It’s time for another Non-Consumer Advocate Photo Essay, as sometimes photos are better than words.
I’m still in NYC visiting my sister, although of course I’m not buying any pointless and cluttersome souvenirs. For example, this statuette of the Empire State Building. (Although this particular item is from a Portland, Oregon Goodwill.)
My sister, niece and I started out our day by showing up for a first-come-first-serve tour of the main NYC library at 11:00 A.M. Luckily, showing up fifteen minutes ahead of time seemed to ensure we had a spot on the free tour.
I was enamored by this quote, carved into the stone of this “marble palace for book lovers.”
Here are my sister and I waiting for the tour to begin.
You’re probably familiar with this amazing national treasure, known worldwide by its lion statues, named “Patience” and “Fortitude.”
Behold their mighty presence!
Oh wait, those are the Lego lions in the children’s wing. My bad.
Here’s one of the actual lions, all decked out for the winter season:
The different wings of the library are ornately adorned as if for royalty. Check out the awe inspiring ceiling of this room. Funded by the Astors, Rockefellers, Hamiltons, Guggenheims and other prominent families so that ordinary citizens would have a free and beautiful place to access books. The library was required from the beginning to be open into the evening so that citizens could come after work.
The children’s area has the original Winnie The Pooh animals that inspired A.A. Milne to pen stories for his son, Christopher Robin.
Look how adorable the tiny Piglet is!
Afterwards, the three of us walked down to Koreatown, where we indulged in an amazing meal at Woorijip Authentic Korean Food. We enjoyed too many choices from the most amazing buffet. Seriously so delicious, check them out if you’re in the area!
Of course, I used Yelp to find a restaurant. See that “$” on the top right corner? That’s where I always start my searches!
Our next stop was to the Herald Square Macy’s to walk through their free Santaland. I forced everyone take the escalators to the eighth floor, as the upper floors still have their original wooden escalators from the 1920’s. They feel and sound like a time traveling adventure, and are an iconic slice of old New York. I even took a video, which I posted on Instagram!
The Santaland was sadly a shadow of what it was in 1988 when David Sedaris and I worked there as elves. It was around 25% of the original size and 1000% less magical.
This creepy tree face didn’t help.
Oh New York, you never fail to deliver.
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It sounds like you guys are having a blast! It’s inspiring to see a frugal vacation…
Great pics!!
I LOVE libraries. That would be first on my list of things to tour. How beautiful, thanks for sharing!
Bravo for visiting such a spendy city and not buying pointless knickknacks! I visited NYC in middle school and I regret all of the BS “I Heart NY” stuff I bought. I guess I thought it was an obligation, even though it all ended up in the trash! Ugh.
I’ve learned from my mistakes! When Mr. Picky Pincher and I went on our honeymoon to Disney World, we only bought one thing each, which made it extra special. You don’t need things to remember your fantastic trip!
Oooh, didn’t know about the Winnie The Pooh animals …. they really look like the drawings (in the book, not the Disney ones). Always loved Winnie The Pooh!
I just love Winnie the Pooh. He was a favorite of my Grandmother’s who was a librarian. I will have to add that tour to my list next time I go to NYC/
That tree face reminds me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz where apples wind up getting thrown from the trees when Dorothy picked one. Kindy creepy, like in the way clowns are creepy! LOL
That scene freaked me out when I was a kid.
Me too! Had nightmares over those trees and their creepy voices for years!
My sister and I went to the NYC library in February of this year. They were doing a bit of maintenance on the main reading room, so it was temporarily closed, which was sad. However, enough was open that we blew our minds over the gorgeous wood paneling, carving and beauty everywhere. And of course the lions! What a national treasure the NYPL is!
New York is so great! It has been years since my husband and I were last there for fun. (I tend to go more often for work, in which I spend all of my time shuffling between a hotel and meeting space.) The last time we went we took the advice of my husband’s bosses, who lived in NY for years. I was in school in Delaware, so we drove to NJ to park cheaply, then took the train into the city. In NY we stayed at a really cool hotel we found for a steal on a travelzoo weekly email. We walked around and just took in the feel of the city, then attended a ballet, and had a nice Italian dinner. The next day I think we met a friend for brunch before heading back South to Delaware. Enjoy your time with your sister!
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