Day 183 - Arriving in The Big Apple

A fairly early start as we had to finish packing and go and await the hotel’s free shuttle after checking out at about 10:00. The shuttle was meant to take passengers to anywhere within a 20 block radius and so we figured that we’d be able to get within a 10 – 15 minute walk from the train station which would be useful… and much cheaper than a taxi. The shuttle driver dropped everyone else off and then proceeded to take us right to the entrance of the station and so was treated to an increased tip from the pair of us (still way cheaper than a taxi and much easier on our legs!)

We had to wait a while until we could board our train as we had arrived slightly earlier than expected. Once on the train we had a nice relaxing 1 hour and 20 minute journey to New York City.

On exiting the station we emerged into the scorching sun once again, this time amidst the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps. Here we both quickly settled into the familiar fast-paced busy sidewalks with the seemingly countless pedestrian crossings to get people safely across the equally busy roads. The sounds of: car horns, sirens, traffic, people, air-con units etc seem to echo off the skyscrapers and this combined with the smells (both good and bad) mix to give the feel that you could only be in NYC. What’s strange here is that even the dirty bits of the streets don’t really seem that bad, probably because of the atmosphere that surrounds you here, compared to the dirty areas of other cities in the world. It all just seems to work here and the ambience created is its own unique one.

We made our way through the extremely easy grid-like street system until we reached our accommodation situated in what appeared to be an alright area. We are staying in an apartment and have use of a lounge and kitchen (though the cooker doesn’t work which is a shame) to go with our room.

We didn’t want to waste the rest of the day and so once we’d be given the rules etc of the place we nipped out to see what we could see. We’ve both been here before though we seem to each have done things that the other has not. We started with a walk to Times Square and from here we just set off on a mystery trail seeing what we would come across along our random walk.

One of the first things we came across was the Rockefeller Centre. Danny has already been to the top of the rock and so, sticking with the cost saving, remained below as Corrie took the elevator to see how this building’s views compare to those of the Empire State Building. Danny spent his time window shopping and then people watching as Corrie and her camera went to work. Corrie was rather unimpressed with the rock, mainly due to the fact that you don’t get a true 360 degree view from the top. Also, taking good pictures is much harder up here due to all the panels of glass; these even get in the way on the higher level. The views are nice from up here and you get a great view over central park but for taking pictures and the overall viewing experience Corrie prefers the ESB. We shall have to wait for Danny’s verdict when he makes that trip on his own.

We continued our walk with a quick look inside the Lego store before coming across the Chrysler building – easily spotted due to: its sheer height, the exterior stainless steel, and the radiator cap gargoyles. We took some pics and then moved on.

We passed many great architectural buildings on our route and soon came to the public library which was just one more to add to the list.

Time was getting on and so we started making our way back to get something for tea when we decided to go to the cinema and watch the new Spider-man movie as we are in his home town which would just add to the experience! The film was pretty awesome and afterwards we quickly popped back to TS to take some night time pictures before heading back to the apartment. We hit the cheap pizza joint across the road for a very cheap tea and then went to get some shut-eye.

The Coka-Cola Freestyle machines in the cinema!