Today we did NY tourist style, seeing all the touristy
things we could possibly fit into one day...and it was awesome but exhausting!!!
Hurricane Sandy back in October affected a few things...Liberty and Ellis Island were not open due to damage and a lot of the subways were not running as they were doing works on the lines so we went back to tried and true methods....feet (and a couple of NY yellow cabs).
It was an early start....as we had a lot to do, our aim was to head downtown and work our way back up, getting all the touristy things done that we haven't
done yet, and another chance to take a photo of the Chrysler building without mist around the top) Everybody has their favourite building in NY and mine is the Chrysler, an art deco building which was opened in May 1930. Until 1931 when the Empire State Building surpassed it, the Chrysler was the tallest building in the world. It might not be the tallest any more but I think it is one of the prettiest :)
Our first port of call was the wharf at Battery Park to catch the Staten Island ferry, as it was the best
opportunity to get a little more close and personal to the Statue of Liberty and get those panoramic views of New York City..(and it's free so that's a bonus)
We took a walk around, but didn't explore as much as I would have liked but then time is not on our side (yet again) and next time round I really need to stretch my wings and see more of New York than Manhatten Island and Brooklyn (and the drive through Queens from the airport.)
Once we got off the ferry there were street performers that were amazing, and kept us amused and entertained for ages. They were great to watch, and we lost track of time, which was great and made me feel completely un-touristy.
From here we made our way to the One World Trade Center and the Memorial....the last time I was in New York was with my mum back in July 2003 and the wounds of a nation were still fresh, and the memorials were beautiful; letters, pictures, flowers and photos which were attached to the fence around the debri and I remember being totally moved by it all and never far from tears, especially when a small child touched a photo and said goodbye to her mom who had died there.
We had to go through security to get into the memorial site and we'd had to purchase tickets with a time on it, obviously with work still going on they limit numbers to the area, not sure if this will change later, I guess I will find out next time round.
I wasn't sure what to expect from the memorial, and I'm probably going to go against most people's opinions and say that although the pools are impressive, I didn't feel the heart of the place(it felt a little sterile to me). I understand the significance of the waters rushing into a black void, and the fact that each pool lies where the towers stand, and everyone who died has their names engraved around the edges and I couldn't help but feel touched by it, but...something felt like it was missing, although I'm sure when the building work is finished and the museum is completed that it will have a different feel.
From the memorial we headed uptown, going past Radio City Music Hall and it made me think that I would love to see a show there...(yeah I'm going to say it....NEXT time) and on to the Rockerfeller Center for The Top of The Rock observation deck..a great view...although would have liked to have had a clear day like it was earlier in the day. It's a great view of
Central Park and of course the Empire State building.
I've said earlier that I am not a great shopper (I love souvenir shopping but not much of anything else...I buy what I need to and that's about it) but if I could have tempted Samara into Macy's or Bloomingdales I would have but she wasn't interested...which is odd because she usually likes to shop. Not quite what her problem is...but her loss...
We had a late lunch/early dinner, and I had biscuits and gravy with my meat and potato.....which are interesting...not sure how to describe then as biscuits are a bit like a scone but not...and the gravy is white...it was as I said interesting.
After eating we went in search of 59th St and 2nd Ave for the entrance to the the Roosevelt Tramway which is a cable car/aerial tram that takes you across the East River to Roosevelt Island.
Not sure how many tourists get to the Tramway but they're missing out if they don't...the tramway runs alongside the Ed Koch Queensboro bridge. There is some building work going on....and the apartments that are getting built are going to have really good views of the Tramway...or the people on the tram could have some good views of the apartments :) The ride costs the same price as a subway ticket, $2.25 I think it was, and two trams run back and forth from 6am until 2.30 or 3.30am ferrying commuters and there were people with ice-hockey sticks and squash raquets so assume there are some sports complexes there. I know there are quite a few things to look at; like the lighthouse in the north of the island and the old smallpox hospital and asylum but we've left it too late in the day to really explore (although when I get back to the hotel I realise that if we had just circled around the south of the island back to the tramstop I would have got the ruins of the hospitals in), so we just head south to Four Freedoms Park and the amazing views of the Manhatten Skyline and my favourite building the Chrysler....I suggest every visitor to New York (and every New Yorker who hasn't done it already) make the effort to go to Roosevelt Island and next time I am going to take my time and linger on the island for longer.
From here we headed to the Empire State Building....such an iconic building and worth every penny to go to the observation deck. Maybe I'm a sucker for the history of the place, and the role it plays in some great movie moments and you can't help but have a feeling of romance attached to it. There are two observation decks one on the 86th floor which you can go out onto and at night in the middle of winter it was flipping freezing but I was happy to freeze to enjoy those views. Samara and I decided to spend the extra money and go up to the 102nd floor....it's a little nerve wracking as the elevator is small and is manually operated, it's awesome and takes you back in time but it's also a little freaky and I couldn't wait to get to the top....
The observation deck up there is amazing, it's small and overly heated and you can feel it sway a little in the wind, not sure I would like to be up here in the middle of a storm..
.but I wouldn't want to be heading down in the elevator either LOL
Souvenirs in hand we head back towards the hotel, stopping at Shake Shack for one last burger and shake, and a last lingering look at the bright lights of Times Square...it's not going to be quite the same tomorrow morning.
I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to NY so I won't....I've still got tomorrow morning :)