New York City

We travelled to NYC recently, and I have a ton of pictures so I’ll spread them out over three posts. It was a really fun time for my two daughters, Joel and I. I love my grandkids but it was very unusual for just the adults to have some time together, and it was really nice.

The weather was just perfect! It was warm, but not hot, blue skies, and beautiful enough to look like a travel advertisement. There were many special things, but one big one was the Bellclaire Hotel. It was an apartment building back in the 70’s, and I lived there. It was almost surreal to be back there in the same place! The downstairs has been remodeled beyond recognition, but the upstairs had the same hallways I walked down countless times. This picture below was my living room. There was a sofa bed where the bed is now, and a grand piano on the right. I had plants on all the windowsills, and the windows had a view both up and down Broadway since the road bends a bit right there. The place is full of so many memories!

My daughters stayed next door in what was my kitchen. The stove and fridge were on the right, and we had a table in the middle. Many meals and good times were shared there with friends, and many a homework assignment was typed at that table. I made cushions for the bay window but since I didn’t spend much time sitting in it, it ended up full of plants. The bathroom was between the living room and kitchen, but now it has been enlarged a bit so it could be made into two bathrooms, one for each room. There was a hallway going from the kitchen to the large bedroom, but since it is now another hotel room we didn’t see that room. But, I remember painting it a forest green and one wall had a wallpaper mural of a rainforest scene. It was like a relaxing oasis, and little did I know I’m be living in an actual rainforest many years later.

These are the views up and down Broadway. I was used to noise 24/7 – traffic, car horns, firetrucks, street musicians, and whatever so it was a big adjustment to move to a quiet place and I’ve never been comfortable in total silence. The hotel has replaced the windows with new ones that keep out the majority of the street noise, so it wasn’t quite like it used to be.

We went walking to Riverside Park and Central Park, so I have a collection of random pictures. I’ll add captions to them to explain what they are.

This article was originally published by Thepanamaadventure.com. Read the original article here.