A Grand Finale

If we'd had another day in Manhattan, we would have spent time exploring museums. We managed, however, to briefly visit the Guggenheim. As an avid fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, half the fun of seeing one of his buildings is to spot his red square signature. Next time we'll extend our visit beyond the museum store.

Our final New York lunch took us to the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental where we dined at Asiate (pronounced OzzieOtt). The presentation of our food was as stunning as the city views from our table.

We ate efficiently in order to make the matinee performance of the hit Broadway musical "Wicked." Finally, I know the real story of the Wicked Witch of the West! This clever show was the full-meal deal - great cast, fabulous sets and costumes, special effects, and wonderful music. The show exceeded my expectations - I can see why it's so popular.

The grand finale of our Big Apple experience was dinner at Per Se. French Laundry Chef Thomas Keller took his exquisite culinary talents to New York City in 2004 and has been dazzling diners ever since. We all chose the 9-course Chef's Tasting Menu, but I think we had more like 15 courses with all the extra "compliments of the chef" treats. Food was prepared and presented like we've never seen, and we savored every morsel. The service was impeccable - right down to the customized menus.

We love traveling to New York City! And 3 or 4 days in the Big Apple is just about enough time to soak in some of the excitement before running out of money. We were blessed to share what we love about this city with Sarah and Paul. Cin-Cin!

Imagine This

Our Upper West Side apartment was one block south of The Dakota - the apartment building best known as the location of John Lennon's murder. Our New York City visit coincided with the 30th anniversary of Lennon's death, so we found ourselves amidst the hoopla of those paying homage to the late, great musician.

That morning, we first walked to The Dakota and then across the street to Central Park. We made our way past media trucks, reporters, protesters, and mourning fans, to Strawberry Fields. Named for one of the Beatles' biggest hits, this 2.5 acre area of Central Park was established and dedicated in 1981 to honor Lennon's life.

A black and white mosaic featuring another Lennon song "Imagine" was designed to evoke a "vision and hope for a world without strife, war and conflict." On this day, the mosaic was especially adorned with flowers and other memorabilia, and it became a 24-hour vigil and gathering place for mourners.

We walked through the park and noted a bronze plaque listing 120 countries that contributed flowers and money for the maintenance of Strawberry Fields, endorsing this place as a Garden of Peace.

It was only fitting that I, too, should honor the life and music of John Lennon in my own way. For the rest of the day, I vowed to incorporate the title of a Beatles' song in every sentence I uttered. Before leaving the Park, we saw a Fool on the Hill - which was really Something. Better yet, I found a Penny on the Lane! Okay, enough - Let it Be. It was time to catch the subway, and I had a Ticket to Ride.

Jam-Packed Day 2

We got an early morning start on Day Two with a trip to Zabar's - New York City's quintessential deli. This comprehensive grocery store has the best and freshest of everything, including fabulous cheeses, amazing deli and fish counters, caviar, coffee, and a to-die-for bakery. I wanted to live there. In the store. Forever. Instead, we imagined what it would be like to shop there on a daily basis before picking out breakfast pastries for the road.

Filene's Basement was across the street, so we managed to do a little damage there before making our way to another New York institution - The Russian Tea Room.

According to its literature, this restaurant was founded in 1927 by members of the Russian Imperial Ballet and has been a "second home for boldface names and the intellectual elite." Naturally, we fit right in. The four of us made selections from the 3-course executive lunch. I chose the highly-recommended Boeuf Stroganoff and paired it with a serious Bloody Mary.

Fully primed, we took a brisk post-lunch walk to 1775 Broadway where we had an appointment with our long-time stock broker at Gilder, Gagnon & Howe.

After freshening up in our apartment, we hit the streets again to check out Grand Central Station and then do a little window shopping on 5th Avenue with extra time at Saks, Tiffany's and FAO Schwarz.

The final stop of the day was The Broadway Theatre where we had primo seats for "Promises, Promises." Headlined by Broadway favorite Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes (of Will and Grace fame), this delightful show is essentially a musical version of the classic movie "The Apartment."

With music by Burt Bacharach and an appealing supporting role played by Molly Shannon, we thoroughly enjoyed every minute. We finally had our first celebrity sighting during intermission - golf great Tom Watson. Following the performance, we joined a number of fans for an up-close encounter with members of the cast.

