Temp: Much the same as yesterday
Slept in. not much on the cards for today. Took a walk around the corner of the block to 42nd street. Here I peered into the BB King Blues Club before crossing the road to the Ripley's 'Believe it or not' museum. This is certainly a collection of weird artefacts and information, including quite a number of shrunken heads. Good fun. The girls attempted the laser run with a best time coming in ninth on the leaderboard. Once we had enough of the downright unusual we crossed the road to buy some shoes at the Sketcher shop.
Lunchtime, and nearby found an eatery that sold pizza with a variety of toppings. Yay! A short skip back to the hotel room to drop off our purchases and then grabbed taxi from outside hotel to take us to the north side of Central Park. This is Harlem, but rather than take a walk through the suburb itself we entered Central Park about midway along. We followed the path down to the lake, which was frozen. By stepping on the edge of the ice the weight would push water from under the ice towards the shore. The crisp crinkling sounds confirmed my decision against testing greater weight on the ice and I adhered to the signs warning of the thin ice. Yes, delicate I know.
We followed the path easterly past a number of others reclining on bench seats catching the warmth of the sun as it reflected off the sheet ice where it could. A building in the corner of the park, partly bounded by water, houses public toilets as well as a nature education centre. The ice covering much of the lakes surface not quite reaching this far. Trees on the east side of the building rose from the lake edge amongst which ducks, geese and other water birds nestled. In following the park further still the direction changed to follow 5th avenue. Apartment buildings lined this road on the city side. A mixture of architecture, some non-descript with the purpose and expense only really identified through the opulent entrance ways, door staff or elegant gardens or fixtures at ground level.
Park staff busied themselves clearing the snow from the ground, paths and playground equipment. A number of vehicles were parked just within the gates of the park. Two police cars testing the various tones of the sirens, park vehicles and a couple who's purpose was not readily identifiable. This was around the botanic conservatory garden where water around the central statues were now replaced with snow.
We headed westerly taking a rising path that veered south and continued the climb. An interpretive sign identified part of a stone wall structure nestled amongst the natural rock as part of an early convent at this location. On rounding the corner and continuing the climb the nostrils were assailed by the smell of rotting vegetation. Climbing a small hill to take photographs of the eastern cityscape found the source of the smell of the park compost storage point.
The road, divided into shared walkway, cycle track and vehicle road, levelled out from this point and snaked its way following generally 5th avenue. As it neared the main road street signs identified the portion as part of the Museum Mile. At one point a squirrel fossicked on the ground and snow searching for food, only to be chased into the nearby tree by a diving hawk. The park rangers stopped to take notes on the bird before it took off in search of easier meat.
At the mayoral memorial site we ascended the stairs to take in the view overlooking the Central Park reservoir. This offers a commanding view of the west side cityscape.
We followed 5th avenue further and crossed over to find toilets in the Guggenhiem museum. Unfortunately use of these facilities would prove costly so the girls grabbed themselves hotdogs and pretzels from one of the street vendors. . Costs for a hotdog range from $2 to $3 USD and often you overhear people checking the prices and moving to the next street corner for hope of something cheaper.
It was time for the girls to finish off shopping in 5th avenue so once the taxi dropped us off near Abercrombies we parted company and I began the walk back to the hotel. On 44th between 6th and 7th I found the King Tut exhibition and for $33 USD took nearly two hours to enjoy the splendor of ancient upper egyptian opulence. The exact replica of Tutenkhamun at the end of the exhibit was well done.
On returning to the hotel I found I had only just arrived after Kylie, Sara an Hailey. Dinner was at the Hardrock cafe in Times square. As we arrived the lineup wasn't significant and we were informed of the 20-25 minute delay. Not a biggie and this allowed some time to take in the collection of music memorabilia adorning the walls. With some time left we headed into the bar and thankfully just at the time four people vacated their seats for their table. After the barman confirmed the girls were not 21 we ordered a cocktail, beer and softdrinks at pretty much the lowest prices found to date. On sitting down we hadn't made the 'next act' list but before completing the first round our table was ready. The final meal in NY was sensational. Of interest was the information the waiter provided on New years eve at the Hardrock. For $250 USD you get 5 hours of open bar, entertainment, easy access from 43rd avenue and ready access to Time square at the time the ball drops. This would have been by far a better option than standing for 7 hours on 49th.
