"My Country, 'Tis Of Thee . . ." (New York-Day 4)

This morning we had a bit of a sleep in (I must be getting old. I can't function well on four or five hours of sleep like I did in college.) and then were on our way. Unfortunately, we missed the #62 bus we were aiming for. But it wasn't because we weren't at the bus stop. Oh, no. We were there in plenty of time. Unfortunately for us, the bus didn't stop to pick us up. It kind of swerved towards the curb about a hundred yards away from the stop, barely slowing, and then continued on its merry way. And yelling and chasing the bus yields absolutely no results in New Jersey. You gotta love Jersey bus drivers. (Be sure to note the sarcasm dripping from that statement.) On the weekends the bus doesn't run as often as on week days, so half an hour later we caught the next bus.

Once we were in the city, Patti purchased a fabulous dress from a street vendor named Mr. Gummy Bear. He said people call him that because he has no teeth. He then proceeded to tell us how to avoid being mugged during the fireworks that evening. Between his accent, the slang, and his lack of teeth he was very hard to understand, but we managed to get the gist of it. He was one of numerous New Yorkers who helped us out by giving us pointers on staying safe or how to get where we were going, but I definitely think he was the most entertaining!

After lunch (Mmmm . . . cheesecake) we had tickets to the matinee of "Jersey Boys." Our first Broadway show! There was a notice posted inside the theater that stated the following:

The following special effects will be used in this production:
Smoke
A Gunshot
Strobe Lights
Authentic Jersey Language

We heard plenty of authentic Jersey language on the bus, but I had no idea it was considered a special effect! Anyway, the show was so fun; lots of good music, great performers, and a true story to boot.

We grabbed dinner at one of the many tiny cafes and delis the city has and then we headed down to the river to see the fireworks. What we didn't know was that approximately 50 billion other people were headed in the same direction. You know how around here you go to a park, take a picnic and have a nice leisurely time at the fireworks? In New York there was no park, no leisurely anything, and only the fireworks we could see in between the buildings. We got about a block away from the river and that was it. From there to the water was one solid mass of humanity. And as we sat in the middle of 42nd Street waiting for night to fall, we were continually amazed by the fact that people were still shoving their way through the crowd attempting to get closer to the river! We probably would have had a better view from the end of the street where you could actually see the river, but hey! We saw the fireworks, we cheered along with the rest, and we didn't get mugged. Who could ask for anything more? Besides, now I can truthfully say that I've sat in the middle of 42nd Street.

If you look at the bottom of the picture, you can see the teeming mass of humanity and off in the distance (past the street lights) was the river. At least we assume that is where it is. We never actually got anywhere near close enough to see it.

The Empire State Building showing its patriotism.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch: