I can walk to the Empire State in 5 minutes from my hotel, so it was the obvious thing to do today. On the way, I bought a 2 day Open-Top tour-bus ticket which also included admission to the top of the Empire State. I was at the top shortly after 9:00am.
Now, given that I am afraid of heights I was pretty impressed with how calm I managed to be. I had a couple of moments when I felt a bit giddy, but the views more than made up for any colly-wobbles.
As you can see from the photo which a kindly fellow tourist took of me, it was a little misty in New York this morning, but there wasn't a breath of wind, making it less scary. I made two circuits of the observation deck before heading back down, via the gift shop where I managed to successfully resist all the items for sale (though I was sorely tempted by the Lego model of the building.
Flat Iron Building
Having taken my fill of the tallest building in the City, I hopped onto the bus to start the tour. First stop was the Flat Iron Building. Though it was never the tallest building, the Flat Iron is certainly one of New York's most unusual. Built on a slender triangular plot created by the way Broadway angles through the City, the building is covered in incredibly ornate carvings and is one of the many landmarks I really wanted to see.
Hopping back onto the next bus, I continued the tour through the West Village and Greenwich Village. Funky and Bohemian as advertised, I enjoyed the tour guide's comment that "you can try to be too strange for The Village, but it won't work".
Where were you when...
In marked contrast to the Hippy Chic of the village, the next part of the tour continued into the Financial District. I took another break from the tour here to go visit Ground Zero.
Still poignant after nearly 8 years, the building work takes place under the gaze of hundreds of near silent onlookers. For me, 9/11 is the "where were you when moment?". On that fateful day in 2001, I had taken a random day off work when I got a call from Paul who was in London and saw a passing headline on the big screen at Victoria Station. I switched on the TV and remember that I didn't move from that spot in the middle of med living room. I didn't even sit down. I just stood transfixed, remote in hand flipping from one news channel to another.
Eight years later I stood next to Ground Zero. A humbling experience.
Excuse Me Officer?
After a quick break watching boats on the Hudson from Battery Park City whilst eating a cup of cookies-and-cream Ice Cream, I rejoined the tour as it headed to South Street Seaport. Again, I disembarked, and took a stroll around this very touristy, but very pretty part of town. I also took the opportunity to kindly ask one of New York's Finest if he would be comfortable with me taking his photo. He was, and what a fine example of a Law Enforcement Officer he is.
I stayed on the bus as the tour turned back towards Midtown where I got off for a walk around the foot of Rockerfeller Centre and St. Patrick's Cathedral.
The tour finished with a loop around the Theatre and Garment Districts, through Times Square and back to the start at the Empire State.
BLAM!
I returned to the hotel for a pit-stop, sent a few Tweets and then decided to have a quick nap to restore some energy ahead of taking the Night Bus Tour in the evening.
The weather all day had been threatening something. It was very hot, very humid and very occasional clouded over. At 6pm I was woken by rain on my window. By 6:15pm, the rain had turned torrential and a Thunder Storm began to slowly and spectacularly crash through the City.
I love a good thunder storm, but this was different. The rain streamed down and swirled around the high-rises outside of my rear facing window. The furthest skyscrapers disappeared from view as the cloud turned thick grey behind the curtain of rain. The lightening cracked across the sky but the most remarkable thing was the thunder. The Skyscrapers act like giant chasms, funneling and reverberating each monstrous clap. I sat on the floor by the open window with my mouth gaping. It was breathtaking to behold.
As quickly as it came, it went and the sky turned blue and clean above the freshly soaked City. I took this picture from the window of my hotel room as the cloud receded.
I'll come back for my Dessert
I had dinner in the hotel, Roast Lamb with Rosemary Gravy and Mashed Potatoes, but time was getting on so I decided to have Dessert after going on the Night Tour.
I headed out into the night-time to find that the clammy, humid conditions had returned. By the time I got to where the tour began the ticket sellers and tour guides were convinced that the rain would return. The bus arrived and moments later so did the rain. I was game, and armed with a rain proof coat and a poncho over my legs, myself and a very few others were all set to go. Sadly, the remainder of the top deck were not and made a quick getaway even before the bus had pulled away.
We made it two blocks before the driver called in to the depot and bus was recalled. I was told there was another bus waiting at 47th and 7th, when I got there, that one too was recalled and Night Tours were abandoned for the evening. Light-weights.
Apple Pie, Coffee and Baseball
So, by this point it was raining steadily and I was 12 blocks North of the hotel. I tramped back through the warm, delicious New York rain, watching the sky flash with lightening. Back at the hotel, I went to the bar and ordered my Dessert. Upside-down Apple Tart, Cinnamon Ice Cream and a cup of Coffee. I ate this slowly as I watched the Baseball (the Tigers lost 1-5 to the White Sox).
I am now showered and ready for bed.
Tomorrow I'll be taking the Uptown Bus Tour and amongst many sights, I hope to see Tom's Diner. Made a bit famous by Suzanne Vega and then a lot famous by Seinfeld.
Goodnight.
Stats - Day Two
No new States to add
Burger count remains at 1
Ice Cream count - 1 (the Ice Cream with Dessert was "on the side" so doesn't count in this total)
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