NYC - Top of the Rock, St Patricks Day, Statue of Liberty

On our second night in NYC we went to dinner at one of our favorite places and then took the group to Rockefeller Center so we could go to the Top of the Rock. Chris and 2 of the girls decided not to go up, but the rest of us ventured to the top. It was so clear out and the views were amazing!!


Radio City Music Hall...
View of the Empire State Building from the Top of the Rock....

The bright glowing lights at the bottom of the picture are the lights from Times Square...

The Chrysler Building (hidden by the Met Life building) is gorgeous when it is all lit up...

The view towards Central Park and the Upper East Side...

Another view of the Empire State Building...

Thursday was St. Patrick's Day and NYC celebrates St Patricks Day BIG!!! The other two chaperones and I decided to check out the St Patrick's Day parade on 5th Ave. before getting on the subway to meet everyone at Columbia.

No trip to NYC is complete without seeing a Statue of Liberty impersonator...

St Patrick's Cathedral....

We couldn't see much of the parade - the crowd was HUGE and everyone was in full-celebration mode. I did manage to snap a few quick pics of the parade as it went down 5th Ave. in front of St Patrick's Cathedral....

With the parade going on (it lasts from 11am-5pm) just a street away from our hotel, we decided to spend the day at the lower end of Manhattan. We ate lunch near Columbia and then headed to Battery Park to board the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. The tickets for pedestal and crown access were sold out (THANK goodness! I could never have climbed over 200 stairs on the narrow spiral staircase all the way to the crown. YIKES!), but we were still able to go to the island and walk around. It was a gorgeous day - perfect for taking photos!!

View of lower Manhattan from the island...