Warning! This is a long post – a lot to show you!
On our flight from Portland to New York, I had an informative New Yorker, Peter Miller, sitting next to me. He lives in Manhattan and offered to get us on the right trains to get to our hotel. We arrived at Newark airport at 6pm, where I had a lady waiting for me with a wheelchair. She was a recent arrival from Nigeria and pushed me all the way to the skytrain that link to the railway line to Penn Station. We had a good chat about Africa and why she came to the USA.
Penn station is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere. Peter got off the train with us and pointed us in the direction of our hotel, before taking the subway to his abode. We took a taxi with the driver Mr Singh, a Sikh from the Punjab in India, a recent arrival in NYC. He sported a magnificent beard and twirled military style moustache below his turban.
Our hotel, the OYO hotel, 150m from Times Square, is one of the new hip and arty hotels of NYC. The ground floor areas are an interior decorators dream and this piqued our interest after seeing their website – interior design on steroids. The rooms were clearly photographed with a fish eye lens – so small, you have to go outside to change your mind. It had a fridge and bathroom, important in that order.
Maria the receptionist was our introduction to the unique NY repartee – a rapid exchange of clever replies. After a late rise the next morning, we ambled down to Times Square for a coffee. The place was buzzing with people, many hustling you with some deal or another. Repartee from a bloke looking at my boot: “Are you going to give up kick boxing now?”
We took a seat on the red stairs to have our coffees. The red stairs are famous because they serve as an iconic landmark and cultural hub in the heart of Times Square, offering a popular gathering spot with excellent views.
Completed in 2008, these 27 ruby-red glass steps have become an internationally recognised symbol, featured in media and attracting thousands of visitors daily who use them as a stage to observe and experience the surrounding urban spectacle. The Red Stairs were designed by Australian architects Choi, Ropiha after they won an international design competition in 1999 with their winning concept.
On Wednesday we took a taxi to the Chrysler building on Lexington Avenue where Michelle our daughter, arranged for us to meet her friend Eleni Christodoulou, who works on the 71st floor (The former viewing floor). This floor is unique and expensive real estate, and is occupied by a leading Artificial Intelligence software development company that she works at. It offers unsurpassed views of the city.
The Chrysler Building is a 1,046-foot-tall, Art Deco skyscraper and is the tallest brick building in the world with a steel framework. It was completed in 1930 and was the tallest building in the world, before the 102 storey Empire State Building’s completion in 1931.The Empire State Building is 1,250 feet tall.
Just a block away is Grand Central Station, or Terminal. It has 44 platforms on two levels and during morning rush hour, a train arrives every 58 seconds.The iconic Main Concourse is the geographical centre of the 3,300 m2 building. The ceiling is beautifully painted with the constellations of the Astrological Zodiac. The station is truly GRAND by design. We took a train from here, back to Times Square.
Annie then walked to the Museum of Modern Art after lunch and immersed herself in the exhibits for five hours, until closing time.
On Thursday we challenged ourselves with using the MTA app for New York. We planned to visit the Guggenheim Museum on Central Park, by combining tube and bus transport. We ended up in Queens on the other side of the East River, took the tube back to Manhattan and jumped on a taxi which got us there. The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is truly amazing and beautiful for its time.
The permanent exhibition of Impressionists painters was very good, but we were disappointed with the contemporary work displayed on the spiral ramp. Picture graffiti with nonsensical words spray painted on mirrors and…. Fire the curator!! We caught a taxi back to the hotel for lunch, before Annie ventured out again. My boot, despite the walking stick is very heavy and tiring and requires a Nanna nap.
The following day was the first day of our 48 hr BigBus tour pass. We did the red loop of Manhattan downtown area. Manhattan Island between the Hudson and the East rivers is quite large – 21.6 km long and 3.7 km wide at its widest point. The Lenape native Americans lived on the island and called it Manahahtaan. They sold the southern tip of the island to the Dutch West India Company for 60 Guilders ($24) in 1624, to establish a fur trading post and a new town, New Amsterdam. The British took control in 1664, renaming the colony New York after the Duke of York and establishing it as a major port.
Our first stop on the tour included tickets to visit the viewing platform on the 84th floor of the Empire State Building. After visiting the Chrysler Building, we thought this not necessary, but it turned out to be a good idea, as the weather was much better for viewing.
After Wall Street, named after the wall that separated the Dutch Colony from the rest of the island, we hopped off at the Brooklyn Bridge which Annie walked over while I visited the New York City Hall and watched the passing show at a Veterans Street market.
Our next stop was at the 9/11 memorial site and the new One World Trade Centre. This area of devastation has been beautifully redeveloped as a tranquil area of reflection with two pools indicating the footprints of the Twin Towers set in a tree canopied park.
The new One World Trade Centre building is a beautiful faceted glass tower, making the building, including its spire, reach a total height of 1,776 feet (541 m). Its height in feet is a deliberate reference to the year when the United States Declaration of Independence was signed.
To the one side is the new Oculus structure, which is the transportation hub and shopping mall at the World Trade Centre, designed by Santiago Calatrava. Its wing-like architecture is meant to symbolise hope and rebirth after the 9/11 tragedy, resembling a bird taking flight. In addition to housing subway and PATH train lines, it serves as a retail centre and a space for art and public events.
Our final stop included tickets for the Circular Boat Line for a trip down the Hudson River to view Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We got back to Times Square and our hotel at 6pm for a quick shower before walking to meet Fergus and Kate at the Vanguard Wine Bar for drinks and dinner.
Kate and Fergus arrived in NYC a month ago from Sydney, after Fergus was transferred by Grimshaw Architects to their New York office as Associate Architect. We had a great time and after walking back to our hotel, we had clocked up 7 km for the day, despite the boot, for a good nights sleep.
On Saturday we made a late start to get on the BigBus tour to North Manhattan and Central Park. This time we sat on the top deck to view the attractions, never once getting off the bus at the various stops.
A Nanna nap in the afternoon perked us up for a walk around Times Square at night, which is even more crowded than during daytime.
Sunday 28th September was our last day after a week in New York before flying to Toronto on the Monday. Annie took the subway to the Chelsea Markets, then a bus to Central Park, where she rented a bicycle to cycle through this enormous park, measuring approx. 4 km (2.5 miles) long from north to south and 0.8 km (0.5 miles) wide from east to west.
I had a relaxed walk to Bryant Park to visit the New York Public Library, enjoy a coffee in the park and later returning to the hotel to write up this account for our next post.
We will post again after Toronto.
Cheers, Annie and Dirk.
Lekker herinneringe. Geniet dit. Kom veilig tuis
Wow thanks. Stunning shots and such an informative tour of The Big Apple. Enjoy the next ‘leg’ – no pun intended ! Best wishes J&G