St. Patrick's Day!
This was the 246th St. Patrick's Day parade in the Big Apple!

You haven't experience a parade until you've attended a
New York City Saint Patrick's Day parade.  I promise!

The day before the parade was nasty and the snow piled up.  Parade day,  while cold, was clear.

New Yorkers are a participatory bunch and the wearing of the green was done in style!

Hats, beads, red beards, green moustaches, necklaces -- vendors were everywhere!



No hat was too outrageous!

All shapes, all sizes, all genders marched.

I watched in wonder at the Scotsmen marching in the cold with their exposed (well) knees...

Lots of brass!

Some played tubas...and some...

...twirled like these cute little Irish lasses.

Some beat their drums.

The day had begun to warm up as the sun broke through but it was still too cold to stay for entire parade.  But I did see most of it.



There was a bit of hoopla over the mid-parade positioning of the Firefighters, but the Police Department seemed to be just fine with their placement.

The most fun was watching the people watching the parade.



Some attendees obviously had had a few Irish ales before showing up, while others were just Moms and Dads out with the kids.

And looked who showed up...

New York City gets something New Yorkers call, "snow" but I called them heinous little ice darts that rip and tear into flesh.  One needs an umbrella as defense against this misery.

And those poor umbrellas.  After turning into an inside out mangled coat hanger messes, they simply get thrown into the trash like so much Kleenex.

One must eat in New York City.  Oh, such a hardship.  You would have to be made from stone unable to move to not find something to eat in NYC.  Food is, simply, EVERYWHERE!

It's even piled 2-feet high, slathered in chocolate and loaded into deli windows.  No wonder I weigh 10 pounds more.  In spite of walking several miles a day, I just can't resist all the extra calories calling to me from New York restaurant windows.

It's all here from terrific pizza to scrumptious cheesecake, piled-high corn beef sandwiches, and cheese-filled pretzels from vendors in Central Park.
 

If you need to eat in style, there's always Chef Gordon Ramsey's place in the London!  You know, he's the chef on the TV show, "Hell's Kitchen."  He wasn't around the day we dropped in so no swearing.

Take a trip up the West side of Central Park and hang a left near John Lennon and Yoko Ono's digs, the Dakota Arms.

Head up to Amsterdam Avenue and find P.D O'Hurley's Pub, right next door to another famous NYC eatery, Gray's Papaya, a hot doggery joint (Yes, that's their terminology).

P.D.O'Hurley's serves up tasty simple food like their Gaelic burger, a charming atmosphere, friendly service, and cold creamy ale.  What could be better?

Here my husband, David, enjoys the bite of a dark Guinness ale.

Bright and airy, lots of wood, charming staff, a delectable spicy chili and cheese soup, and Harp ale makes this a great lunch or Sunday brunch stop.

Times Square from the back of a double-decker red tour bus.
 

Chocolate Lovers!  Stop here.  You'll find giant stores for both Hershey and M&M's in Times Square.

Don't visit during high tourist seasons like Christmas unless you can stand ridiculous long lines and suffocating crowds.
 

Pay a visit to the 7th Avenue "Fashion District."  Great buys on costume jewellery if you are into that.

Here's the Flatiron building on the way to Greenwich Village.  Lots and lots of restaurants around here.
 

Considering the huge number of people and all the traffic, NYC has got to be one of the cleanest cities you will ever visit.

Apparently, the population can reach 5 million on a work day in Manhattan.

If one must stay in NYC, try a hotel right near Central Park.  We got a very good deal on a posh address on Central Park South, the Helmsley Park Lane.  Horse and carriage rides are right across the avenue.

We'd never be able to afford the rates here were it not for Internet deals.  Thanks Expedia!

(This is my lifemate and travel compatriot, David, peering out from the revolving doors.)

(Oh, if you stay at the Park Lane, be sure to ask for a fridge if one is missing from your room -- they promise one in every room.)

If you've enjoyed this site, please drop Sheree a line to let her know.

Oh, and "Mary Poppins" theatre tickets?  Well, only if you have an extra $165 per person.  We passed.
We found tickets for the up and coming "Pirate Queen" instead.  Much better deal and we bought the tickets online in our hotel room from www.ticketmaster.ca
Thank goodness for wireless Internet and laptop computers.

The hotel is only a short walk from both Radio City Music Hall where we saw the "Celtic Woman" performance and Broadway theatres.

And if you need groceries, just walk up to Columbus Circle and go into the basement of the Time Warner building.  Great food if you can stand the long checkout lineups in the Whole Foods store.  Well worth the wait though.

Be sure to make your way around at least part of Central Park. 

You'll be amazed at the number of people in the park.

And of course, you may as well join the thousands of other tourists who have paid a visit to the John Lennon memorial, "Imagine" site in "Strawberry Fields," just near the Dakota Arms.

Lots of snow during our visit, but these sturdy daffodils managed to push their way through.

If you've enjoyed this site, please drop Sheree a line to let her know.