Believe it or not, you can still buy vinyl in the Virgin Megastore in Times Square.  I didn't know that they even produced the old records any more.  The turntables are a little more available than they were a few years back.  I bought a desk top phonograph from the Home Shopping Network.  It is a nice dark cherry wood and plays one record at a time; the speakers are built in just like the one I remember Dad bringing home back in the early 1960s.

The first time I put a record on the new HSN model, I almost started crying.  It sounded just like what I used to listen to; I recall playing some of those records over and over and over again.  The first two 45s I ever bought were Ruby Baby by Dion and If You Want To Be Happy by Jimmy Soul.  I still have them along with a few others tucked away in a closet.  My first LP was It Hurts To Be In Love by Gene Pitney.  I saw him on a PBS special about a year ago, my goodness he looked old!  But he could still sing.

While in NYC we went to three shows.  On Thursday evening we took in 42nd Street; it makes me want to take tap dance lessons!  On Friday night we saw The Phantom of the Opera.  I had seen Phantom twice before, but I really wanted to see it on Broadway so when it came to choosing what we would see, it got my vote. 

 On Saturday evening we took in an Off-Broadway play that is still in previews; it will open on November 7th.  We saw The Foreigner starring Matthew Broderick and Frances Sternhagen.  It was a very funny play, Matthew Broderick has great comic skills.  What a fun weekend we had!

Sister Donna sent me an email today with this picture of her daughter Robin and boyfriend Jason.  They were at their alma mater Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin recently for the Homecoming celebration.  Both are currently in the end stages of working on their doctorates in Chemistry at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

Obviously, horn blowing can be quite a problem in NYC!  Here is what I observed.  Our hotel was across the street from NYFD Station 54.  Whenever they had a call they would tear out of the garage into traffic that was stopped dead with no where for them to go.  So they would blast their loud horn to get the cabs and limos in front of them to move.  So then the cabs in the rear would start honking their horns to get the people in front of them to move.  It could get pretty noisy.  We often wondered how frequently their inability to get anywhere very quickly affected the lives of the people they were trying to help.

What would a trip be without checking out the local gas prices?  I have never seen more cars in one place in my life than in mid-town Manhattan.  But I never once saw a gas station on any of our tours of uptown, downtown, or in midtown.  This picture was taken by Emily while on a tour of Brooklyn.

Sunday afternoon I got together with my old friend and roommate Deb Fontaine.  Deb has been living in NYC for a few years.  She took me to the last few places I wanted to see before I left town.  We went to Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library, Bryant Park (location of this picture) and then took the subway down into The Village.  On our way through Washington Square we ran into another old friend Biz White, who had brought her dog to the "dog park."  After a great lunch at E.J.'s Luncheonette, we took the subway back to the hotel to meet Bonnie & Emily for the trip home.

What a great and busy vacation!  I love NYC and plan to go back as soon as I can.  There is so much energy and so much to do.  My feet hurt a lot from all of the walking but there was ample opportunity to stop and buy a cup of coffee and people watch.  I swear there is a Starbuck's every other block (there was one kitty corner from the hotel on 49th and 8th and another one on 47th and 8th.

It is nice to be home but I am busy planning my next adventure.

Bonnie and Emily rushed off this morning to the Today Show so that they could see Brad Paisley perform.  Unfortunately, he performed inside but he stopped to chat on the way out.

This fellow stands in the middle of Times Square, playing his guitar and allows you to take his picture for a buck.

Check out his website at Naked Cowboy

Rupert and I are posing for the camera.  He is a very pleasant and friendly man.  When I asked him how often a day he was asked if one could take his picture, he just dryly said "not very often."  His manner is just like it is on Dave.

This is a great picture of my cousins, I am not sure what year this was taken but I know it has to be over 50 years ago.  From Left to Right:
Row 1 - Elaine Pohto, Ann Kontio, and Kathy Stanton
Row 2 - Jimmy Pohto, Art Kontio, Davey Pohto, and Judy Pasch

Thanks to Ann Kontio for the picture!