"It All Seems So Familiar . . . "

Eighteen. That's how many times Lon claims I said "it all seems so familiar" when we were in New York City on Thursday (June 12). I couldn't help myself--after living and working in Manhattan from late 2008 until early 2013 it all DID seem familiar and not like I'd been away for months and months. For our one day in Manhattan we kept it simple: breakfast at the Townhouse Diner, walking through some areas we had especially enjoyed in the past, and a visit with a friend.

The Townhouse Diner is located near my former Tudor City apartment on the east side of Manhattan. It's where Lon and I would go for breakfast on those weekends when he was in NYC. After breakfast and a quick walk by the apartment building . . .

Pat in front of Windsor Tower, Tudor City

View of UN from Tudor City

. . . we took the subway to the Meatpacking District on the west side so that we could access the southern entrance of the High Line--a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets of Manhattan. The first section of the High Line opened only a few years ago, but it was amazing to see how lush the foliage was this year compared to the early years. It's obviously become quite a popular destination, because even at midweek there were a lot of people present. The rails were left in place in much of the park, either amid the plantings or incorporated into the walking path.

Love the "fuzzy trees"!

High Line color--and a building boom

High Line tracks

The High Line "experience" also incorporates public art, views of the Hudson River, and proximity to some interesting architecture.

Building with frosted windows

After leaving the High Line we walked back to Grand Central Station via Times Square. The neon signs of Times Square make more of an impact after dark, but the energy level of the place is fun to experience any time of day.

A "selfie" in
Times Square

Our last stop before taking the train back to Croton-on-Hudson was a visit with my friend Kit Ephraimson. I met Kit when I was doing volunteer work at Ollie's Place, a cat shelter and adoption center in New York.

Kit and Pat at Crumbs Bakery

On Friday (June 13) Lon and I, along with new Looper friends Mike and Marian Warlick (from M/V Midas Touch), visited the US Military Academy at West Point. It was quite a different experience from the one we'd had at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. West Point is a military fort, not just a military equivalent of a university campus. This means that it was more spread out and that security was tighter. We were not free to wander the grounds--the only way we could view West Point was to take a bus tour. It is situated on a bluff in the Catskill Mountains above the Hudson River. There are some lovely views over the river valley and the history of the site during the American Revolution is fascinating.

West Point's "Million Dollar View"

Mike, Marian, and Lon
at West Point Cemetery

The General George Armstrong Custer
grave (obelisk)

Interior of the chapel

Today we had a visit from a former New York work colleague of mine--and good friend--Zoran Budimlija. The visit was much too short, but we are so happy that he took the time to make the trip here.

Lon, Pat, Zoran

We also found the time on this very breezy day (we have been "rocking and rolling" in our slip for several hours) to go for a bike ride along the river and into downtown Croton-on-Hudson. Two main points of interest were the 9-11 Memorial along the river . . .