New York
Thursday 5th July, 2018
Day 1: Brooklyn
We arrived in NY tired and bedraggled after an overnight flight. We had booked an apartment in Brooklyn through AirBnB nearly 12 months earlier so, after collecting our luggage, we caught a taxi there and piled into bed for a few hours.
We explored Brooklyn later that afternoon and some of the tree-lined streets you may well have seen in movies and on TV over the years.
A place of great character, friendly locals and lots of nationalities.
Our neighbourhood and accommodation
12/66 State Street, Brooklyn Heights was an old brownstone, with lots of character, in a quiet, leafy street.
We picked well.
Looking towards Manhattan
Brooklyn Bridge
“The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between Manhattan Island and Brooklyn on Long Island.”
We had our first look at the Brooklyn Bridge this afternoon. We’ll walk over it at some stage but not today…
Friday 6th July, 2018
Day 2: The Big Smoke
Today we ventured onto the subway and went to the big smoke. Wall Street was capitalist America in all its glory with US flags displayed prominently and the Trump Building smack bang in the middle of it.
The 911 Memorial was sobering and choked me up as I remembered the day the world, as we know it, changed forever.
Times Square was a ‘mini Vegas’ but next level if that was even possible and we finished our adventure with a trip to the Empire State Building.
So much more to see..
911 Memorial
Such a sombre but tasteful memorial to all the people who passed on 11 September 2001…
Wall Street
“Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east.”
Times Square
“Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment center, and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue.
Brightly lit by numerous billboards and advertisements, it stretches from West 42nd to West 47th Streets.”
Empire State Building
“The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built from 1930 to 1931 and its name is derived from ‘Empire State’, the nickname of the state of New York.
The building has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 m) and stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 m) tall, including its antenna. The Empire State Building stood as the world’s tallest building until the construction of the World Trade Center in 1970; following its collapse in 2001, the Empire State Building was again the city’s tallest skyscraper until 2012.”
Saturday 7th July, 2018
Day 3: More Manhattan
We started today by jumping into the subway and heading for Grand Central Station. We checked out a matinee at 2:00pm of the Book of Mormon and spent the rest of the afternoon walking the highline – a disused aboveground rail line that has been repurposed as a walking track.
We finished the day with a beer and Reuben (inch thick corned beef, sauerkraut and pickles on rye) for dinner.
Bloody delish!
Grand Central Station
“Grand Central Station, or simply Grand Central, is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.”
The Book of Mormon
We booked a matinee showing of the Book of Mormon. The venue didn’t allow photos while the show was playing but we snapped a few befor it started. The show itself was quite funny, full of f and c bombs, highly blasphemous but great sound and production
The Highline
“The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long (2.33 km) elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan in New York City.”
Randoms
Sunday 8th July, 2018
Day 4: Statues, Parks and Bridges
Another day of wandering around the Big Smoke. We started with a trip on the Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty – with armed coast guard escort.
When looking for the ferry, we were nearly intercepted by a hawker trying to get us on their boat (for a price of course). I looked up a picture of the Staten Island ferry on the internet, showed the picture to a passer-by and asked, “could you please tell us where to catch this?” They pointed away from the hawker to a building in the distance which just happened to be the terminal. Unnecessary spending of $USD averted.
After our ferry trip we jumped into the subway and headed for Central Park, which is a beautiful oasis among the concrete and noise of Manhattan. We zigzagged our way nearly the full length of 4km before jumping onto a bus to 5th Avenue to see where the rich people shop.
We finished the day walking across the Brooklyn Bridge to ‘home’.
Big day, sore feet, much tired…
Statue of Liberty / Staten Island Ferry
“The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor within New York City, in the United States.
The copper statue, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel.”
Central Park
Today we walked from one end of Central Park to the other.
It is over 3 square/km in size and such an oasis amongst the hustle and bustle of concrete and high rises that is Manhattan.
Fifth Avenue
“Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is considered one of the most expensive and elegant streets in the world.”
Some of the shops where the rich people shop…
Brooklyn Bridge
We got off the subway at the stop right near the Brooklyn Bridge and decided to walk over it on the way home. It was a great photo opportunity even though it was packed with people…
Monday 9th July, 2018
Day 5: DUMBO
We spent our second last day in the Big Apple taking it a bit easier. We rode the subway to Flushing, Queens and back again. We didn’t see The Nanny but we got a great view of the city as most of the track is aboveground.
Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (DUMBO)
Then headed to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) which is a cool little arty precinct – a bit hipster although I don’t know what they call that here. Bagel for lunch, Manhattan skyline for dinner…
Manhattan Skyline
Such a beautiful way to end our last day in New York…
