Murr and Robyn's
New York Adventure



We took the red-eye Friday night, December 5th, from San Diego to JFK and our driver pulled into Times Square at 8:30 on Saturday morning - just in time for the blizzard. It was 26 degrees with a windchill factor of 17 and the snow was blowing sideways, stinging our faces like frozen needles. It was just like I remembered winter... but Robyn was a little freaked out.



We were staying at The Renaissance Hotel in Times Square. Luckily, the hotel was able to check us in early. We sent the bags up to the room and went into Foley's Restaurant for breakfast where we enjoyed an incredible view of times Square. After unpacking and settling in, we decided to go outside and brave the storm.




Nanook Of the North!




This is the famous Times Square TKTS Booth where you can get half price tickets for Broadway shows for that evening. But those people had to be die-hard theater fans to stand out there on this day...





Cadillac advertising in Times Square. We had breakfast that morning at Foley's Restaurant overlooking Times Square. Actually, the picture window at Foley's looks out through the "windshield" of the Cadillac.


And then we decided to go check out Grand Central Station...






Because all train lines either end or begin at Grand Central, it is actually a terminal, not a station. The place is huge and quite beautiful. I haven�t seen it for over 30 years, well before the restoration. They even have laser shows on the ceiling now. If you go to New York, it�s worth seeing.




Robyn next to the famous clock in the center of the terminal.


Dinner and a Broadway Show!



The Biltmore Room

The Biltmore Room on 8th Avenue in lower Manhattan is an outstanding restaurant, not only for the fantastic cuisine, but also for the ambience, borne of its eclectic beginnings.
Originally a gay bathhouse, the walls and floors are all wonderfully textured marble. If that wasn't enough, most of the fixtures were rescued from the old Biltmore Hotel before it was razed, hence the name. The Biltmore Room has been very favorably written up recently in the Times and local magazines. If there wasn't a blizzard raging outside, it's doubtful that we'd have been able to get reservations. The blizzard was our good luck.




One show we had never seen, even though it had been out for years, was The Lion King. We bought tickets three months ahead of time and saw the show Saturday night. It was still very cold and snowing heavily when we walked the three blocks to the theater. The Lion King was everything we expected it to be, and more. The puppets were amazing, the performances were exceptional, and the sets were fantastic. Robyn bought the obligatory Lion King souvenir sweatshirt. It was a great first day in New York City.




Walking around Times Square after seeing The Lion King



Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show because the only possibility was Saturday night and we already had tickets to The Lion King. Maybe next time.




A Day-Trip to New Jersey





We had a full day planned in New Jersey since my family lives there. We headed out early through the Lincoln tunnel onto the Jersey Turnpike and then onto the Garden State Parkway. The roads had been cleared so we made good time. First stop was in Old bridge to see my Dad and little brother Michael for breakfast. It was great to see them both. Michael is 14 years old now and as tall as me. He's a real paint ball enthusiast and has designs on turning pro someday.




Larry, Michael, and Larry Sr.




The backyard, including the pool, was completely snow covered.





Haddonfield Plays And Players Presents




Erin happened to be performing in a play on Sunday during our trip so we made it a point to drive down in time to see it. Matt and Jaime joined us and we enjoyed a cute performance of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella made notable mainly by the performances of the two stepsisters, played by two very funny young men (see picture). Erin had a couple of solos which she sang beautifully and we had a chance to see her and meet some of her friends and castmates after the performance.




Whenever I'm in South Jersey, we all try to get together for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Benihana. As the years go by, the number of dinner guests has increased. We were joined on this occasion by Jana's fianc�, Derek, Matt's significant other, Jaime, and Erin and Shayna's close friend, Kyomi.




Standing: Matt, Jaime, Robyn, and Murr
Seated: Derek, Jana, Shayna, Kyomi, Erin


The Marriage License




We had done our research and knew what we needed in order to apply for a marriage license. Among other things, we had to have money orders - no cash, no checks, and no credit cards. So we made sure we brought money orders, passports, and copies of past divorces with us.

We wanted to get there early because we didn't know if there would be long lines and because there is a 24 hour waiting period after the license is issued before you can have a ceremony. We expected to have trouble hailing a cab during rush hour, and we figured the drive downtown could take awhile.. Instead, we walked out of the hotel and got a cab instantly. On the drive downtown, we caught every green light on 7th avenue and got to City Hall at 7:45. We waited outside in the 26 degree weather (w/ a wind chill factor of 16) until the doors opened promptly at 8:30. We were the first in line and there was hardly anyone behind us. We were finished and out in 20 minutes. Soooooo cold and sooooo tired, we went back to the hotel for a nap. I knew we'd need some energy for our trip to the diamond district that afternoon...



The Ring





THE DIAMOND DISTRICT


Almost 90% of all diamonds that come into the United States pass through the New York Diamond District in midtown Manhattan. Over 2600 independent businesses related to the diamond and/or jewelry business operate on 47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. This is where diamonds are bought, sold, traded, cut and set into beautiful jewelry and most of the major wholesale diamond distributors in the country are represented here. So, naturally, this is where we went to get Robyn's ring.



