Last Morning in the Big Apple

Honestly I was kind of dreading the Good Morning America Show. I wasn't really in the mood to get up at 5:00 and I wasn't looking forward to standing for hours again. However, we did it. We got up at 5:00 am and quickly got dressed and checked out of the hotel. Now that the experience is over, I am SO glad we went. Good Morning America was so much better than the Today Show experience. The audience coordinator was such a friendly, young lady. Everything was very organized but so laid back. Every staff member of the station was exceptionally nice. It was fun getting to know the other people in line too.

After standing in line for about an hour, we were set up for the camera shot. They explained everything and told us when to cheer. We didn't need to be told. We were all excited to see Robin Roberts. George Stephenopolis (sp) came down first. He really is short. He is a nice guy, but not nearly as talkative and friendly as Robin. Everyone was excited to see Robin when she came down. She is the nicest person. She talked candidly to everyone, posed for pictures and was so down to earth and genuine. Of course we took lots of pictures.

Once the cameras were on us I made sure I held up my "Hello Evans, Georgia" sign. That sign was the best thing we did in preparation for both TV tapings. Everyone was able to spot us with the signs. Again facebooking everyone was half the fun. We were so excited to hear that channel 6 recognized our sign and then announced on the 9:00 show that Jerry and Cindy Pafford were spotted in NYC. By the way, Jennie Montgomery has posted on Channel 6's facebook page that Jerry and Cindy Pafford were spotted on GMA in NYC. I feel like such a celebrity.

After the outside taping, we were allowed to go inside the studio. Jerry opted out to rest his legs. I wasn't missing it. Going inside was even more fun. We were able to see how they tape the show. It was fun. The only bad thing was that Robin Roberts informed us that tomorrow Tom Cruise will be there, just my luck. Really though, I doubt it would have been as easy to talk to the TV anchors if a big celebrity like Tom Cruise would have been there. Besides, TC is a little nutty anyway. Can you tell I am trying to tell myself I didn't really care to see him. Inside the studio we were able to take more pictures and talk to the news anchors.

At the close of the show, Deborah Roberts came down to greet us. However as soon as the show ended Deborah Roberts and George took off. Robin, on the other hand stayed around and was so sweet to everyone. She posed for every picture request. I told her thanks for being so nice and she politely said "thanks for saying that". She made the entire experience enjoyable. By the way, she is gorgeous in person. She is so tall and very slender.

Our flight back to Charlotte was fine. It was so wonderful to actually get in our own personal car to drive back home. As much as I loved NYC and the experience of the subway, taxi cabs and walking, I appreciated my personal space in our car. We stopped to buy gas and I went in to buy a drink. It felt strange paying only $1.70 for a 44 oz diet coke when a 16 oz in NYC was $3.00. Once we made it as far as Columbia we were ready for a bite to eat. In NYC we enjoyed all the different options for food and enjoyed each of our pricey meals. However, we were back in the south and we were ready for some southern cooking. We made a stop at Lizard's Thicket in Lexington. We both had fried chicken and three home cooked vegetables. I had collard greens. In addition we had tea and cornbread. Our bill was a total of $17.50. Just the night before we had bought two hotdogs, two small bags of chips and two diet cokes and spent $14.00. There are definitely perks to living in the south. I guess one of the other reasons Ny'ers stay more fit is because they don't have the money to eat out nearly as much as we do in the south. I love NYC, but am a true southerner at heart. It was nice to sit in the restaurant and overhear a lady sitting across from us as she spoke to her grandchild. I had no problem understanding her accent when she said "you gittin ready to come to grand mamma's house". I realized I was home.

I was reminded of the things I love about living in the south. I like that public restrooms are readily available most anywhere, that drink refills are a given and that southerners have a different kind of polite that you don't find anywhere else. Home Sweet Home.

Bryant Park, Brooklyn and Tribecca - Sat & Sun, June 19-20

One of the nice things about staying in NYC for 6 nights is being able to have a day to take it easy. That’s exactly what we did yesterday. Since Jerry was no longer up for a lot of walking we slept in and then took a cab over to Bryant Park. It’s located in midtown and is another one of the wonderful parks in NYC. Actually it is located directly behind the NYC Library. The park is really beautiful. I’ve decided NYers must be so tired of staying inside during the cold winters that they all come out when the weather permits.

