Saturday morning, we left the hotel with plenty of time for breakfast at La Guardia before our flight. We sat near an entertaining waterfall light show.

Despite wearing well-broken-in shoes, I got blisters on both little toes – the right foot being the worst. Wearing two bandaids and one pair of socks wasn’t enough this morning, each step was painful. Solution: I bought a pair of men’s socks and put both of them on. The right shoe went in my carry-on. Instant relief.

We arrived in Sacramento at 5:30ish. Great trip with fun people. Only downsides: I came home with a cold and a toe in need of air and freedom to heal.

We had breakfast at the hotel before boarding a bus to go to the 9/11 Memorial Pools and Museum.

Survivors Tree:

Every morning, a local florist places a rose at the name on each casualty’s birthday.

The museum starts a ground level and descends downward.

We walked around afterwards. The Oculus – a wealth of shopping and dining options.

New York Stock Exchange.

Trinity Church where Alexander Hamilton is buried.

Dinner in the evening at Sicily Italian Restaurant.

Our tour guide, Eileen did an excellent job with her Australian accent and humor and her genuine friendliness with everyone.

Then, off to a Broadway show – Back to the Future.

So very cold today – a high of 39 – with a strong wind. Perfect for a ferry ride to Liberty Island – NOT.

Great view of Lady Liberty as we approached.

Looking back at Manhattan, New Jersey buildings are just behind Lady Liberty.

The museum was very good.

Next stop, Ellis Island.

On the way back to the hotel, we took FDR Dr.

Our evening activities included a subway ride to Greenwich Village,

a walking tour,

dinner at Pesce Pasta (yum),

a stop at Murray’s Cheese Shop – Curt was our very entertaining tour guide –

and cannoli at Rocco’s for dessert.

There was more sightseeing as we headed back to the subway.

After the tour, we went to the Top of the Rock which was just a few blocks from our hotel.

Breakfast at The Red Flame Diner.

A stop at Central Park near Strawberry Fields where two guys were singing Beatles songs.

On to Grand Central Station.

During our free time in the afternoon, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Dinner at Churrascaria Plataforma – a Brazilian restaurant where you start with various salads and sides from a buffet. Then come “the meats” threaded onto skewers and sliced off. Here the server is handing Kathy her tongs to grab the slice as the server finishes. There were about 6 different meats: sausages, chicken, and several cuts of beef.

After dinner, we walked to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular: 36 Rockettes plus a cast of 140, three real camels, several sheep and a donkey. It was spectacular. Chandelier in the lobby:

A 6000-seat theater:

Long day. We are all quite tired, especially our feet.

Thank you Kathy, Linda and Ann for indulging me and going to my #1 place to shop: Mood Fabrics:

We walked to Bryant Park:

The gold-lit swags and lights were much more dramatic than this picture:

St Peter’s Cathedral:

A long back to Macy’s but so worth it. Nothing like the Macy’s in Sacramento area:

Rockefeller Center:

Lots of walking today – just shy of 20,000 steps. My feet hurt.

Denver:

Thank you Justin for hanging my Christmas lights (every year) and for restringing my tree – it looks better than when I bought it.