Big 🍎 Apple-Part 2

At 2Bros Pizza across from our hotel

Imagine arriving in New York on International Pizza Day. What better place to be for a slice of pie? You can't beat the price...$1 for a slice with cheese. If you want more toppings, you pay extra. This slice hit the spot after the 9+ hour drive and being awake for over 24 hours. The 2 pints at the Irish pub next to our hotel didn't hurt neither. Sláinte!


Since this was our first trip to New York, we booked The Ride, a 75 minute guided bus tour of Manhattan. The bus had side-facing theatre seats and floor to ceiling windows.

The tour guide was both knowledgable and humorous while he shared some interesting facts about the city. It was exciting to see so many famous landmarks such as Times Square, the Chrysler Building, the fountain at
Columbus Circle, Grand Central Terminal, Bryant Park among others.

Horse drawn carriages at Central Park

We even felt the floor shake during a simulated subway ride, and the entire bus shook side to side when we passed the Empire State Building while images of King Kong scaling the building flashed on the t.v. screens.

You can see the original gas lamps
hanging by the 20-foot-high entrance

Perhaps the most interesting part of the tour, was driving by the Dakota apartment building. Built in 1884, the building's architect and location are both extraordinary. It's housed some famous people including Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland, Gilda Radner, Joe Namath, U2's Bono, and Connie Chung. However, the most famous residents of the Dakota, would have to be John Lennon and Yoko Ono (she still resides here). At the age of 40, Lennon was shot and killed in front of the Dakota, by crazed fan Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980.
I still remember hearing the news and where I was when I learned of Lennon's death. Just shy of my 8th birthday, my brother came home from hockey practice and said John Lennon had died. At first, I thought he said John Lenigan (our favourite WGAR DJ-see part 1) but he quickly made it clear that it was one of the Beatles. We were devastated to hear the news. If you're a fan and want to visit, you can't enter the Dakota but you can visit the Strawberry Fields Memorial in Central Park which is a garden dedicated to John Lennon.

Jennie, Bobbie and I getting a selfie
with Radio City Music Hall in
the background

Imagine the thousands of
people that visit to watch
the ball drop on NY's Eve

After the tour, we took a quick power nap then hit Times Square. It was still early enough to enjoy happy hour at a
few places.

We asked some locals some of their favourite watering holes and did our best to try them out.

CHEERS!

My favourite place we visited Friday night was an Irish Pub called the Playwright. The ambience was great and the waiter was from County Donegal. The food was delicious and I even got a couple of free pints!


Stay tuned for Part 3....


~MT