| Whilst thinking about the various possible trips that we could take to celebrate my 50th birthday, the one that both of us wanted most was New York, so we agreed on that last year. Then my mate Lisa told me that her friend Anthony had an apartment in New York that he was renting out, so that appealed too. So we had the location set up and slowly worked out a schedule of all the things that we wanted to do. But we only had 8 nights and there were too many things that we wanted to do, so we culled the list and produced a general plan of attack and this is how it went ..... |
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We flew out on a Qantas flight and we decided to pay a bit more and go premium economy - just a step up from normal. It proved to be a good choice as we had a lot more leg room that you usually get and there was good food and plenty of it. Nice drinks too. And ice cream. A fine start.
The plane was pretty full other than our section where we all had 2 seats and 2 meals if we wanted them. Other than the space, we were free of having any children near us - a bonus on a long flight. However, a woman with a loud voice came into the section to see her boss (who probably deliberately booked her a ticket elsewhere - I know that I would have). She talked and talked so I put headphones on but could still hear her. They eventually sent her back to her rightful place. There was also a couple who kept talking to each other loud enough to be heard above their headphones whilst watching movies - how ignorant do you have to be to do that? His name was John and he was receiving the worst of it as her voice would cut wood.
Oh well.
So the flight was easy and uneventful and we landed at Los Angeles at 7:20am and then rushed onto out flight to New York and we arrived at JFK at 5pm in good shape and ready to go. It was pretty cold, but we jumped in a cab and set off to Harlem, where the apartment was.
The apartment was warm and welcoming (actually it was hot), so we dumped our stuff and headed out to a local store to buy some food before settling in for the night. |
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A nice long sleep and then ready for the cold and our first day in New York. Having wandered to the train station and discovered that it was closed (reason unknown) we caught a cab to the Guggenheim Museum that is located next to the big lake at Central Park. The lake was frozen and it was snowing - what a beautiful setting for the start of our adventures.
Due to the time of year and the weather, there weren't many people around and therefore there were no queues to the museum and not many people inside - perfect. The museum is a wonderfully laid out building and it was nice to have easy access to see the art - and some damn famous stuff too. Leaving there, we wandered to Madison Avenue for a bite to eat and for Carolyn to do some shopping.
We then headed to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), but it was getting late and there were a lot of people around, so we thought that we'd leave it for another day. So a quick wander down the road and there was The Rockerfeller Center, so we went up to the 69th floor for some wonderful views around New York including a view of a white Central Park.
We had a coffee at a cafe overlooking the ice skating rink before heading down to Time Square - Oh boy - there is a lot of lights around there - huge shops, lots of displays and signs and bling. It is an incredible space and the first place where we saw lots and lots of people - it is certainly a place to be.
We went into a deli and had a bite to eat. When I saw a bite - it would only be a bite for a hippopotamus - for a person it was far too much - a sandwich fit for a gang of people. I consider myself a big eater, but I looked like an amateur when trying to consume that beast (chopped liver on rye with pickes) - bloody nice though.
And that was about all that we got up to on our first full day. But what a great day it was. |
| Photos from Saturday |
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One of things that we lined up since we first mentioned a trip to New York was to go and experience some genuine gospel singing at a church in Harlem. We got there at 9am (as all the tourist blurb said to do) and we were told that we couldn't go to the 9am service as that was locals only. A long line had formed for visitors and we were told that we could go to the 11am service - a few folk left, but we thought we stick it out. We stood there in the cold and then went to the service - it wasn't good - a two hour service and only a couple of gospel songs and nothing great really. We had other options, but choosing the Abyssinian Baptist Church (mentioned in all the tourist books) wasn't the best one. Sigh.
Anyway, we then went and checked out Harlem and what was going on there before heading downtown. We went into a few shops including Macy's before heading up the Empire State Building to watch the sunset - stunning views indeed. From there, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed home.
We are getting more used to the place and how to get around, but we have tended to cheat and take taxis rather than the trains - we'll cease that trend moving forwards. |
| Photos from Sunday |
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We started the day by catching the train to the next suburb closer to the City which is Columbia where there is a college. This is a lovely little suburb and provided a fine start to the day.
We then made our way to Time Square where we joined one of the 'hop on, hop off' bus things - you know, an open top bus that does a tour of all the interesting places and you can get off and on as you please, though they prefer you to do that when the bus is stopped. We got a better sense of where things are in relation to each other and the weather was pretty kind to us too. We also caught our first glimpse of the Status of Liberty as we passed through Battery Park.
