Day 1:
I arrived at the Sheraton Tribeca about three hours later than expected because of flight delays and traffic. Do flights ever depart on time anymore? It took a few minutes to navigate the subway system, but I took off for Times Square to book activities for the days ahead. Gray Line is a company that offers city tours and Broadway show tickets all under one roof. There I booked a 72 hour hop-on hop-off bus tour plus 3 attractions, and tickets to see "Spider-man Turn Off The Dark". After spending about $300 I walked over to the Rockefeller Plaza and checked out the NBC store.
THE VOICE
FRIENDS
Rockefeller Plaza courtyard
After playing around Midtown, I took the subway back to the hotel and had a delicious dinner at a small Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. That was the end of day 1.
Day 2:
Today was an exhausting day. The Gray Line 72 hour hop-on hop-off bus tour includes five loops: Uptown Loop, Downtown Loop, Bronx Tour, Brooklyn Loop, and Night Tour. Each loop is about two hours in length. Today I did three of the five loops plus the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park! Crazy, I know. It began with the Uptown Loop as follows: Central Park West, Lincoln Center, Dakota Apartments, American Museum of Natural History, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Grant's Tomb, Apollo Theatre, Harlem Market, the Museum Mile, Fifth Ave., and more. Then I transferred to the Bronx Tour with views of Yankee Stadium, the original Yankee Stadium grounds, Malcolm Shabazz Market, famous restaurants like Sylvia's and Red Rooster, Lennox Lounge, and Hostos Center for Arts & Culture. After the Bronx I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was one of the included attractions I purchased from Gray Line. It was alright. I'll include some highlights I captured in photos below. Since Museum Mile is located alongside Central Park I spent some time walking through the southern part of the park. It was quite nice and surprising to see fish and turtles and waterfalls mere minutes away from the bustling metropolis. Then I caught the Downtown Loop tour which included: Greenwich Village, Times Square, Empire State Building, Flatiron Building, Union Square, Soho, Chinatown, Little Italy, Lower East Side, East Village, Rockefeller Center, and more. After all of that I retired back to Chinatown for dinner again and then to bed. What a day!
NYC Subway Map
A view from one of the subway station platforms
Gray Line hop-on hop-off tour bus
Metropolitan Museum of Art
I think she really needs to go potty!
Carnegie Hall
Central Park South
Madison Square Garden
Flatiron Building
The church where Miranda got married in the movie "Sex and the City"
One World Trade Center
Wall Street Bull
National Museum of the American Indian
Chrysler Building
United Nations Headquarters
Times Square
Day 3:
Today I started off with Brooklyn Loop. On this tour I saw: Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Fulton Mall, New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Antique furniture district, 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue boutiques, etc. To be perfectly honest, I thought this tour was a bit boring. Here's what I captured:
Brooklyn Bridge
Home of the NBA Brooklyn Nets
The Manhattan skyline from the Williamsburg Bridge
New York County Courthouse
The Courthouse as depicted on "Law & Order"
Although unplanned, I decided to visit the 9/11 Memorial Site. I'm very glad I added this to my itinerary because it was so peaceful and beautiful. They really did a remarkable job commemorating those lost in the World Trade Center buildings.
The rectangular open areas are where the Twin Towers once stood. Now they are waterfalls surrounded by engraved plaques with the names of those lost in each building.
One World Trade Centre in construction
Later I took the subway uptown to the Empire State Building, another attraction included in my Gray Line package. To reach the observatory, you have to make your way through a labyrinth of lines and rooms and eventually up two elevators to the 86th floor. Thankfully it didn't take overly long and the view was worth it.
Empire State Building
The view from the 86th floor Observatory:
Chrysler Building to the left
Looking down:
The large green area in the centre is Central Park.
