Our first Amtrak journey from Boston to New York was a real pleasurable trip with comfortable seats, lots of leg room and many coastal views of inlets, bays and small harbour towns; even the restrooms were nice. We purchased a METRO card in order to have unlimited subway travel throughout our NY stay, which was such a good idea, then battled our way with large suitcases on to a subway train going 'Uptown' towards Harlem.
We were based in Spanish Harlem, Manhattan, on Madison Avenue and just one block from Central Park in an Airbnb apartment belonging to a lovely young professional from Chicago called Mariella, who we rarely saw. She assured us it was all very safe in this area despite our initial concerns.
We packed as much as we could in to our three full days here and we must have walked so many miles in addition to our subway rides but we both agreed that we loved New York.
The free harbour ferry down to Staten Island is very popular with tourists and we joined the throng to get wonderful views of the Statue of Liberty, the Hudson River, the East River and the famous Manhattan skyline. We enjoyed the walk right over the Brooklyn Bridge so much that instead of getting transport back we walked the return trip too. It was so warm again that we were in tee shirts once again. In spite of the inevitable queueing our Empire State Building visit was great and we timed it perfectly such that we caught the views in the last of the daylight, watched the sun go down over New Jersey to the west and then waited while Manhattan illuminated itself.
We normally avoid Irish pubs when we travel but as the Irish are still prevalent in New York since their potato famine exodus it seemed appropriate to try one and we found a terrific, cosy place with good food and more than 40 draft craft beers. And no, we didn't try all of them.
Grand Central Station was even larger and grander than I had imagined and was a real treat to walk round. We popped in to many other recommended buildings in the same district - the Chrysler Building (once the tallest in the world), many Art Deco constructions with stylish interiors and even Trump Towers. On exiting the latter we were greeted by a protest group, a packed crowd, numerous police officers and even Donald Trump himself. It was all great fun but we realised that it was actually a fake Trump.
The Flat Iron building (also once the tallest in the world) was an incredible shape and very photogenic and of course we had to call in to Macy's - but only to use the restrooms.
We found the Highline walkway, after a bit of a lost wander, which is a really clever use of an old disused railway line and quite a relief to stroll above the roads and traffic for a change. There were even some welcome wooden loungers for a well earned half-hour afternoon doze.
We had kept Broadway and Times Square for an evening item and were not disappointed. The streets were so garish, light and bright with screens and adverts on all of the buildings to dazzle and bewilder the brain, there was even a large viewing terrace which holds hundreds of people all trying to take everything in; it was terrific.
On our third day we explored parts of the wonderful Central Park and passed Strawberry Fields, the John Lennon tribute garden designed by Yoko Ono, the boating lake and strolled along many of the landscaped, wooded footpaths. Running right alongside is Fifth Avenue and we left the park to walk up the 'Museum Mile' past The Met, The Guggenheim and many other museums and ultra smart apartment buildings. On a side street we stumbled upon a film crew making a new TV series called 'Lilie' and as much as I wanted to stay and watch them we were being ushered away.
The World Trade Centre (I can't bring myself to type center) and the 9/11 memorial were our afternoon stop. I felt very emotional seeing all of the names on the large rectangular pools where the Twin Towers had once stood and was amazed by the new World Trade Centre so close by. This whole area has been an enormous project and is so impressive with an underground shopping mall of a very modern, original design. This all linked through to the World Finance Centre which has a magnificent winter garden atrium, the glass panels of which all had to be replaced after the 9/11 attack. We really liked the outside plaza and waterfront location too as an escape from the hubbub.
To end our stay we had a delicious three course meal in a little French Bistro in the smart Upper Eastside district on Madison Avenue.
New York is a fabulous city, it is bustling, buzzing and so diverse with old and new side by side, ostentatious buildings everywhere and iconic sites. There is a huge police presence, often heavily armed, but we felt vey safe throughout our stay. Yes it is expensive but there is also so much to do to and see which costs nothing. We were here for four nights but still didn't have time to go into any museums, other than a quick peep at the architecture inside, especially as our weather was so good that it was nicer to be outside.
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