New York City ... Winter Wonderland

The Millennium UN Plaza is located on the east side of Midtown. It is roughly 1 block from the United Nations. When you first arrive at this hotel, you must have your bags checked at the door by security. This is standard.

From here you enter the beautiful lobby. The lobby is adorned with reflective glass and lighting. With it being the holiday season, there was a beautiful Christmas tree in the center. Once we checked in, we made our way to the 38th floor and our room. The room was small but not bad for NYC standards. Since there were three of us, we had an extra cot brought in and still had plenty of room to move around. The room itself seemed to have a modern Asian flair. It had a closet for hanging our clothing and storing our luggage. It also had a spacious bathroom and shower. The only complaint about the shower would be that the shower head could have been a few inches higher. The view from the panoramic windows were breathtaking. We had a view of the Queensboro Bridge and of the old Pepsi Co. sign, which can be seen best at night. The staff at the hotel was great. The concierge, Shawn, was awesome. He was a great help in setting up our car service to the airport. The doormen, Edward and Robert, were knowledgeable and helpful. And the front desk accommodated any request we made. Overall, I would highly recommend this hotel.

Bubba Gumps is the stereotypical tourist resturant. It's based on a big-name movie. It's located in the highest tourist-populated area of the city (Times Square/Broadway). It's loud and gaudy. With that said, it was great. Our group decided to skip the wait and sit at the bar. This was a smart idea, as there was quite a wait for a table. Shawn, our bartender, was hilarious. He was told us that he was a long-time resident of NYC and a student of Juilliard. Personal touches like that really help make things great when relaxing after a long day of touring the city. He also makes a mean Delta Sunset (aka raspberry margarita).

We also chose to have dinner at the bar. I ordered the fried shrimp (you can't go to Bubba Gumps and not have shrimp, right?) with fries and a side Caesar salad. Needless to say, we over-ate, but everything was so good. So if you are in Times Square or Broadway, go to Bubba Gumps. Even if it's for a drink, you will have a blast.

This church is found on the east side of the World Trade Center Memorial. It is one of the many places that became a memorial after 9/11. We came across this lovely chapel after visiting Battery Park.

What caught our attention was this memorial/artwork that was found directly outside of the church. This piece of bronze art is a cast of roots of a sycamore tree that had stood in the church's courtyard. This sycamore was taken down when the trade centers collapsed on 9/11/01. According to a sign in front of the piece, the artist (Steve Tobin) took over 300 casting of the actual roots of the sycamore to commemorate what happened on that day.

Once we entered the church, we entered yet another beautiful place of worship. The archways, the stained glass, and everything else was perfect.

Again: I apologize for the blurry pictures, as it was rather dark in the church. If you are in the financial district, this is a must-see.

Address: Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York City

We have always heard how great this library was and made it one of our tasks to visit it while we were in NYC. I am so glad we did, as it was marvelous. We decided to come in through a back entrance to avoid some of the crowds. This was a big help. Like every major site, be expected to have your bags searched. There is no cost to visit the library however a donation is appreciated. We made our way down these amazing halls of white marble and beautiful arches.

We then came upon the McGraw Rotunda. This rotunda was made out of all hardwood. It looked to me to be made of mahogany but I could be wrong. On all of the walls and the ceiling there are stunning art work. There is a very nice information person in the rontunda if you have any questions. We moved slowly, taking it all in, to the research rooms. These rooms were equally gorgeous. Still in the same hardwood with gold accented areas. Just breathtaking. I would find it hard to study in such a beautiful place. If you are near Bryant Park, check out the NY Public Library; you won't be disappointed.