New York, New York!

East Coast Dash, Day 7 - New York City

Today I'm in NYC making the requisite rounds to doctors and dentists, whipping out my insurance card and insuring I do my part in supporting the healthcare industry. Fortunately, Chris and I don't have to visit doctors very often, but the older we get and the longer we endure this lifestyle, the better we feel any time we can see a doctor and get a clean bill of health. That being said, this morning I was informed I'll be scheduling a root canal this summer, so there goes my "clean bill of health" idea - at least as far as my teeth are concerned!

This is the view from my hotel window today. Because I lived in NYC for so long, the notion of staying in a hotel was something I never really considered. When we gave up our tiny mid-town flat in 2008, we began exploring various hotel options in our favorite neighborhoods, and have been pleasantly surprised to find several good options that are both conveniently located, as well as affordable. More often, however, when I make my solo visits to the city, I share my friend Kura's Murphy Bed with her adorable and affectionate cat, Bailey (whom I fondly refer to as "my boyfriend.")

Except when taking visitors around town, I gave up sightseeing in NYC about 25 years ago, so this "free view" of the Empire State Building is certainly an added perk to my newly renovated hotel room on E. 42nd Street. I haven't been to the top of the ESB since I was a kid, and would very much like to get back there with the kids on one of our trips to the city. It's a venerable old institution at this point, but still represents the city in the most iconic way.

I'd also like to get down to where the new Liberty Tower is going up. Throughout my years in New York, I used to visit the World Trade Center buildings fairly regularly, and even worked in the North Building for a while as a temp. The views from the observation decks were, indeed, spectacular; the restaurant, Windows on the World, was impressive to say the least; and the offices were magnificent. Needless to say, the buildings - and the people who worked in them - are greatly missed, and I anticipate, along with the rest of the city, that the new building with the architecturally impressive memorial next to it will do justice, even in some small way, to their predecessors.

Despite all the quality time I'm spending with healthcare professionals this trip, I'm enjoying being back in the city. June is the optimum time to visit New York, and the streets are jam-packed with tourists, most hailing from Europe this time of year. In fact, there are so many Europeans in the city this week, I wonder who's left over there! Maybe since Europe is also the perfect place to visit in June, there's nothing but American tourists crowding their streets this week, too!