New York Day 2

DAY TWO:

 Learned how much fun the subway is, so that was the first stop when we arrived in Penn Station, the subway is an easy walk from the NJ Transit trains because they are housed in the same building, we just had to find the red line train (that one goes all the way to Battery Park) no problem! We arrived in Battery Park with most of the day ahead of us and off to the ticket booth I went to get tickets to go see the Stature! The only thing is... you have to make reservations up to six months in advance to go up into the crown of the Stature! Well we didn't have six months...time for an alternative plan, while you can view the Statue of Liberty from Brooklyn and Battery Park, the only way to get up close is by boat. So we took a 60 minute cruise on another cruise line around the Island, this one also takes you around Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge, Ellis Island, and other such sights, we also got to see the New York City's Fire Boat getting ready for the 9-11 activities the next day! So cool! 

I really did shed some tears when we got up close and personal with the Statue of Liberty, while I have never felt very patriotic, just the side and scope of her gets to ya! Standing at the entrance to New York Harbor, the Stature has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States and she is still generally recognized as a symbol...or at least the ideals of freedom to many! The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United State in 1886, she is a hollow colossus composed of thinly pounded copper sheets over a steel framework, and her design and construction were recognized, at the time, as one of the greatest technical achievements of the 19th century! She stands 151 ft. from the base to the torch, with the pedestal and foundation included in the measurement, the full height is 305 ft. Simply Magnificent! 

After lunch we decided to take a taxi (yellow one) to Chinatown, I so wanted to raise my arm and yell Taxi..taxi..and I did..within seconds one stopped and off we went (I was so impressed) 

China town was a wonder of sights, sounds and smells...incredible! A couple of blocks we ran into Little Italy..just as impressive as Chinatown! I had some Italian gelato..delish! Did you know that it is against the law in Italy to make gelato with less that 3.5% butterfat! 

But by now our day was coming to a close and we had to catch the train back, so we used the subway to get back to Penn Station and this day was a total success! Did I say I ❤️New York? Well..i do!!

New York New York

DAY ONE:   

The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps, Gotham: whatever its name, New York City has something for everyone, now I am sure there are many reasons to fall in love with this city, but I loved the energy here, there's so much! We arrived by way of Pennsylvania Station, which is the main intercity railroad station. After seeing so many things about New York City on TV I didn't know what to expect when we came out of the station, but it was everything I thought it would be and could be! For 3 days we walked, road taxies and the subway around this wonderful city, with more than 650 miles of subway track and the largest fleet of busses in North America, NYC’s public-transit system is the easiest way to get around. We chose to walk to Times Square from Penn station because I wanted to soak in the things around me, I have never seen so many people! It was WONDERFUL-UNBELIEVABLE-FANTASTIC! I fell in love with New York right then!  (I must have been a city girl in another life).

What can I say about Times Square? That it was incredible! It is known colloquially as "The Crossroads of the World" and "The Great White Way,"it is one of the most popular commercial intersections in the world! Located in central Manhattan at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, this popular NYC attraction, especially among tourists, is home to top destinations such as the Naked Cowboy, he was a hoot! There were also some topless girls, Disney characters, Batman, and others walking around trying to get people to take a picture with them (for monies of course) I chose the Disney characters....or rather they chose me! 

More than a third of a million people pass through Times Square NYC every day and 

It has been a popular NY attraction for over a century. It is here that Good Morning America is broadcast live to the nation, here that the New Year's Eve ball is dropped, and here that the curved seven-story NASDAQ sign has reported the fortunes and misfortunes of a nation for many years. 

Times Square acquired its name in 1904 when Albert Ochs, publisher of the New York Times, moved the newspaper's operations to a new skyscraper into the newly erected Times Building, now called One Times Square. Times Square is not a square but more of a bowtie shape! We wanted to find the place where Squawk Box is filmed (we watch that most mornings)

After Times Squares we walked to Battery Park, thinking we would have time to go see the Stature of Liberty, ahh such newbies, it took us the rest of the day to walk the 4.6 miles, but we did stop numerous times! 

Of course one of the stops was the 102 story Empire State Building, it is an American cultural icon and one of the seven wonders of the modern world! Standing a total of 1,454 feet, it was the tallest building for nearly forty years from its completion in 1931 till 1970 when the north tower of the World Trade Center was built. Following the terrible terrorist act on Sept 11 2001, the Empire State Building was again the tallest building in New York. But not any more, The Empire State Building is currently the fifth tallest skyscraper in the US, the 35th tallest in the world and the 5th tallest free standing building in the Americas. Here is an interesting fact...Donald Trump used to own the land under the Empire State Building!
 It was was kinda hard to find and when we did I was disappointed, there are so many tall building in New York that it seemed dwarfed to me! We did not go up in it because it was closed. 

I couldn't stop myself from acting like a tourist... it was fascinating...we stopped at so many different shops and stores! So by the time we got to Battery Park the last boat had left and it was quite late, so that was when we decided to try our hand at the subway! It could get us back to Penn Station in about 15-20 minutes versus a couple hours walking. So we risked it....piece of cake! The subways are very easy to use and can save you so much time when trying to see the city by foot and with limited time!