The ladies wanted a boat ride, so I thought they would enjoy seeing Manhattan through the Circle Line Cruise – only this time we would go all around the island. I can tell you that the 1½ hours tour is probably better than the 2½ hour tour now that I have done both. The cruise around the northern tip of Manhattan doesn’t have much to see, although now I know the location of Columbia University.
We started the ride at Pier 83 – 43rd Street, Midtown, and saw many of the sites we had walked by. As mentioned before, the architecture is incredibly diverse. The photo on the left shows the building called “Via 57 West.” It is a 35-story residential building with a courtyard inside the pocket. This building looks like a sailboat from New Jersey. As with so many tours, we went around the Statue of Liberty, under the Brooklyn Bridge, under the Manhattan Bridge, and saw Yankee Stadium. It really is a very relaxing way to see the city.
Once we disembarked, we quickly took a cab to Columbus Circle; we were a bit late for our lunch reservation at Robert. Robert is the restaurant at the foot of Central Park mentioned in a previous blog. If you compare photos previously posted, you will note that in only a week, spring has sprung.
Lunch was delicious, and we took our time to enjoy every minute. However, here is the best part about lunch: I received a text from Pierre inviting us over for drinks the next day before our planned trek to Brooklyn. I cannot express how excited we all were; I wanted them to see Pierre and Grant’s home. This just set the tone for the entire day; it was the cherry on the sundae!
After lunch, we walked into the Plaza Hotel and then wandered off to Central Park. I don’t know my way enough to get into the heart of the park (I certainly wouldn’t want to get lost there); however, we were able to see nature peeking through from the winter months.
And, through our trusty Maps app, we found our way to Tavern on the Green.
Tavern on the Green was originally built as a rather large sheep pen (to the tune of about 700 sheep) in the 1880s. As part of the renovation of Central Park, this building was transformed into a restaurant in 1934. Its location, the addition of a dance floor, outdoor eating space, and great menu kept prominent public figures returning. It certainly is a draw for me, which validates this story! Ha! Ha!
The restaurant closed in 2009, but the City selected the current owners to re-open in 2014; the restaurant is managed and licensed by the NYC Parks Department.
We were here for a couple of hours, sitting in a lounge area enjoying a very relaxed conversation. The outside patio (as well as inside) was packed with diners. I believe this place is always busy; it has a beautiful view of Central Park and the decor is stunning.
It was a short walk back to Columbus Circle, where we waited for a bus to take us back to Battery Park. We ended up having an early night, but we experienced quite a bit on this marvelous Saturday.