New York Page

Still, seeing the actual entry point and the type of facilities through which so many Immigrants had been processed in the early 1900's gave Lena a different perspective on her own situation.

Actually, Steve prefers the view of New York as see from the top of the Empire State: The city almost looks CLEAN and it is not possible to see the dirt, squaller, and decay that is much more evident at ground level!

We saw the world-famous RUSSIAN TEA ROOM and stopped in to see the restaurant. Lena was less than impressed when she learned that most of the employees were NOT Russian and did not speak the language. Menu prices were such that we did not even bother to try the food!

One of the highlights during our New York trip was visiting Wall Street and seeing the famous huge “BULL” statue.

Steve explained the concept of 'capitalism' and how the bull figure symbolized the idea of a 'bull market' to Lena. She immediately grabbed the bull by horns...

Of course, Steve had to have his photo taken THIS WAY. Ironically, it was probably this “mentality” or approach to investing that cost Steve & Lena VERY dearly during the stock market’s meltdown during 2000 and 2001!

	For our June 1999 visit to New York, we stayed in Manhattan at the Hotel Pennsylvania located across the street from Madison Square Garden. While not fancy, it was reasonably priced and located within easy walking distance to Times Square.		It was rainy and very cold while we were in New York, but Times Square was crowed as usual.
	This driver was happy to have us take a picture of his horse and carriage, but he was less than friendly AFTER we told him we did NOT want a ride! Hey, if he can’t take a joke, ...............		There is no question that this area attracts all kinds of people since there are so many different types of things to do and see.
	In order to get a picture looking down on Times Square, we visited the Marriott Hotel which had glass elevators that totally impressed Lena. We entertained oursleves for awhile by riding up and down these glass elevators.		Even though it was misting rain, Times Square was crowed with both tourists and locals (as usual).
	Lena very much enjoys and appreciates the theater and had frequently attended performances in Moscow. Steve had been to only TWO plays in his entire life. Lena liked "CATS." (Steve knows better than to comment as to his level of appreciation for CATS!)		One of the department stores near our hotel had glass-enclosed elevators (which Lena had never seen) and was elaborately decorated with American flags.
	The store was quite colorful to view, but somewhat difficult to capture on film.		Even though the day was mostly overcast, cold, and rainy, the boat trip around New York Harbor and to the Statue of Liberty was interesting for Lena.
	*And, while we were actually on the island looking at the Statue, the sun did manage to break through (at least on Steve’s computer!)* to give us this photo!**		After learning about Ellis Island being the East Coast entry point for Immigrants in years gone by, Lena said she preferred her procedure of simply getting off the plane in Los Angeles and walking through US Customs with her passport and visa in hand.
	Still, seeing the actual entry point and the type of facilities through which so many Immigrants had been processed in the early 1900's gave Lena a different perspective on her own situation.		Our first day in NY was the only day we had sunshine and we went to Central Park. Unfortunately, so did thousands...and THOUSANDS...of Puerto Ricans to celebrate “Puerto Rican Pride Day!” And, there were riots and police everywhere not long after we took this photo!
	We were very lucky to have visited the Empire State Building on the first day of our trip or we would not have been able to see anything from the top except rain drops and clouds!		It was a very windy day and Steve really enjoyed THIS view at the top of the Empire State Building!
	New York City (from the top of the Empire State) looks sort of like any other big city when you view it from the top of a tall building: You get to see the ROOF TOPS of a lot of other buildings.		Actually, Steve prefers the view of New York as see from the top of the Empire State: The city almost looks CLEAN and it is not possible to see the dirt, squaller, and decay that is much more evident at ground level!
	In this view, you can also see the “green” Central Park area where we became “part of” the Puerto Rican riot later this same day!		Another photo from top of the Empire State (also of lower Manhattan, but taken at a slightly higher angle) includes the two towers of the World Trade Center.
	And, finally, a closer look at the World Trade Center and lower Manhattan (using a telephoto lens).		This is a commercial photo taken from the top of the World Trade Center (looking toward New Jersey) and includes the Hudson river and Brooklyn Bridge. Except for our ONE sunny day (when we visited the Empire State), the WTC Towers were hidden in clouds and we did not get to go see the view from there.
	This is another commercial photo of lower Manhattan taken on one of those nice, sunny days that we did NOT get to enjoy during our visit to New York City!		It is said that one can see just about ANYTHING on the streets of New York. Well, until this trip, neither Steve nor Lena had ever seen a woman walking down the street carrying 3 IGUANAS on her head. And, all 3 were ALIVE!
	We saw the world-famous RUSSIAN TEA ROOM and stopped in to see the restaurant. Lena was less than impressed when she learned that most of the employees were NOT Russian and did not speak the language. Menu prices were such that we did not even bother to try the food!		One of the highlights during our New York trip was visiting Wall Street and seeing the famous huge “BULL” statue.
	Steve explained the concept of 'capitalism' and how the bull figure symbolized the idea of a 'bull market' to Lena. She immediately grabbed the bull by horns...		Of course, Steve had to have his photo taken THIS WAY. Ironically, it was probably this “mentality” or approach to investing that cost Steve & Lena VERY dearly during the stock market’s meltdown during 2000 and 2001!