza was.  We were directed to Lombardi's, the creator of the pizza parlor pizza which set the standard for pizza in America (it should only be made in a coal fired oven).

Our last night, we ate at the famous "Oyster Bar" restaurant at Grand Central Station.  As we left, we noted the main concourse was lit up by flying balloons.  We noticed several cameras around with guards steering the crowd away from a line of cones.  We were told they were filming a movie called "Just My Luck" with Lindsay Lohan.  They must have been telling the truth, because...... there was Lindsay Lohan (behind the guy in the leather jacket..left).  And having her hair prepared...right).

As movie buffs, we were curious to see if the final scene in "You've Got Mail" was actually filmed where it said it was.  So, we followed the film's dialogue and found "The 91st Street Garden".  It was for real.

No trip to New York would be complete without walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.  I still prefer the Golden Gate, but the Brooklyn Bridge was built fifty four years earlier....so I gave it a break.

We voted Times Square as our biggest surprise.  The endless lights and grandness of their billboards resembled a Disneyland....Vegas style.  All the great theatres are nearby, including "The Amsterdam" of Florence Ziegfeld fame.

We also visited the big stores, Sak's 5th Ave., Macy's at Herald Square (the 'largest store in the world') with it's original wooden escalator), Bloomingdale's and even Tiffany's. It was also fun to actually see many entertainment and convention centers we always hear about:  Lincoln Center (Julliard School of music and the LDS temple are next door), Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall/Rockefeller Center.  This city sure has more than it's share.

New York is also a city of great Churches.  We happen to visit during the Pope's death and saw a lot of activity.

With our new subway acumen, we ventured a trip to Coney Island.  The park was closed due to rain, but we had some fun on its Atlantic beach.