Here we are then. My last week of traveling :( Going to miss not seeing new, exciting things every single day. Soon, the best views I will be able to get will be from Aruba or the Bournemouth Balloon. As you are all aware, I am now in Manhattan/ Big apple/ New York! Not a bad place to finish up really! I arrived yesterday (Friday) at 3pm and caught a shuttle to my hotel. I had forgotten what cold air felt like on the face until I stepped out of the airport. It's freezing here. There's been a fair bit of snow here recently and there was still some lingering around yesterday too. My hotel isn't great, but it's in a good location. West 30th Street on 7th Avenue is really close to Empire State Building and not far from Times Square. I was knackered after my flight (no surprises there) due to the fact I slept at the airport the night before. But still, I got changed etc and headed out. With it being night time by this point, I thought there would be nowhere better to see at night than Times Square. I had a quick wander down 7th Avenue by my hotel coming across the expected e.g McDonalds, Starbucks. (How many Starbucks does a place need? It's extraordinary.) I did the dirty thing and got a McDonald's as I really couldn't be bothered to look around and I was starving. I got my subway week pass and then went to Times Square. The subway is basically the same as the London Underground. There's virtually no difference to me.
As I walked out of Times Square station the lights hit me... BAM. Everywhere you look; left,right,up,down there was just bright colour and lights. I'm not mocking it, but if you had photosensitive epilepsy you wouldn't have a good evening out put it that way. I walked down 42nd street, pausing every few moments to take some pictures. I have never ever not known where to look more than down this street! I kept walking and then round the corner, back onto 7th Avenue (Road names here aren't exactly exciting but it makes it far easier to navigate around.) As I turned, the bright lights and tall advertising billboards mounted onto buildings,multiplied. It really is quite an incredible sight. Especially at night time. The streets are lined with big shops like the humungous Toys R Us store or the huge M&M shop (not the rapper). The McDonalds LED sign itself was about half the size of the Ferndown branch. I kept walking further down, not knowing again where to be looking. I took tons and tons of photos, but like may times before. They couldn't quite match what I was seeing! In the middle of the square, there is a statue and some stairs to walk up and look back down the street. At the top of the stairs is a balcony with a camera, which if you are in the shot... you can see yourself on a building above! On these stairs you get great views of the tall buildings and the lights. It's funny how a set of adverts on buildings can create such a spectacular sight. It was so packed you could barely move, but I think this is one of the main places to be at night. I was feeling the effects of no sleep so I made my way through the floods of tourists, comedy show ticket sellers, liberty statue impressionists (yep, really) and tramps and made my way back to the hotel.
This morning after a little lie in, I headed straight to the Empire State Building. I saw the building on the way from the airport and I was eager to go up and take a look. I bought a ticket from a company outside, meaning I didn't have to queue for tickets inside the building. I would go through the following 652 procedures before you actually get to the top, but I wouldn't want to bore you. I swear they made it more confusing and complicated then it really was! So busy too. Don't like crowds. Anyway, British moan over. After the lift and climbing some stairs, I was at the Observatory Deck! I stepped outside to the South side and got an amazing view of the Downtown district. The buildings nearer me were quite flat, but then gradually grew to the tall buildings in the financial district. Beyond that, I could make out Ellis Island to my right, and the Brooklyn Bridge to my left. The views were here were great, but I particularly liked the views to the North of the city. Looking out, the buildings are all fairly tall. This means you can see above and beyond them, but they are still not too far beneath you if that makes sense. Imagine looking directly down on something. It's view will be different than if you look slightly above it. I think this is what makes it such a incredible view. As I looked out, I could make out Central Park. A huge green area that just sticks out, right in the middle of the city. To the right was the river, engulfed by tall buildings. It really is quite something.
Having been to the Burj in Dubai, I am automatically skeptical about tall building look outs. I mean, what can beat the tallest building in the world for views? Well, I preferred the Empire State Building and here is why. To look at from a distance or up close, from outside the building, the Burj is stunning and beats the Empire State hands down. It's height is quite astonishing and it blew me away every time. Don't forget it is nearly triple the Empire State's height. However, at the top of the Burj wasn't quite as astonishing. You were so high up that even skyscrapers became tiny. In a way, you couldn't make anything out as you were literally on top of it. You can't make out what something is looking directly on down onto it. The Empire State however, was the perfect height to get a fantastic view of the city. It's positioned perfectly. You can see everything. Because of that, I preferred the experience to that of the Burj, even if the building itself isn't as spectacular.
After the Empire State, I walked through Madison Square Park and Union Square, which had a lovely market. They like a good park in New York, but they really add to the place. You see lots of locals on their lunch break, sitting on the benches. New Yorkers by the way are very nice. I've seen quite a few times, them offering help to anyone looking lost or reading a map. They respect tourists far more than Londoners! Anyway, I got some lunch and then headed on the tube to Wall Street. Many might find the New York Stock Exchange to be incredibly boring, but I wanted to get a glimpse of it. Correct - it was boring, but quite cool to see the building. I turned a few corners, just having a wander and I came across a wide open area with some sort of construction work. I had unexpectedly walked to the site of the 9/11 attacks. I come here Monday to visit the memorial, so I won't go into detail. I looked around and saw building after building and then within this block - just nothing. I thought back to the day of the attack and imagined the carnage on the street I was standing on. It was quite surreal and sad.
I caught the tube (is that an English term?!) back northwards to Soho. Broadway runs and runs from the South of Manhattan to the very top! I walked along Broadway in Soho going in a few shops. I gave in again to the Converse shop and bought a top. They have a customised converse factory thing at the back and I had to drag myself away! After a bit of shopping (I'm not going to blog the detail of that - that would be worse than reading the dictionary), I headed back again to Times Square to see the bits I couldn't be bothered to walk to the night before...
New York so far has been really good. It reminds of London a lot. I still have loads to see and do before I can give it a full assessment really... But it's kind of impossible not to like in my eyes, just like London. On the down side, Ellis Island is closed due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy (cheers Sandy, you bitch.) I can still get a view of the Statue of Liberty from a ferry tour which I hope to do tomorrow! This time next week I am home, better make the most of the last 5 days!