The parks are always full of lots of different people and families. The park has free wifi so Jerry found a place to sit and enjoyed some time surfing the net. I strolled around the park to see what was happening. The parks in NYC are so cool. There are several little outdoor cafes around the park. They all have spectacular views of the park. The park is very shaded and full of tables and chairs for people to sit and enjoy a lunch, play music or whatever they want to do. In one section of the park I saw a magician putting on a show for children. In another section of the park there were several umbrellas and portable shelves with books. It was called the Reading Room. People were sitting in this area enjoying a good book. In another area there were permanent ping pong tables and chess tables with what appeared to be some serious chess players. In the middle of Bryant Park is a huge lawn. Several people were on the lawn enjoying the bright, hot sunshine. I read that in the winter that area is a pond and people can ice skate there for free. I am not sure how they convert it, but obviously they do. We enjoyed a sandwich at one of the cafes in the park.

After lunch I walked around the corner to see the NYC Library. I was unable to get good pictures of the outside of the massive building because they are in the middle of construction on the building. I did visit the inside for a few minutes and took pictures of the beautiful, old building. Needless to say I was on vacation, so spending too much time in a library was not on the agenda. I had more important things to do like stroll down Fifth Avenue and do a little shopping. I found a shop that I knew Meaghan would like so I spent most of my time texting pictures of stuff to her to see if she liked it. So, I bought myself one pair of sunglasses, Jerry a CD and the rest was for Meaghan and of course a couple of things for my second child Jessica (Meaghan’s best friend).

After a day at the park we did something we have never done on vacation. We came back to the room, had Chinese food delivered and actually rented a movie in the hotel room. It was nice to relax after the busier days and nights.

Today we took the subway to Brooklyn. Last year when we did this it seemed a little easier. One of the things about the subway is that the routes just change for random reasons like construction, or because on the weekend less people are going out of the city since they are off work. We were a little confused and had to ask for help, but after two trains and a couple of blocks of walking, we finally made it to the church. Since the first service was still in session, we walked over to McDonalds which is only a few feet from the church to have breakfast. It was so funny, we actually saw the same lady in McDonalds that we saw last year while waiting for church. She didn’t notice us either time, but we both recognized her right away. She had on a big hat, dressed in her Sunday best and was talking to someone about God.

Sitting next to us was another lady, Denise that we struck up a conversation with while dining. She was waiting to go in the church as well. She shared that she had been visiting Brooklyn Tabernacle since moving back to NYC. She said she kept going back because she was just addicted to it and couldn’t do without the word she had received there. Her only child died 10 years ago during child birth. She said after 10 years, she still had not recovered from the pain. She shared how God has helped her through each day and how going to Brooklyn Tabernacle had ministered to her.

The service at Brooklyn Tabernacle was wonderful as usual. I can’t describe how wonderful it is to sit in a huge 4000 seat theater (the church is in an old theater, one of the largest in the city) and hear all 4000 people sing praise and worship together. First of all the sound in the theater is magnificent, but the magnitude of the sound of that many people signing together was a wonderful change from all the stuff you see on the streets here in NYC every minute. One of the things I loved is seeing the diversity of people all in one church. I would venture to say that there is probably someone from almost every part of the world in the congregation. It was like a glimpse of what heaven will be like with all people of all races worshiping together. Pastor Cymbala’s message was very good. I love wrapping up our trip with a day like today. Although the lights of the city and the Broadway shows make the trip thrilling, going to BTC is always the highlight of our trip.

Once we left church we got back on the very crowded subway (standing room only) and made our way back over to Manhattan to Tribecca. I wanted to eat lunch at a place I saw in People Magazine called Café Habanna. It is a little Latin hole in the wall with NO air conditioning. I saw Matthew McConoughey in the picture in People, but I was unable to find him there today. The food was good. Jerry got a Cuban sandwich and I had a Chicken Diablo. We both had their famous Mexican corn, which was a grilled corn on the cob on a stick with parmesan cheese and spices on the outside with a squirt of lime. It was yummy.

We are back at the hotel now resting and getting ready to pack our things for the trip home tomorrow. However, we are going to do “the get up early thing” again and go to Good Morning America with our inside studio tickets. Don’t forget to watch us on TV. After GMA, our trip will come to an end. We will head to the airport and catch a 1:00 flight back to Charlotte, and then drive home to Evans.

