Many thanks to Fodor's and Trip Advisor contributors for the wealth of ideas and information which ensured we had a brilliant and memorable trip. This is Part 2 of our 3 week trip which started in San Francisco and will continue to Washington DC and New Hampshire.

Mon 5 Oct

Despite a minor(!) diversion to Chicago, we only arrived in New York a couple of hours later than our original 7.30pm. The night sky was clear and the view from the plane exciting. We had a friendly Pakistani taxi driver who wanted to talk cricket because we were from Australia! We chose the Affinia Shelburne in Murray Hill for price (from booking.com) and location. The room was very nice – 2 large queen beds (although we only booked one) a small, but adequate bathroom and a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave and glasses but absolutely nothing else. What was its purpose we thought? Reception couldn’t find us a kettle for our entire 7 night stay, so we ended up with a coffee maker for our tea. It took quite a few days to remove the coffee taste. While I was checking our plans and ideas, DH was downstairs having a drink in the bar. He came up to beckon me outside and there was the ESB! We had truly arrived in New York.

Tue 6 Oct

It had been hard to get our body adjusted to the time zone changes, and we had been on the go constantly in SF, so we slept in until 9am. A bit slow and not the eager start we had been anticipating. We had breakfast at Scotty’s Diner on recommendation from these forums. Although the prices were cheap and the welcome very friendly, DH couldn’t handle the pre-cooked bacon and the potatoes for breakfast. We hadn’t come to grips as yet with the phenomenal amount of choices on offer with every meal and how you need to have all your preferences ready!

We had mapped out a range of ideas and sights for the 6 days, with last minute changes possible if the weather was not good. Our first stop was the UN Building. We didn’t take a tour, but looked around the visitor’s centre and some human rights displays. There was a lot of security. The Trump World Tower was just over the road so we kept walking around the streets with our heads up. (I can see why that would annoy locals). We became greatly enamoured with the Chrysler Building – so shiny in the sunlight, such a unique style and so frequently noticed. Later on, it was supplanted in our hearts by another building. The grand Art Deco lobby was resplendent with lavish marble and granite (I just might have copied that!) and really beautiful.

After passing Cipriani, we came to the very Grand Central Terminal. Just pick a spot, stop and watch the world go by. We wandered around the lower dining concourse, grabbed a baguette and ate it while looking at a series of black and white historical photos of the station. We continued walking around absorbing the atmosphere and getting our bearings for future forays. The Market Place was wonderful with very inviting looking fresh and prepared foods. The New York Public Library was next on our list – unfortunately there was scaffolding covering the majority of the edifice. We found the main reading room gorgeous. From our ‘Top Ten New York’ we read that it was … ‘a panelled space as majestic as a cathedral extending almost two city blocks, with enormous arched windows, 18 grand chandeliers and an elaborately decorated vaulted ceiling.’ It matched the description perfectly.
Outside, we just kept wandering – first up to 47th St to view the window displays in the Diamond District before being confronted with the towering Rockefeller Centre. It took some time to get me up there. I loathe heights and fast elevator trips to the heavens. In fact, I’m scared stiff, but I really wanted to do it. My trick was to put my MP3 player very loud on ABBA and bury my head in my husband’s chest. LOL but it worked. Hardly noticed a thing!
The view was awesome. I tentatively ventured outside but never closer than 1 metre from the glass. We stayed for about 45 mins before putting the earplugs in to go back down again.

The streets are very wide and the temperature does indeed vary from sunny spots to shady areas. Everyone appears to walk purposefully – you have to pick your spot to take a photo of something. We expected the crowds of people and loved all the yellow taxis. People cross the street when they can whereas in SF, they always waited for the walk sign

We allowed ourselves a quick look into St Patrick’s Cathedral, had a coffee break and continued walking heading towards Times Square. Despite the reputation, I loved it. There’s nothing like it anywhere – it really is like the throbbing heart of New York. ( I know – only a tourist would see it like that.) So full of people, colour and movement. We watched a group of Swing Dancers from one of the many tables and chairs available and just generally enjoyed the buzz around us. Quite close by we had dinner at the Brooklyn Diner –nice, but like everywhere in the USA so far – way too much food. Lingering while dining out is no longer one of our priorities; we are happy just to eat and move on (in case we miss something!)
We walked back to TKTS to see what was available, but it was a partial view at ‘Chicago’ and ‘A Steady Rain’ was not on offer. We already have tickets for ‘In the Heights’, which we booked from home.

