What better way to start looking around New York than to begin with Times Square. I once saw an advertisement here for a property for lease, which read "1 Times Square. Center of the universe. The ball drops here." It really does feel like the centre of everything due to the criss-cross of 42nd St and Broadway that creates the large open space enclosed by buildings of varying heights. Electronic screens of all shapes and sizes and curvatures smother the buildings into obscurity to provide non-stop advertising, information, and fun. It is the world's electronic cubby house. Since the last time I was here, parts of Broadway within Times Square have been painted blue and turned into pedestrian areas. It seems a little odd and causes some nearby traffic jams but it's great for us.
We buy a bus tour ticket to see this massive city and take note from the driver that the complete course will take two and a half hours from start to finish. That's only one of the tour bus lines and it really only covers half of the city. The guide is pretty funny and we hear about the city, its history, and its present layout. Most of the information is available on Wikipedia so I won't bore you here but hearing the information when you're passing through the area makes it all tangible. Like almost everyone on the bus, we want to take a look at the progress being made at Ground Zero where the Twin Towers used to be. From a distance, the Freedom Tower is in good shape and has a solid structural look about it. I look forward to seeing it finished. However, it's lunch time and we're ready for some nourishment.
I don't believe the US is known for its quality of food but rather its quantity and this little unassuming food shop is no exception. It is like a delicatessen with a few varieties of food in the glass cabinets. Next to them are some paninis. Then there are the soups beside the hot food beside the sandwiches beside the hot chickens. This shop goes on forever. Oh, there's also a salad buffet. I look around quickly for a Sizzler sign but it's nowhere to be seen. All I can see opposite the glass cabinets of food are more glass cabinets filled with cakes, muffins, slices, and every dessert imaginable. I need a drink. We finish our lunch and head outside to see a close-up of the Freedom Tower. A few minutes down the road we release we've left our bag with the umbrellas and Mum's glasses at the unassuming food shop. Now the shop has turned into a thief! Unassuming, my bum. Fortunately for us, nobody noticed the bag and it is still there. In fact, they don't even notice us lifting the bag from their table.
We continue on the bus past the Wall St protestors. There are people dressed as ghouls. When we arrive at Battery Point, we stop to walk around for a while. It is at the bottom of Manhattan and there's quite a bit to see here. This is from where the ferries to the Statue of Liberty depart. The queue is long so I buy some tickets for Monday at 11:00am. Buying them at a particular time should afford us some queue jumping when the time comes. The history of the area is fascinating and very detailed. I find a lovely contrast in Battery Park. A decorative outdoor globe was moved here from where it was partly crushed when the Twin Towers fell. Its original form is still recognisable in this mangled state but the top is badly damaged. In the true spirit of New York pride, resilience, and regeneration, a couple of birds snuggle on the sculpture.
The bus takes us back up to midtown but not up to Central Park, as the map indicates. There are roadworks along the way preventing us from completing the course. It stops at the Rockefeller Center and we take a quick look around. Not to be defeated by roadworks, I take Mum for a walk up to the south edge of Central Park. Unfortunately, it starts raining as begin the walk. What would time spent in a city be for us without being drenched? We do have our umbrellas, which is great for our heads, but the streets are flowing with water and our shoes soon become saturated. We're walking along with squelching socks in our sneakers. Ohhh, look here... it's the Apple store! Omg, it is now open 24 hours per day?! Just when I think it can't do more, it does. It is completely packed with people and I doubt it's because of the rain. Crazy. The iPhone 5 isn't out yet but our hair is dry.
We go back to the hotel to change our shoes and then walk a couple of blocks to Times Square. The lights are shining so brightly now. It's almost like day time in the electronic cubby house. Mum finds a T-shirt amongst a buying frenzy on the ground floor of Aéropostale. A big day.Pics of the day
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