The flight back to London was nothing out of the ordinary. I grabbed a few shots as we began our descent over England. It was a cloudy day, but the view from above was most impressive.
I captured a video of the last stages of the landing and touchdown at Heathrow airport.
So today is my last day in New York. I’m a little bit sad to be leaving, but, in a way, I know whats here, and I know I’d like to come back at some stage. I packed up my suitcase and checked out of The Jane hotel. It’s been a nice place to stay. In a quiet neighbourhood, and the staff were always very friendly. I stored my bags at the hotel while I spent a few hours at a place I really wanted to check out before I left. The Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum.
After the giant slices of pizza I had yesterday, I couldn’t resist, and went back to pay Joe’s another visit. Joe’s Pizza actually features in the Spiderman 2 film! Just plain cheese pizza, with tasty tomato sauce and a nice thin base. And at $2.75 a slice, it’s cheap!
After enjoying Joe’s in a park across the road I went further downtown to see what was happening at the World Trade Center site. Construction is progressing on the site, and progress can be seen at WTC Progress.
Around the corner from there is Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange. The Stock Exchange building in itself is really quite impressive. I was there after close of business, so men in suits were not overly abundant.
Today I explored parts of the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan. This area is known for spotting celebrities and paparazzi in close pursuit. Alas, I did not see any, but I did see three girls and a Mini all participating in a fairly large photo shoot production.
Today for lunch I was craving some delicious KFC. I went to one in a different part of the city, and ordered my meal. Compared to back home though, it seemed to be missing some of the secret herbs and spices.
Not long after I sat down, a peculiar man sat at the table next to me. He must’ve noticed I was a tourist, with my camera there, and he asked me where I was from. We started having a chat and it turns out he is an artist in New York. Lived here all his life, he is hoping to see some of the world as soon as possible, and to take his designs along with him.
Today I played the part of the typical tourist. I headed up to Grand Central Terminal, with my audio tour in hand, and learnt about the history of the world’s largest train station. I saw the central clock above the information booth, the east and west staircases, the dining concourse below, and two bridal parties there for photos! There are corridors and ramps leading to various rooms through the place. One area that impressed me is known as “the whispering gallery”, where you face a corner of the room, and speak to the wall, and a person diagonally opposite you can hear you. It was really quite fascinating!
Due to the unusually high temperatures today, I stayed in my room planning the rest of my time here in New York. Towards the afternoon once it cooled down, I purchased a ticket and headed for the Top of the Rock. Three viewing decks allow you views all over Manhattan and surrounds. The upper deck of the Rockefeller Centre is 260m above above street level. Although not quite as tall as the Empire State Building, the benefit of being at the Top of the Rock, is that you get to see the Empire State Building!
I planned to be there in the afternoon, so I could see the city in the daylight, then also watch the sunset, and see the city come alive with lights. The view was slightly obscured by a haze in the air, but was very impressive nonetheless. I spent 2 or 3 hours up here, away from the hustle and bustle, just enjoying the view.
Bridges became the main attraction for today! First up I headed underground and jumped on a train headed for the very top of Manhattan island. I got off the train at 181st street and headed to check out the George Washington Bridge. The north end of Manhattan was quite different to what I had saw previously. The people are primarily of the Dominican Republic, with Spanish being heard in shops and on the street.
Today I woke up quite early, mainly because of the time difference to London. New York is 5 hours behind, so my 9am wake up was more like a 2pm sleep in! When I flew into the airport last night, the foreign exchange places were all shut, so first on the list of things to do today was get some US dollars. I also picked up a 7 day use card on the Metro underground train system.
So I made it! The coach ride. Waiting to board. Delayed at Heathrow. An 8 hour flight. More security checks. And an airport shuttle service. I write this from the comfort of my hotel room in New York.
This place is insane! I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me as soon as I stepped foot outside the airport. It’s so humid here right now. But it’s not raining, so that’s a positive!
All content copyright Just Stunning Photography. ABN: 83 411 897 989