Back to the steps at Times Square to watch for a bit longer, than a slow walk home punctuated by an unexpectedly beautiful stop at the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park, where we shared a swing and had a drink. It was such a lovely evening and still warm at 8.30pm. By the time we made it back home, we had been out for about 11 hours and had a brilliant first day. (And no subway… yet)

VERY nice start.

Waiting to hear the rest of your report. . .

Sounds like you did great! Interested to hear the rest of your report (and the DC part as well).

Love your method of conquering your fear of heights!

Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Love your report. We had dinner at the Brooklyn Diner one night when we were staying nearby and it was late, and there it was. Turned out to be quite good - in fact, the macaroni and cheese is the best I've ever had!

Great start...looking forward to more!

Thanks for the positive responses. Here's the next 2 days.

Wed 7 Oct

By 12.30 pm we were sitting in a Starbucks gazing at our favourite building –Woolworths, which had overtaken the Chrysler as our architectural preference. We wanted to avoid the subway during morning rush hour so we had a leisurely breakfast in the hotel. It was very nice and made yesterday’s porridge seem like glue. In fact it was actually cheaper when you consider that the OJ and tea/coffee automatically accompany any main item.

We walked the few minutes back to Grand Central to purchase our 7 day Metrocard and navigate our way to the Brooklyn side of the bridge – armed with various printouts of advice (including ‘The Idiot’s Guide to the Subway’ – thank you GreenWhiteBlue from TA), as well as a head full of relevant terminology – uptown/downtown, local/express and letters vs numbers. Having taken the 5 express, we exited at Borough Hall and asked the nearest person in uniform where the walk started. It was a fair lead up to the bridge, as it was not the closest station, but enabled more of a view of the surrounding area. The wind was very gusty and at one stage while on the bridge I took my earrings off fearing I would lose them! The strongest gusts were on the unprotected Brooklyn side.

But what a walk! It was fantastic, very easy to do and chockers with people. We took our time, having an occasional sit and taking numerous photos of sunny Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan Bridge. And that’s when we saw the beautiful Municipal Building with its wedding cake arrangement of towers and spires and the flamboyant Gothic Woolworths Building. Carrying our Eyewitness Travel ‘Top 10 – New York City’, proved invaluable giving detail about places we were visiting and leading us to new areas/buildings we had not planned.
Unfortunately they don’t allow tourists into the lobby of the Woolworth’s Building, so we snuck through the revolving doors and managed a pretty good view of the opulent interior without passing through the main doors. Such a pity we couldn’t see more. Just a few doors down, was St Paul’s Chapel, Manhattan’s oldest church.

The display outside evoked vivid reminders of the destruction and desolation on 9/11. The interior is a solemn place with visual displays that soon led to tears streaming down my face. The whole place is a tribute to the fire fighters and those who lost their lives. The sight of the lone fireman’s suit and helmet in the front pew was a particularly poignant moment. Continuing our visit of this area, we walked across the road to the Memorial Visitors Centre to see the plans for the future and then down the footbridge for a view over the building work. There’s not much to see, but one of the most frequent questions when we came home was ‘Did you go to Ground Zero?’

Whilst having lunch at the Stage Door Deli a gentleman from the Information Desk saw us checking our map and book and kindly offered some valuable information about the best way to group the next few sights as we were heading for Wall St. We passed lots of beautiful and interesting buildings. (As mentioned in the SF report, we love both architecture and nature in its variety of forms and these cities have kept us excitedly pointing out new finds to each other.)
Trinity Church had a wonderful organ and stained glass window as well as beautiful bronze doors. The graveyard goes back to the 1700’s and we found the church to be somewhat of an oasis of calm compared to the busyness of Wall St. We particularly liked the view of the church looking back from Wall St. where it appears sandwiched between the tall buildings.
A very high police and security contingent was evident and no vehicles are allowed.