I have had a wonderful time in my favorite city, but look forward to going back home. I will post once more when I get home to give an update on our GMA experience tomorrow.

Exciting but Rough Day - Friday, June 18, 2010

How is waking up at 4:15 am considered a vacation? Today we popped out of bed, dressed as quick as we could to get to the Today Show for the James Taylor and Carole King Concert. Jerry’s poor feet had blisters on them from the two days before of walking, but he was determined to make it to the concert.



We took our first taxi since we arrived because he could hardly walk. Although we had fan passes, that really means nothing. People without fan passes were standing right next to us even though we were ushered to the pen first. We could have gotten there a little later, but didn’t know what to expect. It was exciting, especially when Carole King and James Taylor came out for a sound check. We thought the cameras were on at that point so I was making a fool of myself flashing my sign and waving. Truly the Concert Series put on by the TV station isn’t much of a concert, but a little highlight of their music. So many people drove for hours to be there and then they only sang about 3 songs. Of course standing and going through the process of the TV taping was fun. It was especially fun communicating with everyone via facebook as they spotted our few seconds of fame. However, it was pure torture to our feet and tired bodies standing for hours in one crowded spot. I am so glad we did it, but don’t know if I would suffer through it a second time. By the time we left Jerry was in serious pain. We grabbed a taxi again and came immediately back to our room. He spent the rest of the afternoon doctoring his feet and staying off of them. I on the other hand took an hour nap and then grabbed the subway and took off to Chinatown. Jerry was glad to stay back for that trip.

I am beginning to gain some confidence with the subway routes now as long as someone confirms which train I am taking to and from one destination to another. Once in Chinatown I grabbed an eggroll and started my hunt for “authentic” fakes. I was surprised that none of the business owners were luring me in offering the chance to sneak to a secret room or van to view knock off purses. It’s well known that Chinatown is the place to buy the knockoff brand name items. All the other stuff in the stores is only there as a front for their business and it isn’t worth buying. Jerry told me he had heard on the news the previous night a big arrest had taken place and a warehouse was shut down of all the fakes. I figured this must be why no pressure was being put on me to buy. I was really disappointed. I went to Chinatown to be pressured and to wheel and deal. I finally saw someone with a large black bag which meant they had bought a big fake purse. I stopped and asked about it and was directed back to a certain area. As I was walking that direction I was finally approached and asked if I wanted a Coach purse. I was so happy. However, this time it was not quite so easy. One gentleman handed me off to another lady who pulled out a booklet from under her shirt to show me pictures of purses while another lady was keeping lookout. Every once in a while she would come and grab the book from me and say “stay here, someone will come to get you”. Once I described what I was looking for, they brought it to me in a bag to examine and decide if I wanted to purchase it. I was able to get them down to a reasonable price for a smaller Coach bag. After I was done, I thought maybe I would get another one so I walked back to deal some more. This time another lady said “come, you want to see more”, and she walked me down the street, turned to a side street and handed me over to another gentleman who showed me more pictures. As I was considering purchasing another, I begin to think “I think I am going to hell”. In the past I wondered how illegal it was because it was so easy. I thought that was just part of the selling technique to make it more exciting. However, this time I was beginning to feel like I was in a James Bond movie or something trying to obtain some secret weapon or something. About the time I thought I would walk away, droves of Asian people began to run away while one man was yelling for them to go. Needless to say, I was done for the day. I made my way back to the subway and found my way back to the hotel. The day’s activities were beginning to catch up with me. It was no longer cool as the previous days, but rather warm. When it’s warm outside, the subway terminals are even warmer. Plus it was rush hour and the subways were so crowded that there was standing room only. The stairs in the subway were beginning to feel more like a stair master by this time. I was beginning to miss my car. When I returned I immediately got in the very long line to buy theater tickets. Tonight was the last night we would be able to go to another show because they only have matinee shows on the weekends. I was able to get tickets to see Memphis. Though discounted, they were still pricey.

Jerry bandaged his feet and we walked to three blocks to the theater. I was so exhausted by the time we got there. I couldn’t wait to sit down because my feet were killing me. Luckily we had great seats. Memphis was worth the money. It was an awesome show. The show is definitely worthy of the awards and accolades it has received. The music was fabulous.

After the show we walked across the street to John’s Pizzeria. John’s is a well known NYC pizzeria. We had our first NY pizza that was cooked in a wood fire burning oven. It was delicious. We were both so exhausted and in pain we didn’t know how we would make it back, but we trekked the 3 blocks and made it back to the hotel.

