Well, I never thought I'd make it to New York City but I finally did! I received an email from my friend Sandra on a Sunday afternoon in August asking me if I wanted to go to NYC and the next afternoon we had booked flight and hotel. I don't think I ever booked a trip that fast!
So off we went from September 12 to 15, 3 nights at the Skyline Hotel in Hell's Kitchen. The hotel was nice and clean and very well located to walk to Times Square, the many theaters, restaurants, etc.
On the first night, we walked around to get the lay of the land and also went to the theater where The Book of Mormon was playing to buy tickets for the next night. We got some at a decent price in a balcony on the side of the theater. For dinner we found a restaurant where Sandra had eaten on a previous trip to NYC and tried it again. It was called Sangria and on 46th Street West.
September 13th - Before we left Ottawa, we bought a cruise around Manhattan online that departed at 10 a.m. from Pier 83 which was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. What a great way to see the city! Here are just a few of my many pictures.
After our cruise, we bought some lunch from a street vendor and found the entrance to the High Line. We walked the High Line towards the south until we reached 20th Street. We wanted to go see the store Kleinfeld of Say Yes to the Dress! Yes we both watch that TV show from time to time! The store was located at 20th West and 6th.
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| One part of the High Line. |
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| Kleinfeld |
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| The Book of Mormon at Eugene O'Neill Theater |
We had dinner early at Uncle Mario's Brick Oven Pizza on 9th close to the theater. The shows start at 7 p.m. so we had to dine early.
September 14th - For our breakfast, everyday we went to the Skyline Deli across the street and bought coffee, bagel sandwiches and whatever we may need for the day. Before we went out that day, we decided to go to see a show again that night. I looked online on Todaytix.com (recommended by a friend) to see what was available at a good price. We settled for Waitress that played at a theater not too far from us.
For our second day, we had booked tickets for the ferry to go to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty island. Departing at 11 a.m. from Battery Park at the south end of the island. The tour lasted about 3 hours. Wow that statue is big!
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| Ellis Island (left) and Manhattan (right) |
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| Inside the Ellis Island museum |
After the island visits, we made our way on foot to the 911 Memorial. What a place... We did not visit the museum because there was a line-up and it was very hot outside. We walked around that area and found City Hall, the Brooklyn Bridge entrance and many other beautiful buildings.
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| 911 Memorial |
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| The new World Trade Center |
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| City Hall |
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During our walks we came across a couple of memorials to 911 as they had marked 16 years on the Monday before we arrived. Here are a couple of pictures.
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| The show we saw on Sept 14th at the Brooks Atkinson Theater |
On our last night, we decided to try the restaurant attached to the hotel. It was a Mexican restaurant.
September 15th - Our flight was at 5:15 p.m. out of Newark. We left the hotel around 9:30 a.m. with our suitcases and made our way on foot towards Penn Station where we had to take the train to the airport. On our way, we did some shopping to kill time! We ended up at Macy's. I think it said it was the biggest department store in the world. I believe it! One can't see it all in one visit unless one stays there all day and night! We had lunch at one of the many restaurants in the store. Best lunch I had in a long time and that I tried to replicate at home with some success. Here's a picture of the original one!
After that delicious lunch, we went to find Penn Station and our train ($13) to Newark. Train takes about 30 minutes. We got there so early that we were able to take an earlier flight home at 2:10 p.m. We flew Porter with a stop at Toronto Island.
All in all a great trip and I hope to go back soon to continue exploring that great city.
