Saturday was a beautiful, cold, windy day. We saddled up the family and headed downtown via subway. The first leg of our "National Treasure" tour was Trinity Church. In the movie, the basement of Trinity Church is where the treasure is located. We did not anticipate finding any treasure but were pleasantly surprised to experience the Trinity Church Choir in rehearsal. We spent some time in the pews, just listening and enjoying the carols of Christmas.
As a child, my father would always take us for walks around Trinity Church, Wall Street, Seaman's Institute, Fraunce's Tavern and Federal Hall. George Washington attended mass here after his inauguration as president. There is really so much history in this downtown area of New York, it is a shame that it is not frequented by as many visitors. The graveyard was always one of my favorite stops when I would walk here with my dad. Alexander Hamilton is buried here and many of the headstones date back to the early 1700's.
This visit to Trinity Church brought back many memories and I was happy to be able to share this very special place with Mark and my nieces.
From Trinity Church we walked down Wall Street to Federal Hall. Unfortunately, even though it is a part of the National Park System, Federal Hall is not open on weekends. The steps of the original Federal Hall were the sight of George Washington's Inauguration. A tree is always set up on Broad Street, right across from Federal Hall. My dad's office was at 30 Broad.
I know that you can't tell from the photo, but the ornaments on this tree were huge! We tried to visit Fraunce's Tavern, where George Washington gave his farewell address to his troops, but it was closed for renovations. We wandered for a bit and snuck in a quick lunch at a bar on Stone Street and then hustled ourselves back to the subway and midtown.
Bryant Park, our next stop, was bustling with activity. The line for the skating rink was long and the ice was crowded. The air was a wee bit warmer and we enjoyed warm Starbucks drinks while we basked in the ambiance of the park, experienced the music and generally enjoyed the view. The tree in Bryant Park is pretty with its silver and blue decorations, and a stop here is always restful and good for the soul.
Our trek uptown continued. Mark and I took Amanda as we ventured back to the big tree and the Metropolitan Museum gift shop. The city was becoming increasingly crowded and it seemed like a chore just to get back to the hotel. The pedestrian traffic did not let up and we found ourselves negotiating a sea of people on our way to get deli for dinner.
While the food was not terrific, David was happy to finally have deli and the rest of us were just happy to have him finally stop nagging about it! The bustle on the street continued and we decided to visit Rockefeller Center one more time.
We were pushed and jostled as we made our way up 50th Street. We crossed in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza and then quickly made a b-line for 48th Street and our hotel. Quickly, not so much, but we did make it and took a leisurely stroll back.
In all my years of traveling to New York City during the holidays, and even the times that I lived in the city, I have never seen so many people. I just love the hustle and bustle of the city at this time of year.
The video that accompanies this version of Silver Bells shows some memorable scenes of New York and although John Denver's version is not my favorite, I just love the scenes from New York. Enjoy!
