From Rockefeller to Queens

Rise and Shine! I headed off early to meet the 'rents @ their hotel and then show them the way to Rockefeller Center.

I suggested catching breakfast @ Dean & Deluca. BIG mistake. I knew it would be busy, I didn't know that the service wouldn't be all that great. There were a lot of "squatters" watching the Today show concert (America/Chicago). They had long since eaten their Dean & Deluca treats but didn't want to move from their window seat view of the show. I finally found a little counter/no chairs and the trash bin was there but I figured we at least had something to put our food on. My mom moved the trash bin and then a few minutes later a worker told us to move because the trash bin had to be there. My mom asked why there was a counter there then - he didn't have a response, he just gave an irritated, "Ma'am...."So we crossed the street to the plaza and found some benches there. Sigh. Why must the simpliest tasks be so complicated sometimes?!

After breakfast we went to the "Top of the Rock". I had heard that this view was better than the Empire State Building and now that I've seen both I will whole heartedly agree! Since we went early there wasn't a ton of people there either so pictures were easy to take.

My parents then got tickets to tour NBC studios and Rockefeller. I just chilled in the area and got familiar with the surrounding shops! ;) When I knew their tour end was near I headed back to the NBC Experience Store where I talked with an NBC page who had only been working there for 2 weeks! He asked where I was originally from and said that he'd been to a track meet @ Burke. Small world.

We ate @ Two Boots (good pizza - I recommend The Mel Cooley) and then I took the 'rents past the Late Show/Ed Sullivan Theatre and Hello Deli where they peeked in and saw Rupert behind the counter.

Then it was on to Queens! The subway we stepped onto apparently had been made into a movie set. Two guys were posted to "guard" an area from being sat in but it was busy and the subway was full so this was an impossible task. I found seats for my parents and just stood near them only to be asked to move because I was apparently blocking a shot. Sheesh. Every stop it would be the same thing - asking people to move after they sat down because they were filming (and this wasn't a feature film either). Finally they got done and thanked everyone - when people asked them what it was for they were kind of shady about giving any details...hmmm...

Finally we came to the last stop on the "W". I showed the 'rents my place and then we got on the subway again to go to the Museum of the Moving Image and ate at The Cup Diner across the street.

Another day had come to an end as they headed downtown and I headed up on the subway....