City Guide Part 6

Friday, July 25


After riding the tour bus for 2 days and 3
nights, we had a much better idea of where everything was and what we
wanted to see. On Thursday evening, we wrote down all the places that
piqued our interest on small sheets of paper. We organized these
papers into four piles that corresponded to areas of the city. There
was one pile for each day we had left on our trip.

Early on Friday, we hopped on the train and
headed under the river to visit the United Nations. The closest train
station to the UN was at Grand Central Station. Outside the Station, a
news lady handed me a fresh copy of the Metro. It was a long stroll
from Grand Central to the banks of the East River. But I was glad to
walk past the several amazing buildings that stood along East 43rd
Street. The security on the UN grounds was tight. several armed UN
police guarded the perimeter. There was a sign just inside the complex
warning that no protests were allowed on the grounds. I became aware
that theoretically, we were no longer in the United States.

From New York City

When
inside, we were met to our right with a large carpeted stairway which
led to the general assembly chamber .

From New York City

We found the tour ticket counter
and the ticket agent told us that our tour tickets were no longer
valid. I was a little disappointed. We decided to give ourselves our
own tour of the public area of the UN. We saw a Mosaic, given to the
UN by Pope John Paul II. We also toured a display on the climate
changes in the Amazonian Basin. One of the more impressive displays in
the public area, was a series of portraits of past as well as the
current Secretary Generals. When I looked at the caption of the
portraits, I read that the Iranian artists did not use paint, but
individual strands of silk. I was amazed. The detail was so very
intricate. On our way out, we admired the sculptures in the UN garden.
One piece that I was familiar with was the "Knotted Gun" by Carl
Fredrik Reuterswärd.

From New York City

From New York City

After leaving the UN we Walked back to Grand Central Station and took
the train to Madison Square Garden.

From New York City

When we got there, we found out
that the next tour of the Garden would not start till 11:30. This gave
us an hour to do whatever we wanted. Dad took the time to visit a
store called Jack's. Scott, Mom and I rested on a ledge and then Scott
and I walked around the block.

We all gathered back in the Garden at 11:25 and the tour began.


Continued in Part 7