Day 22
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free .....Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I will lift my lamp beside the golden door."
Emma Lazarus, The New Colussus, regarding the Statue of Liberty.
Every Sunday Lexington Avenue is closed from 50th to 42nd for street markets. There are good bargains to be had here, and from the accents it appears they are mostly frequented by locals, which is always a good sign. For example we bought two leather belts for ten dollars.
At 42nd street is the beautiful Grand Central Station (pictured below). The floors, stairs, balconies are made from marble, and from the high ceiling hangs a massive American flag (they love their flag - they are very patriotic). It's a little tricky to find the green downtown platform, so we asked at the information desk. One tip for young players is that you have read the electronic signs on the train, and the highlighted stops on the train line map inside the carriage.
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free .....Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I will lift my lamp beside the golden door."
Emma Lazarus, The New Colussus, regarding the Statue of Liberty.
Every Sunday Lexington Avenue is closed from 50th to 42nd for street markets. There are good bargains to be had here, and from the accents it appears they are mostly frequented by locals, which is always a good sign. For example we bought two leather belts for ten dollars.
At 42nd street is the beautiful Grand Central Station (pictured below). The floors, stairs, balconies are made from marble, and from the high ceiling hangs a massive American flag (they love their flag - they are very patriotic). It's a little tricky to find the green downtown platform, so we asked at the information desk. One tip for young players is that you have read the electronic signs on the train, and the highlighted stops on the train line map inside the carriage.
We hopped off at the Brooklyn Bridge- City Hall station. If you are really energetic (we're obviously not), you can walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from here, or otherwise keep walking into the big green park called City Hall Park. This is City Hall (pictured below), but a word of caution, they say, "You can't fight City Hall."
Walk around behind City Hall to Police Plaza, where you will see New York Supreme Court (pictured below), and yes, I had a Law and Order moment and walked down the steps like in the opening titles of the TV series. "The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government" is written above the court.
From here we walked across to Broadway, down to Oliva's cafe, near St Paul's Church, and the World Trade Centre site or 'Ground Zero' as the workers call it. One tip in cafes is to ask for a cup of ice with your soft drink as the bottles often are not cold.
I left Louise to go shopping again at the discount shopping centre, Century 21 (pictured above - that's the World Trade Centre site on the right), and continued south on Broadway to Wall Street, where on the corner is the much admired, and rich, Trinity Church. It is one of the US's oldest Anglican (Episcopal) parishes, founded in 1697, and after Westminster Cathedral it the most beautiful Church I've seen. Inside it is quiet, peaceful, in direct contrast to the hustle and bustle outside.
Wall Street is a narrow street, but the heart of the US and the World's financial system. Therefore the Stock Exchange is heavily protected. There are guard posts, special vehicle barriers, and I even a sniffer dog patrolling. They are here to stop a car bomb or VBIED as the Americans call them (Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device); the type of bomb that has proven so deadly in Iraq and around the world. Similar security is around many of the important buildings in United States.
We had lunch at the Stage Door Deli on Vesey Street, opposite WTC, which makes really good fresh sandwiches. This is the best food we've had in New York, and we recommend this deli for lunch when you are in the downtown area.
Oh, by the way, ladies, Louise got some more great bargains at Century 21. Lancome Eycare cream for $48, that retails in Australia for $98, and a Polo shirt for $5. We can fairly well say, that New York is the place to go shopping, and Century 21 should be your first stop.
"The Sphere" in Battery Park (pictured above), used to reside in the World Trade Centre plaza. Although damaged, it was recovered under the rubble, and brought here. The eternal flame in front is a memorial to all those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks.
Next to Battery Park is the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, and the ferries are absolutely free, because the government never built a bridge for the residents. It even transports their cars.
TRAVEL TIP: Take the Staten Island Ferry, because not only will you get a free boat ride on the harbor, but great views of Statue of Liberty (pictured top right), and Ellis Island. Sit on the right of the boat going out, the left coming back for the best views.
At Battery Park we took the subway at Bowling Green Station (the Green Line) Uptown to Midtown, getting off at Grand Central Station, because the train was headed to the Bronx (didn't sound too appealing). We wanted to go to 51st street, the closest station to our hotel, so we changed trains. 51st is on the Green line, but with the letter 6 under it, so you have to look for a train on the green line that will stop at the station with the corresponding number. Confused? Me too. You might end up at the Bronx anyway, but then again, travel is an adventure!
It was a long exhausting day, and we bought some take away wraps from the Oxford Café on 51st and had dinner in our room.
The weekend is probably the best time to explore Downtown, because naturally it's less busy, without all the office workers.
