Our morning routine, as it already seems to be, was carried out easily. We left the hotel hunting for breakfast and coffee and found a sweet European cafe for crepes. Gotta love the endless choices for restaurants here. Then we mosied to a nearby eye glass shop as one of Dar’s lenses had popped out. That was handled in a jiffy and for no charge by the kindly staff.

We walked over to Rockefeller Center to go up to their observation deck for a different view of the city. We were once again met with lines and a wait. At least a bit more more organized than yesterday’s queues. Up 67 floors we went with a bit of a show on the elevator ceiling, but it paled in comparison to yesterday’s ride at One World Trade Center. The view was pleasing, as we could again look 360 degrees on three levels. The weather today was definitely warmer, about 85 degrees, but also very muggy. I have not missed that east coast weather feature! But it also made things quite a bit hazier. 

Once back down walked along 5th and 6th avenues heading to the Empire State building. But by the time we got there we were getting hungry so decided to keep walking to get to the Highline path and head for Chelsea Market for lunch. Well, it was a bit longer of a haul for lunch, but once we found the starting point for the Highline it was very enjoyable. The path was an old rail line that had been converted to a walking path along the west side of Manhattan. Quite a lot of walkers out enjoying the path, with some nice benches here and there and obvious signs of its former rail life. Really well done. One spot we found fun was where they had the ground covered in a thin layer of water with benches embedded – a perfect invitation to slip of ones shoes and dabble ones toes for some refreshment on a hot afternoon, as Dar did. I also loved running across this guy sitting on a bench with an old typewriter, clacking away on his poems. People never cease to amaze me.

We finally came to the Chelsea Market that both fans and I had high expectations about, mainly as I had seen some things on the food network about it. I was quite underwhelmed. It was a charming soot in an old biscuit factory but with far fewer food shops than I expected. We did manage to grab some lunch to satisfy our hunger from all the walking.

Back out we went and finally came upon one of the buses from the tour company. This time we lucked out, as we managed to flag then down when we weren’t even at one of their stops and we got a wonderful guide. This one was knowledgeable and quietly amusing. Somewhat redeemed the company in my mind.

Once back to our room Dana decided she just wanted a quiet evening so Dar and I went to a Greek restaurant for a light super before turning in.