Our plans for Saturday were to ride the #7 train, also known as the International Express to Queens. However, I don’t know what Jerry will be able to do tomorrow so we may rest up some. I want to visit a boutique I read about, so I may go by myself. I just want to be rested up for Sunday and Monday when we go to Brooklyn Tabernacle Church and go to be on the Good Morning America Show.
Until the next post, good night.

Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown

Oh my aching feet! Today our Big Apple Greeter, Warren met us in the lobby of our hotel to begin our tour. He was quite the spry one for a 73 year old man. Actually he was like the energizer bunny. We began the trip on the subway to Greenwich Village. It was really nice strolling through the streets lined with trees and brownstones. Greenwich Village residents are definitely not at the bottom of the food chain. I loved the small gardens and all the beautiful flowers planted in such small places. The area considered the garden at most houses was at the most about 12 x 4 ft., but every single one of them was filled with beautiful flowers and plants. We stopped in a neat coffee shop and I don’t mean Starbucks. This coffee shop had different coffee beans from all over the world. The smell in this little shop was so potent; it drew you in from the sidewalk. I really wanted to buy some coffee to take home to Meaghan, but our greeter seemed a little impatient waiting for me so I opted to leave, hoping to go back later and buy some coffee. By the end of the walk to Greenwich Village Jerry was about to die. Walking long distances with this bum foot is very difficult. When it’s just the two of us, we can stop and rest when he needs a break. After all the walking yesterday, he was moving slow. Warren on the other hand could hardly slow himself down. He is amazing, considering his age. He does not own a car, and often walks from his home in Brooklyn across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan. I am convinced moving to NYC is the way to stay fit and live a long life. Give up your car, ride the subway and walk, walk, walk. Then you can eat whatever you want and never gain weight while remaining fit. Honestly you don’t meet many overweight New Yorkers.

After Greenwich Village we strolled through SoHo, which wasn’t nearly as appealing to me. Some people might like it, but it was trendy with a lot of the same kind of shops you see most places. Of course there are several small art galleries and a few that are a little bizarre. We stopped in one that was full of skulls and skeletons. For some reason Warren wanted to show this gallery to us. I think he just wanted us to see something unique. We continued on to Little Italy where we stopped to have lunch. I love eating in Little Italy. The waiters always remind me of someone in the mafia. The décor is so pretty and the food is really fresh. I had spaghetti and meatballs. It was tasty, but I was careful not to eat too much since I knew we were going to continue to walk and I didn’t want to make myself sick. After lunch we strolled through Chinatown. Believe me I wanted to get some of the illegal purses, but Warren was much more into telling me the history of Chinatown. At this point I was more interested in the history of fake coach purses, but I listened and was entertained. I was worried Jerry was going to collapse before we made it to the subway to come back to the hotel. We continued on to the government area where all the government buildings are housed. This area was really nice. Here we saw the Federal Court House, City Hall, The Mayors fleet of armored cars and many more. We stopped by City Hall Park, which is really pretty. Warren was really good to take us through several parks so we could stop and rest. I believe the parks in NYC are one of my favorite things. They are obviously important to the NYers as well. The parks and playgrounds are always packed. I enjoyed one of the parks right at the end of Chinatown. It was strange to see all the children playing and every single one of them were Asian. For a moment I felt like I was in another country.

We finally made it to the subway and told Warren goodbye. He actually wanted to walk us to the site of 911, but Jerry couldn’t make it another step. Actually I was ready for a break myself. Warren directed us to our subway and we came back to the hotel and crashed. 5 hours of walking two days in a row has just about killed our out of shape bodies.

Tonight we took the subway to The Upper West Side to a little Mexican Restaurant. The food was authentic and definitely different than our Monterrey. However, it was very tasty. Afterwards we sat down on a bench to people watch. Uptown away from Time Square you are able to see less tourist and more everyday NYers. It’s interesting observing the diversity among the people here. The people and their day to day activities are so different.

Tomorrow we are going to the James Taylor and Carole King concert. We have to be at Rockefeller Center NO LATER than 6:00, so I don’t think I can be beautiful on TV. I’m just saying….