Back along Broadway we went into the lobby of the AT & T Building to see its ‘forest of marble pillars’. DH had his photo taken (at the request of his brother) with the Charging Bull, along with numerous other tourists. Our next stop, courtesy of the Information man, was the beautiful US Custom House, a wonderful example of the Beaux Arts style and home to the Museum of the American Indian. The rotunda, elliptical in shape, was a stunning room containing the history of early trading in NY. Because the museum was closing in a short while, we only saw parts of the ‘Identity by Design’ exhibition of native women’s dresses. We were surprised by the amazing diversity, roles and styles of the various dresses.

Across the road was Battery Park, and although it was cold and windy, we walked down past Castle Clinton for a view of the SOL, which was a bit grey and spoiled by the numerous cranes in the background. We had intended to take a ferry ride today but the blustery conditions didn’t make it appealing.

We jumped on the subway at Bowling Green and went straight back to 42nd St for a drink at the Terminal and then the walk home. After a short rest and change, we strolled down to Fagiolini, a very cosy, inexpensive and good Italian restaurant. Our beans were squeaky and the chicken and veal cooked perfectly and still juicy. Back at the Affinia we went up to look at the roof top bar, and although closed, gave fabulous views of the Chrysler and ESB all lit up and dominating the night sky.

During lunch today we couldn’t get over the 6-10 slices of ham/beef/chicken piled on any sandwich. I guess that makes it quintessentially New York, but it takes some getting used to after the 1 or 2 slices we have at home. And why a packet of chips with it? Just an observation, not a criticism, lest someone takes offence.

One of the reasons we love travel is to see how other people live and the conclusion is frequently ‘differently’, rather than ‘better’ or ‘worse’.

Thu 8 Oct

This was our Central Park and Theatre Day! Took the subway to the 68th St Hunter College stop and then walked across Park Ave, Madison Ave and 5th Ave. Such a different feeling here. Wide avenues, no crowds and very, very nice apartment buildings. We entered the park at the Balto Dog sculpture and walked up to Bethesda Fountain and Terrace - not that we knew it was there – we just stumbled upon it on our way to the Boathouse to hire bikes. You see, dear readers we did this without a map – stupid, but fun! The Terrace is a beautiful area, just made for lingering. We also bought some food at the Boathouse for a picnic in the park along the way.
We just hired cruisers, ie. no gears, and thought better of it within the first 5 minutes. It was hard work and there were hills we didn’t anticipate (and I am almost 60 and haven’t ridden a bike for years!) Even funnier (!) was our realisation that bikes are only meant to go on the main roads – although we did ride on the paths but don’t tell anyone.
So, without meaning to, we rode all the way around the reservoir, passing the MET and then spent a while trying to navigate our way back to the Boathouse after 2 hours. The main road is one way and so frustrating because we wanted to go the other way and were not brave or competent enough to ride against the traffic as some did. Despite all this we had a real adventure and loved it. We saw Bow Bridge, Turtle Lake, Belvedere Castle, the Great Lawn, the Reservoir and Cedar Hill.

Had a hot chocolate at the Boathouse while deciding where to walk next. We set off again past Bow Bridge to photograph it from below and then followed the edge of the Ramble, dipping in and out occasionally, and ended up circumnavigating the lake. All the while we took plenty of photos and marvelled at the beauty of the park. Do you guys know how lucky you are? I imagine in autumn it is stunning. Back at the Bandshell we walked The Mall and the Literary Walk before visiting the Dairy and purchasing a detailed map.
We wandered over to the Carousel and Hecksher Playground where I climbed one of the large rocks and then we had a look at Woolman Rink before exiting right where we had entered at 67th St. When you look at a map, we pretty much covered a large area of the park. Not a lot of it was by design, we just kept following pathways and our fancy – even though we knew the names of places we wanted to see. Even with the map we still found it hard orientating ourselves. We walked out of the park at 4pm and were back home by 4.30 after 5 or so hours. The subway is very quick and efficient.