We then hopped off at the Plaza Hotel where our attempts of getting lunch were hampered probably due to us not being dressed appropriately - tossers. Anyway, we then headed over to FAO Schwarz and the Apple Store before lunch at Pop and then a visit to Bloomingdales. So far, Carolyn has bought stuff and I have bought nothing - sad but true. At FAO Schwartz, you can design and build your own muppet for $99 but I couldn't be bothered.
We wandered around some more before popping home to unload stuff before heading out to Birdland - a jazz club in the theatre District. Monday night is Jim Caruso's Cast Party where all sorts of folk get up at an open mic night - but these are talented people some of whom are performing at various shows around the area. It was very entertaining and enjoyable with good food too - who could want more - we both had a fine time? |
| Photos from Monday |
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Today was bitterly cold, but we are hardened to such things. We caught the train into the City and rejoined the hop-on, hop-off bus thing that we started yesterday. We got off the bus to visit Ground Zero which really is just a building site - then again, what else could it be? If I had been in New York previously and see the twin towers, then I'd have some reference point - but really, for me, it was just a site that they are building on.
From there, we went and did some more shopping including going to Century 21 before heading over to Soho for a wander around and more shopping. We had a look around Chinatown and then went over to Katz for a bite to eat.
We then headed back to the apartment as we wanted to look for hotels as we have decided to end the trip with 3 nights downtown amongst the action - a nice hotel in Times Square won the race for our business. So this evening we are packing up as we finish our Harlem adventure tomorrow. |
| Photos from Tuesday |
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Plenty done today starting with packing up and leaving Harlem to move to a hotel in Time Square - we just felt too detached from the things left on our to-do list, so we moved closer in.
Once that was done, we took a tour of Central Park and then did some more looking around in Harlem before heading to the City of New York Museum to see an exhibition about the history of the Apollo Theatre and then we wandered into Central Park to look at the Conservatory. From there we headed back to the hotel to dump our purchases.
From there we went to the Carnegie Deli where I attempted and failed to eat a Reuben - good grief - my poor arteries. We then wandered up to Central Park where we took a horse and carriage to go to Strawberry Fields (which is close to the Dakota Building where John Lennon lived and was murdered) where there is a tribute to John.
We then wandered around some more and looked in the M&M Store and also the Hershey Store before enjoying coffee and cake and calling it a day. |
| Photos from Wednesday |
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One of the things we had been looking forward to seeing was Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken. It is the bakery behind the TV series The Cake Boss that we enjoy. We caught the train to Hoboken in plenty of time as we have heard that there can be huge queues to get in there, never mind get served. We arrived and there was one couple being served and nobody else around - excellent. So we bought some cakes (2 lobster tails, 1 eclair, 1 strawberry cupcake thingy and some biscuits) - oh boy, they were gorgeous and we bought t-shirts too. A good visit indeed.
From there we headed back to Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel to Pier 83 where we caught a boat for a 3 hour trip around Manhattan taking the East, Harlem and Hudson rivers. We went right next to the Status of Liberty and had a chap tell us all about the buildings that we were passing and the history of the places. An enjoyable and interesting activity.
From there, we (i.e. Carolyn) did some more shopping at places including J C Penney before heading out to dinner prior to a show at the Town Hall in the evening. The show was The Best of the Cast Party - the Cast Party being the thing that we went to on Monday night - Jim Caruso has been hosting that for 8 years and they were doing a special charity version which concluded with Liza Minelli singing 3 songs - quite cool really. |
| Photos from Thursday |
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Our last full day started with a coffee at the City Bakery (used in Sex and the City) followed by breakfast and some shopping at Union Square - I actually bought something for once. We then headed over to High Line which is in the Meat Packing District - basically they have converted an old elevated train line into an interesting walkway. We then headed to Chelsea and then on to Greenwich (my favorite New York suburb). We then bussed back into the City for a while. The evening started with a drink at B B King's Blues Club followed by dinner in Little Italy followed by coffee and cake in Soho. A full day was had. |
| Photos from Friday |
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We started the day by jumping on a train and heading down to Grand Central Station that is an incredible thing to behold - a very classy affair that looks stunning from every angle with in it`s concourse. From there we wandered down the road to have a look at the New York Library - another great building. We then had a look at Bryant Park where there was ice skating going on - novel. It was a bitterly cold day - with a nasty wind factor - so that was apt. We then stopped for breakfast and watched a gentle sprinkling of snow flitter around - nice. And that was pretty much it - we packed up and headed off to the airport - holiday done.
So it was then a case of getting to the airport and leaving New York at 18:30 and arriving back in Melbourne at 10am on Monday 21st - pesky time difference |
| Photos from Saturday |
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| We set off with plans to do lots of things and managed to do it all plus extras - it was a fine trip and a pleasure to visit New York - it is a fine town and one that I will revisit. |
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| Various photos |
