Day 4 - Top of the Rock, FAO Schwarz

We had a 10 am appointment at the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) and it looked as if the weather and cloud cover would be cooperating with us this time.  We decided not to go to the top of the Empire State Building because the view would be the same and the lines would be longer... and we would be able to see the Empire State Building from The Rock.

Looking southwest in the photo above, the large building beside my head in the photo above is the Empire State Building.  The smaller building between my head and the Empire State Building is in Lower Manhattan and is the building they now call the World Trade Center and is adjacent to the 9/11 Memorial.  

A man was nice enough to take a photo of Randy and me.

There are two observation decks and this photo overlooks the lower deck.  If you enlarge this photo and look in the left 1/3 of it, you might be able to see the ball that drops on New Year's Eve on Times Square.

Looking northwest in the photo above, there is Central Park.  The building that is in the park along the right edge is the Met, they lease the space from the city.

After our tour we took a break in the lower level of the Rockefeller Center.  We wanted a light lunch because we were having a special dinner to celebrate Randy's birthday so we hit the streets.  We found this little place and it wasn't any wider than the storefront....

Y'all know what a sucker I am for a good hamburger and Five Guys never disappoints. After lunch we headed back to 5th Avenue and walked by Saks.  I saw these little lovelys in the window,  a little bling for the feet......

 We headed on down the street to St. Patrick's Cathedral where there were many renovations going on.  There was a service starting but they still allowed tourists to go through.

The catholic church has always been a big supporter of the arts.

We headed on down 5th Avenue toward Central Park, passing by many more churches and high end shops.  Just across the corner from the park was FAO Schwarz.  This is the creme de la creme of toy stores.  There you may purchase a life size stuffed animal for thousands of dollars.  They had one of those pianos that you can play by walking on the keys.  The sign said, "Take one home today, only $250,000".  They had several large lego projects on display including this life sized pirate.  See the legs of the person behind it?  That gives you some perspective of its size.

In addition to all of the extravagant toys, they also have regular, down to earth priced toys too, but it really is a novelty to see some of the things they have for spoiling children.  When you have time, click on their link above to window shop.

We walked along 60th Street (Streets run nw to se and avenues are ne to sw) by Central Park where there were many hotels with outdoor restaurants.  There were also many horse drawn carriages across the street at the park.  I mused that I wouldn't want to try to eat my lunch while smelling THAT!

If you're a Seinfeld fan you will recall the horse drawn carriage segment.  I couldn't help thinking of it!

We had dinner at Shula's 347, just a couple of blocks from our hotel.  Shula's has the best steak I've ever tasted.  It's pricey but we save it for very special occasions.  It was the perfect ending for another perfect day!