20 December 2017
Big. Small. Crowded. Noisy. Cold. Car horns. Sirens. Shopping. Vibrant. Complex.
These are just some of the words that come to mind thinking about New York. It’s like no other place I’ve been to and has so much to offer. At one point I thought that one way to describe it could be like Las Vegas, but with soul and character.
Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO
On Sunday Nicole and Katelyn felt like a long sleep in and rest, but I didn’t, so I headed off to explore. A key thing on my list was photographing the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn side. For me, the only way to experience New York is to walk, as it rewards you with all sorts of surprises along the way. I chatted to some nice people from Chicago over breakfast, came across some more dog parks, and discovered an ice skating rink and a few Christmas markets.
I read up on good locations to photograph the Brooklyn Bridge and discovered that the best location is DUMBO, as in Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass, so off I went. Some fresh snow had fallen the night before, which really helped the photos.
I then walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge which I really enjoyed. They have a boardwalk right down the middle of the bridge at a level above the cars, which provides some amazing views of the Manhattan skyline.
Top of the Rock
Nicole, Katelyn and I then headed to the Rockefeller Centre to make our 4:00pm visiting time. The view of lower Manhattan, with the Empire State Building front and centre, was amazing.
Then we met up with Amanda from the bus tour who was spending a few days in New York. Amanda somehow got us straight into the Hard Rock without the usual wait. We had a great dinner and a good catch up. Thanks very much Amanda!
Katelyn’s 13th birthday
The following day was Katelyn’s 13th birthday. She requested a sleep in and McDonalds for breakfast in bed, which we were happy to provide.
Then we spent quite a bit of time walking through the bottom half of Central Park. It is quite amazing how big Central Park really is. And it was great to see so many people out using it on a cold, grey Monday. I spoke to a few of the locals along the way — one of which gave me the tip for the black and white photo below.
We had planned to have dinner at a restaurant where the staff are potential Broadway singers and sing while you eat, however it was getting late so we just got a slice of pizza each and headed home. Happy Birthday Katelyn!
Tom’s Restaurant — the Seinfeld diner
On our final morning in New York, Nicole and I headed up town to eat at Tom’s Restaurant. You may wonder why we spent 30 minutes travelling each way to have breakfast here. Well, it just so happens to be the restaurant whose exterior was used for the diner in all of those fantastic Seinfeld episodes, which Nicole and I are big fans of. The food was OK, and we certainly weren’t the only tourists in there.
Nicole and I also spotted this high speed pursuit vehicle …
Then it was back to the hotel, pack, and then catch a shuttle to the airport.
So that was New York … what a place to finish our trip to the USA. Next stop … Germany!
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