FROM ONE JUNGLE TO ANOTHER:
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| On the ferry leaving Liberty Island |
After leaving the forested area of Maine we soon found ourselves in a forest of another kind... the concrete jungle, otherwise known as Manhattan!
Buildings upon buildings, competing with one another for skyline dominance. The architectural views were some of the of the most profound and pleasing we had seen - old world plaster & marble vs. modern steel & glass standing beside one another. Iconic skyscrapers and sky high rental rates (would you pay $5000 a month rent to live in downtown NY)?
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| Bird's eye views... |
Our first day touring NY was by an open top tour bus. I like how you can get a general feel of a place and it's layout with these tours. Sometimes a little pricey but the hop on hop off system they operate by sure save the feet from having to do it all by themselves!
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| From The Museum of Modern Art, to The Guggenheim, to this, NY has it all! |
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| Chrysler Building, built in 1930, 77 floors |
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| It still is the tallest steel-supported brick building in the world |
Emotionally, the World Trade Center site still evoked some strong feelings from 9/11. Both Dave & I were impressed with what has been completed to date. The replacement building is currently the tallest building in NY, scheduled to be completed by next year. The most impressive features are the Reflection Pools (North & South) commemorating those who died. Waterfalls cascade down all four sides of each pool, creating a special place for remembrance and reflection.
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| 1 WTC - standing tall at 1776 feet, the year of American Independence |
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| Reflection Pool with the names of those lost stenciled in bronze around it |
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| Times Square! |
The tail end of our open top tour led us to Broadway, and all things sparkly. Tempted to see a matinee only to be disappointed we were too late and since it was a Sunday, the next ones would be the following weekend (when we would not be there). Catalina would not be too pleased with us if we considered staying late to see a show. Another factor was that even though during the day traveling by public transport was safe(train & bus), we weren't too keen to do it at night.
IN SEARCH FOR THE NAKED COWBOY:
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| What I came to see.... |
An icon for over a decade is another reason to check out Times Square. The naked cowboy has been showing off his tidy whitey's, boots, hat & guitar (and that's all) for well over a decade. On our visit we were greeted by a female version... now I have to also state that only in New York city it is legal to go topless...well what do you think? should they change that law???
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| What we saw instead.... |
DID SOMEONE SAY NY PIZZA?
I had been told that Chicago and NY pizza are a must. Both are totally different and both are delicious. To test this "theory" we found ourselves in Little Italy, (which is now only one street because Chinatown is taking over). There we found a place that sold by the slice and I have to admit, it was very tasty indeed. Unfortunately no picture of my slice since I gobbled it down before Dave could get the camera out!
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| Little Italy, my quest for NY pizza pie.... |
Our last stop was to Liberty Island, to visit you know who...
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Our campsite was located about 40 miles West of NYC, in Jersey. Mahlon Dickerson Reservation has only 18 campsites in it's 3200 acres of wilderness. At only $20 a night, we almost had the place to ourselves, not even half full. The campsites were generously spaced out. We stayed for 4 days, figuring 2 days in NY and 2 days hiking around the area. It didn't take long to see wildlife at our campsite; the first morning we were there we saw a black bear "moseying" along the road in front of our trailer (50 feet away). From our past experience hiking in bear country, our first purchase that day was bear spray...and a bell! (with only the 2 of us, and no friends to join us as bear bait, a little noise couldn't hurt).
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| Similar to our sighting (from the same campsite) from another camper |
Fortunately the bell did the trick and no encounters while on the trails, (and no need to use the spray). Hiking with Catalina was great fun, she wanted to explore everything and had so much energy. It was good to see how much she enjoyed herself with us.
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| Water break...oh wait, if I lie in it, it feels SOOOO much better! |
NEXT STOP?
Our next destination will be Washington D.C.
Sorry we weren't able to join you to be your Bear Bait! At least there are no grizzlies there! Enjoyed this post, especialy since NYC isn't on our "must visit" list.
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