So Good They Named It Twice.

Monday 2nd March 2020

A 7.15AM start for the 3 1/2 hour drive to Heathrow Airport. The car parking instructions took us off the M25 at the wrong junction but we quickly did an about turn to solve that problem, only for me to take a wrong turn in the airport complex. Good job we allowed some extra time in case of difficulties.

We had a spot of lunch at the airport before we embarked. The Virgin Atlantic flight included a manspreader next to Michelle, whilst my view included a bunch of instagram girls who kept changing their hairstyles, and trying face masks to pass the time. Three (small) bottles of wine each and a mile high tea later we arrived at JFK.

US Customs/Immigration decided that only opening two gates was sufficient for the limeys, and so followed a one hour queue and questions about our relationship, employment etc. complete with photographs and fingerprints

Our minibus transfer which was full to bursting seemed to take an age to get there but we finally checked into the Kixby Hotel about 1.15AM (UK time).

Once settled we headed out into the bright lights and sirens and grabbed a “Delightful” - a not entirely appropriately named turkey/slaw pitta bread - which did fill a gap while we stood on the sidewalk watching the colour of the lights change on the Empire State Building. Once back at the hotel we had someone come and re-set our room safe which we had failed to operate correctly without any instructions.

Tuesday 3rd March 2020

Up bright and early (7.30) for a walk via 34th Street and 9th Avenue in the sunshine - the coats had to come off after a while. Made our way to Chelsea Market and enjoyed avocado/cream cheese bagels at Amy’s Bread before finding the steps up to the High Line. As soon as we left the market it was noticeably breezier and cooler but we headed up the steps to the disused rail line elevated above the Manhattan streets. The rail line, which used to service the Hudson Yards and was saved from demolition by the local residents, is now a mile and a half of peaceful park and art exhibits. Occasionally we even got a view of the Empire State Building, the Hudson River and other notable sights, along the way. Although it had clouded over it was still really mild and a relaxing stroll along the line felt as though we were miles away from the hustle and bustle of the streets below. As we came to the end of the line we caught our first glimpse of The Vessel - A huge art installation with many layers and flights of stairs which looked like hard work. Even though it was free you had to pre-book so they could limit numbers, and of course we hadn’t booked - we could come back another day.

As we made our way towards Madame Tussaud’s in Times Square to collect our New York passes we stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts for lunch. No it wasn’t donuts - they do sell other things too.

As we got closer to Times Square we had to dodge lots of people in costumes who wanted us to take a photo (for $$$$ of course), and redcoats who wanted to sell us guided bus tours. Our New York passes included such things so we gave them all the slip and duly collected our passes ready for tomorrow.

Heading uptown on 8th Avenue we were planning on having a little look round Central Park, but by this time it had started to rain a little, and by the time we reached the park it didn’t seem worth it. So we hid in a coffee shop.

Abandoning our plan, we headed back downtown to have a mooch round Macey’s - well it was dry!

We then went back to the hotel for a breather and after we had recovered from all the walking we headed back out to Andrew’s Coffee Bar just a couple of blocks away. BBQ burger/South West burger and fries with sangria and Budweiser was the meal, and the next day’s weather forecast was provided by our waitress. We must have tipped well.

Strolled up towards Times Square to see the lights and photograph the steaming drains before having an early night.

Wednesday 4th March 2020

A 5 minute walk to Penn Station and very quickly worked out how to purchase metro cards from the ticket machines for the trip downtown. Just a shame I didn’t manage to use mine quite so well. I swiped it through the card reader too many times and couldn’t get through the barrier - fortunately a friendly local lady came to my rescue and swiped me through with her season ticket so I could meet Michelle on the other side. We travelled down to South Ferry Station and came out near Battery Park. We queued for tickets and then waited in the freezing breeze coming off the Hudson River to get through airport type security before boarding the crowded New York boat out to Liberty Island. Breakfast consisted of hot dogs on the boat as we realised we hadn’t eaten so far today.

Lady Liberty and the Manhatten Skyline

On Liberty Island we got a free audio guide which we quickly dismissed as having too much detail for our taste and headed to the visitor centre to watch a movie about the history of the statue. Then it was time to head for the pedestal. We locked our backpacks in lockers outside the pedestal, then went inside to wait in line for a lift to take us up. You can climb the stairs if you are younger and fitter than we are. On reaching the top of the pedestal there is a viewing area where we all shuffled round for views across the water to Manhattan, Brooklyn, New Jersey, and Staten Island. The sky was blue and clear and the sun was shining over a spectacular view. A few photographs from the island before heading back to catch the next boat to Ellis Island.