Getting a Kick out of the Rockettes

A visit to New York City in December would be incomplete without seeing Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Spectacular featuring The Rockettes. This amazing production has thrilled families for 75 years and annually attracts over a million visitors. This year's show consisted of 12 festive vignettes - complete with holiday music, stunning sets, colorful costumes, 3-D animation, and, of course, Santa Claus. Thirty-six Rockettes were prominently showcased throughout the program with their high-kicking, synchronized dance moves. We loved every single minute of the 90-minute production, and I would be hard-pressed to choose which vignette was the most spectacular.

We caught the 5:00 show, leaving us plenty of time to savor a memorable dinner at The Modern - MoMA's 5-Star restaurant. My courses included Tartare of Yellowfin Tuna & Diver Scallops, Sullivan County Foie Gras, Long Island Duck Breast, and Warm Fig Tart for dessert. A++

After dinner we accidentally caught the filming of a promo for NBC's upcoming New Year's Eve broadcast. Hundreds of teenaged-extras lined up to be the enthusiastic audience for "My Chemical Romance." Sarah and Paul recognized the rock band right away. I, however, had to do a Google.

Miracle on 34th Street

After a thought-provoking morning at Ground Zero, we completely shifted gears and took the subway to Broadway and 34th - home of the original Macy's. This miracle on 34th Street is so large it has its own zip code (for the record, 10001). Macy's famous holiday windows are always enchanting, and this year's display reminded us (and Virginia) that there IS a Santa Claus.

We allowed ourselves only two hours of feverish Christmas shopping at the World's Largest Store - hardly enough time to sort out the myriad of departments, escalators and elevators. As we left the store we caught a glimpse of the nearby Empire State Building and remembered ourselves to Herald Square.

Hitting the Ground Zero Running

With only three full days to explore New York City, we literally hit the ground running by starting with Ground Zero. The 10th anniversary of this tragedy will be observed in 2011, so we wanted to pay our respects once again. Considerable progress has been made to the site since our last visit in 2002, but from my limited point of view there is a long way to go to meet the memorial dedication scheduled for September 11, 1011.

We spent time across the street at St. Paul's Chapel where emotional and poignant displays reminded us of the devastation and subsequent rescue and recovery efforts. From the Chapel and graveyard we walked across the street to see the Ground Zero museum and store. A model of the planned memorial gave us a preview of what will ultimately honor those who lost their lives as a result of our nation's worst terrorist attack.

Tom, Sarah and I took time to enter a sound-proof room to make recordings of "where we were" on September 11, 2001. While I watched the events of the day on television from my home in Coeur d'Alene, Tom and Sam were driving across the state of South Dakota. They were enroute to Evanston, Illinois, where Sam was about to start college at Northwestern University. Tom recalled stopping at Mount Rushmore first thing the morning of the 11th, moments after the radio announced that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Sarah finished our recordings by sharing her reaction as a 2nd year cadet at the Air Force Academy. Her career would be markedly changed from that day forward.

First Bite of the Big Apple

Our long-awaited return trip to New York City started with a late Sunday afternoon rendezvous at LaGuardia Airport with daughter Sarah and son-in-law Paul. We quickly shared a cab into the city where we picked up keys to the apartment we rented through VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner). Our charming three-story Brownstone was conveniently located on the Upper West Side - just one block from Central Park and close to the subway.

After dumping our bags and changing our shoes, we hit the streets to see Rockefeller Center's famous ice skating rink and festively-lit Christmas tree. We battled the holiday crowds for awhile before buying a 7-day subway pass and hopping a train to our first dinner in the City.

Fortunately, we had made reservations at popular Union Square Cafe a month ago through Open Table. We ordered red meat all the way around (steak, lamb, venison, and veal), so we searched the wine list for a full-bodied merlot that none of us had tried before. Our waiter recommended a local favorite "Long Island Merlot." After sending back two bottles, we settled on a good old Walla Walla standard - L'Ecole No 41 Merlot. Apparently, you can take the Thilos out of the Northwest, but you can't take the Northwest out of the Thilos.

Putting in a Plug for Plugging In

Our first few days in Fairbanks were unseasonably warm with freezing rain resulting in dangerously icy roads. Pretty much everything was closed or cancelled - the place was a virtual ghost town. By the weekend Fairbanks' more typical winter weather was back on track. With temperatures ranging from 10ºF to -20ºF, activity levels increased exponentially. Plugging your car into a block heater is the way of life and absolutely mandatory if you have any hope of starting your car.