The debonair statue of this Yankee Doodle Dandy stands staring straight down his beloved Broadway right in the midst of the mayhem that is synonymous with New York City.

George M. Cohen photo by G.Wilson

Times Square is not a square at all but a triangle formed where Broadway cuts across Seventh Avenue at 42nd Street. In the evening the area is a glittering wonderland, alive with the spectacle of great, bright neon signs and the press of people scurrying to catch the curtain at some 30 theatres scattered throughout the district. We saw two plays during our three-day stay in New York: Kiss of the Spider Woman and Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard.

At the time we visited the Big Apple, the glow and glamour disappeared from this area at the first light of day to disclose seedy streets lined with sleazy peep-shows, ex-rated bookstores and burly beggars. A few years ago it was reported that the sleaze and the sex had gotten to the mayor and a major effort went into cutting out the rot from this slice of the Big Apple. It is now apparently a pleasing and much pleasanter part of the city's spectacle. An appetizing appeal of this part of the city were the wonderful delicatessens whose heaping portions of corned beef and pastrami on rye attracted overflow crowds every noon hour. Seats were hard to come by, but those who waited were certainly well rewarded.

Times Square photo by G.Wilson

The streets are packed with people and hectic traffic, all moving at the frenetic pace that personifies the city. Cars, trucks, taxis and very long limousines compete to be first, while fearless pedestrians blythely risk life and limb to cross the chaotic streets with a daring disregard for the DO NOT WALK signs. The whole thing should grind to a halt in gridlock, but somehow it sorts itself out, all to the accompaniment of horns, hollers and fingers flashed in frustration.

April Breezes Cooled the Crowds on Tour Bus photo by G. Wilson

Tours on double-decker buses were readily available for $25 which bought a ticket for use on two consecutive days. It permitted stops anywhere for shopping or just a longer look. Another bus came along in half an hour. Tours included Uptown and Downtown, Manhattan, Harlem, Greewich Village, Chinatown and Little Italy. On our almost exclusive tour of the town, we passed the UN buildings and Grand Central Station.

United Nation's Building photo by G. Wilson

United Nation's Flags Before the UN Building photo by G. Wilson

Grand Central Terminal Building photo by G. Wilson

Another famed name that jumped out at us from a simple street sign was Broadway. We were on the Great White Way and standing across the road from the home of the Late Show whose marquee feataured the name of its host, David Letterman.

Late Show featuring Geri and Bill photo by C. Wilson

Macy's Bloomed For Easter photo by G. Wilson

Among the many famous names was Macys Department store which was beautifully bedecked in a glorious cascade of flowers to celebrate the Easter season.

Among the many sights to be seen just up from Macy's is the Empire State Building - the real miracle on 42nd Street. This cathedral of the sky reaches a quarter mile into the air. Its exterior of limestone, granite and stainless steel gives it a glow, almost an aura, that deservedly earns it the accolade 'beautiful'.

'Glowing' Empire State Building photo by G. Wilson

Connie, Jim and Bill Aloft on Windy Heights photo by G. Wilson

The balcony on the 86th floor is open to the wind and to wonderful views that included clouds, pierced by the peaks of imposing buildings stretching away in every direction. A higher observatory exists on the 102nd floor but it is enclosed and cramped and lacked the freshness and the freedom afforded by the lower outlook.

View from the 86th Floor Top - looking Northwest - Chysler Building; UN Building and East River Bottom - looking East - East River and Queens

Lobby of Empire State Building photo by G.Wilson

Seven Wonders of the World Depicted on Walls of Lobby of Empire State Building. photo by G. Wilson

The Empire State Building's lobby is a medley of beautiful marble cut from various countries in Europe. Its walls are adorned with striking paintings of the Seven Wonders of the World to which you could add one more - the Empire State Building itself. The existence of this architectural wonder owes much to a Canadian named John Bowser, who was project construction superintendent during its construction in 1931. Though he was critical to its construction, no plaque or place commemorates his name. Born in 1892 John died in 1956 and is buried on a hill in an Aurora cemetery just off Yonge Street. His epitaph adorns a ten-foot tombstone fashioned in the likeness of the Empire State Building.