There may have been important parts of the park that some may think we missed, but we were there to experience it, rather than seek out specific points of interest or recommended walks. It is a truly beautiful park and one in which you could spend forever! We enjoyed it immensely, even if our feet were killing us.

Row S, seats 107 and 108. Up the back, we were thinking, but because the orchestra section rose significantly towards the back, these were absolutely perfect seats. We had passed up the ones on the side about 7 rows from the front thinking (as in Australia) we would miss some of the action, but they looked really good too. It was a lovely, intimate theatre. After the first half all the phones go back on – you could light up the theatre with them! Not only checking messages but actually making calls. LOL.

‘In the Heights’ is a show of enormous energy with very likeable characters and spectacular dancing and singing. We thought Melbourne audiences were good fun, but this lot was ready to applaud and enjoy it from the moment they sat down. It was an exuberant performance from both cast and audience. Having been here for only a few days was enough to make it easier for us to understand most of the local references. We absolutely loved it and recommend it highly.

Times Square was even more packed when all the theatres emptied and we were caught in the sardine-like crush for a bit. Too tired even for a drink, so back to the subway shuttle which has a corridor so long you feel you are walking all the way back to Grand Central.
Big day!

I feel like I am traveling with you! I had the same experience at St. Paul's Chapel. I worked in NYC before moving to South Carolina (almost 17 years ago!) and did not go back to NYC until 2008, one of my first stops was Ground Zero and I wandered into St. Paul's Chapel...by the time I exited my eyes were puffy, red and swollen...I was so moved by it all.

Central Park is a marvel...you covered more of it in one day than I ever did!

Just thought I would insert some photos in here. These are the Central Park ones. There are hundreds of others, and just like the trip reports, they take a while to get around to. Should be able to add more trip report of New York in the next couple of days.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/mazj50/CentralPark#

GReat photos, mazj! You really have the "eye"!

Another day!

Fri 9 Oct

Didn’t get up until 10am we were so tired! The plan was to do Greenwich Village and surrounding areas and maybe a ferry ride. However, it had started to rain, although only gently, and because we were unsure as to how long it might last we changed plans and headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Another efficient subway ride to 86th and a walk back past the many lovely apartment buildings. Loved the rooftop gardens we caught glimpses of.

WOW! After only a few minutes navigating to the American Wing we were blown away by the interior of the museum and the possibilities it holds. Because we were in America it seemed right to tour this wing first and the magnificent Period Rooms collection spanning the 17th to 20th centuries. We loved reading the stories behind many of the rooms through the interactive on screen displays. This whole exhibition is entered through a full size façade of a house built by the Bank of America and is very impressive. We thoroughly enjoyed this.

Next we headed for the Temple of Dendur which was a miniature of the ones we had seen in Egypt. We were a bit wary thinking this Egyptian section might be a disappointment after seeing the Cairo museum, but it was so different, so incredibly well done and so extensive that we were hooked. We spent a small amount of time in the MET shop, purchased a couple of items, and intended to return.
Lunch was overlooking the Obelisk, at the Petrie Court and Café, where the waiters would occasionally burst into a short, but effective rendition of Happy Birthday for a customer.
Our next foray was to the Arms and Armour exhibition as we had never seen anything like that before. And it was fabulous. Such incredibly detailed and heavy pieces of art, meant for combat.
Needless to say, wherever you are headed you will get sidetracked by something or other as you catch glimpses of different exhibitions. Our next ‘list’ item was the 19th and 20th century European Masters, which we enjoyed. By now the rain has eased sufficiently for the Roof Garden to be opened in the late afternoon. Whilst carefully walking around the fabulous sculpture which takes up most of the roof space, we had wonderful views over Central Park and the surrounding buildings.
Another stop back at the shop and then up to the balcony to enjoy a glass of champagne and a cheese platter while listening to a string quartet playing ‘The Merry Widow’ and other classical pieces. What a lovely thing to do and in such beautiful surroundings.

We realise that we have merely scratched the surface of this vast place, but better to have seen some of it than not at all.

We then strolled up to the Guggenheim for Friday night admission, but we were dismayed and disappointed to discover that it was closed. We obviously weren’t the only ones because there were many people sitting around looking bemused.

