AAA Traveler - Summer 2015 - 32

ALL IN A DAY

New York City
BY ALEXIS MOORE

Since Colonial days, New Yorkers have shaped the nation's
fate with their courage, kindness and first-rate cooking. Take a
day to explore some of the Big Apple's contributions to our
country, from the past to the present.

One World Trade Center

A grand ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 29 marked the public opening of what is said to become Manhattan's top tourist attraction. The One World Trade Center Observatory sits atop the 104-story skyscraper at the former
site of the Twin Towers. Reaching for the clouds at 1,776 feet tall - in honor of the year our Declaration of Independence was signed - visitors get a view of New York City, stretching 50 miles past the skyline and Statue of Liberty to
the Atlantic. A total of five working "skypods" zip up to the observatory in 60 seconds, currently the fastest elevator
system in the world, as visitors watch a video called, "Voices" documenting those who built the One World Trade
Center. Once to the top, visitors can stand on a platform and watch a livestream video of the view to the ground, as
well as a ring of monitors showing neighborhoods and landmarks.

Rise with the sun to make the most of 24 hours in the
city that never sleeps. With a cup of coffee in one hand
and a fresh baked breakfast pastry in the other-try the
cheese almond Danish at Le Pain Quotidien-find an
escape from the morning's hustle and bustle in lower
Manhattan's Battery Park, where more than 20 memorials pay tribute to, among others, veterans, merchants
and explorers who built our nation. Relish one of the
city's best views from the park's waterfront promenade;
Lady Liberty gazes proudly across the Hudson, and Ellis
Island is just a short ferry ride away.

Katz's Delicatessen

Take a break for lunch to celebrate the ultimate American
tale over a sandwich piled high with corned beef and
pastrami at this legendary Lower East Side deli. Open
since 1888 when the area was home to scores of newly
immigrated families, their famous slogan-"Send a salami
to your boy in the army"-wasn't coined until World War
II when all three sons of the owners served in the armed
forces.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

An American artist that became an international star,
John Singer Sargent, sent ripples of both acclaim and
admonishment throughout the art community with his
portraits, most notably, the scandalous Madame X. Don't
miss an opportunity to visit Sargent: Portraits of Artists
and Friends, a special exhibit showcasing portraits of
some of the most influential minds of his era.

Fraunces Tavern

Just days following the end of the Revolutionary War,
George Washington bid farewell to the officers of the
Continental Army from the Long Room at Fraunces
Tavern on Pearl Street. The account of his emotional
farewell is now in the collection of the Fraunces Tavern
Museum, as well as other artifacts from Colonial America,
the Revolutionary War and the early republic. After your
afternoon history lesson, walk downstairs for dinner; the
tavern is famous for its chicken pot pie and fish and
chips.

Do you have off-the-beaten-path recommendations in a favorite city? Share them with
traveler@mailAAA.com.

VISIT YOUR LOCAL AAA OFFICE

CALL 1-800-750-5386

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AAA Traveler - Summer 2015

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