It’s Cold Outside
Exceptionally cold. Today, with windchill, we endured temperatures as low as -2 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s -19 degrees Celcius! Madness. But still, today was no day to be indoors.
The first stop of the day would be the financial district, so we headed there for breakfast and in doing so I got my first ride on the NYC subway. Got a great bagel from the ‘Cafe Plaza Deli’, right at the bottom of Broadway. Go there if you are in the area! The guy behind the counter was a good laugh, and when I asked what type of bagels they had, he reeled off a list for about 30 seconds, although he did repeat himself. Still, that’s impressive, and once again highlights just how much choice there is in the States.
We walked off breakfast around Wall Street and the financial district. Quite alot of construction work going on down there. The New York stock exchange is massive, and is adorned with the biggest USA Stars & Stripes flag i’ve ever seen. Some serious money changes hands down there…
Next was the Staten Island Ferry, which is well worth doing because it’s free and gives good views of the New York City skyline, as well as Statue of Liberty. It’s not as big as I had expected; but then again you don’t get that close to it on the ferry. We didn’t bother going up. Next to Liberty Island is Ellis Island, which was the first port of call for all immigrants to New York way back when. Apparently, nearly half of all Americans today can trace their family history to at least one person who passed through there! When the ferry arrived at Staten Island, we just walked straight round and back on it again and headed back to Manhattan. It then struck me that just a few weeks ago, people doing the very same trip would have witnessed a plane land not too far away from them on the Hudson! The ferry operates 24 hours a day, should you fancy a night time cruise.
Once back on dry land we had a walk to Ground Zero. Being up close is very different to seeing it on T.V. It’s a very built up area. There are a few signs and memorial plaques around the site. We didn’t go to the 9/11 tribute gallery, but I plan to head back on Saturday before I fly home.
After that we jumped back on a subway and headed for Greenwich Village, which is a pretty cool place with alot of quirky streets. Lots of bars and restaurants and cheaper than on Times Square, with the added benefit of not being hassled by sightseeing tour ticket sellers and comedy show promoters. We stopped off at the Qdoba grill for a burrito, which is quite like Chipotle, although since Chipotle was a novel experience when I was in Minnesota, Qdoba wasn’t quite as good. In typical fashion I went for the hot salsa option and then topped it up with tabasco. I chickened out of the extra hot. I suspect we will return to Greenwich for a few beers at some stage!
Following a bit more wandering, it was getting on a bit, so we headed for the Empire State Building. As with yesterday, the lines were very short (dispite the hotel concierge telling us they would be huge!) so we had no waiting time at all. We just opted for the outdoor observation deck for $20; if you want to go to the higher level (102nd floor) then you have to pay an extra $15 dollars, and even the ticket guys say it’s no better a view, it’s just for bragging rights. Given the layout of the queing barriers, I would certainly not like to visit at peak season, where you can wait up to three hours….The sun was still reasonably high when we arrived. The views of the city are just amazing to be honest. The camera was straight out. The only trouble was the cold, with wind it was -19 degrees C! We stayed up there for sunset, and as the sun goes down over New York, the lights come up, for an even more spectacular view. I managed to flatten the battery on my camera rather fast…
We stayed up at the top for over an hour before heading back to the hotel to drop off our stuff and head to Billy Elliot, which was conveniently just accross the street from our hotel. We got a snack from a street seller…chicken on a stick. Although in reality it was more like fat on a stick, but fairly tasty all the same.
Billy Elliot was a great show. I’m not really into musicals, but let’s face it – it’s Broadway. The whole performance was of such high quality, the lights, sound and the performers themselves. Highly reccomended! As a tip, just go for the cheapest tickets at $40 – you are right at the back in either the left or right corner, but you still see just fine, with the exception of the rear corner of the stage on whatever side you are sitting on. There were people just a few feet away from us in the next secion who paid $80 and really, the view was no better! So, either you pay $40, or go all out with $120+, but don’t bother with the rear centre seats, just doesn’t seem worth it at all.
So that’s all for today. Tomorrow is as yet unplanned, although we want to go to see the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
