Skipping Black Friday

My peeps enjoying NYC the day after Thanksgiving

Lori’s parents live in a quiet and beautiful part of Long Island near stunning beaches and only half an hour from NYC, but they are also next door to one of the largest and busiest shopping areas imaginable. Old Country Road and Roosevelt Field Mall are famous for the opportunity to grab a retail bargain or two, and on the day after Thanksgiving – dubbed Black Friday since this is usually when most retailers start to turn a profit for the year – the crowds were expected to be massive. So what do you do to escape the madness? Why you go to New York City of course!

Central Park, Upper East Side

Our love of NYC is pretty well documented here on the blog, so we don’t ever need an excuse to spend time there. On this particular visit we took the LIRR train in and hopped on the subway to get us to where we wanted to be – the upper West Side and Central Park. We didn’t really have a detailed plan… we just knew that we wanted to forego the traditional visits to either the Met or the MoNH and enjoy the temperatures in the mid 60’s and abundant sunshine… and what better place to do so than Central Park.

“Arguably one of the most famous parks in the world, Central Park is a manmade wonder.  Not only is it the first public park built in America, but it is also one of the most frequently visited, with over 25 million guests per year. Set in the middle of bustling Manhattan, its grounds serve as a safe haven, not only for athletes, daydreamers, musicians, and strollers, but also for teems of migratory birds each year.  One can spend an entire peaceful day roaming its grounds, gazing upon nearly 50 fountains, monuments, and sculptures or admiring its 36 bridges and arches.”(http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/centralpark)

The Conservatory Water in Central Park

While walking across the park it seemed to be somewhat in transition… there were parts of it closed due to damage from a recent snow laden nor’easter that blasted through weighing down trees still heavy with leaves, and in other places it was a typically peaceful late autumn day where you could easily forget that you were in one of the most energetic cities in the world. We spent a little time feeding the ducks at the Conservatory Water, and though low in the sky, the pleasant fall sun was a welcome respite from the 10 inches of snow that had just fallen back home in Maine. The park was it’s usual vibrant self, and after enjoying a wonderful stroll down toward it’s southern edge, we re-joined civilization and the more “normal” throng of people as we navigated the always busy and bustling area around the Plaza Hotel and Fifth Avenue.

A scene reminiscent of what you would find on a more remote glacial slope in Maine

Pounding the pavement in NYC can be both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time, and by the time we dashed onto the return train at Penn Station with just minutes to spare, we were all ready to relax and maybe even take a nap on the ride home. This was of course after some classic NY Pizza from another of our favorite food places… Pizza Villagio on 6th Avenue between 57th and 58th Streets… there’s nothing like NY pizza! In New York City there are so many people crammed into such a small space, but there is also so much to see and do crammed into the same relatively small space… and I think it is fair to say that we all feel right at home there.

Enjoying the Billy Johnson playground at 67th and 5th Avenue

An All-American Cheeseburger

One of our favorite places to grab lunch in New York, the All American Drive-In on Merrick Road in Massapequa, is a slice of classic Americana that has been around since 1963. Awesome burgers, fries, and shakes… plus much more… this is a pretty neat dining experience, one that we first learned about on the Travel Channel a few years back. Being the lovers of food that we are, we decided there and then that our next visit to Granny and Grandpa’s would involve a stop to sample the goods, and now every single trip to Long Island means a quick half hour ride to savor some of the best fast food around. It goes without saying, but our most recent Thanksgiving holiday visit to New York would not be complete without another eagerly awaited stop at our favorite burger joint.

The lines at this place are always long – usually out the door – but the wait is always short. Even though it is always crowded here, you can usually get in and out within five minutes. Living in Manhattan a few years back, Lori and I quickly learned that if there was a crowd waiting to get into a restaurant – no matter what it looked like from the outside – then it must be worth waiting for. There are maybe 3 or 4 tables available outside, though most people are quite content to sit in their car and eat – this is after all, a drive-in! Great food, great prices, and quite an experience!

Fire Island Lighthouse

The south shore of Long Island in New York is one big, beautiful beach. Traveling east on the Ocean Parkway takes you past the glorious Jones Beach, and continuing further you will eventually reach Robert Moses State Park and the Fire Island National Seashore. An unexpected family trip to New York gave us an opportunity to spend a peaceful Saturday morning exploring this spectacular area, so we headed east toward the famous lighthouse.

“For decades, the first evidence of land for travelers crossing the vast Atlantic Ocean from Europe was the Fire Island Lighthouse. Completed in 1858 near the site of its 1826 predecessor, the current Fire Island Lighthouse is still a beacon attracting thousands of people each year. Its light, 167 feet above the level of the sea, can be seen more than 20 miles away.” – NPS web site

I know we are supposed to embrace rather than endure the Maine winters, but this one has been especially stubborn in not wanting to leave, so as we walked the 3/4 mile boardwalk from the parking lot at Field 5 to the Fire Island Lighthouse, we soaked in the more southerly morning sun which was warm and very welcome. In the summertime this place can be quite crowded, so on this day we were glad to be able to enjoy it at a more peaceful time.

Excited that the lighthouse tower was open for a tour, we climbed the 156 iron steps and two small ladders that led to a magnificent view from the top. Jack was thrilled to be able to do this all by himself, and as you can see, he climbed at a furious pace. Me… I don’t like heights so much, and when you add in the fact that you can see through each of the 156 iron steps, I was just a tiny bit more methodical in my approach.

When we got out onto the viewing deck of New York’s tallest lighthouse – despite the long way down – I was able to enjoy the stunning 360 degree views. We also stopped off to admire the inner workings of the lighthouse, an amazing sight when seen up close.

“Today the light is lit by a DCB-224, with two 1000-watt bulbs, which rotates in a counter-clockwise direction. The rotation gives the appearance of a flash every 7.5 seconds.” – NPS web site

A return walk alongside the Atlantic was just the ticket, as we found horseshoe crabs, silver sand dollars, and all sorts of other beach treasure. We had hardly set foot on the beach before Jack had his shoes and socks off, running down to the shore to be chased by the breaking waves. Yes… a very nice morning it was.