USA Trip - NYC 1 - Ghostbusters and More!

I've been pretty bad in keeping up with my blogs about my July trip to the US!    In addition to visiting DC,  I also took a short side trip to New York.  My first trip in a good 11 or 12 years...

Now I can see the post-Giuliani wonderland that Times Square has turned into...

Nowadays all the signs are video screens... i kind of miss the neon and mechanical ones (coke bottle w/ the straw, etc). 

Another addition I didn't like were these guys... 

fake Elmo asking for money if you take a picture with him. 

And of course a fake Mickey too..  the sad thing is that when I saw a (much shabbier) version of this type of scam in Beijing I scoffed at it and ridiculed it.  Embarrassing to see in ones home country too.  Bloomberg should have the NYPD arrest these guys and make them perp walk through Times Square in cuffs (with the head still on)

Lots of giant movie promos all over new york.  this was one of the cooler ones... 

This particular day was a tour around town before meeting up with some old friends,  so I tried to fit as many NYC icons in one walking/subway trip as possible...

NY Public Library... you may remember from such films as "Ghostbusters"... 

Chrysler building...  still one of the coolest building designs ever...

Taking full advantage of the 20x Zoom on my camera...

This was a sunday, so 5th avenue was closed off for a giant street market.  Quite nice actually,  I didn't know they did this... 

Grand Central Station, which you may remember from such films as "I am Legend" and "Avengers", (I think this was in "Ghostbusters" too probably....)  :-P

Close up of the architecture

The inside... actually this is taken from the new Apple store they've put on the terrace on one side.  Fits in quite well with the location (just one giant apple logo on the stairs). 

St. Patrick's Cathedral, under renovation at the time... doh!  It was in AmazingSpider Man (Toby Maguire version) if I recall...

30 Rockefeller Center, right before it started raining.   You may remember this from such shows as "30 Rock"....

The Today show is shot off to the left.  I bought a whole bunch of Seinfeld and Friends merchandise at the NBC store too (while it was raining). 

The heavy rain was brief and by the time we emerged from our subway ride up town it was already clear.    Took a quick walk through Central Park...  lots of people playing sports and biking and walking on a Sunday... but the lake was nice and quiet.

On the way back passed by the American Museum of Natural History... which you may remember from such films as "Night at the Museum"....

(as it is a Natural History Museum, I don't think they actually have cowboys and indians and egyptian displays up... but as I didn't go in, don't take my word for it).  :-P

Wow, kind of does look like a younger, more fit Robin Williams...

Also passed by the Dakota Apartments.  You may or may not know why this building is famous... if you don't...  read about it here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DakotaApartments#DeathofJohnLennon

Last but not least on the movie locations greatest hits -

This one I figured out while walking through the park, I decided to check on wikipedia.... unfortunately undergoing renovation, so you may not recognize it...

but yes, it is in fact the Ghostbusters building!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters_Building

Bonus pic:

Golden chariot goddess warrior woman at Columbus Circle (not pictured, Columbus...)