Tag: New York

Farewell America hello Canada

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13 October 2013

It was almost dark when we got back to Central Park after our New York tour and we still had a way to walk from the Columbus Circle. After we’d packed in preparation for the morning and freshened up we went out for a final meal at Spring Natural Kitchen and an early night. Despite being up at the crack of dawn, our last morning was going to be a short one.  Our transfer was picking us up at ten forty five to get us to the airport by twelve thirty. Commando wanted to fit one last run in and I had somewhere I wanted to see before we left New York. After the debacle getting into America, I have to admit to a few nerves about getting back out again.

Continue reading Farewell America hello Canada

Two towers, a sphere, a memorial and a cruise

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12 Octber 2015

With a little getting lost we wound our way through Lower Manhattan past shops bursting with Halloween pumpkins the like of which we never see at home. We were heading for the next item on our must see itinerary, a place that had played a part in both our lives although neither of us had ever been there. Back in 2001, the World Trade Centre was nothing more than two tall office towers in Manhattan. On September 11, that changed and the world and our lives changed with it. Continue reading Two towers, a sphere, a memorial and a cruise

Whistle stop New York tour

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12 Octber 2015

In all honesty, New York has never really been on my top ten list of places to visit. Big cities full of hustle and bustle are not exactly my thing, although CJ says it’s his favourite place on earth. If he could have stowed away in my suitcase he would have. Two full days is just not enough time to see everything in Manhattan but I had a plan to make the most of the time we had. This involved a swift Starbucks breakfast and  a great deal of walking, the best way to explore. When this was in the planning stage I’d been expecting cold weather, maybe even some rain, what we found when we set out just after nine, was blue sky, sunshine and the makings of another beautiful day. Continue reading Whistle stop New York tour

The High Line and the avenue that coffee forgot

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11 October 2015

So far we’d seen the transfer bridge and one of the shunters used by the West Side Line, now we were actually going to walk on an abandoned part of it. We’d reached the High Line, a one and a half mile elevated section of the line which was closed in 1980. As disused railway lines go, this one is pretty special. It was inspired by Promenade plantée, a similar project in Paris, as an aerial greenway, or a park in the sky and the views over Manhattan and the Hudson are breathtaking. Construction of the walkway began in 2006, we were walking from the newest section to the oldest. Continue reading The High Line and the avenue that coffee forgot

Breakfast in America and a walk by the Hudson

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11 October 2015

After a shower and freshen up we left the hotel again in search of breakfast. Actually, by this time it was 10:45 so make that brunch. On our evening wanderings the night before when we’d been searching for coffee we’d seen an interesting place called Spring Natural Kitchen on Columbus Avenue, not too far from our hotel. It looked like a nice healthy place to have brunch so we thought we’d give it a try. First we had to do battle with the New York traffic, which was proving to be more than a little confusing. Continue reading Breakfast in America and a walk by the Hudson

Central Park wandering

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11 October 2015

We woke on Sunday morning still reeling from our airport experience but determined not to let it sour our views of New York. Our hotel, the Excelsior is just a block from Central Park on West 81st Street near the junction with Colombus Avenue. This was no coincidence, Commando knew one of the places I most wanted to see was Strawberry Fields in Central Park. This was the morning it was going to happen because Commando had a ten mile run scheduled and he planned to do it first thing in Central Park, followed by a late brunch in one of the places we’d seen when we went in search of coffee the night before. Because of the time difference we were awake early, just before six, and showered, dressed and out of the hotel before eight. In truth, I could have done with a coffee but I thought I might find somewhere in the park when Commando was running. Continue reading Central Park wandering

Welcome to America

Breakfast at Heathrow
Breakfast at Heathrow

10 October 2015

My nightmare about the check in at Heathrow turned out to be something of an omen for what was to come although not in quite the way I expected. Suffice to say, my welcome to America was not at all welcoming and most certainly not an experience I’ll be rushing to repeat. The following is a tale of woe that certainly doesn’t reflect on all my lovely American friends. It says more about the lack of organisation and common courtesy of the staff employed by American border control at JFK.  Continue reading Welcome to America