Central Park photo by G.Wilson

Central Park, 843 acres of very valuable real estate that is claimed to be the safest precinct in the city, is the pride and joy of New Yorkers. This man-made landscape in the middle of Manhattan provides a sylvan retreat from the rush and racket of the streets to the calm and quiet of shady lawns, still lakes and deep forests. Its paths parallel adjacent avenues and provide easy access to nature's balm by foot or by horse-drawn carriage at $35 per half hour.

TOP - Central Park Ponies waiting for Tourists BOTTOM - Park Plaza Hotel across the road from Central Park photos by G. Wilson

Fifth Avenue marks the eastern boundary of Central Park. It stretches past Rockefeller Centre where skaters whirl to the sound of music wafting through the air. Across the road from the rink are the NBC Studios where tourists tirelessly wave at windows in the faint hope they'll be seen by folk back home watching the Today Show.

NBC News Building photo by G. Wilson

Geri and Lion King At Rockefeller Center photo by B.Wilson

Bill and Jim In Front of Rockefeller Center photo by G.Wilson

Bill and Skaters at Rockefeller Center photo by G.Wilson

Further along 5th Avenue are elegant upscale shops like Sak's Fifth Avenue, Cartier, Inc., Dior, Tiffany's, Chanel's and Gucci's to name-drop a few. St. Patrick's Cathedral, a Gothic-style white marble, sandstone structure also adorns this famous avenue. Not to be outdone by anyone, Donald Trump has built his tower, an exclusive apartment and office building whose gold and glass usher the wealthy and wide-eyed into a spectacular lobby. The six-storied shopping attrium is panneled in pink marble and trimmed with lustrous brass. Torrents of water hug the wall as they cascade down into a gracefully flowing fountain filled with coins.

Bill, Connie and Jim in Trump's Lobby photo by G.Wilson

At Radio City Music Hall the fabulous Rcckettes performed their precision eye-high kicks. The Hall with its block-long foyer is a gigantic indoor theatre seating 6000. While the Rockettes perform only at Easter and Christmas, tours of the building from basement to balcony are conducted daily.

Bill Outside Radio City Music Hall photo by G.Wilson

Geri Inside Radio City Music Hall photo by B.Wilson

Radio City Music Hall Tourists Types photos by G. Wilson and C. Wilson

At the foot of Manhattan Island is Battery Park, a pleasant place to rest and watch the boats on both the East and the Hudson Rivers which meet, meld and meander into the Atlantic Ocean. Or one can catch a crowded ferry to Liberty Island 10 minutes away, site of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France. Liberty with her lamp in real 'life' does not appear nearly as towering nor imposing as she does in pictures.

Bill, Connie and Jim Parting to Pose with the Statue of Liberty - in the distance. photo by G. Wilson

Lower Manhattan is comprised largely of Wall Street. The name designates not only the street but also the financial community that includes the World Trade Centre. Its twin towers then comprised the city's tallest buildings, then lavishly restored after being bombed in 1993. Eight years later they are remembered only as 9/11, the day on which they were demolished by airliners piloted by terrorists crashing into each and killing thousands. A medal coin is currently being advertised for sale on TV which features these buildings in silver as we saw them 13 years ago. The silver from which they are made is said to have come from Ground Zero, the point of land on which these two impressive, towering structures once stood.

Peaks of the World Trade Centre as it was in 1995 photos by G. Wilson and C. Wilson

New York City was a most interesting place to visit with much to see and do. We bought some film at one store and the shopkeeper asked us where we were from. When we said we were foreigners from Canada, he said no you are not. You are just folks who live north of New York State. The only foreigners we get around here are from 'New Joysey'.

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Yacking New Yorkers photo by B.Wilson