Sunday, June 10, 2018

2018 Triple Crown Day 1 Destin to Newark

Most of the krewe that went with me to the Kentucky Derby this year also went with me up to New York City for the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown: Kelly, Kevin, Chris, Tracy and Cayla. Most of us flew in Thursday afternoon on an Allegiant flight from Destin - Ft. Walton Beach (VPS) to Newark (EWR). Even though it is over an hour drive from Perdido Key to VPS, we love those direct flights on Allegiant Airlines, even though we all have to leave the Key before sunrise. Thanks, Ken, for letting us borrow your SUV again to fit us all in plus our luggage. We may have to start paying you rent if we keep all going on trips together.

Kevin got us crowns to wear on the flight up. Kelly, of course, brought her tiara. The same ticket counter crew who helped us make our flight to the Kentucky Derby remembered us from that trip. Few other groups seem to travel dressed up or wearing crowns and tiaras. They had to come to our rescue again on this trip because none of our tickets would scan to get us through security. We had gotten all the way to the front of the security line (and it was not a short line) and TSA sent us back to the ticket counter to get replacement tickets to scan. Luckily, we did not have to get back in line with the new tickets. We just went back to the TSA agent. Kevin and Kelly got through security fine this time but my ticket didn't scan this time either. In fact, I had to go back to the ticket counter three times. Luckily, we had plenty of time to make our flight.

Noah, Kelly and Kevin - Triple Crowned


Chris and Kelly




These two shots take Kelly from the Destin-Ft. Walton Beach Airport on the left to the hotel room in New York on the right. Very Voldenous.

Destin Airport, pre-security

New York City Marriott Marquis Hotel Room



This is our cover album photo for what must eventually be our rock band debut album. We will have to record some music so that we can use this on the cd front. Kelly took this photo outside of the Newark airport while we waited for the train that took us into New York. She used her replacement selfie stick from the Kentucky Derby.
Next Album Cover






2018 Triple Crown Trip Links
Day 1 Travel from Destin to Newark





2018 Triple Crown Day 1 New York City

The train from the Newark airport took us under the Hudson River to Pennsylvania Station in New York City. Pennsylvania Station is underneath Madison Square Garden and it is just a short walk from there north to Times Square where our hotel was located. The weather was great and the crowds were not that bad. Just as we got into Times Square, Tracy spotted her buddy - the Naked Cowboy. She and her sister had taken pictures with him just a few months before in New Orleans on Bourbon Street. He had been down there working Mardi Gras. I've seen the Naked Cowboy in Hollywood and Vegas and many times in NYC since my first trip to New York in 1999. Tracy and Kelly LOVE him!



We stayed at the Marriott Marquis on Times Square. I love this hotel and stay there pretty much every time I go to New York. The atrium goes almost to the top. I think only the revolving restaurant and bar is above the roof and the elevators zoom up and down the central bank of elevators. The elevators were renovated after my first stay in 1999. Now, you enter your floor number as you walk up to the elevators and the screen tells you what elevator will take you to your floor. You get in that elevator and you don't have to push any buttons. The doors shut and it takes you to your floor. Before, when the floor buttons were inside each elevator, it could take ten or twenty minutes to even get an elevator at rush times. This new system is MUCH better.


The Marquis has a fantastic restaurant on its lobby level overlooking Times Square.

Sea Otters Strolling through Times Square

After we got settled into our hotel room, I took the krewe through Times Square and north along Broadway to the southwest corner of Central Park at Columbus Circle. I was going to take them to Robert's in the Museum of Art and Design building, but Robert's was closed for a private event. Robert's has great food and drinks, but maybe even more importantly to me, a fantastic view of Central Park. Anyway, that didn't work out, so we started site-seeing around Columbus Circle. I'm pretty sure we all had drinks except for Tracy in those cups. We took this photo with the Columbus statue behind us because the angel on the pedestal is looking away as if shaking her head and saying 'its not even five o'clock yet'.

Columbus Circle Statue
"Look away."

We held up the world in front of the Trump International Hotel and Tower.

Globe in front of Trump International Hotel and Tower
"We got this."


After trying to find a restaurant for us all around the Columbus Circle area and finally giving up, I put everyone into a taxi and took them over to Inside Park at St. Bart's. It is a great outdoor restaurant on Park Avenue and part of St. Bartholomew's church. Unfortunately, taxi's can only take four people at a time so Chris volunteered to be our rescue pet in the back seat.


