Mt. Pleasant Classical Academy

Early morning found us walking again, but this time to a little Deli for an inexpensive breakfast before heading over to the Empire State Building.  Lines, upon lines of people were there.  First through security and then away from the lines to their Sky Ride.  Now that was an interesting look at the city (but personally I was glad this came with our NYC pass cause I would have been disappointed paying the extra bucks to go on it.  Then of course we were back in a line to get out picture taken before going up to the Observation Floor.  Lines, and more people.  Hardly like the scene from Sleepless in Seattle, but oh so fun to look out on NYC.  From there we took the subway over to the Natural History Museum and spent the afternoon exploring their extensive collections.  We didn’t take in any of their special shows but sure could see us coming back here again.  Rocks, gems, fossils, mammals, and Dum-Dum as seen in the Night at the Museum.   And while the there were lots of people it wasn’t overwhelming. I’m still trying to figure out when I can put our return trip into our fall schedule.

By now it was 5:30, late afternoon but you wouldn’t have known it by all the crowds still milling everywhere.  Since the other museums near NHM were closed or would be closing soon and we weren’t ready to call it a day we searched our NYC pass for our next activity.  We caught the subway downtown—-thanks to the unlimited MetroPass purchased on our first day—-and walked over to The Body Exhibit.  Wow!  This isn’t a place we would have visited without our NYC Pass but what a super exhibit.  Bodies, real bodies, cut this way and that to show muscles, or nerves, or organs, and all done with great respect and for a reason.  Nothing gross about it at all either.   When I picked up my backpack from the coat-check area the clerks were talking about restaurants they liked, that the tourists didn’t flock to.  Of course I asked where they would recommend and eat at that was nearby. Carmine’s, right around the corner, an Italian place, or Bennie’s  a Thai place.  Since MilitaryKid is a bit fussy and he was really hungry we headed over to Carmine’s.  The menu looked reasonable so we stepped inside.  What a great choice!  The food was delicious, the staff attentive without being in our face like the previous night, and the atmosphere was like being in our local neighborhood restaurant.  And no crowds.

Back at our hotel tonight and enjoying True Lies, and resting our weary legs.