The Bub in the Belly

Built by the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres (89000 m²) between 48th and 51st streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

The centrepiece of Rockefeller Centre is 30 Rockefeller Centre, which is the GE building, also known as "30 Rock". The building is 70 floors high and the famous Rainbow Room (restaurant) is on the 65th floor. There is an observation deck spanning the 67-70 floors and from the 70th floor you can have a 360-degree view of the city.

30 Rock is the headquarters of NBC and houses most of the network's New York studios.


At the front of 30 Rock is a sunken plaza, where the bronze gilded statue of Prometheus is found. This plaza is turned into an ice-skating rink in winter. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is erected here every year.



In 1962, a plaque was placed at the plaza with a list of principles in which John D. Rockefeller Jr. believed. This is what it says:


I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.
I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master.
I believe in the Dignity of labour, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.
I believe that thrift is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs.
I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order.
I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character not wealth or power or position - is of supreme worth.
I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.
I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individuals highest fulfilment, greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His Will.
I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might.



These are the Channel Gardens, opposite the plaza.


Along the Channel Gardens was this huge Lego store! Popped in and picked up Ryan's first Lego set (three sets, actually - they were on sale!).


Inside the store, there is a Lego replica of Rockefeller Center.

Darth Vader and a stormtrooper fighting on top one of the buildings

There is an underground Concourse which stretches from 47th to 51st street and from Fifth to Seventh Avenue. There are various shops in the Concourse, including restaurants and a post office.


We were pretty tired by then, so we had a quick dinner and went back to the hotel. We passed the famous Carnegie Hall on the way back but it didn't look too impressive from the outside. It probably looks very nice inside, but we didn't go in.

On Friday, 6 May 2011, we went to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). We didn't visit the museum itself, we just went to the gift shop. Bought a ton of stuff there, including some building blocks for Ryan, a reading light for Richard and a wall clock for our home. After that, we went to the MoMA bookstore and bought some books. We bought so much stuff that we had to make a trip back to our hotel to deposit our shopping bags before continuing our day.

We wandered around, just looking at the buildings that we know from books/music/TV/movies. This is Radio City Music Hall. Its interior was declared a city landmark in 1978. Aah.. wish that I could have seen all the beautiful showgirls. Radio City Music Hall is actually part of Rockefeller Centre - more on Rockefeller Centre in the next instalment.

Stopped for lunch at Trump Tower - the 9th tallest building in New York. The decor of the building is golden, glitzy and shiny. Here's Ryan drinking from a bottle with Donald Trump's face. Gotta admire a man who can sell mineral water on the strength of his face!




Tiffany & Co is next door. We went in, walked one round, and walked out. I like this photo - if you think that we're grinning like maniacs, you should have seen Richard's happy face when I decided I didn't want anything from the store! Hahaha, joking, joking. My darling hubby will happily buy the world for me if I asked - yes?


This is the entrance to the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. The store is actually underground, accessed through stairs or an elevator in this glass box. Apple received architectural awards for this particular store.

Image from Wikipedia

We wandered along Fifth Avenue, looking at the various shops, popping into a few. There was a very long queue to get into the Abercrombie & Fitch Store so we skipped that. Walked on some more then decided to make our way to Grand Central Terminal.

Grand Central Terminal (also known as Grand Central Station) is another national historic landmark. Built in the heyday of American long-distance passenger trains, it is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms - 44 platforms with 67 tracks along them across two underground levels.

The main concourse is truly majestic and it was amazing to stand there right in the centre, feeling as though I was a character in the many movies that Grand Central Terminal has featured in.

That's me carrying Ryan in the centre of the crowd

There is a mural of the constellations on the ceiling, which is painted on backwards. Some say it was a mistake, others say it was meant to depict God's view from above.


Besides platforms, Grand Central has restaurants, such as the Oyster Bar, and various fast food outlets surrounding the Dining Concourse on the level below the Main Concourse, as well as delis, bakeries, newsstands, a gourmet and fresh food market, an annex of the New York Transit Museum, and more than forty retail stores.


Standing on the steps looking down at the main concourse, I could imagine the station a century ago, with just as many people bustling about, some arriving in New York for the first time, seeking fame and fortune and ready to start the next phase of their lives. The feeling was exactly as I'd heard it described: "Arriving in New York via Grand Central, you know that you've come to a city worth coming to".