Taxi cab from Columbus Circle to Inside the Park
Noah, Kevin, Kelly, Tracy

Chris as the puppy.


Amazingly, we got a table!


Where's the puppy?

Kevin
Noah and Kevin

Kevin and Kelly

Chris and Tracy

Noah and Kelly

Your Body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit
After leaving Inside Park, we walked back to Times Square. Rockefeller Center is on the way so we got a couple of shots of Rockefeller and St. Patrick's Cathedral. If you get a chance, go inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. They usually have their doors open for worshipers and visitors alike. We did not go inside on this trip but I have in the past.

Tracy, Kelly, Kevin and Noah



Rockefeller Center
St. Patrick's Cathedral


Cayla joined us and we ended that first night in Times Square. See our Things To Do in New York City page if you want to book online. Booking things online like for the Top of the Rock in Rockefeller Center makes touring the city a whole lot easier. 

Noah's List of Things To Do in New York City



Kelly and Cayla in Times Square

Tracy, Noah, Kelly and Kevin in Times Square








2018 Triple Crown Trip Links
Day 1 New York City






2018 Triple Crown Day 2 New York City

We packed a lot into our second day in Manhattan. I got us a car to take us down to the Financial District. Along the way, we stopped for pictures outside of the USS Intrepid. Once downtown, we toured the grounds of the 9/11 Memorial and the Oculus (the World Trade Center Transportation Hub). I took everyone to see the view from the Millenium Hilton's third floor restaurant. The girls shopped at the Century 21 Department Store (not real estate, clothes and accessories). Us guys waited down the road a bit at a brew house. Then all of us walked to the bull statue near the bottom of Broadway, through Battery Park, took pictures in front of Wall Street (they were not giving away any money this day) and then grabbed a bit to eat on Stone Street. This pretty much filled up the entire day before we ubered back to the hotel.

After changing, we all enjoyed a few revolutions at The View which the revolving restaurant and bar atop the Marriot Marquis. Kevin, Chris, Tracy and I finished up our night at the Broadway play, "Escapte to Margaritaville". I think this is also the night that Chris paid about $80 for pizza just a block off of Times Square. He should have gone a block or two more to pay less for the same pizza.

Every morning, the 9/11 Memorial staff places a white rose next to the names of the deceased on their birthdays. There is at least one birthday every day of each year and there were six birthdays of people who died that day. The new World Trade Center Transportation Hub - the Oculus - has a very peaceful and serene interior well suited next to the memorial. It is almost like a cathedral to me. In the picture below with Kevin and Kelly, you can also see the top of the new Freedom Tower.

Each person who died on 9/11/2001 at the World Trade Center tower attacks
has a white rose placed next to their name on their birthday each year.


Kevin and Kelly
The Freedom Tower can be seen overhead.
Noah and Kelly in the Oculus.




Kelly is constantly working on her Instagram pics.

Kelly in front of downtown art.

Kelly under bridge downtown.

Too many tourists by the horns of the Wall Street Bull

Kelly was touched by the four statues in front of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House. The three on the left were well dressed and active. This one on the right was less dressed and exhausted. Kelly had an immediate connection.

Kelly and her spirit statue.


I think it was Chris' idea to imitate this statue in Battery Park. Tracy was not so in favor.

Chris' Battery Park statue pose





After we got back to the hotel, we went to the top of the Marriott and it's revolving restaurant - The View. 

Noah and Kevin at The View
Noah and Chris, Kevin, Kelly, Tracy, Cayla


Cheers!


After The View, most of us went to "Escape from Margaritaville". There was a lot of Jimmy Buffett music, jokes, action, sadness, happiness and even a volcano. It is in the same building as our hotel so super easy to go from The View to Margaritaville.


Tracy and Noah in the audience.
Kevin, Noah, Tracy and Chris at intermission.
"Escape from Margaritaville"



And then some late night antics on and just off Times Square.

Kevin and Noah in Times Square
Kelly in Times Square on Recliner.

Kevin, Noah and Kelly at Pub Connolly's rooftop bar.
Kelly, Noah and Kevin
New York City 2018!







2018 Triple Crown Trip Links
Day 2 New York City