The rest of the evening was occupied by packing and re-packing for the next day.
Some thoughts on New York City:
Big City, some bright lights. In Times Square anyway. Thats about it.
Personally, other cities have more charm, better restaurants and lots of other things to do. I am being unkind, but for me I could not see what the fuss was about. I would have preferred another week in Quebec City. That had beauty and charm.
The museums are great, and if we had an unexhaustable supply of funds would have loved to have seen more. The shops are good, but expensive and in many places you wonder if you are being taken for a ride. The people are friendly, and once they get use to your accent you can strike up great conversations. This that speak english of course. Of all the restaurants only one didn't splash water all over the table - that was Gordon Ramsey's. You go to restaurants to eat and everywhere the food was great. The service was never bad but it ranged in quality, and only The Maze was similar to expectations in Adelaide restaurants.
You do feel safe in the city. NYPD everywhere, and all happy for a chat. Never got a photo with one though. If the police presence is likened to a police state then bring it on. I felt far safer there at night than in Adelaide or Melbourne, and not one feral, obnoxious, drunk or stoned individual. Even the homeless and beggars are polite. A few individuals of not sound mind roamed about, but seemed to hassle the store vendors than really make any nuisence of themselves. Lots of people, but i'd suspect more visitors and tourists. Everywhere people were friendly. If I go back I would love to see Central park in Spring, Summer or Autumn.
Music on the streets is provided by car horns. Toots here and there and everywhere warnign of an approaching car. Many pedestrians need the warning. Drivers of other vehicles as well as using lanes appears optional, or in many cases the paint is severely worn away so you create your own lane. Traffic is generally slow and I was actually surprised by the number of private vehicles in the city. Outnumbered by taxis of course. Many black vehicles pull over offering a ride somewhere. They have the appearance of limosines, but with no markings it is difficult to know how legit they are. They charge more too with one offer to Central Park for $20 USD. By taxi it was $10.
Some thoughts on New York City:
Big City, some bright lights. In Times Square anyway. Thats about it.
Personally, other cities have more charm, better restaurants and lots of other things to do. I am being unkind, but for me I could not see what the fuss was about. I would have preferred another week in Quebec City. That had beauty and charm.
The museums are great, and if we had an unexhaustable supply of funds would have loved to have seen more. The shops are good, but expensive and in many places you wonder if you are being taken for a ride. The people are friendly, and once they get use to your accent you can strike up great conversations. This that speak english of course. Of all the restaurants only one didn't splash water all over the table - that was Gordon Ramsey's. You go to restaurants to eat and everywhere the food was great. The service was never bad but it ranged in quality, and only The Maze was similar to expectations in Adelaide restaurants.
You do feel safe in the city. NYPD everywhere, and all happy for a chat. Never got a photo with one though. If the police presence is likened to a police state then bring it on. I felt far safer there at night than in Adelaide or Melbourne, and not one feral, obnoxious, drunk or stoned individual. Even the homeless and beggars are polite. A few individuals of not sound mind roamed about, but seemed to hassle the store vendors than really make any nuisence of themselves. Lots of people, but i'd suspect more visitors and tourists. Everywhere people were friendly. If I go back I would love to see Central park in Spring, Summer or Autumn.
Music on the streets is provided by car horns. Toots here and there and everywhere warnign of an approaching car. Many pedestrians need the warning. Drivers of other vehicles as well as using lanes appears optional, or in many cases the paint is severely worn away so you create your own lane. Traffic is generally slow and I was actually surprised by the number of private vehicles in the city. Outnumbered by taxis of course. Many black vehicles pull over offering a ride somewhere. They have the appearance of limosines, but with no markings it is difficult to know how legit they are. They charge more too with one offer to Central Park for $20 USD. By taxi it was $10.
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