We are doing tours this trip. Lots of.
In NYC, we have two. The first one is an 8-hr tour of the city.
We meet our co-travellers at the Grey Line office just outside Times Square. One of the reasons we chose Times Square for accommodation, I imagine.
Once again, Sarah could teach these people a thing or two about organisation. This is going to be a theme.
While waiting to be directed to our bus, there are a couple of women nearby who are, well, high maintenance. As we head to the bus, Sarah is dreading spending the day with them. Luckily, they were in a group of 6, and there were only 2 spots left on the bus. Just room for us. The group of 6 and those other unsuspecting souls behind us will be on the next bus, just over there.
Phew! Crisis averted.
So off we go around town, with an odd little man as tour guide. Russian, I think.
We head up north from Times Square to the upper west side. This is the area to the left of Central Park. Famous people live here. And die here. One of the most impressive buildings we saw is called the Dakota Building. This is where John Lennon lived.
We then took a walk through the park to a place called Strawberry Fields, a memorial to him. It is within sight of the Dakota.
There are some beautiful little nooks and hidden crannies in Central Park. We saw just a fraction.
We also saw Riverside Church in Harlam, one of the largest churches in New York. Sarah was surprised to hear that it is also a Baptist Church, because it is a really beautiful building.
Most Baptist churches are usually rather spartan buildings, with none of the pomp and ceremony of the wealthy churches.
The tour is a good way to get an overview. Not a hop-on-hop-off this time, but good none the less.
Had lunch at an Italian restaurant downtown, had a wander around the new buildings replacing the twin towers, a ride on a ferry to drive past the Statue of Liberty, and then a ride to the top of the Rockefeller Centre, to get a look at the city from a long way up.
The 911 monuments are quite remarkable.
First, there are two, sited in the exact locations previously occupied by the two towers.
Next, each is made up from the clever use of a series of waterfalls. The first four waterfalls complete the square footprint, and pour seamlessly over the infinity edge and into the pool below.
In the centre of the pool is a smaller set of four waterfalls, forming another square, allowing the water to tumble further.
This use of edgeless infinity waterfalls adds a sense of tranquility to the solemn location.
Having the name of each victim laser cut into a series of bronze parapets that enclose the waterfalls, completing the memorial with the required gravitas.
There is no avoiding the raw emotion of the structure.
There were a couple of times when we got fought in the New York traffic, so had to take alternate routes.
The worst was over by the UN building. The president is in town tomorrow, and the barricades are here to make sure that inconvenience is maximised.
In NYC, we have two. The first one is an 8-hr tour of the city.
We meet our co-travellers at the Grey Line office just outside Times Square. One of the reasons we chose Times Square for accommodation, I imagine.
Once again, Sarah could teach these people a thing or two about organisation. This is going to be a theme.
While waiting to be directed to our bus, there are a couple of women nearby who are, well, high maintenance. As we head to the bus, Sarah is dreading spending the day with them. Luckily, they were in a group of 6, and there were only 2 spots left on the bus. Just room for us. The group of 6 and those other unsuspecting souls behind us will be on the next bus, just over there.
Phew! Crisis averted.
So off we go around town, with an odd little man as tour guide. Russian, I think.
We then took a walk through the park to a place called Strawberry Fields, a memorial to him. It is within sight of the Dakota.
There are some beautiful little nooks and hidden crannies in Central Park. We saw just a fraction.
We also saw Riverside Church in Harlam, one of the largest churches in New York. Sarah was surprised to hear that it is also a Baptist Church, because it is a really beautiful building.
Most Baptist churches are usually rather spartan buildings, with none of the pomp and ceremony of the wealthy churches.
The tour is a good way to get an overview. Not a hop-on-hop-off this time, but good none the less.
Had lunch at an Italian restaurant downtown, had a wander around the new buildings replacing the twin towers, a ride on a ferry to drive past the Statue of Liberty, and then a ride to the top of the Rockefeller Centre, to get a look at the city from a long way up.
The 911 monuments are quite remarkable.
First, there are two, sited in the exact locations previously occupied by the two towers.
Next, each is made up from the clever use of a series of waterfalls. The first four waterfalls complete the square footprint, and pour seamlessly over the infinity edge and into the pool below.
In the centre of the pool is a smaller set of four waterfalls, forming another square, allowing the water to tumble further.
This use of edgeless infinity waterfalls adds a sense of tranquility to the solemn location.
Having the name of each victim laser cut into a series of bronze parapets that enclose the waterfalls, completing the memorial with the required gravitas.
There is no avoiding the raw emotion of the structure.
There were a couple of times when we got fought in the New York traffic, so had to take alternate routes.
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