New York day 11/12 September 2019

After Kate & Kean headed back to Cape Town I relocated from Brooklyn to Manhattan. For a first time visitor Brooklyn is a little far out of town. I wouldn't mind going back and spending some time exploring the fantastic Prospect Park, Coney Island, the Botanic Garden and other places around there. It's very different from Manhattan.

Midtown I stayed in a Pod hotel which was adequate at best. It was pretty expensive and lacked what I consider the basic amenities - bathroom (down the corridor), kettle, bar fridge. Not much to ask for, at that price. But it was central, so a lot of walking happened.  Rockefeller Centre was the first stop for lunch.

Lunch - Chicken Teriyaki Bun. Pretty good.

Grand Central Station - so familiar from the movies. It's huge - 48 acres and 44 platforms (and more being built)! More than any other railway station in the world. So impressive and the beautiful ceiling with the constellations in the main concourse - lucky they're used to tourists, as gawping happens..

Out early the next day, it was still pretty hot - mid 30's. I did a lot of walking this day - for a start, up to Central Park. 

Iconic New York scenes.

Trump Towers, big, brash, ostentatious.

The under renovation Apple Store on 5th Ave, just across from Central Park, with it's (temporary) iridescent wrapping is spectacular.

This statue is Sherman, his horse and Victory. He is credited with helping to end the Civil war and coined the phase 'War is hell'. I wonder how he is faring in June 2020?

New York is completely overwhelming. It's noisy, busy, unrelenting, so to find Central Park at the centre of this chaos saves the day. It's also overwhelming in it's own way in that it's enormous - 843 acres. I walked and walked and walked and walked, and still only covered a small portion of the park. I got lost too. But its green and cool in the heat, it's meant for people, there are benches and other places to sit. I loved it. And there is just so much to look at.

If you have a spare $3500, you can dedicate a paving stone to special cause/person/memory on the Gilder Run which will support the Central Park Conservency.

Hey, Christopher Columbus ...

Back to the glorious chaos ...

New York, September 2019

Day 2 or could have been 3 ?!

Underneath Times Square - this is as close as we got to Times Square. With only a few days, we had to choose what we wanted to see and most advice was 'don't bother'. So we just changed trains here.

Still in the station, we apparently missed out on a lot of art, but we did get to see these ceramic panels  by Tony Buonagrio, located in passageways between the platforms. The installation is called 'Times Square Times : 35 Times'. Loved them! So bright and cheerful.

Cool people - acting the part.

Hopping out at Hudson Yards, the not without controversy new development above the railway yards which has been accused of being elitist. It's the biggest private real estate deal in US history and will incorporate massive new residental and commercial skyscrapers, gardens, a top end shopping mall, The Shed cultural centre and what we had come to see - The Vessel - a 46 metre tall climbable sculpture consisting of interlocking flights of stairs. Otherwise known as The Beehive for obvious reasons.

It looks intimidatingly high, but it's not. The stairs are easibly climbable and before you know it, you're on top with all the amazing views. Give it a try if you're in NY.

The Shed - a new centre for the arts has a telescoping outer shell which can deploy from over the base building and glide along rails onto an adjoining plaza to double the building’s footprint. Mind boggling!

Mom and daughter - these days we're only togetther once or twice a year, so we need to take pictures.

The Vessel, dwarfed by the new skyscapers.

Close by is the High Line - a freight rail line which had been abandoned for 25 years, now transformed into a public park. It's owned by the City but maintained and operated by private citizens and community residents in conjunction with the Dept of Parks & Recreations. It really is a breath of fresh air in the middle of this sometimes overwhelming city and the views are amazing.

It's 2.3 km long with art installations, murals, viewing platforms (just don't stop in the pathway! New Yorkers object vociferously) of city panoramas, benches, and has access on and off the walkway all along the length of it. Because it's not very wide, no cyclists or dogs allowed.

I really like this picture. When I took it I didn't even realise that the Empire State Building was in the background. It really tells a story.

After lunch at the Chelsea Market in the Meat Packing district (no pictures for some reason. What could possibly have happened?)

Some more art in an underground station - tiny brass figures by Tom Otterness representing life in NYC, they've been there since 2001.

We managed to find the famous FlatIron building (mainly because we saw it in Spiderman). Tick

But then it really was time for a drink.so up to 230 on Fifth roof top bar with a great view of the Empire State Building (another ' don't bother' suggestion. Better to see it from the outside).

Farewell drinks to these two as they were heading back to SA the next morning. I'm so glad we arranged to meet up here.