Back on the subway to Grand Central to catch the Times Square Shuttle so that we could purchase a Seinfield T shirt (for our son) we had seen on our first night. We’ve become real pro’s at this subway thing. Once you work out the system and the terminology, you’re set. We are great admirers of it too, even if it is dirty and dingy in parts and you have to walk forever underground sometimes in hot and airless conditions! Only one of our trips so far has had air con. We were still in T shirts at 8.30pm, and it was a bit muggy after the earlier rain. I wanted another pair of casual Skechers after buying a pair in SF for about half the price at home. Luckily the Columbus Day sales had started so we both got a pair of shoes with 50% off the second ones.
Had dinner – a shared pizza – at the Brooklyn Diner again, with a well earned beer for DH (because the dear heart did a teensy weensy bit of shopping!!!)

Apart from a kerfuffle one day in the dining concourse of GC when police handcuffed some protestors, we haven’t seen any indication of aggressive or anti-social behaviour. We have been entertained a lot – by guitar players, opera singers, saxophonists, violinists, naked cowboys, muscle men, rap (?) dancers (I’m showing my age here) and the like, in a variety of places. Batman even said hello tonight.

The funniest observation (to us) is about the advertisements on TV for anything vaguely medical, which come with two-thirds of the air time explaining the negatives and warnings about the product. Then when I was reading a magazine, whole pages of these warnings (the type you usually get in the packet) followed an ad.

The end of another terrific day in this amazing city. Only 2 to go!

"The funniest observation (to us) is about the advertisements on TV for anything vaguely medical, which come with two-thirds of the air time explaining the negatives and warnings about the product. Then when I was reading a magazine, whole pages of these warnings (the type you usually get in the packet) followed an ad. "

That's why you may see another kind of TV ad for a medicine--one that tells you nothing but the product's name. The person in the ad is shown going about his or her life and says, "I was thinking that I might need Newpill. I'm going to ask my doctor about Newpill." You never get a clue what Newpill might be in aid of, though you can imply if it might apply to you by the age and gender of the person. In the U.S., as soon as a medication claims it does anything in advertising, by law it has to feature all those lengthy warnings in the advertising. I haven't a clue who reads all those teeny warnings in the magazines. . .

Still enjoying you report!

This is wonderful! You are reminding me of DH and my first visit but the added impressions of an Aussie "cousin" make it even more delightful.

I think you'll find that many Americans agree that the food portions are too much and the ads for medicine are over the top, if not dangerous.

Nice shots of Central Park. More, please!

mazj...

Great pictures of Central Park...the weather was perfect that day!

Sorry it's been a while. Next installment...

Sat 10 Oct

Before we left the hotel today we booked a Gospel Tour for tomorrow. We weren’t thrilled about doing it this way – we felt it was intrusive – but we couldn’t work out how to do it ourselves and we really didn’t want to stand for an hour or two waiting in line like we had read.

We started walking towards Grand Central with the aim of heading to Greenwich Village and/or the ferry ride which hadn’t eventuated yet! It started to rain again so we switched to the idea of the Museum of Natural History for the morning. Getting there was interesting.
We took the Shuttle thinking we would have to walk above ground to 8th Ave but there was a long corridor underground. Then after we caught the C train to 81st St., we assumed we needed to walk to the museum but the station was at the entrance. Cool!
We reckoned on paying extra for the Hayden Planetarium but the guy charged us the normal fee. We thought that was a little strange until we looked more closely at our tickets and they were for Seniors. Grey hair pays!

We walked around the Rose Centre looking at various exhibits before the ‘Journey to the Stars’ began. What an awesome and spectacular experience.
The vastness, the enormity of the universe is made so clear on the images projected onto the overhead dome ceiling. It is all over in 25 mins, but so worth it! DH actually felt that he understood the Big Bang Theory for the first time.
Next we headed for the Dinosaurs – a must see – and not just for us judging by the crowds.
We followed this up with a look at the Biodiversity and Human Origins section. While walking around, you see parts of other, much older exhibits, before the latest technology took over. They were so static by comparison.

