So this morning it took us a little while to get going, but our hotel is close to the UN, so we thought it would be interesting to see, just to say we'd been there. We picked up the sightseeing bus from there.
It did the end of the downtown loop tour, and took us back to Times Square. We stopped off here for a spot of shopping and took a bit of time to really take in where we were.
We passed an Aeropostale, and decided to take a look. We both found a couple of bargains, but the best thing about this shop we stumbled upon without realising.
On the upstairs floor of this shop is a viewing deck, it's on Times Square, and there is a balcony that sticks out on a corner, and gives you a perfectly clear view to stand with your back to the neon lights. It looks great. And there is also an obligatory tacky Statue of Liberty.
We also decided that it would be good to stop for a drink and maybe a spot of lunch. Sightseeing is hard work, and so is shopping. So Hard Rock Cafe it is.
We had a nachos to share, which is from the Starter menu, and we were full enough for lunchtime. The portions are really huge here, everywhere! It's just one of those things that you have to think about when ordering. At home you might have a starter and main course, over here you'd really be wise to share something.
It's all very well if you can take it home in a box, but when you are travelling and staying in hotels or hostels, it's not so easy.
After that it was time to get back on the sightseeing and complete a couple of missions. A trip to Macy's is an absolute must, it's such a huge part of New York. So we walked from Times Square down to West 34th Street, via a few other shops.
We took a good look around, bought some stamps, and the went out to take in some more shops.
Time was getting on, and conscious that we still had plenty to achieve today, we needed to catch the next sightseeing bus, which we duly did, and realised that it was the last one that day.
Slightly disappointed by how early it was finishing, and this is day 2, on reflection I'm not sure I'd do a sightseeing tour bus in New York again.
Don't get me wrong, the routes are great, and the pre recorded commentary was great. But yesterday we had someone quite boring. This morning the guy was quite interesting. But when we got on this bus, the tour guide was actually quite rude, and patronising, and if I'd been paying enough attention to understand him, I think he was actually quite offensive.
With the knowledge and experience I have now, I would certainly do New York sightseeing on my own terms next time. You might not see much when you're underground on the Subway, but it's all part of the experience, and. It gets you from A to B pretty quickly.
Escaping the rude tour guide who as we leapt off the bus at Battery Park told us "This us the last bus, you will get a taxi back right?" - No we don't intend or need to get a taxi, we'll figure out the public transport. Tourists we might be, but inexperienced we are not!
Just across text street was our next destination, a first for me, a trip on the Staten Island Ferry.
As we arrived in the Ferry terminal, we realised that we should probably try and get something to eat. Not knowing how long the trip would be, or what we would find on the other side, and plus, we intended on coming straight back on the next ferry. So we grabbed a slice of pizza which was more than enough for us as a meal. Taking our coffees with us, in the way that we're learning everyone does, we went to catch the ferry.
The great thing about the Staten Island ferry, is that it's free. It's listed in all the guidebooks as the best way to see the Statue of Liberty for free from the river. There used to be a 40 cent charge for the ferry, but Giuliani abolished the fare when he was mayor.
Awesome, so this half hour or so trip across the Hudson is completely free. And the view is amazing. More amazing views, last night it was Top of the Rock, and tonight Statue of Liberty. You just really have to see it to appreciate it. Reaching up from the tip of Manhattan are two beams of light. They reach as far as you can see and they pool in the sky. It's so strong and powerful, we both felt a little moved by the sight.
It's the memorial to the Twin Towers. It's good to recognise the tragic events. But there's something about emitting those huge, powerful beams into the sky, more visible in many ways than the Twin Towers were, that seems almost too much. It's very gung-ho American. It's almost too much, but it's almost tear jerking too, it's something intangible, visible but not physical that represents such a gap in the lower Manhattan skyline.
The loss isn't visible, but it's present in the hearts of the people who live there.
We got off the ferry, and turned around and got straight back on the next one.
Returning to Manhattan, we found a bus which I thought would get us back to where we wanted to be in Midtown.
It was a long route, but it completely coincidentally took us back to where we'd started this morning, right by the UN again.
From here we walked up to Grand Central Station, eventually found our way in, and as it was fairly late, found it fairly quiet. The food court downstairs was closed, the shops were closed. Disappointingly as the shops here are pretty good.
But the station is still beautiful, it's immense!
Back out on the street, we headed back to Times Square, we were really looking for some tacky gift shops, but didn't find anything in them that suited what we wanted at a price we were prepared to pay. So we took a good look around, Cath bought a watch from the Swatch shop, and eventually we decided to head back to our hotel. Despite our late start, we'd made the most of our time, and it was around midnight.
Tomorrow is travelling day, so we definitely needed to get back and get some rest.
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