The title is mostly meant for comedic effect. I never really got lost and I was only alone for about three hours. But the key point is that I had become comfortable enough with Manhattan and the subway system to strike out on my own and hit a few sites on the morning of Thursday, May 30, 2013, our last full day in New York City. Bob had opted out of hitting the streets for more of my brisk walking, so after I spent a rather slow and leisurely morning in the hotel room, I headed out a little before 11am for a few hours on my own.
The first site on my agenda was a very important one that there was no way on earth I was going to miss, the grave of Vice President Daniel Tompkins. He had been VP under James Monroe from 1817-1825 and was the last VP elected to two consecutive terms under the same President until 1912. Tompkins was buried in the yard of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, which is in the East Village of Lower Manhattan. I didn’t have any trouble getting there via subway, but I had been a bit worried about finding someone to take my picture. Sure enough, there weren’t any others grave-hunting, so I bothered a trio of hippies who were strumming on an acoustic guitar in Tompkins Square Park and one of them was nice enough to pause and accompany me to the grave to snap a photo. This only leaves me nine Vice Presidential graves to get to (one of whom also became President).
At the grave of our sixth Vice President Daniel Tompkins
Even though I knew neither one had opened yet, I was so close to two Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives restaurants that I couldn’t resist taking a walk by both of them – just to make sure that they were really closed: John’s of 12th Street and The Redhead, two that for now will remain on my bucket list.
I hopped back on the subway and headed to the Midtown East area and completed the rest of my journey on foot – all the while either chatting with Carolyn on the cell phone, or listening to Ariel Pink and Dr. John on the iPod. The first stop here was the Waldorf-Astoria luxury hotel on Park Avenue. I didn’t go inside, but just got a photo outside, considering this to be a Presidential location. Not only has the Presidential Suite become a traditional place for sitting Presidents to stay since 1931, but President Herbert Hoover had his own suite there (and passed away in it). It is now also commonly believed that President Dwight D. Eisenhower died in room 700R as well. I just took a photo of it, but later Bob told me that there was indeed a plaque for Hoover outside, so we returned later in the day.
My first stop at the Waldorf-Astoria
I continued walking toward 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the NBC Studios (so prominently seen on shows such as 30 Rock and Seinfeld), and Radio City Music Hall. I also happened upon the LOVE sculpture on Sixth Avenue. Even though this is just one of seventeen such sculptures in the United States, being in Manhattan certainly makes it the most famous. Besides it provided a great photo op for me to hold up a photo of Carolyn and then post on Facebook. I only hoped that we’d soon have an opportunity to visit it together.
The golden Prometheus statue on the ice rink outside of 30 Rock
The NBC Studios
How do you get to Radio City Music Hall?
Missing the girl at the LOVE sculpture
Lunch was eaten in grand style at the crowded and ultra-famous Carnegie Deli, which had Midtown Manhattan staple since 1937. I spared no expense and ordered the giant ‘Woody Allen’ sandwich, which consisted of ‘lotsa corned beef plus lotsa pastrami.” At $25, to date it’s the most expensive lunch meat sandwich I’ve ever had. Needless to say, I couldn’t quite finish it, especially considering the free pickles that came with it.
Tackling the Woody Allen at the Carnegie Deli
The part I couldn’t conquer
Full of meat outside the deli
Although blissfully full, that didn’t stop me from stopping by another local favorite five minutes later. This little take-out restaurant was called The Original Soup Man. Although the restaurant has since franchised, this was the original location of Al’s Soup Kitchen International, ran by Ali “Al” Yeganeh…who would be the inspiration for The Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld. The shop had closed in 2004, but re-opened under the name The Original Soup Man some five years later. I ordered the Mulligatawny, having no idea what it was, but knowing that Elaine had been hooked on it in the show. It’s actually a curry-flavored Indian soup, and yet it was good. I got my bread and a bonus banana with the soup as well. (Incidentally I didn’t eat it until I got it back to the room, so I carried it with me as I made my way back).
Soup for me!
The choices from the ‘Soup Nazi’…any of these sound familiar to Seinfeld fans?
There was only one stop along the way from 55th to the Paramount on 46th: to get a photo of me in front of the Ed Sullivan Theatre, home of The Late Show with David Letterman, and more importantly the location where the Beatles first played for America. Wow, if those walls could talk…
Site of The Late Show and the early Beatles
I arrived back at the hotel a little bit after 2pm and enjoyed my soup. Bob had rested up and was ready to hit the pavement, so soon enough we were back out the door, taking a subway northward toward the Upper East Side.
Our first stop was on the corner of Park Avenue and 79th Street to check out the apartment complex that was seen in the opening credits of the sitcom Diff’rent Strokes. The building was virtually unchanged from the lead-in, with the turnaround drive-way that Mr. Drummond’s limo pulls into still intact.