Exiting on Columbus Ave, we ran into ‘Crafts on Columbus’ – a very high quality market which we enjoyed browsing through. While having a coffee across the road we spied a bus stop and a bus going to West village so we thought we might try that for a change and see life in NYC from above! It was an interesting journey, but with stops every 50 to 100 metres it took quite some time. Eavesdropping (but not deliberately so) on one of the conversations on the bus was like being in an American sit com. ‘And he was, like, all right, OK, whatever’. LOL.

Sort of followed our noses at Christopher St and then walked down Bleecker St which I had read about. There was really nice shopping to be had here if you wanted. Saw a queue at a corner and discovered it was Magnolia Bakery. DH didn’t seem interested at all! Turned into Perry St, because it looked so beautiful with all the brownstones and stoops.
Was the one with the chain across it Carrie’s stoop? Continued walking towards Washington Square and found another craft market where we did buy some trinkets. Walked through the Square, and saw various musicians and a young couple walking a Great Dane and a Chihuahua. So funny!
Some beautiful architecture alongside various erotica shops.
Two other observations we found interesting – one was the enclosed dog walking and socialising area (so cute) and the other was the discovery by DH that there were no stalls (meaning doors or walls) in the men’s public loo. How very ancient Roman!

Because it was so pleasant late in the afternoon we made a snap decision to ride the Staten Island Ferry (at last!) and see the SOL and Lower Manhattan at sunset. Found a subway line straight to South Ferry. The 6 o’clock ferry didn’t actually arrive until 6.25pm but it was still light as we left and there was a lovely pink sky behind the SOL. We had gone to the right side as suggested in numerous places and after reaching Staten Island we reboarded the same ferry (via a long walk) and went to the front of the lower deck to see the city lights. Although windy and a little chilly it was a clear night and a wonderful sight. Just wish I could work out how to take better night shots while moving!

Reverse subway trip back to Christopher St and a walk down to Tio Pepe for a shared paella. We enjoyed this busy place. Then (much to DH’s amusement) I just had to walk back to see if Magnolia Bakery was still open. It was - and the queue was very short. The smell wafting from the shop was irresistible and DH was hooked! Bought four cupcakes including the wicked Red Velvet and went straight across to the park to drink the coffee and eat 2 of them. TO – DIE – FOR! They are gorgeous.

Another subway ride (see - we reckon we have this conquered!) back to Times Square, then the Shuttle to Grand Central and walk home. We have an early pick up tomorrow for the Gospel tour.
Our biggest disappointment (if you can call it that) was not having enough time to fully explore the area around West Village and beyond. The ferry ride and bus trip certainly ate into our wandering time, but both were worthwhile experiences.

So far we have ticked off most things on our ‘to do’ list – and then some. We are bushed but want to keep pushing on. Only one more day to go!

Since coming home we have discussed how many other neighbourhoods we would like to have explored – but we couldn’t say any longer. For the first trip there are so many things you ‘must’ do. We would love to come back.
DH is starting to say that NYC has replaced Paris as his favourite city in the world!

mazj - your report is a delight to read. I'm impressed how far north you road in the park - there are some pretty big hills along the way. (And yes, I do know how lucky we are to have the park. My fantasy is to live across the street from it!) Like you, I never get tired of seeing the Chrysler Bldg. So glad your visit was such a positive one.

Looking forward to the rest. DH and I live near DC and have made it our Sunday place to visit over the years. So glad you enjoyed NYC!

>>

Isn't it, though? We bought some fabulous candles for our Chanukah menorah there a couple of years ago.

Sun 11 Oct (Last full day in New York – sob!)

It was a lovely morning so we walked down to Bloom’s for breakfast – really should have made the effort to go to Pershing Square. Walked up Lexington Ave to the Radisson on 47th for the pick up at 7.50am. We were still picking up latecomers at 8.45am.

