Empire State Building
First stop, on 5th & 34th. When walking, the city’s skyline isn’t as obvious, so the huge building sneaks up on you. Streets are narrow in
Manhattan, so you get to see things like this picture below.
ith only a few hours to spend in Manhattan, I wanted to make sure that covered
as much as I could. So I didn’t have enough time to go inside tours, or stand in line, or wander around. My
strategy was to take the train from Newark (which, it turns out, is pronounced Nork, silly me) to Penn Station (Madison Square Garden). From there, walk heading
north by 5th Ave. all the way to Central Park, then take a bus or subway down to South Ferry,
and walk back to Penn Station.
New Yorker Panini @ Apple’s
While wandering around the lobby, I though it would be “cool” to have lunch at the Empire State building. So I looked around, and snuck into
a homely deli called Apple’s and ordered a “New Yorker Panini” (pastrami, swiss, lettuce, honey mustard, in a grilled panini).
Chrysler Building
he weather gods must’ve felt compassion for me. I didn’t get any rain, and it wasn’t that cold, but it did get chilly. So on my way to the Rockefeller Plaza I
bought a “New York” hoodie. I had only packed for hot India weather, and the airline kept my bag,
so I only had my carry-on with me.
On 42nd and Lexington. So recognizable, and beautiful. The Chrysler building’s top reminds me of a different era, where form doesn’t have to follow function. The round arches, triangle-shaped windows, and
gargoyles!
Rockefeller Plaza
I probably spent more time than I had planned here. I guess it must be the
inviting nature of the place. People skating, having fun, the food court, the
fancy restaurants (all sorts of suits having lunch), and the NBC store. I also
remember the Rockefeller Plaza facade fondly as part of the starting sequence
of Late Night with David Letterman.
MoMA
I don’t need to say a lot about the Museum of Modern Art (on 53rd). I was surprised to
see a 1990’s Ferrari 641 F1 car in there! (Of course ... any Ferrari is a work of art!) I
took a picture of the moose in the exterior garden but accidentally deleted it
... Doh!
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Across the street form the Rockefeller Plaza, under heavy repairs. Although a
beautiful building, it almost looks out of place on 5th Avenue.
here was this looong line of women waiting to get into Abercrombie & Fitch (on 56th and 5th Avenue). So I thought that perhaps they had some
special, a gift, or something. As I walked by the entrance, I saw the models,
and I think they must’ve been taking pictures with them or something.
~
Right across Abercrombie & Fitch was the Trump Tower, and it looks so kitschy I decided not to waste the
bytes of memory in my Blackberry.
Central Park
I was quite happy to see Central Park (59th and 5th), and admire this huge park
in such a constrained city. The first thing I noticed was the Apple Store on
5th Avenue to my right, and The Plaza hotel to my left. All of this followed
immediately by the strong smell of horses’s rear ends ... ugh!
n my memory, I vividly remember The Plaza Hotel on TV, because the guests to
some TV show were setup there. It was always mentioned at the end of the show,
and I can’t remember which one it was. “The Price Is Right” came to my mind, but that one wasn’t done in NY. Anyone?
South Ferry End
After a bus ride that seemed to last longer that I wanted, I was at the south
tip of Manhattan. The bus went past a couple of interesting places, but I didn’t have the change to take any pictures. At the south end, I saw the NYSE
building, the Statue of Liberty (at a distance), and the WTC site. The Statue
of Liberty looks too far away in the picture, the view from the pier is pretty
cool (not the tiny spec it seems here). There is a lot of construction going in
at the WTC site, I think it’s some sort of retail area along with some memorial.
fter the WTC site, I took the subway back to Penn Station. I was running out of
time! It was already 4:30 PM, and my plane departed from Newark at 8:30 PM, the
train takes almost an hour back to the airport, and I had to clear security. I
had no idea when the next train was going to leave, and I wanted to buy one
more thing before I left ... aargh!
It all worked out fine, but it wasn’t without me running around like a maniac through the streets of
Magnificent Manhattan!
