Adventures In New York City Part 2- Grand Central Station and the Grand Hyatt

We got off of our plane at LaGuardia and got a cab to our hotel.  LaGuardia seemed so crowded, especially when compared to the airport we just came from in Lexington Kentucky.

We got in the back seat of the cab, and I realized my seat belt wasn't working.  OK, I thought.  I don't think our hotel is very far off.  I should be safe.

Well, like most people in New York, our cab driver recognized the value of time, and he drove like he was in a NASCAR race.  I appreciated his sense of getting us there quickly, but we were a bit nervous.  He merged quickly and at the last minute.  He honked when it was appropriate, and when it was not.  Many times, I felt there could be no more than an inch or two between him and other cars.

We were happy to get to our hotel safely around 8am.  Our cab ride was enjoyable, and it was a real NYC experience.

We got to the Grand Hyatt and were able to leave our bags there, though our room was not ready yet.  We did have access to their Grand Club area, which included breakfast.  A very nice lady named Lam at the front desk gave us keycards to access the Grand Club area so we were able to enjoy a very nice meal right then!  After our flight and cab ride, we really enjoyed sitting down to some bacon and eggs.

I actually stayed at the Grand Hyatt when I was in town in 1993.  It was a treat going back to this nice hotel again.

I don't want to sound like an old fogy, but there are some major differences I thought about as I revisited this place 23 years after my first visit.  I'm not even talking about the internet, facebook, cell phones or any of that.  It was just a very different time.  I took 2 disposable cameras with me on that last trip.  That enabled me to take about 50 photos....  which at the time was a lot.  On this trip I would end up taking over 1,500 photos on my digital camera.

After our pleasant breakfast, we decided to hit the sidewalks.  We wanted to cover as much of the city as we could!

We spent a little time in Grand Central Station, checking the place out.  We would end up spending a lot more time here later on in our trip.  There are nice shops here, and there is a very cool food court area down a couple of levels.

One place we visited in Grand Central Station was the restrooms.  My pal reminded me of the Weird Al Yankovic song, "One More Minute" which mentions these restrooms.  I am sure they try to keep them up, but there is just a ton of foot traffic going through this place.

A lot of people go through this area.  Along with the tourists and people getting on and off of trains, we noticed a lot of security.  We also watched ballet dancers being photographed as they danced and jumped through the air.  A film crew also set up to do what looked like a music video outside.

The top photos are of Grand Central Station.  The bottom few are from the Grand Hyatt!  Take notice of the giant head sculptures displayed!  They look like holograms, but that is just a lighting trick.  These futuristic looking art pieces are solid and amazing!  I was waiting for their eyes to open, and to hear them tell me to "Obey!"