Our guide had said we are going to the Memorial Church whereas the concierge said it would definitely be the Abyssinian which we were keen on.
Well, except for the actual Gospel Service itself, the rest of this tour could not be recommended. We saw Columbus Circle, looked inside St John the Divine very briefly, went past the Dakota, had a quick look down a very old street (the oldest in New York??), drove past the Apollo Theatre and some very ordinary parts of Harlem and then ended up in the Bronx, seeing Yankee Stadium because the bus driver wasn’t sure where he was going. We are generally positive people who try to make the best of any situation but we had trouble finding the redeeming qualities of this part of the tour. Even the windows on the bus were too dirty for photos, there was no loo paper in the onboard toilet and there were things advertised on the brochure that we didn’t see and the whole tour felt less than professional. However…

Memorial Church is very small and had a wonderfully intimate feeling even if it was ‘wired for sound’! The Gospel music service was excellent – audience participation encouraged in the form of standing and clapping. A really good choir made it all the better. We were ushered out after an hour and this would have emptied the church by about half. We were certainly made to feel very welcome and not intrusive. We’re glad we went.
The bus dropped us back at the Sheraton so we had a shared burger at Maison and decided to walk around here and then up 5th Ave.

Found skaters on the rink at the Rockefeller Centre, and another MET shop for more browsing. We stopped frequently and watched parts of the Hispanic Day parade and continued looking up for interesting architecture. (I forget to mention earlier on that I love the Chanin Building as well.)
Stumbled upon Bryant Park again – what a lovely Sunday afternoon place – petanque, ping pong tables, picnics on the grass, a carousel and a wedding party – it has a real Parisian feel. So many tables and chairs around – our own parks and gardens would benefit enormously from this service. Loved the ‘Reading Room’! Naturally we stayed for a coffee.

We didn’t bother with our map, just kept heading in the general direction of the Empire State Building. We loved walking through part of the Garment District with the many shops devoted entirely to bits and bobs and beads. We burst onto Herald Square without realising it and couldn’t believe the pulsing atmosphere around Macy’s. Again, all the tables and chairs and umbrellas gave it a unique feel. We rode the escalators (the wooden ones reminded me of Myer’s many, many years ago) up a few floors, had a brief look around and came back down again. So many people! Every time I thought I would love to shop and browse for hours, I also remembered what other experiences or sights I might miss out on.

The ESB is so much nicer when viewed close up – all the window frames are red. We had no intention of going up to the 104th floor (or any floor for that matter!) even if it was only an hour wait. Even if it was no wait!!!
Had a walk around the lobby which is beautiful and then grabbed a bag of peanuts from a vendor outside to nibble on the way back home. It was very interesting approaching our hotel from the opposite direction after so many days. Gosh, you could wander around NYC forever – everything is exciting! We put our feet up for a well deserved rest, had a cup of tea and then a lie down before heading out for our last evening in New York. We chose Rossini because it was close by and someone had recommended it on one of the forums as being ‘old school’ New York. That appealed to us.

While the piano was tinkling in the background we began musing on our favourite aspects of New York and our general feelings. Firstly, we felt incredibly safe – never even uneasy. We found New Yorkers very polite – I often inadvertently walked in front of people or kept left instead of right and it was always they who quickly apologised first. So many ‘Pardon me’s’ or ‘I’m sorry’. Their helpfulness was outstanding. Every time we had a map open, someone would ask if they could assist us. The police presence is huge, but not oppressive – it adds to the feeling of safety. But it was funny watching the very young policemen checking their mobile phones! We became fans of the subway and never got lost on it. Central Park is truly awesome and beautiful. The architecture of the city is magnificent.
Seven nights was not enough – there are obviously so many more local experiences to be had. San Francisco we really enjoyed, but New York we leave with a heavy heart.

Rossini’s was a lovely place to end our stay, serious and old fashioned as it was. Our meals were cooked beautifully and we lingered over an extra final wine in order to make the evening last a little longer before going back to the hotel to pack. Upon leaving we noticed all the photos of celebrities, including Presidents, who had dined there.

Mon 12 Oct – Columbus Day

Unfortunately we needed to be at Penn Station by 9am for our trip to Washington DC which meant we couldn’t see any of the festivities.

A big thank you again to Fodorites and Trip Advisors for all the help and advice ensuring our stay was the best we could make it. I can’t see us coming back, despite a huge desire to do so, but never say never – I might win Tattslotto! And thanks to people who read the trip reports and make the effort worthwhile.

Maz