On arrival at Ellis Island it was, of course, time for a lunch stop of burgers - nothing special but filled a gap. There was a weird fella who sat down and watched us for a while, but we think he might have been playing the role of an old immigration officer from the time this island was the entry point for all immigrants. Unfortunately, it was a bit wasted on us as we were busy eating. Refreshed, we toured the old immigration gateway and watched another movie. There was also huge amounts of information if you are interested in that sort of thing, but we prefer the highlights. The weather was still being very kind so we took the opportunity to take some of those iconic photographs of the Manhattan skyline before catching the boat back.

Back on Manhattan we had a little wander around Battery Park which was very quiet and the vegetation was not at it’s best at this time of year but we did discover the World War Two East Coast Memorial. Walking up Broadway we chanced upon the Charging Bull which symbolises New York’s financial district. As per normal it was surrounded by a million Instagram sorts.

Bullish

Further up Broadway we found our way to the 9/11 memorial stopping briefly at the nearby fire station to admire the decoration of their station and trucks. We spent some time around the memorial taking in the peaceful surroundings and the enormity of what had happened there. Heading into the museum, we were reminded of that day, where we were when we heard the news, and watching as it unfolded live on TV. It was quite an emotional experience. It was dark by the time we came out so we saw the memorial all lit up and went to see the survivor tree - a gallery pear tree which as the name suggests survived the terrible events of 9/11.

9/11 Memorial

Deciding to make our way back to midtown on foot, we were briefly distracted by the Oculus - a squeaky clean shopping mall and transportation hub. Further up Broadway we discovered a Wendys burger bar and stopped for refreshment. It wasn’t the smartest part of Manhattan and seemed to have its fair share of weirdos in Wendys. Out on the street again we also saw a number of rats running in and out of various holes where the street had been dug up for repairs.

We finally arrived back in the ‘hood, and whilst looking for a mythical bar Michelle remembered from her last visit, we popped in to Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee and donuts. We had walked a long way so needed to replenish our energy levels. On the final trudge back to the hotel we were passed by a car full of young men with all the windows open and belting out the Back Street Boys - I want it that way!

Thursday 5th March 2020

Stopped for breakfast at W Cafe on 5th Avenue, a place where you pay for food by its weight - $10.95/lb - omelette, hash brown, pork links, patties etc. and ate it in the basic seating area upstairs where a girl was using the space to make her own jewellery. Continued up 5th until we reached the Rockefeller Centre, and briefly watched the ice skaters skating around in the sunshine.

Then it was airport security time again as we headed for Top of the Rock. We had our photo taken sat on a girder like the iconic image of the construction workers who built the Rockefeller Centre in 1931. Then it was up, up, up! The views from the viewing platforms were spectacular as we looked out over Central Park and northwards to The Bronx and beyond. Looking downtown we had beautifully clear views of The Empire State Building, Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty in the distance. It was clear blue skies and warm sunshine so we couldn’t have picked a better day for the incredible views. Some time was spent taking photographs in all directions, including some really rubbish selfies.

Once back on terra firma we went hunting a coffee and snack which took far longer than it should have done, but we eventually ended up in an overpriced “french” bistro. Belly satisfied but wallet emptied we made our way back to Radio City Music Hall which is part of the Rockefeller complex and booked in for a tour in 15 minutes time. Had a thorough tour of the place seeing the mechanics of the moving stage, the art deco designs, the auditorium and even the toilets (which were quite spectacular). We were also treated to meeting one of the famous Rockettes, the dancing girls who perform at the music hall. After an hour and a quarter we were released out into the sunshine once again.

Having seen the beauty of the Art Deco style in the music hall we set off Eastwards to try and find more in the shape of the Chrysler Building, famous for appearing in many films and for being the tallest building in the world for 11 months until the Empire State Building took that title in 1931. As we got close to the building we discovered that we couldn’t actually see the top of it (which is the interesting bit) and then we got distracted by Grand Central Station nearby. It is perhaps not often that a train station is worth a visit but this one is really special. We wandered around the huge central concourse which has also been used in film and TV, and pottered around the various shops and food vendors within the station.

