A Happy Day in "The City" with Margaret and Mark

We met at Grand Central Terminal, went under the bridge to whisper from one side of the hallway to the other and be heard clearly, up the escalator and out the north end of GCT, north and east to the United Nations. After some discussion about whether our attire would be acceptable in the Delegates' Dining Room we had a wonderful mid-day dinner there followed by a tour. Leaving the UN we found an M42 and took that bus back to GCT where we got a downtown subway, changed to an "N" train and dashed from that exit to the Tenement Museum where our 2:20 p.m. tour was already gathered and just getting started. Between the "Piecing it Together" and "Getting By" tours we browsed in the bookstore and got some lemonade at the next corner south. The tours were interesting and informative. The various apartments and their furnishings, pictures, articles of clothing and household goods along with some taped commentaries added to the history and stories of selected families (to represent the over 7,000 who at one time called 97 Orchard St. home.)

From the Tenement Museum we walked to Jimmy's at 43 West 7th St. where we enjoyed another fabulous, if simpler, "homemade" supper and the other 3 tried out interesting beers. (No coffee there for me and Bob went back up a long staircase to get me some from a deli around the corner.) We lingered, enjoying the basement pub atmosphere with dark wood and Gothic arches over the doorways and the company. Then we proceeded two doors over to "Burp Castle, Temple of Beer Worship". Another interesting environment, fascinating murals on the walls, more beers for "them", chatter and laughter punctuated at intervals by a loud "ssshhhuuuuuusssssshhhhhh" from the bartender. We weren't eager to part; to declare our shared day ended, but we wanted to get back home at a reasonable hour. So we left them as M&M headed for one more pub - more of a sports bar right between the other two. Report had it that the beer there was good, but we made the right choices to visit the other two together.

We hope that M&M have sailed back over the big pond in their jet today and are getting home about now.