20th – 25th June (never long enough)
Anyone who knows me well knows my love of Frank Sinatra and his music, so you can sing that title as you read it.
Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew Yooooooooooooooooooooooooooooork. I’m gonna wake up, in the city, that never sleeps….
Well anyway.
Leaving London was super easy, our transfer driver was supurb, he knew all the back streets so we avoided the majority of the traffic and the view was lovely. We got there with plenty of time to spare which resulted in no stress.
Our flight from London to Newark was with Lufthansa, the last of them thank god. Never gonna fly with them again. Never ever.
Stats to date:
- Hours in the air 49.5 hours
- Number of flights 14
- Number of airlines to never fly with again 1
We arrived in New York on the most beautiful afternoon, the views were amazing. We landed at Newark airport in New Jersey so we could easily see the Manhattan skyline in the distance.
We were both very excited to be in New York. I had not been since 1999! A life time ago. And we were going to catch up with some old friends.
Our First Evening – A Night of WTF
We arrived, got our bags, found our transfer driver – a very nice man, originally from Pakistan and so thrilled that we were from New Zealand as Pakistan had just beaten India in the cricket and he thought we would understand his excitement – needless to say we faked it.
The tip into Manhattan was very fast, I was expecting gridlock and chaos, but it was remarkably smooth. Especially considering it was the middle of the afternoon.
But the honking had started, the call of the impatient driver. I wonder if they actually believe that honking will work, that traffic will immediately free up and start moving just because they have bashed on their horn? The thoughts that go through my head…
I had booked us a hotel in Chinatown, there were several reasons for this, price, the view, and the convenience. So many people had said “oh Chinatown” so I was little worried about the hotel.
Luckily it was needless worry. The hotel was very nice and had everything we needed. The view of the Empire State Building was fabulous and the staff were very kind and thorough.
The plan was to unpack, relax, have a wander around the town, before a busy day on Wednesday 21st.
I started to unpack and Jason started to surf the TV channels.
Our plans for Wednesday were Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and then onto the New York Yankees baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels.
As Jason surfed he stumbled across the local station playing the warm up for the baseball game. Ummm, isn’t that tomorrow? Why are they warming up now, it wasn’t a replay, it was live, and the game was starting in 30 minutes.
Jason’s watch said the date was the 20th my phone and laptop put the date at the 21st.
Panic. Rushing. Getting changed. Grabbing tickets. Asking for directions to the stadium, and we flew out the door. So much for a relaxing evening.
We had bought expensive tickets, to really throw ourselves into the ambiance, so there was no way, no how we were going to miss the game!
We walked briskly to the subway, bought tickets, and jumped on the D train.
In the wrong direction.
YOU. HAVE. GOT. TO. BE. KIDDING.
So we stood with the other sardines until the next stop and changed trains. Fumbling our way about and hoping for the best. Three trains later we got back on the D (like the wonderful women at reception told us to do in the first place) and we arrive at 161st Street.
1 hour later.
The game had started and we were hot, tired, smelly, and grumpy. Oh hungry, throw hungry in there too.
Following all the people dressed in NY Yankee gear we found the correct exit and popped out right in front of Yankee Stadium. Fabulous. What a lucky break.
I get out our tickets, we line up, they scan them, and they flash red.
WTF!
“Miss”, says the nice old fella scanning the tickets, “these here tickets are for tomorrow night”.
Seriously! They play more than one game in a row?
We find a nice information man nearby and ask how many games are played in a row.
“Well mam, they can play up to four games in a row”. Oh.
Feeling very sheepish, and relieved, and embarrassed, and hot, tired, smelly, grumpy, and hungry, we get on the D train and head back to the hotel.
There is a bar and restaurant at the bottom of our hotel, so we stop there for burgers and drinks. The game is on the big screen so we try and do our homework for the next night by watching intently. I understand nothing.
Jason says it’s like softball, another game I know nothing about.
After dinner we grab our cameras and go up to the 19th floor where there is a roof top bar. The view is spectacular and I wanted to take a photo. The barman said we cannot unless we buy a drink, so I took a photo when he wasn’t watching and we retired to our rooms. Such a rebel.
So starts our exciting time in New York.
The Yankees lost that night, 8 – 2.
21st of June (for real this time)
We wake up to another stunning day in New York, laughing about our mishap the night before. At least we knew the way now right!
The morning view from our room was beautiful and indicated the kind of clear sky day we were going to have. Perfect for seeing Miss Liberty.
First things first, laundry, very necessary. The clean clothing combinations were not good, one of us was starting to dress like their dad – and it wasn’t me.
From the very first light the beeping starts. I find it amusing, it winds Jason up something terrible.
Once the laundry was completed it was time to walk to Battery Park. I love New York, even the rotting smell of rubbish before it is cleaned up, the craziness, the crowds, there is something about New York that makes me smile.
We made it to Battery Park, collected our tickets, and waited for our boarding time. As we waited in the park Jason found his new fascination, squirrels. Spot the squirrel! He now humours me and points them out saying “squirrel!”. I am so easily amused.
There are loads of them all over the park, some look a little manky but mostly they have such awesome tails and are as cute as Disney and Pixar make them out to be.
The boat to Miss Liberty takes around 20 minutes and the views back to Manhattan are awesome. Especially on a day like today.
Even though we were one of the first departures the island was already busy. We head straight for the statue. Because we booked in advance we had tickets to go up to the crown. Very exciting.
You have to unload all your bags and anything that may be a security risk, so we only had our cameras with us as we got to the statue. In order to climb to the crown you need to enter via her skirt. Seemed a little undignified but the only way to do it.
As you enter the skirt there are stairs to take up, to the first viewing platform. There are lifts to this level as well, but we have been eating VERY well, so take the stairs whenever we can.
