Peter and I were invited to New York for a visit recently. It was not our first time in The Big Apple, but there are alwways things to see and do in NYC, even for older people like us.

Other old people we saw – at the MET

Being a stock market follower, Peter wanted to visit his favourite place, the Financial District. We sauntered along Wall St, admiring the stately buildings and the church wedged in among them; rather convenient for all the Crypto Kings and Bernie Madoffs who decide to seek forgiveness. Trinity Church, built in 1697 in the Gothic style, is also well-known for one of its famous graves, that of Alexander Hamilton.

Peter was desperate to find the Charging Bull, created in remembrance of Black Monday, 1987, on the stock market. Designed in 1989 by an Italian sculptor, it signifies a “bull market” the dream of every trader. The artist illegally delivered the bull to the stock exchange under cover of darkness, and it was discovered and transferred by police the next day, to a tiny park where it still resides. It’s a popular photo spot, especially the rear end.

It’s hard to ignore the architecture of New York. The Empire State Building was one of the first skyscrapers and remains an icon to this day, although it is now overshadowed by many taller office towers and hotels. On our visit, we saw the inside of the UN building, easily accessible to the public on most days by showing some photo ID and getting a free pass. The main floor and the lower level with the requisite gift shop are open to wanderers, and there are guided tours on the other levels.

What would a report on NYC be without some photos of the fashion scene? We saw this trendy outfit in a take-out breakfast place:

And this selection of golf wear in Trump Tower:

How about this dashing suit worn by Henry VIII in the MET:

But the actual purpose of our visit was the highlight. We were invited to Grandparents’ Day at our grandson, Ben’s, school. We walked Ben to school, a distance of several blocks, filled with other relatives walking their kids to school too. New York is definitely a walking place and we did our share.

The first item on the agenda was breakfast – a lovely assortment of pastries, fruit, juices and coffee. Then we were escorted to the auditorium to watch a performance of the grade 2’s singing, dancing and playing instruments. Ben did a bang-up job on the tambourine. Next we went to the gym where we got to play a version of Rock Paper Scissors with the grandsons who were trying to win so that grandparents would lose our balance and fall over. Fortunately we caught on just in time.

The best part was last: we visited the grade 2 classroom and filled out worksheets together. The topic was “Our Life In Grade 2.” Ben was off to the races with his answers: what food he likes best, what sports he plays, who his friends are. Peter and I had a bit of a struggle. After all, these answers are buried back 70 years for us.

Comparing our answers was a revelation. Our favourite foods were hot dogs and pasta. Ben’s are sushi and ramen. Our friends: Janie in small-town Ontario for me, and Adolpho in Italy for Peter. As for Ben living in NYC? He named Kabir, Macks, and Conrad Black, (honest!).

After we said good-bye to Ben, we spent the rest of that last day riding the ferry on the Hudson River – we had accumulated enough steps to keep our doctors happy and enough memories to last until our next visit.

Sue

Empire State Building dwarfed by towers and hotels.