24 Hours in New York City
Writer’s Update | As of 2023, The Roosevelt Hotel doesn’t exist. To me, its new purpose makes little sense for its place in New York’s history should never be forgotten. When you visit the website, these words appear: “We thank you for letting us be part of the very best of New York for the last 100 years. We leave you with this thought from the man who inspired our existence: Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much. | Theodore Roosevelt.”
Although not ideal, one day to roam this amazing city is better than none. Day two will be filled with a tourism conference at the Bohemian National Hall in the Upper East Side, so we decide to arrive the day before allowing us12 hours in NYC to hit some of my 'I've got to see' sites. It had been more than 15 years since I had traveled to New York City, and I'm guessing the changes while not major are plentiful. We would be in New York one night, and we wanted to make the most of it.
8 a.m. Arrival in NYC. We arrive via Delta from Atlanta on an 8 a.m. flight into LaGuardia. Closest to Manhattan, this airport was a 30-minute ride to midtown. Be aware of construction which might add to delays and a little confusion once you exit ground transportation and baggage claim. In order to make our transport easy, we booked a service.
8:30 a.m. Airport Pickup. Semperide. We booked both our pick-up and return transportation with Eddy and Freddy at Semperide. It was a quick reservation process online, including payment which included all tolls and gratuities, and that was it. Confirmation arrived in my inbox quickly. Both trips provided a text message within minutes of arrival stating type of car and even a photo of the license plate. Our economy vehicle was clean and the conversation was great. They arrived exactly on time and made our entry into and exit from the city a breeze.
9:30 a.m. By 9:30 a.m., we had arrived at our home for the night, The Roosevelt on 45 East 45th Street & Madison Avenue. It's old-world mid-town Manhattan, opening in 1924. Twinkling chandeliers, revolving brass door, bellman in red. It's got a little age on it, but for the value of a mid-town hotel, it's the perfect exclamation to a quick jaunt in the city. The rooms are quite small, but they have everything you need with the exception of a coffee pot. However, downstairs serves up hot coffee and breakfast until 9:30 a.m. And if you're wondering why the photo of Guy Lombardo watches from you from the corner of the lobby Roosevelt Grill: Guy Lombardo and his orchestra performed their first show at the Roosevelt Grill on October 3, 1929 and continued to play there for the next 30 years. It was at the Grill that Lombardo first broadcast what would become a famous New Year’s Eve tradition – the singing of “Auld Lang Syne”. How can you resist that?
Early check-in adds $35 to the total, so we opt to store our luggage with the bellman and save the cash.
Grand Central Terminal
9: 45 a.m. Literally, across the street from The Roosevelt, Grand Central is the terminus of all trains and subways and your connection to the city.
As our travels have taken us around the world, we have become more and more certain that train stations hold more stories of a city's past that most monuments or buildings. The elegance of design is breathtaking, and one wonders why such detail and opulence was spent on a passageway. From Spain to Italy to NYC, train stations tell the story of the wonder of going. Even if you don't catch a train or subway, venture into Grand Central and look up at the constellations on the celestial ceiling. Meet someone special at the clock.
Grand Central Terminal opened in 1913, and it's hard to image that over 250,000 people move through it each day. Into the city, out of the city and all points in between. This icon has become more than a convergence of tracks but a shopping and dining destination.
For $3, a subway ticket can take you to Chinatown, to the Upper East Side or down to the Battery. Need help navigating? Download the subway app and you'll never lose your way. The MYmta app works well, too.
In 1869, someone put it like this: "People who come to New York should enter a palace on the end of their ride and not a shed.”
After a pizza sandwich and ham croissant at tartinery Grand Central, one of 35 different restaurants on the Dining Concourse, we catch the #5 subway downtown to the Fulton Street stop to the 9/11 Museum.
9/11 Memorial and Museum
10:15 a.m. —They say "Never forget," and I say, "How could you?"
We rise from the Fulton Street station and cross the street. Our first sight, St. Paul's Chapel, the oldest church building in Manhattan. Last time I was here, the chapel known as The Little Chapel That Stood was still covered in ashes, missing loved-ones posters, and flags and memorials hanging from the inside balconies. That was a full six- months after the attack, and at that time, it looked as though the attack was yesterday. This Catholic church near the World Trade Center became a respite for first responders and volunteers, providing meals and offering rest.
About a 100 yards from there, the Oculus, the new transportation and shopping hub for the area, rises from the concrete appearing like a dove with clipped wings. Across the street, One World Trade Center is shrouded in clouds. Ahead, the 9/11 Memorial pools rest in the footprints of the the Twin Towers. To the left, the 9/11 Museum.