Outside, we kept walking and just wandering about. Here, Richard and Ryan are standing with the Chrysler building in the background. It was the tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building. It is a classic Art Deco skyscraper. Gorgeous.
We came across a children's bookstore (Scholastic) and managed to pick up some books for Ryan. From there, we walked back over to Rockefeller Centre.

This patch of tulips was just outside the American Museum of Natural History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hotdog stand just outside the Met - had to have one!

The Guggenheim Museum (it was closed the day we were there) so we just visited the gift shop and picked up some books

After a tiring but happy day, we stopped at an eatery near our hotel for dinner and some New York (strawberry) cheesecake

Went back to the hotel, I soaked my aching feet in the bathtub and we all melted into bed.

My favourite part of our trip was our day in Central Park.

We entered through Merchant's Gate, which you can see in this photo. In the background is the USS Maine National Monument built in 1913.

Central Park, as its name suggests, is located in the centre of the city, between Fifth and Eight Avenues and between West 110th and West 59th Streets. From inside the park, you can see the buildings of the city.



Central Park has been a National Historic Landmark since 1963. It covers 843 acres (341 ha). According to Wikipedia, "While foliage in much of the park appears natural, it is in fact almost entirely landscaped. The park contains several natural-looking lakes and ponds that have been created artificially, extensive walking tracks, bridle paths, two ice-skating rinks (one of which is a swimming pool in July and August), the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a large area of natural woods, a 106-acre (43 ha) billion-gallon reservoir with an encircling running track, and an outdoor amphitheater, called the Delacorte Theater, which hosts the "Shakespeare in the Park" summer festivals. Indoor attractions include Belvedere Castle with its nature centre, the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, and the historic Carousel. In addition, there are numerous major and minor grassy areas, some of which are used for informal or team sports, some are set aside as quiet areas, and there are a number of enclosed playgrounds for children."

This is Strawberry Fields, a 2.5 acre site within Central Park, dedicated to the memory of John Lennon who was killed outside his apartment building which is next to Central Park. Countries from all around the world contributed trees and Italy donated this iconic mosaic.
We popped out of the park to see John Lennon's apartment building and then popped back in again. We walked through the park to get to the American Museum of Natural History, and after our visit there, came back to the park. We popped out again to visit the museums on the opposite side of the park - the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim - and popped back in after that. Yes, we did a LOT of walking that day!


What I especially loved about Central Park was its natural organic feel. In Singapore, I love going to the Botanic Gardens, but that is completely different. The Singapore Botanic Gardens is literally a garden - everything is manicured, trimmed and pruned to perfection, each tree even has its own name plate. Central Park, although almost completely landscaped, feels like a natural wonder.


Most of the benches in the park have a metal plate with a dedication. I loved going around reading them.

Here Richard is standing with Belvedere Castle in the background.

This is the Conservatory Water, which is a pond for model boats. You can rent a remote-controlled boat or put your own in the water.

There are a total of 29 sculptures in the park. This is Alice in Wonderland. Ryan climbed right up.


Hans Christian Andersen.

The park has so many different "feels" as you walk through it. Every couple hundred metres, it will turn into something completely different. The landscape is so interesting. It's also very lively, with lots of people going about their day.

This is Bethesda Fountain. Behind it, you can see the lake where people go boating or kayaking.

This is Literary Walk. There are lots of statues of notable people along the path.


Horse-drawn carriage. We didn't go on any rides though.



We walked until we could not walk anymore. After trekking up and down and across the park and back again, plus exploring the museums, we were puffed. I had huge blisters on both feet, thanks to my brilliant move of wearing my brand-new shoes, bought just the day before at the outlets. I had been feeling the pain for several hours already, but just wanted to keep on going so as not to waste the perfect day we were having. Richard was wearing his new shoes too, but his were sneakers.


Anyway, it was actually quite late in the evening already so it was time to go so we went off. We had to give the Central Park Zoo a miss, as it was almost closing time. The Zoo is home to an indoor rainforest, a leafcutter ant colony, a chilled penguin house and a Polar Bear pool.

Here's a map of Central Park. We started at the south, at 59th Street, walked up to the north end, where the American Museum of Natural History was. After our trip to the Museum it was back into the park to see what we could see and then over to the other side, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim, then back into the park again to see the rest of the park, then back to 59th Street to our hotel. The park is 4 km long and 0.8 km wide.

Image from Wikipedia