Mr. Drummond pulls into the boys’ new digs during the opening credits for Diff’rent Strokes
I pull into the turnaround as well, but that’s as far as I’ll get
As seen in the opening credits…
As seen through my camera lens
…and together we’ll be fine
Next up was another TV location, that of the exterior apartment shots as seen in the TV version of The Odd Couple. Although at times, it was mentioned that they lived on the Upper West Side, the location of the building is actually on the Upper East Side on Park Avenue. As we walked to the location, we witnessed a very typical New York City traffic jam along Park Avenue…and a fire truck attempting to get through it to get to some emergency.
The Odd Couple apartments as seen in the opening credits
Another view of the famous awning (with Jack Klugman in the background)
The awning may have changed but the place still draws an odd couple
A firetruck with a siren and no place to go
Over on Fifth Avenue was another ‘sort-of’ Presidential site, the luxury apartments of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and also the place that she passed away in 1994. It was largely under construction so any good photos were quite impossible.
Outside Jackie Kennedy’s apartment
The final television location of the Upper East Side were the Park Lane Towers apartments located at 185 East 85th Street. This building with their prominent semi-circular balconies protruding from the corners might best be recognized where The Jeffersons lived in television land. The dee-luxe apartment in the sky-iy-iy…
The Jeffersons’ deluxe apartment in the sky as seen in the opening credits
They haven’t changed much
Beans truly don’t burn on the grill…
Bob and I then moved on up to catch a subway to the Waldorf-Astoria where he helped me locate the plaque for Herbert Hoover, as well as the entrance that he would use to get into the private section of the building, known as The Towers. Douglas McArthur also lived in The Towers and had a plaque as well. We checked out some of the lobby and got a nice photo with a two-ton clock that had been on display at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. (More about the Hoover locations will be seen in my upcoming Hoover Presidential posting).
The Herbert Hoover plaque at the Waldorf-Astoria
The plaque for Douglas MacArthur
The giant World’s Fair clork features carvings of Cleveland, Harrison, Washington, Grant, Lincoln, Franklin, Jackson, and Queen Victoria
We then headed back to our hotel, and by then it was getting close to 6pm and apparently the pastrami, corned beef, pickles, and mulligatawny soup had been digested. We ran into Patzeria Pizza Catering and I picked a nice messy calzone that I made sure to take back to the room and eat on my white bed spread. ‘Nuff said.
By 7pm, it was time for our last night on Broadway, so we headed over to The John Golden Theatre to claim our seats for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Unfortunately, these were the worst seats yet, not only in the nosebleed section but in ridiculously cramped quarters. I didn’t know how I’d best describe trying to fit my legs into a three-inch gap between my seat and the seat in front of me…so I just took a picture of the ridiculousness that is the Golden Theatre. Even though Bob was on the aisle, it got so uncomfortable for him that he left half way through the show. Once I moved into the aisle seat, I was able to stick my legs out into the aisle, where incidentally several other uncomfortable patrons were now sitting.
Ready for my final play of the week
By any stretch of the imagination, could ANYONE fit their legs in here??
On the upside, the play itself was quite good. In fact, it would go on to win the Tony later that year for Best Play. Four of the main cast members were nominated for Tonys as well: David Hyde Pierce (Best Leading Actor), Kristine Nielsen (Best Leading Actress), Shalita Grant (Best Featured Actress), and Billy Magnussen (Best Featured Actor). Best of all the play starred Sigourney Weaver and from the start, I held out the hopes of getting to meet her after the show. The sixth cast member was Liesel Allen Yeager, the only performer in the play who was not one of the original Broadway cast.
Since Bob had left early, he had gone back to the Broadhurst Theatre, where he waited for cast members of Lucky Guy to come out. He was able to get Christopher McDonald, Richard Masur, and Peter Gerety. I held out to get the Vanya and Sonia cast.
And get them I did. I was able to get all six of the principles to sign my program, as well as getting photos with five of the six (Liesel Allen Yeager was in a tremendous hurry for dinner reservations but tried to sign as much as she could). Sigourney Weaver was the definite highlight and she also signed my photo from Aliens (you can check out that encounter here). David Hyde Pierce from Frasier was also a definite highlight (and that encounter can be found here).
Program autographed by the six actors in the cast
Although I wasn’t all that familiar with the other three cast members, I was delighted with how nice they were and got photos and autographs from all three, all of whom as I mentioned were nominated for Tony Awards.
Kristine Neilsen, who also starred in Woody Allen’s Small Time Crooks, as well as The Savages and Morning Glory
With the playful Shalita Grant
With young up-and-comer Billy Magnussen
This was a brilliant way to cap off the entire New York City experience, and nearly erased the bad taste left in my mouth by the crummy theater accommodations at the Golden. I was on a definite high as we headed back to our hotel a little after 10pm.
This concludes the stay in New York City. The road trip portion of the trip continues here…
Return to the beginning of the trip here, or bypass the road trip and continue with 2013 here…
Leave a Reply