Making our way back towards our hotel we stopped for a pastrami reuben at the Park Avenue Tavern (which reminded us of a Wetherspoon’s). Nobody had bothered to tell them that about a quarter of the amount of pastrami would have been plenty, but we battled through and finished it off anyway. We had a brief rest back at the hotel, before popping out again in the evening to look for a nice bar but they were all absolutely packed on sports night so we had an early night.

Friday 6th March 2020

Breakfast at W Cafe again, before heading to Times Square to catch the Big Bus to take us downtown. We jumped on the uncovered upper deck and enjoyed a very informative guide who kept us entertained on the journey down to Brooklyn Bridge.

It was cloudy and grey when we reached the bridge but we set off to walk over the East River and reach Brooklyn itself. It was pretty chilly as we got away from the shelter of the buildings and onto the exposed span of the bridge, but we managed to take all the usual photos amongst all the other tourists. At the other end we wandered around the area known as DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). We soon discovered the place where you can get a view of the distant Empire State Building between the structure of the Manhattan Bridge, and joined the throngs of other tourists searching for the perfect shot to enhance their Instagram profile.

DUMBO

After a bit of wandering around we discovered we needed to head back the way we had already come to find the Time Out Market which had been our intended destination. After checking out all the available options we settled on Clinton Street Baking Co. and gorged on a huge stack of pancakes with maple butter and choc chip for me, and blueberries for Michelle ($15 each). Well we had walked all the way, and there was more walking to do to get back to midtown Manhattan.

Whilst stuffing our faces, the weather had turned and we took some more photos of the bridge and Manhattan skyline from the edge of the East River, before having to produce our umbrellas. Thanks to the weather we had the place virtually to ourselves. Working our way along the edge of the river, we found our way onto the pedestrian footpath under the Manhattan Bridge to cross the river back into Chinatown. By the time we got off the bridge the rain was pretty heavy. We were still full of pancakes so opted for a coffee in Dunkin’ Donuts to try and get warm and dry. In this weather the idea of looking round Chinatown didn’t really appeal, so we jumped back on a very full Big Bus to head back to Times Square with the world’s worst tour guide. She spent the whole journey talking exclusively to one small group of people about the cost of Manhattan property, local education policy, the best restaurants and other really useful tourist information.

Brooklyn Bridge

Arriving back in Times Square a bit cold, wet and miserable we went back to the hotel to recover. After a while, and with dry clothes, we walked back to Times Square to visit Ripley’s believe it or not only to discover that our New York pass didn’t include this particular attraction. So we spent some time in Madame Tussauds instead and discovered that they seemed to like the British Royal Family and James Bond so we did at least recognise some of the waxworks. To be fair there were only a few US TV personalities that we had never heard of. We declined the opportunity to have a picture taken with a Trump.

Saturday 7th March 2020

Set off on foot once again. We headed West towards Pier 84 on the Hudson River to take a boat trip with Circle Line Cruises. First stop was for breakfast of course - this time Cafe Hestia on 7th Avenue where we ordered freshly cooked sausage/bacon and eggs with toast and our cashier told us she liked our posh English accents!

The highlights of NYC cruise took us right the way around the island of Manhattan in two and a half hours but before we climbed aboard we had our photo taken by a man who decided to call us Clark Kent and Lois Lane (Yes I do wear glasses). As we sat aboard on the open upper deck waiting to depart the sun kept us warm, but once underway and out into the expanse of water it got quite cold. We headed down the Hudson toward the Statue of Liberty before turning to cruise under the Brooklyn Bridge and Northwards up the East river. All the way to the top of Manhattan where we had views of The Bronx, and then under the Washington bridge to head back down the Hudson to our pier.

Statue of Liberty

Cold once again, we headed straight for the mall next to the vessel to warm up and find the delicacies we hadn’t managed to enjoy so far - NY cheesecake. No luck with that and we eventually ended up in Angelina’s - a really nice Italian bakery in Hell’s Kitchen for pastries and lattes.

Next stop was the Sex Museum, but they told us that despite our NY pass we would have to pay an additional amount to get in because it was the weekend. A bit irritated by this seemingly money grabbing ploy we decided we weren’t that keen anyway.