We stopped and looked at the window displays at the 47th Street Diamond Exchange and went inside. We ended up working with a jeweler who has been on that corner for 67 years. Murr made what we think is a decent deal on both the setting and the diamond. The ring is yellow gold with three tiers of tranversely mounted baguettes on either side totalling a little over one carat. The main stone is a 1.57 carat round brilliant cut. I guess we can forget about a new car for awhile...


One If By Land...

To celebrate our impending nuptuals, we decided to try a restaurant called One If By Land..., that came highly recommended. It was of particular interest to Murr because they serve Beef Wellington, Murr's favorite. Of further interest was the fact that the building was once a carriage house owned by Aaron Burr.


They kept as much of the colonial flavor as possible and there were pictures and antique artifacts on display which had either once belonged to Aaron Burr or were from the period. The Midnight Ride Of Paul Revere, the poem by Longfellow written in 1860, is printed on the inside cover of the menu and the waiter was well informed as to the history of the carriage house and Aaron Burr.




Robyn in front of the One If By Land carriage house doors.



Holding hands across the table and a lucky
camera shot Murr took with his other hand.




The waiter asked if we were celebrating anything and we told them we were getting married the next day. As a result, they brought out these dessert plates.







A Big Surprise For Matt And Jaime





Matt and Jaime thought they were coming to NYC to have lunch and spend the day with us. They met us for lunch with bags of photo albums from their trip to Europe. They were incredible, what we saw of them. But then, at Foley's Restaurant, overlooking Times Square, we told them that the limo was picking us up in hour and that we were getting married and asked them to be our witnesses. They went berserk with excitement! The waiter was kind enough to snap a picture before we left.





Rick, the Limo Driver (his real name is Alex - for some reason, we just started calling him Rick) took real good care of us as we made our way around NYC to buy flowers and champagne before we got to City Hall. We were almost there when we remembered, we hadn't gotten a ring for Murr! So at the last minute, we stopped at a jewelry store around the corner from City Hall and bought a ring. It had to be sized and the cops kept chasing the limo away while we waited.



We Got Married!


Finally, we made it to City Hall. As we crossed the street and walked up the steps, Murr realized that he had left the license in the limo. Matt ran back to the limo and Robyn headed upstairs to the marriage bureau on the second floor to make sure they kept the doors open for us. Of course, she got on the express elevator, which only goes to the top floors and doesn't stop on the 2nd floor. But, finally, with minutes to spare, we made it to the office and processed our license and waited for our names to be called.




So there we all are, waiting for our name to be called.




Matt, the best man, handed Murr Robyn's ring




Jaime, Maid of Honor, handed Robyn Murr's ring




And now we are married!!!




Robyn reads the license just to be sure...




Posing draped in the New York Flag.




"Now, Is there anything else I can do for you, My Love?"


A Tour Of New York City



Alex took us on a tour of of some NYC spots he knew where we could take some interesting pictures. Below, we got the Statue Of Liberty and Ellis Island at sundown with an orange sky. We also had a look at the World Trade Center site. It was weird and rather moving to be right there.



There is still plenty of construction going on at ground zero.




A look across the bay at the Statue Of Liberty from lower Manhattan




Ellis Island at dusk

The Wedding Dinner





One of Murr's favorite restaurants is I Tre Merli (Italian for "The Three Crows") down in Soho in Greenwich Village. Besides the incredible food, it has a unique ambience. It is really just a big space between two buildings to which they added a roof and front and back. The brick walls (the outer walls of the buildings on either side) are covered with wine racks. Dinner was fantastic!





Matt snapped a picture after dinner.




The desserts were as good as they look!
The retaurant was kind enough to sell us a plate
to commemorate the occasion.



Rockefeller Center At Christmastime



Then we headed up 6th Avenue, also called Avenue Of The Americas,
past lots of light covered trees and beautiful decorations.



We reached Rockefeller Center and the famous giant Christmas tree overlooking the ice skating rink and the gold statue of Prometheus. It was beautifully decorated with lights, angels, stars, and more lights. Las Vegas has nothing on New York at Christmastime.




At Rockefeller Center by the Tree.




The newlyweds, Murr and Robyn - December 9, 2003




Another Kodak moment on Rockefeller Plaza.




Matt and Jaime picking up another stray...
This guy was guarding the stairs and only allowing
skaters through. Matt invited him into the picture.




Another great shot of Jaime and Matt.




This statue of Atlas holding up the world stands
on the Avenue Of The Americas near St. Patrick's Cathedral.
I remember it from Christmas visits to NYC when I was very young.




Christmas Carols as they must sound in Jamaica.




Watching the skaters under the Christmas Tree



The Last Day in NYC





We sat in the Rock Cafe at ice rink level and watched the ice skaters in Rockefeller Plaza in the daylight, for a change, as we ate lunch before heading back to the airport.



And Then Home To San Diego





It was with relief and a little sadness that we flew in over the water and arrived back in sunny San Diego where the temperature never goes below 60 degrees during the day and the annual rainfall is less than ten inches. New York was a blast and we want to go back soon, but right now, we're glad we're beginning married life together where the seashore is 15 minutes away, the sun always shines, and we can be out on the bay sailing in 30 minutes. There are some advantages to living in a place where people from all over the world come to vacation...






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