I've gotten to the stage where I now best enjoy a bus tour beginning in the late morning, requiring no walking.  Fortunately enough, this option was close by the New York Times Square Marriott Marquis.  First, a free breakfast in the M Club, then a short walk to hop on the bus. Tried to board the Hop-on / Hop-off bus, but was stopped and told to wait until the next one came.  Therefore we were the first on, and walked up to the second deck front two seats.  What luck.  Good start. New York University was close by Times Square.  I almost went to their law school way back in 1969, but ended up at LSU because everything was paid by fellowships and salaries. Where do you think the bus went next?  See the symbols below MacDonald's?  This is Chinatown. The Wall Street bull. Heading for the former Freedom Tower, which was renamed One World Trade Center. Later, passed by aircraft carrier Intrepid. Then a quick ferry ride for a few photos, some with stories.  You already know almost eve

The oldest person in the world today is Kane Tanaka at the age of 118 years.  That's her when 20 in 1923. The USA is more than twice as old, for today we celebrate our 245th birthday.  Mind you, this is not particularly elderly, for the  top six  are: #1  Egypt  8000 years old #2  India  5300 #3  Afghanistan  5000 #4  China 4091 #5  Georgia  3700 #6  Ethiopia  3000  ( their  monarchy  lasted more than 700 hundred years until 1974 when Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974) the British monarchy is going strong at 1200 years so is the one in  Japan for 2700 years The USA is also not the first democracy.  Five thousand years ago  Mesopotamia  invented written language and had a primitive form of democracy.  Some say that around 3000 years ago  India  actually formed republics which practiced democracy.  Greece had that Athens versus Sparta rivalry 2600 years ago, where the story is that democratic Athens lost to war-like Sparta.  Turns out that  Sparta  might actually have been more d