Despite a late night we trudged on earlyish again today to squeeze as much as possible out of the Big A, so we desperately needed coffee. Thankfully we were blessed with a Starbucks (from our first choice for coffee) on the corner of our block so settled down for a jumpstart and quick breakfast. After the trek of the day before we decided to take our chances on the subway today. Our first point of call was the 9/11 memorial. Although the boys had heard of 9/11 they were naïve to the details. We chose to give them some basic details before we arrived but continued to keep them in the dark from the more graphic depictions, given we still had flights left and they were already anxious of them. With this in mind, we did not visit the museum but rather settled on some contemplative moments at the memorial fountains. For those who saw those graphic pictures of the disaster, it is impossible to visit the site and not relive the tragedy in your mind. Tears nearly streamed from our eyes as we almost heard the screams of shock and devastation lurking in the shadows. Although the falling rain set the tone for misery, there was still some hope to be inspired by the sight of the survival tree.
Suitably sombre, we took a stroll towards Battery Park where we hoped to catch a glimpse of the famous Statue of Liberty across the Hudson on Liberty Island. We had originally hoped to get up close and personal with Lady Liberty but tickets for the day had been sold out. Instead, we settled on the customary Staten Island Ferry. The free ferry ride which travels back and forth between Manhattan and Staten Islands, provides some tremendous views of the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (where many of America’s millions of migrants were once processed).
After returning to Manhattan aboard the ferry we returned to the subway to visit the Guggenheim. While the museum houses and displays the largest private collection of art, there was one piece which drew our particular attention. We had read about the unveiling of an artwork entitled America before leaving Australia and were determined to see and use it. America is a solid gold working toilet and we were prepared to use it to its full capacity. We lined up for an hour to enter the museum and found another hour long queue for the artwork itself. As the primary interested party, I waited in line while the others explored the museum. From where I stood in line I didn’t appear to be missing out. While the building itself is a creation (its interior is also used in Mr Popper’s Penguins) the artwork I could see looked like nothing more than blank pieces of paper with a few lines (I figured there’s hope for me yet).
The time in line was worth the wait because I made sure I used it to its full extent, as did everyone else in the family. Waiting in line for so long certainly builds up an urge. I also had to visit with the boys so I could take advantage of some unique photo opportunities. Suitably relieved we explored other rooms in the museum. Most of the art did not capture our imagination, although we were all captivated by an installation which involved a robotic arm moving red liquid around a glass cube. We also enjoyed the room housing some of the more famous artists like Monet, Renoir, Ruebens and Picasso.
We left the Guggenheim through the gift shop, where they did not provide me the opportunity to buy a shirt celebrating my triumph on the gold can. Bitterly disappointed we foolishly underestimated the length of the walk to our next stop. The upside of the walk to Tiffany & Co was a chance to skirt the famous Met Gallery and see the sun setting behind the Manhattan skyline.
Yvette has long dreamt of visiting Tiffany & Co in New York, a location for her favourite movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She has always hoped to emulate the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn’s character, Holly Golightly, walking through the shop filled with dazzling jewellery. She was like a kid approaching a candy store when the familiar sign appeared before us.
We entered the store with all tiredness of the day’s events washed instantly from Yvette’s mind. She prowled the shop with a real spring in her step. To be fair, it was like walking around a gallery given the quality of the product they had on display. After studying every item on the showroom floor we discovered an elevator which took us to the other 5 floors of showrooms.
As it was Yvette’s 40th this year I had squirrelled some of my winnings over the past year with the full intention of buying her a special gift from the shop. After exploring all of her options she returned to a Turquoise necklace which she had seen almost on entering the shop that matched the Jane Austen ring I bought her. Once we had recovered from the shock of the cost we left the shop with the necklace and a very happy woman. No amount of money could ever be too much for the joy it brought her. Audrey too left with a MUCH less expensive necklace.
Having spent considerably longer than expected at Tiffany’s we realised that it was time for dinner. We discovered that Grand Central Station was a few blocks away so decided to head via that landmark. When we arrived we were excited to find it just as we had seen it in many movies. We were also excited to find a food court with a surprisingly good choice of quality food.
No trip to New York is complete without climbing the heights of the Empire State Building (if you are comfortable with heights of course). So it was decided that Yvette would head home with Jack and Audrey while Harry and I (the adventurers) would emulate the mighty King Kong.
On the way we visited Macy’s – touted as the World’s largest store. Before entering we joined the throngs of people admiring their Christmas windows which were outstanding. Upon entering the store we were happy to endorse the store’s bold statement because, although a single store, it was as big as any Westfield we had entered.
From Macy’s we split up as planned with Harry and I heading for the Empire State Building and the others heading home to pack and sleep. We had seen incredibly large lines to enter the building when we arrived in New York but hoped that at this late time they would have decreased. We rejoiced when we found no line at all to enter the building but that joy was short lived when we found queues inside to pass security, further queues for tickets and more queues for the elevator.
Sadly we couldn’t get tickets for the 102nd floor so had to settle for a trip to the 86th. The elevator first stopped at the glass observation deck on floor 80 where the views were incredible. However, the lure of a higher vantage point meant we didn’t stay there too long, instead Harry and I chose to climb the stairs for the last 6 floors avoiding another queue.
The open air observation deck provided a much clearer view of a truly spectacular city. There are few places, if any, where you can be so high and still have buildings towering above you. The carnival of lights below was mesmerising and the ants skating on the ice at the foot of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree delighted Harry. It seemed surreal to spot the giant black hole of Central Park among the sparkling towers.
We made our way around each side of the observatory but spent precious little time on the New Jersey side as we were welcomed with arctic breezes which took our breath away. As it was nearing 11pm we took the stairs back down to the 80th floor and boarded the elevator to the ground.
On our way back to the apartment we passed Maddison Square Garden which was brightly lit by a rainbow of colour. As the famous venue is also home to Penn Train Station, we chose to investigate the best entrance for us to lug our cases into in the morning when we would be catching a train to Washington DC. Opposite the venue is the New York post office which is open 24/7. Exhausted we eventually arrived home and fell into bed.
Mark (on behalf of the wandering winrows)
wanderingwinrows 