On the way back to our hotel we stopped off at the Empire State Building to pre-buy our tickets for later in the evening but this seemed complicated and we decided to head for our room for a rest. When we returned a couple of hours later we made our way through the standard security and into the story of the building, including seeing King Kong seemingly breaking into the building all over again. There were also many film posters which had featured the building over the years. We made our way up to the 86th floor, via elevator of course, and spent a little time looking out of the windows before heading outside to the viewing platforms. Even with the outdoor heaters on it was very cold and windy, but I suppose we were on the edge of outer space at this height. The views over night time Manhattan were spectacular and we could pick out the Chrysler Building, One World Trade Centre, 5th Avenue, Statue of Liberty amongst others, all illuminated in the night sky. Eventually, the cold and the irritating teenagers swarming all over the place drove us back inside.

Downtown from The Empire State Building

The Black Tap, our intended venue for food right next to our hotel, turned out to be packed and have a huge waiting time, so we shuffled a few doors down to The Liberty bar for fig jam pizza, parsley and garlic fries and mini chicken empanadas ($36 +tip).

Sunday 8th March 2020

Four uneventful subway stops uptown took us to the edge of Central Park, but as America had decided to change the time and put the clocks forward we had lost an hour of our holiday. It was now almost lunchtime so we found our way to The Brooklyn Diner for a fantastic pastrami hash with fried eggs and coffee. Also mouthwash in the restroom!

Time for Brunch

It was then on to Central Park on a lovely sunny day looking for some peace and tranquility after the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. Apparently that’s exactly what the rest of New York do on Sundays - joggers, cyclists, book readers, buskers, frisbee throwers etc. - all there. We went in search of John Lennon’s former residence - The Dakota Building - and, having convinced ourselves that the building had two towers, proceeded to take many pictures of the wrong one. Fortunately, we did manage to include it in one or two wider angle shots. We wandered through the sunshine to reach Strawberry Fields, an area of the park designated a quiet zone in tribute to John Lennon, and tried to photograph the Imagine mosaic at the centre of the tribute. Of course the million other tourists made this very difficult by insisting on taking their own pictures whilst stood on the mosaic. We eventually satisfied ourselves with the best shots we could get and sat listening to the busker singing Beatles songs in what was a very peaceful setting despite the number of people.

We continued around the park encountering jazz, violin, lakes, bridges, drumming, break dancing, and photoshoots before leaving the park a couple of hours later.

Imagine mosaic, Central Park

Of course by this time we were hungry again and we found ourselves drawn to The Carnegie Deli just across from the famous Carnegie Hall, who promised us “the cheesecake by which all others should be judged”. They were delicious - and we had coffee too.

On our journey back towards our hotel we encountered a heavily defended Trump Tower, and The Rockefeller Centre once again, before finding our way into St. Patrick’s bar on 46th Street.

Later we walked through Sephora (a beauty product shop) with Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World playing on their speakers, when one of their staff joined in with my singing along - only so much more flamboyantly!

We made our way closer to our hotel via the Keg Room sports bar on 36th Street, and then finally The Black Tap for the much awaited shake cakes as seen is these extracts from the menu:

THE CAKESHAKE®

CAKE BATTER SHAKE | $17

vanilla frosted rim with rainbow sprinkles topped with a funfetti cake slice, rainbow sprinkles, whipped cream & a cherry

THE COOKIE SHAKE

VANILLA COOKIE SHAKE | $16

vanilla frosted rim with cookie crumbles topped with a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich, crumbled cookies, whipped cream & chocolate drizzle

They were insane! Bleurrrggghh!

Although we could barely move after these delicacies, we made a quick trip to our hotel’s rooftop for a photoshoot with Moonchester and The Empire State Building before retiring to bed.

Monday 9th March 2020

Checking out day but our flight is not until 7.30PM, so we leave our cases with the hotel and head to Andrew’s Coffeeshop for brunch - sausage and eggs with pancakes and syrup, coffee and juice for $14

Walked up to 42nd street in beautiful sunshine to buy some sun protection from a 19th floor dermatologist (unavailable in the UK). When we reached the right address we discovered that Morgan Freeman was working reception - well he definitely sounded like him - and insisted on seeing our passports before he would check us into the building.

We wandered down to New York public library, and whilst looking round the building pretended that we were in Ghostbusters or The Day After Tomorrow, but we didn’t get to see the fireplace where they burned the books. Bryant Park also looked good in the sunshine and we enjoyed wandering back down to Macey’s for one last look round before waiting for our lift at the hotel.

New York Public Library

Our minibus back to JFK allowed us plenty of time for duty free purchases of Jim Beam bourbon, and gin, relaxing coffees before our flight home.

And then……………………………………………..

COVID-19