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Awake at 4 am it's hardly surprising I got off to a flying start today. Thankfully there's a Starbucks in the Empire State building as I was slightly early. The views from the 86th floor observation deck are flawless enough that the 102 floor was just a disappointment. It was great to plot out the trek I would be taking over the rest of the day on a real map, accompanied by the sound of a fierce wind whipping round the tower.
Heading off down Broadway, the Flatiron Building seemed to be ploughing up the street towards us. The city was still snoozing as I strode purposefully on. And I was somewhat lost in a daydream about hats thanks to the podcast most kindly put together by Derek and Duncan (www.Iconochromatic.jhenge.com) yo accompany my trip.
The cool kids of Noho and Nolita were still snoozing off last night's partying. Little Italy was just waking but Chinatown was lively and bustling.
It was only about 10:30 as I took the boardwalk under FDR Drive beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. As I got my camera out, a passing youth pulled his hoody across his face to prevent me getting his face in a photo. That's probably the only time I felt nervous for my safety, but wax immediately put at ease by the presence of an old guy doing some Tai Chi nearby.
Next up was the Staten Island Ferry which gives great views of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty. My decision to skip Liberty was fully vindicated by the size of the queues, snaking through Battery Park.
I headed into the Financial district passing a mob of people where I expected the brass bull to be. I caught a glimpse of his face, and it looked to be smiling. I then saw that many people were crowding round the wrong end for a photo, crawling underneath and cupping its balls. Tourists are weird.
The World Trade Centre site didn't look ten years on. There's still a hole in the city,now surrounded by fencing, but it's gradually filling with cranes. Walking away from the site, I could imagine the clouds of dust and rubble rolling down the street behind me.
With plenty of time to kill on my schedule, I took a detour onto the Brooklyn Bridge, which offered a great view back toward the Empire State. The walkway of the bridge itself hung over the roads beneath, lifting us out of a slowly crawling stream of cars and into fresher air.
The rest of the afternoon was a twisting stroll soaking in the hip atmospheres of TriBeCa and Soho, passing the Ghostbusters Fire Station before taking a long walk North under a bright sun along the Hudson.
By Chelsea I was aching and taking plenty of rests. I imagined the last of the London Marathon runners were still going, so kept pushing on. Chelsea Market was a great little alley through a distressed effect warehouse, and I stopped off to grab some Thai food before doubling back and walking the length of the High Line park. I just wish the clouds hadn't been sitting on the horizon so I could have watched the sunset. Exhausted I took a yellow cab ride back to the hotel.
- comments
Sam Sounds like the empire state building is not all it's made out to be. Wonder if they will ever build over where the world trade centres were? I can't believe you got up at 4am! Get some sleep you need energy for the rest of the trip ;-)
Damian It's great up there, with stunning views, and the building interior is rather fancy too. It's just the higher floor was totally enclosed and the view was not worth the extra £10.
Sam No rubbish! Oh well, we live and learn and sounds like the place is lovely enough!