It was mid-week, a Tuesday, and the rain was falling. Hundreds were lined up to enter the museum. I suspect it's like this each day. For that reason, purchase your tickets ahead of time, online.
Tours are available, but download the app instead for an excellent account of all artifacts. The halls are crowded, and this allows you to go at your own pace rather than being rushed through the crowded walkways. We listened to the Audio Description segment and paused when more time was needed. We entered at 12 p.m., our reserved time, and spent over three hours in the museum, and we still didn't read everything. Allow more time than you think necessary to experience the museum.
St. Pauls Chapel
The North Tower (One) Memorial Pool, Entrance to the Museum, the Oculus
One World Center
North Tower (One) Memorial Pool
Michael Tinley, The North Tower
During my visit to the site in 2002, I snapped a photo of a poster. Michael Tinley's family was looking for him. He was in Tower One, the North Tower. I did not know him, but oddly enough, that poster connected me to him. Every year on 9/11, I remember his family and his smile in that photo. Although I did not know him, he connected me to that day.
Using the name locator at the outside kiosk, I found the location of his name on the North Tower Pool, searched for his name, and said a prayer.
Inside the museum, recordings from family members told of their loved ones, the memories and what we should know about them. We listened to Tinley's daughters saying that "he didn't want to die old." He loved life and wanted to enjoy every minute. Although his death was tragic, he lived a very good life and was loved completely by the daughters he left behind.
Mangled steel from various locations in the North and South Towers.
Foundation Hall; the slurry wall built to keep water from the Hudson River out of the area
The dedication plaque of the World Trade Center; a key chain given to all construction workers of the World Trade Center.
Building the World Trade Center; 10 box column stumps (in excavated South Tower) with b/w photos depicting its construction
Memorial Hall; The Survivors' Stairs that connected the elevated plaza to street below; 2,983 paper water colors pay tribute to those killed on 9/11
FDNY Ladder 3; driven to World Trade Center on 9/11 and was parked on West Street before entering the North Tower. All 11 responding members were inside the building when it collapsed at 10:28 a.m. It was part of the largest emergency response in NYC history. The FDNY lost 343 active duty members.
Foundation Hall includes part of the original slurry wall built to keep out the Hudson River; 36-foot steel support beam from the South Tower's inner core became known as The Last Column, symbolizing strength and commitment during the recovery and clean-up effort.
Our Brooklyn Bridge Story
4:15 p.m. Back to the subway station and heading north, we take a quick detour to walk across The Brooklyn Bridge. Crowds with colorful umbrellas jammed the single lane, dodging those of us who failed to plan for the rain, to snap an epic shot of the bridge. Granted, we couldn't see 20 feet in front of us, but it was still one of those things you must do. These quick moments are our Brooklyn Bridge story. Next stop, pasta in the East Village.
Dinner at Cacio e Pepe in the East Village
5 p.m. Being Italian, we must dine with the Italians. Reservations were secured before we left Georgia with Open Table (how easy). After a quick on-and-off subway ride to Astor Place, we arrive in the East Village at Cacio e Pepe. Did you know that means pepper and cheese? Oh boy, does that mean pepper and cheese.
We're intent on trying their signature dish, Tonnarelli cacio e pepe (homemade tonnarelli pasta tossed in pecorino cheese and whole black pepper corns). We have our pick of tables as we're the first to arrive as the restaurant opens for the evening. A young lady takes our pinot grigio order (yes, red is ideal for pasta, but we've been on a white kick lately), and then order two appetizers (meatballs and their version of caprese) complete with homemade bread and marinara for dipping. Tasting as much as possible is our mission; in addition to the signature dish, we order the homemade gnocchi. The star of the evening, the presentation of its signature pasta swirling in a sea of pecorino cheese and then elegantly deposited in a bowl. With such simple ingredients, how can this be so good? One bite is all you need to know this is the best pasta in NYC, at least for this moment in time. Leave it to the Italians to make a masterpiece easy and one you'll return to over and over again.
182 Second Ave., NYC | Open daily 5 p.m. until . . .
6:30 p.m. We hail a taxi back to mid-town to The Roosevelt Hotel. With an early wake-up call the next day, we decide to regroup in the Madison Club Lounge downstairs. We allow the relaxed atmosphere and a couple of cocktails to erase the day's rain while celebrating some unique experiences. Tomorrow we would meet with the tourism leaders of Europe, but for tonight, we would enjoy the city of the moment, New York City.