Statue of Liberty
One World Trade Center
It was time for a little break and snack after the big descent. In search of a Starbucks I happened to walk by the huge Macy's store and decided to see if they had a Starbucks inside. To my surprise they had not one but three Starbucks in Macy's! There are nine floors in this place. Here's a photo of the store and its map:
Store map of Macy's
To end the day's activities, I walked from Times Square to Hell's Kitchen to try some Thai food for dinner. It wasn't the best Thai food I've ever had but a good experience to see the variety of restaurants in the area. And, much more feasible than Restaurant Row.
Day 4:
If I had to give today a name I'd call it "Museum Day." First, I went to the American Museum of Natural History. This museum is very special because it was the setting for the 2006 movie "Night at the Museum" starring Ben Stiller. If you haven't seen it, you should; it's fun - in a kid-at-heart kind of way. Aside from the movie, the Museum of Natural History has remarkable dioramas and many interesting exhibits for all to enjoy.
American Museum of Natural History
Dum-dum, give me gum-gum!
Afterwards, I went back to Harlem for lunch at the famous soul food restaurant called Sylvia's. I went full on and ordered fried chicken and waffles, collard greens, candied yams, and corn bread. The corn bread was my favourite.
Sylvia's Restaurant
Now it was time to continue "Museum Day" at the Guggenheim. This place is more striking on the outside than in. I waited in a looooong line to see a new exhibit by James Turrell that was no more than a large dark room with two dim lights in each corner and a burlap sack in the middle. It was so anticlimactic. I don't pretend to be an art guru, but I definitely DO NOT "get" James Turrell. Or Picasso for that matter. I guess I should stick to museums with giant heads and gorillas.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
You aren't permitted to take photos inside the Guggenheim so this is the best I can give you.
Next, I went for a stroll along Park Ave. to see how the other side lives, and then took the final tour - the Night Tour. This tour is really a combination of both the Downtown Loop and the Brooklyn Loop at night with all the lights, but is not a hop-on hop-off. You get views of: Empire State Building, Chinatown, Rockefeller Center, Greenwich Village, Manhattan Bridge, Times Square, Brooklyn, etc. Personally, this is how I'd rank the five loops/tours by order from most interesting to least interesting:
1. Downtown Loop 2. Uptown Loop 3. Bronx Tour 4. Night Tour 5. Brooklyn Loop.
Theatre District
The countdown until the Super Bowl
Manhattan skyline
Brooklyn Bridge
This is a working clock!
Empire State Building
From the top of the tour bus
Day 5:
My final day was supposed to be more laid back, and I guess comparatively it was, but it still felt kinda jam packed. First, I did a little shopping in Times Square. I didn't buy much, only a photo album, tea towel, and a cute skirt at Forever 21 for $6.80! Next, I went to the Foxwoods Theatre to see "Spider-Man TURN OFF THE DARK" the musical. It was quite amazing. I've seen many different musicals and this one totally ranks up there with the best. The music (by Bono), set, costumes, and incredible aerial work make this show a must-see. It's an original.
Finally, I ended the day with a walk through Little Italy to sample some famous desserts such as gelato, cannoli, and torrone.
More Food:
It is worth mentioning the other foods I sampled while in New York. In Central Park I tried a pretzel (they have them all over the city), but it tasted no different than the pretzels I've had at the mall or cinema. Actually, I had to scrape all the salt off because it was saltier than the ocean. I also tried a slice of pizza, chicken pesto mozzarella, in Tribeca near the hotel. It was alright; nothing to write home about. However, the absolute highlight of my food adventures in New York was the Halal food from the street vendors. It was soooo good! I had it about 3-4 times and always the same, chicken/lamb over rice with salad. It was savoury and garlicky, and if we had it here in Toronto I'd be a total regular. All for $6!
Overall, I love-hated New York City. What I mean is that I loved it for all it has to offer, but also hated it for its incredible busyness. I describe walking in Times Square like trying to walk to the subway in Toronto after a sold out Blue Jays game. People are banging into you, and you have to walk in a single line if you're with company, no room for side-by-side. NYC is simply too big. I've decided that Toronto is the perfect size for me. Like good ol' Goldilocks once said, "This one is just right!"
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