Day 18 - Finding Lady Liberty
As the title suggests, the main plan of attack today was to see the Status of Liberty. As we had a late night, we were a little slow getting up this morning however we soon hit the subway and commenced the journey to the Statue of Liberty.
To get there we had to take the subway to Times Square, a shuttle train to Grand Central Station and then another subway down to Battery Park where the Staten Island Ferry leaves. As we were passing through Grand Central Station we took the time to check out the Main Hall of the Grand Central Terminal. This is an mazing piece of architecture so we took time out to order a coffee and watch all the commuters and tourists (bloody tourists - ha ha) scuttle across the floor on their way to wherever they were headed. It is great to sit back and take it all in and be thankful for the experience that we are having.
Now I say order a coffee as the one thing you learn early when you hit the US is that they do not have the ability to make good coffee. In fact so far, every coffee wave had has been terrible. The milk is burnt and they use only half the amount of coffee so basically you end up drinking overcooked milk.
We then hopped back onto the train and headed to the Staten Island Ferry. Now we could have paid to go on a specific charter boat out to Liberty Island and walk around looking up at the Statue of Liberty however as you are no longer allowed to climb to the top this seemed pointless when we could catch the Staten Island Ferry for free. The ferry goes directly past the statue and as long as you have a camera with a decent lens or a zoom, you can take some great photo's as you pass by. When you arrive at Staten island, a quick walk through the terminal and you can board the return ferry. Basically this is what we did. It is around a 20 minute trip there and 20 minutes back however the view was first class and Jacqui and the kids had the chance to see an American Icon in real life.
After seeing the Statue of Liberty, we then walked up to Wall Street and checked out the big brass bull prior to making our way to the NY Stock Exchange. Post this we then spent some time at Ground Zero where construction has commenced on a memorial to September 11 in the guise of a plaza and museum. As I was here in 2004 and again in 2005 it was great to see that it appears that the grieving process has ceased and the rebuilding process has commenced. This is not to say that the memories of September 11 will be forgotten however it certainly is a positive step forward in the healing process.
Directly opposite Ground Zero is New York's equivalent to DFO being Century 21. Now the best way to describe Century 21 is to think what Myer looks like post Boxing Day sale and then add in the crowd that exists on Boxing Day sale and there you have it. This place is crazy however the bargains are certainly worth the pushing, shoving and rudeness. Jacqui and Talia added to their bag collection, Zac added to his t-shirt collection and I have upgraded my underwear collection as well as snagging a cool pair of Converse Boots.
On the way home we also experienced the subway at peak times and what the Japanese feel like when they are shoved onto the train. The carriage we were entering was already full when we were squeezed on when a larger person with a back pack decided the 2 inch space near me was sufficient for him to squeeze into. All this resulted in was people falling over people who were sitting down and everyone basically standing nose to nose. As the train is express from Times Square to 72nd Street (our stop) we only had to tolerate the claustrophobic conditions for about 5 minutes.
Tomorrow was are planning on finding the Nike, Apple, Hollister and other stores like GAP etc prior to hitting up the Rockefeller Centre and 5th Avenue - Donald Trump here we come.
To get there we had to take the subway to Times Square, a shuttle train to Grand Central Station and then another subway down to Battery Park where the Staten Island Ferry leaves. As we were passing through Grand Central Station we took the time to check out the Main Hall of the Grand Central Terminal. This is an mazing piece of architecture so we took time out to order a coffee and watch all the commuters and tourists (bloody tourists - ha ha) scuttle across the floor on their way to wherever they were headed. It is great to sit back and take it all in and be thankful for the experience that we are having.
Now I say order a coffee as the one thing you learn early when you hit the US is that they do not have the ability to make good coffee. In fact so far, every coffee wave had has been terrible. The milk is burnt and they use only half the amount of coffee so basically you end up drinking overcooked milk.
We then hopped back onto the train and headed to the Staten Island Ferry. Now we could have paid to go on a specific charter boat out to Liberty Island and walk around looking up at the Statue of Liberty however as you are no longer allowed to climb to the top this seemed pointless when we could catch the Staten Island Ferry for free. The ferry goes directly past the statue and as long as you have a camera with a decent lens or a zoom, you can take some great photo's as you pass by. When you arrive at Staten island, a quick walk through the terminal and you can board the return ferry. Basically this is what we did. It is around a 20 minute trip there and 20 minutes back however the view was first class and Jacqui and the kids had the chance to see an American Icon in real life.
After seeing the Statue of Liberty, we then walked up to Wall Street and checked out the big brass bull prior to making our way to the NY Stock Exchange. Post this we then spent some time at Ground Zero where construction has commenced on a memorial to September 11 in the guise of a plaza and museum. As I was here in 2004 and again in 2005 it was great to see that it appears that the grieving process has ceased and the rebuilding process has commenced. This is not to say that the memories of September 11 will be forgotten however it certainly is a positive step forward in the healing process.
Directly opposite Ground Zero is New York's equivalent to DFO being Century 21. Now the best way to describe Century 21 is to think what Myer looks like post Boxing Day sale and then add in the crowd that exists on Boxing Day sale and there you have it. This place is crazy however the bargains are certainly worth the pushing, shoving and rudeness. Jacqui and Talia added to their bag collection, Zac added to his t-shirt collection and I have upgraded my underwear collection as well as snagging a cool pair of Converse Boots.
On the way home we also experienced the subway at peak times and what the Japanese feel like when they are shoved onto the train. The carriage we were entering was already full when we were squeezed on when a larger person with a back pack decided the 2 inch space near me was sufficient for him to squeeze into. All this resulted in was people falling over people who were sitting down and everyone basically standing nose to nose. As the train is express from Times Square to 72nd Street (our stop) we only had to tolerate the claustrophobic conditions for about 5 minutes.
Tomorrow was are planning on finding the Nike, Apple, Hollister and other stores like GAP etc prior to hitting up the Rockefeller Centre and 5th Avenue - Donald Trump here we come.
