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Having enjoyed our stress free train journey to NYC. We make tracks to our hostel and check in. We use our evening to make a plan. We both had a pretty extensive list of things to see and do and only 4 days to pack it all in. This is pretty much the first time since we left the UK in August that we have been pro active in planning!
Our map marked and a list penned we call it a night.
Our first morning in New York was a leisurely one strolling through Central Park. We visited the Alice in Wonderland sculpture, walked round the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, the little boating pond and generally wandered our way through the park, taking a short detour to visit a deli that Blinky had fond memories of from a previous visit to the big apple. It was so nice to be able to take a bit of a slower pace knowing we had 4 days to see the sites. Reaching the lower end of the park we decide to make our way up 5th Avenue of course starting with the most important place of all, F A O Schwarz (only the best toy shop!!!!) A toy soldier greets us and escorts me in to the store and proceeds to serenade me with the song 'isn't she lovely' not embarrassing at all!!! Blinky and I manage to while away the best part of an hour and a half in this store. Mainly playing on the giant piano desperately trying to replicate the classic scene from the film BIG. Our playtime also included silly hats, muppets, minions, spiderman, ironman, lego, barbie .......
From the ridiculous to the sublime. Next stop Tiffany & Co, then up 5th Avenue past all the other shops we couldn't afford to buy in (but window shopping is still fun!! I was seriously impressed with our will power!) Having mentally spent a fortune we locate the Rockefeller centre in preparation for our twilight skyline viewing session later that night. Whilst slowly making our way back through Central Park we stumble across the local baseball team playing a game. A beautiful Sunday, it would have been rude not to stop and watch for a bit. Laying out on the grass in the afternoon sun was a good way to recharge for the rest of the journey back to the hostel.
As the sun was setting we headed back down to times square and the Rockefeller centre. It is crazy how a city can seem so different as soon as the sun goes down. We take the usual photos in the middle of Times Square and then head up to see the city from a completely different perspective ( 70 floors up with 360 degree views of the skyline). Not having really thought about it before we were just going to do the usual trip up the Empire State Building but on the very helpful advice of a friend we chose the Top of the Rock experience instead. You get a brilliant view of the Empire State instead of the other way round. Snapping away making sure we get the money shot whilst up there then heading down to see a bit more of the city by night.
Feeling pleased with day 1's progress we aim to surpass ourselves with organisation on day 2. We had to book flights for our onward travel and had wifi issues (not aiding our precision planning!) flights booked we head out to visit the 9/11 memorial. It was a pretty intense place to be two days before the 13 year anniversary. Paying our respects and gathering our thoughts. We decide that we will hit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island next. Jumping aboard the ferry cameras at the ready we are on our way. True tourist style we pose and click away. Not having enough time to jump off at the statue (so much for being organised hey!?) we head off to Ellis Island. It was a really interesting place to visit. Seeing how the immigrants arrived to the USA and how they started new lives. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting New York. Well worth the money and short ferry ride over to the island. Educated and full of culture we board the last ferry back to the main land and set off to our last site for the day, Brooklyn Bridge. You would think this was an easy task right?! Well not for Moo Moo and Blinky. We end up walking under, alongside and right past it! Eventually a friendly NYPD Policeman takes pity on us and points us in the right direction (it had been a long day!) on the bridge we take our necessary photos and head in search of the subway station to get us back to 'home'
Early start on day 3. Broadway bound on the hunt for cheap show tickets. 10.15am mission accomplished. Tickets to see Chicago in hand we make our way to the first sight of the day, Wall Street. Another few photos taken and another place ticked off our well thought out list. We checked out the Empire State Building and Grand Central Station along the way (definitely deserves the 'grand' part of its name) wanting to be fully prepared for the show that night we head back and get ourselves ready for 'all that jazz' (actually the only line from Chicago that Blinky and I knew!!). It was actually a really good evenings entertainment and a tick in the Broadway NYC box.
We had one morning left before catching the Greyhound to Washington DC. Having seen all the things we had wanted we utilised the time to write our postcards in Central Park. The sun was shining and we were super chilled. It was a lovely way to finish a crazy but fun few days in The Big Apple.
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