Once you reach the first platform the only way to go up is using the spiral staircase. Which was built for anyone under 5 foot 10. Above that you are hunched over and at risk of concussion. Just keep your head down J
The climb to the top was not bad, warm, but easy. When you reach the crown there are two security personnel. It is their job to be in the crown all day, keeping Miss Liberty safe from assholes. What a job, this is a tiny space, and very warm.
We made the most of view, took some photos, and made our way down the equally narrow and low spiral staircase that takes you down. Luckily there is an up staircase and down staircase, good design – well done peeps.
We continued our tour of Liberty Island before catching the next boat to Ellis Island.
I am sure you all know the history of this island so I wont bore you going into it now. But wow, it must have been tough. The amount of people that were squeezed through this narrow island before reaching the promised land. Some having come from warm and tropical lands to a New York winter – that would have been quite a shock. The view of Manhattan showing it remarkably close yet still out of reach.
We did the usual look for your name on the wall. I am sad to say no Killaleas were located on the list. But we did find one Walford. Liz/Noel we will show the full name when we come and visit. Quite cool and completely unexpected.
The last hop is back to the island of Manhattan and from there we were going to visit the 9/11 memorial.
For those that have not seen the memorial there are two massive water features excavated into the ground where the original towers were located. The water runs down the sides, probably a couple of stories deep, creating a very soothing environment.
It was very moving and terribly sad. All you can think about is all those lives that were ended that day. All the emergency personnel who went into the building to save others. The mention of an unborn child, brings tears to your eyes.
You cannot help but feel moved by the names etched into the sides of the monuments, flowers next to the names of those whose birthday it is that day, there were some people who were huddled and crying. We could only assume they were friends or relatives of one of the people etched into the monument.
We spent time just being, without sounding too freaking fluffy, in the moment and paying our respects.
The whole time the new building, The Freedom Tower, loomed over us. I cannot imagine what it would be like to work in that building everyday watching over the monument – I am not sure if you become desensitised?
We left the monument and started heading to find food.
When travelling with children and husbands it is wise to have little goals to keep them motivated. In this case it was food. Normally I ensure that we have sugar and carbs in the backpacks to keep him going, just in case the walk/shopping takes longer than expected.
So we were walking and looking for food. We made the long trek, about 4kms, to Greenwich Village. I remember it as being a cool, hip little place with different cafes etc. And it has not changed.
Another thing I love about New York is the dogs, dogs, dogs. They are everywhere and accepted everywhere. Its awesome, yet we were not constantly dodging dog pooh. There are big dogs, little dogs, ugly dogs, but the most common (apparently it’s the trend) is the French Bulldog. And man they are CUTE!
Poppy does not have anything to worry about, there is no competing with a Poppy, but they were pretty damn neat.
We found a local café and ordered drinks and meals. The food was delicious and I can confirm the mojito was up to par. Feeling revived and ready to face the world it was time to check out the Empire State building, home of King Kong, its name is from the nickname for New York, the Empire State.
It was the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years, from its completion in early 1931 until the original World Trade Centre’s North Tower in late 1970. Did you know that a B-25 bomber flew into the Empire State Building in 1945 but the design stopped the fire from spreading, holy crap. Who knows this stuff!
Tickets to go to the top are not cheap. Really not cheap! But it was a perfectly sunny day and we were in New York, so we had to do it! There were a lot of people all with the same idea, but it was so well organised you didn’t spend much time waiting – that’s a change.
The views were lovely and we really enjoyed ourselves.
Next stop – off to see Zeke, Abbie, and AJ.
Zeke had been kind enough to let me send all my Amazon deliveries to his house so I could pick them up and take them home. Save on shipping etc. So we caught the train out to Queens to do the collection, see Zeke, and meet his offspring.
And what a couple of gorgeous mini humans they are! Very entertaining.
I also got a good dose of doggy love! Zeke has two very large Rottweilers who seem to think they are lap dogs. I was completely ok with that, and got to have lots and lots of pats – happy place.
We could not stay long as we were off to the baseball, for real this time, and had to get changed, eat, sort ourselves out. Plus the man needed a haircut. He was super shaggy and starting to look dishevelled, I thought it was quite funny with his little curls coming through!
There was a hairdresser just across the road from our hotel, they were used to mainly Asian clientele, so it was hilarious when they gave Jason one of their robes to wear (which you do when getting a haircut) and it looked like a mini dress on him – he was still fully clothed underneath. But had a lovely little dress over top. Wish I had gotten a photo of that.
Having mastered the subway we knew exactly what train to catch now! WE boarded the D train, heading to the Bronx, and got off at 161st Street. There was the yankee stadium, all lit up and stunning, and this time our tickets worked.
We had access to the lounges and fan areas so that was cool. All it really meant was you had a bit of a quiet area, free peanuts and popcorn, and no queues when paying ridiculous money for a cup of beer.
Our seats were just behind the NY Yankees dug out, and we were seated near some pretty hard core baseball fans.
What a blast! The noise, the entertainment, the thousands of people. Singing the national anthem and the other most patriotic song “take me out to the ball game”.
We started talking to the people nearest us and got an understanding of some of the finer points of the game – I pretended to care.
We stayed for over two hours, cheering where appropriate, eating hotdogs, drinking beer, and feeling very entertained.
Before the end of the game, based on some solid advice from people we had met, we hurried to the subway to beat the crowds. Man oh man we are pleased we did. Even though the majority of the 40+ thousand people were still in the stands, the subway was like playing people tetris.
Quite uncomfortable, you really get up close and personal with the locals. All the same it was an easy trip back to the hotel and we fell into an exhausted sleep.
We certainly are making the most of our days!
Jason is going to need a holiday to recover from this holiday.
The Killalea-Walford Travel Blog 