After landing at JFK Airport, we caught the train to Manhattan. Unbeknown to us, we caught the express train, which didn't stop anywhere near our stop. We needed to get off at 96th St, and the closest two stops on the express were 59th St or 125th St! So we opted for 125 St, not a good idea. As we came out of the Subway and started walking the streets, we realised that we were in the middle of Harlem. Picture it, two whities, looking like the classic tourist, lugging suitcases, backpack, duffel bag and shoulder bags, walking through the middle of Harlem. We did get a few strange glances from the locals, probably wondering why on earth these two white tourists would be crazy enough to be walking on their turf! Needless to say, after walking around 10 blocks, we decided to catch a cab to take us to our hotel!
After arriving safely at the hotel (praise God) and unpacking, we took a lesiurely stroll to Central Park, which was 3 blocks away from our hotel.
On Saturday, we were up early as we had a full day ahead of us. We caught the subway to the southern part of Manhattan. Our first stop was the World Trade Center site. From there we went to Trinity Church, Wall St, New York Stock Exchange and Battery Park, where we got our first glimpse of Lady Liberty! Next stop was South Street Seaport, where I bought us tickets to Phantom of the Opera for that evening!
We paused briefly in Pier 17 for brunch and then boarded the Staten Island Ferry, which gave us awesome views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the skyline of NYC! I also met another South African family onboard the ferry!!!!
After the boat ride, it was back to the subways to take us to midtown Manhattan. When we surfaced, we gazed upon the Flat Iron Building, and then the tallest building in Manhattan, the Empire State Building! Walking up Fifth Avenue, we also visited the World's Largest Department Store, Macy's. The New York Public Library was our next stop, on our way to Grand Central Station, where we again took few minutes for dinner! By this time the sun was setting and we made our way back to a subway via Rockerfeller Center. 
The Rockerfeller Christmas tree was still up and it was a magnificent sight! We also headed up to the top of the Rockerfeller Building for amazing evening views of New York City. This was definitely one of my highlights of the whirlwind NYC visit. But we didn't have the luxury of being able to spend much time to take everything in, as we had to get back to the hotel so we could freshen up for Broadway!
At 7:00pm we headed to the Subway and headed for Times Square! This is always an awesome experience, standing in the middle of Times Square and staring goggle-eyed at all the electronic billboards, TV's and Newstickers that illumimate this corner of Manhattan!!! But again, not too much time to absorb the atmosphere, as our Phantom of the Opera beckoned us! The play was excellent! I was more impressed with the props and the special effects than the acting and singing ;-) but that's just me. The cast did receive a standing ovation at the end of the show, so it was definitely a quality performance, and a great climax to end my tour of NYC!
On Sunday morning, I was all packed and ready to leave at around 9pm, to make my way back to the airport. I travelled with my mom on the Subway for the last time, and we said an emotional farewell at the 42nd Street station. From there she went to further explore NYC, whilst I headed back to Cleveland! It was wonderful to have her with us for the special holiday of Christmas, and for her to play with and take part in Nathan's life! I know that he will miss his gogo! Anyway, as our life returns to normal again, and my mom starts her homeward journey on Wednesday, I wish you all goodnight, as the snow falls outside our apartment and we look forward to a maximum of -2C!
No comments:
Post a Comment