Midtown Manhattan

Today was dedicated to discovering the 'Uptown' neighborhoods of Central Park & Midtown Manhattan.

We began with a relaxed 'walking tour' through Central Park, starting at the Dakota Building on Central Park West & ending at the MET on Central Park East.  En-route we saw the John Lennon-inspired Strawberry Fields (& saw Yoko Ono walking by!), the Daniel Webster statue, the Lake & Bow Bridge (where a Doctor Who scene was filmed), Bethesda Fountain, Conservatory Water, & the Hans Christian Anderson & Alice in Wonderland statues.

We spent almost 2 hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, allowing the students to split into smaller groups to visit the collections of their choice.  On my wanderings I met students visiting the Arms & Armor, Egyptian, Greek, & photography collections.

From the MET we rode the subway again, to Grand Central Terminal.  There we admired the spectacular central hall before having free time for lunch in the food court.

During the afternoon we took another casual walking tour - this time through Midtown Manhattan, from Grand Central Terminal to the New York Public Library & Bryant Park, the Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue, & finally Grand Army Plaza with F.A.O.Schwartz, the Plaza Hotel, & the Apple Store.

Dinner tonight was in the Empire State Building itself, followed by a visit to the Observation Deck on the 86th floor!  Although very windy & a little cool, the views over Manhattan & further into the distance were fantastic.  Another great end to a great day.