Upper West Side

Our first full day in NYC has come to an end and our poor feet are already killing us. Oh well, hopefully a little rest will give us the energy for tomorrow. Today we visited the American Museum of Natural History. We are definitely not museum lovers but thought we should at least go to one while we were here. Honestly, it proved to be just as boring as any other museum I have ever visited. It was field trip central. I believe NYC students are still in school so I guess they were filling their last days with field trips. In addition, reading all the information that billions of years ago dinosaurs roamed the earth and that man evolved from ape just didn't appeal to me. Oh well, been there don't plan to do it again.

After the museum we strolled the norther part of Central Park. We had already visited the south end last year. Central Park is so beautiful. I love the beauty and serenity of the park with the city skyline in the background. That is the kind of country living that appeals to me, a quite beautiful park with the city just footsteps away. It's fun to watch the kids in the park. So many kids seem to roam the city alone at such a young age. I would have loved to live in a city like NYC when I was young.

After we left Central Park, we went to a little restaurant on Amsterdam Ave called "Good Enough to Eat". It was a special treat. The food was great and our waitress was from Georgia. They actually served sweet tea and it was really good. A previous employee from Savannah had taught them to make it and talked them into adding it to the menu. A Mexican guy named Hosea cooked my pasta and it was awesome. We lingered there for awhile conversing with the waitress. Afterwards we caught the subway back to the hotel and died for awhile. We were so exhausted. We finally drug ourselves up and walked again up the street to visit an authentic Japanese, family run restaurant. It was also very good.

Tomorrow we get to tour Manhattan with our Big Apple Greeter. I hope we can keep up with him after a full day of walking. It's a good thing we are doing all this walking because we sure are doing a lot of eating. It's hard to pass up food because everywhere you walk, food is cooking somewhere. The smells are so enticing. I wonder if there are any fat New Yorkers. They all walk and bike everywhere so I guess they can eat whatever they want and stay skinny.

More later, Got to rest up for tomorrow.

First Day in NYC

Let me just begin by saying that it is my understanding that people that write blogs believe themselves to be talented writers. For the record, let me just say that I do not make any claim to fame when it comes to writing. As a matter of fact, as soon as this vacation is over I will not be blogging any longer. However for those of you who like to follow our travels via the virtual world, please enjoy. This was all set up by Jerry. All I know how to do at this point is sign in and type.

Although we are exhausted since we have been going nonstop since 5:15am, today has already been a wonderful start to our vacation. The airport was packed as well as our plane, but everything was right on schedule and we landed and made it to our hotel without any problems. We are staying at the Doubletree in Times Square. The room is great as I have already mentioned earlier on FB. Of course as soon as we checked in we had to run out for one of the dirty water hot dogs from the street cart. You just can't miss those, they put these spicy onions on them and brown mustard that gives a flavor you can only get from the street cart here in NYC.

Tonight we took in a Broadway show. We saw Million Dollar Quartet. We recommend it to anyone. It was great. The music was fantastic. The highlight of the night was that on my first day here I have already seen someone famous. Valerie Harper sat directly in front of us. She was so close I could even see the blemishes on her face. Jerry wouldn't let me be a stalker and talk to her, get an autograph or take her picture. However I enjoyed watching her reactions during the show. Even though we were squished like sardines in the seats and a 9 foot man was sitting in front of me so I had to strain my neck to see around him, I still loved the show. After the show, we visited one of our favorite places, Juniors Diner. Take a look at the pictures and you will see why it is one of our favorite places. Only in NYC can they serve cheesecake this size of this one. I guess if you are here walking everywhere you go you can afford to eat cheesecake this size.

Blog more tomorrow if I have the energy, right now I am pooped and ready to fall in bed.

Preparing for the Trip

We are packed and ready to go. Bright and early when the alarm clock sounds we will begin our long day traveling to the Big Apple to celebrate 25 years of marriage. Here are just a few things we have planned:

American Museum of Natural History
Central Park North
2 broadway shows
Meet Warren, our Big Apple Greeter and spend the day touring a few Manhatten neighborhoods with a true NYer
See James Taylor and Carole King in Concert at Rockefeller Center, with fan passes, so be sure to look for us on the morning Today show, Friday, June 18th
Go to the outer bouroughs (Queens, Flushing, Jackson Heights)
Attend Brooklyn Tabernacle Church
Good Morning America in studio passes for Monday, June 21st. Make sure you watch to see if we end up on the morning show

Check back with us each day for pictures and highlights of our trip. Happy Virtual Travels.