FIRST DAYS IN NEW YORK CITY 1956
FIRST DAYS IN NEW YORK CITY (1956)
SATURDAY, 8/25/56: Left Fort Meade as early as possible Saturday morning, and got into Baltimore at 12:30. Got dropped at wrong station and had to walk across town to other, leaving Baltimore at 3PM. Sighted the hulk of the Empire State Building at 5PM and was launched into the melee at Penn Station. Made a beeline for the top of the ESB and stayed there until about 7:30, and as it was darkling and I wanted tickets, I descended, bought tickets, ate at Howard Johnson's, and saw "New Faces of '56," jumped out and saw "Cinerama Holiday" until 2AM.
SUNDAY, 8/26/56: Hopped a subway to the Wall Street area and wandered around dark tombstones until 4AM, when I started uptown, vowing to avoid the Bowery, which I actually found myself on. Avoided that and dark, dingy Chinatown and went cross town to Washington Square. Hit Nedicks about 5:30 and was glad of a place to sit down. Now see paper for from 5:30 to 6:30. Out and, sighting an old familiar ESB, went uptown, walking along 7th, I supposed, up to St. Patrick's for Mass, and ate breakfast while waiting for the first show at Radio City Music Hall, where I was stupid enough to buy a mezzanine seat for "High Society" and "Wonders of the Deep." Just caught a sightseeing bus of Uptown Manhattan, at 2, seeing Fifth Avenue, St. John the Divine, Columbia University, Grant's Tomb, and assorted uptown sights. Lasted until about 5, when I entered "Oklahoma" in Todd AO and left about 7:30, just catching a train back to Baltimore, getting in about midnight.
MONDAY, 8/27/56: Took next bus to camp about 2AM, had miserable time trying to stay awake, and plumped into bed at about 4AM, having been on my feet a total of 45 hours. I was TIRED!