The Big Apple

We went to NYC for a couple of days, even though Athol and I were sick we still had a great time.

New York is the name of the city (i.e. New York City which is made up of 5 boroughs including Manhattan and Brookline) as well as the name of the state New York, hence New York, New York.

Manhattan is where everything happens, we see it on TV and in movies - Central Park, the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Wall Street, etc. It is a city filled with people, lights, shops, restaurants, high-rise buildings and tourists :) In Times Square, there are so many lights and advertisements.

Central Park is huge, amazing how amidst all the dense buildings is a beautiful large open park.

We visited Strawberry Fields which is a landscaped area dedicated to the late John Lennon, there is a mosaic with the words 'Imagine' in the centre. Just opposite the park is Dakota Hotel, this is where John Lennon had lived and was shot in 1980.

We went on a 90 min boat cruise around lower Manhattan, really amazing views of the city. The open roof bus tour was also great. And of course, the Statue of Liberty, which is being renovated so entrance inside is restricted until next year.

Quite amazing been at Ground Zero where it all happened - September the 11th - a day non of us will ever forget. They are busy building two waterfalls where the twin towers stood with the names of those who died on plaques around them. They are also building two new tall buildings.

Food portions were large, the pizza slices are huge! one slice is enough for me :)

There are yellow NY taxi's, apparently 13,200 of them in Manhattan alone.

There are so many shops. The Garment District is filled with fabric shops. Macy's, a departmental store, took up a whole block and had 6 floors filled with clothes. A paradise for shoppers.

The day after we had left, there was a shooting near the Empire State building, close to where we stayed. A man shot his ex-boss/colleague, the police then shot him. Many bystanders were injured. To think that we could have been there when this happened.

Only spent 4 nights in NYC but we had so much fun, a great trip! It is very busy and there's a lot going on, great for a holiday.