We had a bit of a sleep-in this morning and didn't head out to breakfast till about 9am. I had spotted Ellen's Stardust Diner the day before and had heard good things about it, so we decided to try it for breakfast.
It was busy already but we were lucky enough to get one of the last tables and were seated straight away. The waiters were busy singing up a storm
The kids all ordered the choc-chip pancakes. I don't remember what I ordered but the food was pretty average. We really enjoyed the experience though!
I was a little put off by the fact that the wait staff passed a hat around asking for tips. We were still getting used to the whole tipping thing and at this place, not only were we expected to tip for the service but also for the entertainment.
After breakfast it was time to make our way to The Bronx for the Yankees vs Mets game. I had read about a free water taxi on Yankees home game days and we were keen to catch that but we had to figure out how to get to the right wharf. It left from Pier 11 (Wall St) at 11.30am, which was 90 minutes before the opening pitch. It was just after 10am so we thought we had plenty of time. We caught the subway to Wall St but because of trackwork or something, we had to get off at an earlier stop. Rather then muck around with more trains, we decided to walk from there. First we walked past Trinity Church
and then down Wall St.
There were plenty of people around even though it was Sunday morning and nothing was open. There were also plenty of police and lots of barricades and no-go zones, so I don't know if something was going on or if it's always like that.
We got a bit sidetracked siteseeing and lost track of time, we were only halfway down Wall St when I realised it was 11.30am. Doh! We continued down to Pier 11 hoping that the ferry would be delayed but with no luck. We arrived at 11.40am to be told that we just missed it.
So we quickly changed our plan and walked back up to the subway to catch a train to The Bronx. However, the first subway station was closed and the second one had trackwork on the line we needed. We had to keep walking to find a subway station that would get us there. The kids were starting to get fed up and I was getting a little stressed. Finally we got to an open station with a typical New Yorker station worker who was very helpful while yelling at us! She told us to get on this train but I could see that it wasn't stopping at Yankee Stadium so we held back. She got on her microphone and screamed "Get on the train, get on the train"!!! We were too scared not to so we got on the train! It stopped at the station before Yankee Stadium so we followed all the people in Yankees shirts and switched to another train. This train was absolutely packed but that wasn't stopping anyone from squeezing on to it. We went with the crowd and pushed our way in. It was really funny and did wonders for the kids moods. All the crankiness was gone as they were all giggling at the situation. When the train lurched, Harry grabbed onto a woman next to him. I apologised and she said "that's fine, as long as you don't try to sue me"!! Unbelievable how suing is the first thing on Americans minds at all times!
It was only one stop so we weren't squished for too long! The train station was right at the new Yankee Stadium. The area was really seedy and little unnerving, but there were police everywhere and so many Yankee fans heading for the gates so we didn't feel unsafe. Despite the crowds we got through security pretty quickly and found our seats. It was a little after 1pm so we missed the opening pitch but no matter as there was plenty going on.
Our seats were in the sun and it was a hot day so I was a little dismayed by that at first but after about an hour we ended up in the shade. We all had such a great time! I had been worried that Emily and I would be bored but that wasn't the case at all. I had no idea what was going on with the game, but the whole thing was so entertaining. They were constantly singing and doing chants and the big screens were always showing something. It was US Father's Day so they picked out Dads in the crowd and they played games, had quizzes etc.
A very patriotic Sam
I had brought water but it was so hot that we went through that quickly so I went out to buy some more. It was $5 a bottle! I got two bottles and when I got back to our seats, I told the kids to make it last because I wasn't buying more at that price. The woman in front of me laughed and turned around to say "I know!!". They were another Aussie family and it turned out they'd been at Disneyland the same days as us and arrived in New York on the same day. We chatted with them for awhile and compared notes. They were leaving NY the following day to drive back to LA via Route 66. They thought we were crazy for going to Walt Disney World after already doing Disneyland, guess they didn't catch the Disney bug as badly as we did!
After awhile it started to rain and I was amazed at how many people got up and left. We were actually enjoying sitting there in the rain and cooling off. It got heavier though and they stopped the game and we eventually had to admit defeat and take shelter inside. We had been advised to leave before the 9th (I think) innings to avoid the crowds but we were enjoying it so much that none of us wanted to go. It stopped raining and play resumed so we went back to our seats but so many people had left there were tons of empty seats so we spread out a bit.
My favourite part was the sweepers that came out to sweep the pitch inbetween innings. They played YMCA while they swept and in the chorus, they all dropped their brooms and did the actions! It was so much fun!
The Yankees won the game which was really exciting. We really don't know anything about the game, but we are definitely Yankees fans now!
As so many people had left early the crowds really weren't that bad so we took our time walking back to the subway.
We hopped on a nearly empty train and were back at 50th St in 15 minutes! If only it had been that easy getting there.
The subway trains were great for Seinfeld fans like us as they all had posters and quotes like these. It kept us busy looking at them all and remembering the episodes.
Alex and the kids went back to the hotel while I went looking for a supermarket. It was only a few blocks walk down 49th to 9th, but the walk back through crowded Times Square with a weeks worth of groceries was not easy! We were ready for an early and quiet night, so we ate dinner in our room. Alex went out to get some beer and wine and he was gone forever. Apparently liquor stores aren't open on Sundays which seems crazy in the city that never sleeps! He eventually found somewhere that was open, but by the time he got back we were tired and ready for bed and no longer felt like a drink. We had had another fantastic New York day though!
No comments:
Post a Comment