May 30-June 2                    New York City

When we learned the Frick Collection was re-opening after a four-year renovation, we were eager to make a trip to New York.  The Frick has always been one of our favorite museums.  Located in a magnificent mansion on Fifth Avenue, it houses a priceless collection of paintings and sculptures.  We made careful plans to stay at the Warwick Hotel (a great location), bought tickets to the museum and made reservations for dinner at a lovely nearby hotel on our first evening.  We would experience for the first time the train ride from Kingston (only 20 minutes from the boat) to Penn Station.

To our delight, Stephanie and Joe decided to join us for the weekend.  They would stay conveniently across the street at the Hilton.  Traveling with nonagenarians means you are subjected to a lot of care and responsibility—but they willingly and graciously signed up for it.  They met us at Penn Station and assisted us to the hotel.  The bar at the Warwick was a great place to visit and plan.  Dinner was in the lovely Whitby Hotel restaurant.

On Saturday, we found long lines at the entrance to the Frick Collection, but we were pleased to receive preferential treatment as David had requested wheelchair assistance.  The galleries were crowded but we were able to slowly peruse the art works and admire the fabulous porcelain floral arrangements on display.  For the first time, the second floor of the mansion was open and held additional art works. 

Afterwards, we had a late lunch at The Boathouse in Central Park and enjoyed delicious food and watching the efforts of the many rowers attempting to make their way across the lake without hitting other boats.  None seemed to be very skilled.  We rode pedicabs from the restaurant back to the hotel.  A fun experience!

That evening we saw the musical Six on Broadway.  Very talented performers worked hard to sing and dance in an unusual portrayal of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII.  Joe and Stephanie met us afterwards for dinner at Il Corso, a small Italian restaurant with exceptional food.    We had a busy, fun and very long day.

David planned brunch on Sunday for us at the Peninsula Hotel.  It was an elegant setting with lovely music and outstanding food choices.  We felt very special!  Afterwards, we took the Big Bus Tour of Manhattan.  It was a great opportunity to admire the architectural diversity and the varied neighborhoods of the city.  The 911 Museum with its sweeping white wings was amazing and we were also awed by Little Island, a public park of shrubbery and trees planted in concrete tulip shaped pods in the Hudson River.

Our final dinner of the trip was at Benoit, a lovely French restaurant near our hotel.  Every meal was accompanied by dessert (David insisted) and all were exceptional.  Dieting comes later. 

We met for breakfast at Murals in the Warwick to see the historic murals on the walls and enjoy their food choices.  Afterwards, we left for Penn Station, bade farewell to Joe and Stephanie (headed for LaGuardia), and eventually boarded our train for home.  It had been a great trip!