Up early again this morning and off back into the City. We had intended to take the boat out to visit Lady Liberty this morning but the dude on the bus yesterday told us that taking the Staten Island ferry would give us just as good views so that’s what we decided to do first. Since we had to get to Battery Park to catch the ferry we thought we’d take the subway from the Times Square area. Mike asked the lovely helpful man at the ticket counter which train we had to catch and then bought tickets for us. It seems the guy didn’t really understand where we wanted to go cos we almost ended up in Brooklyn which is nowhere near Battery Park. We had to walk about 18 blocks underground to get to the right station and then once we got on the train we couldn’t understand the announcer and didn’t know which stop to get off at. It’s definitely not as easy to navigate as the London underground. Thankfully there was a nice New Yorker on the train who informed us of the stop to get off at before we ended up in Brooklyn. The problem was we were nowhere near Battery Park but instead were somewhere in Chinatown. Mike asked a woman in a news booth which way we had to go and she wouldn’t even talk to him, and when we asked another woman on the street we discovered that the only english she knew was Coach and Louis. I bet she’d have spoken perfect English if we’d said we wanted one of her knock off handbags. A friendly young lady in Starbucks finally helped us and pointed us in the right direction.
We got on the ferry for Staten Island and had quite a nice ride over while getting to view the Statue of Liberty – she still looks small even out on the water. It was really windy and cold on the trip over but it was beautiful and sunny and we got some really nice views of the city from the harbour. We had intended just to stay on the ferry and come right back but they made us leave the boat, so we walked through the terminal and got right back on the same boat, silly me thinks but whatever. On the ride back we stayed inside in the warm.
After getting back on dry land we had a little lunch and then took a bus tour of Brooklyn where we got to hear about the devastation that the city felt, and still feels when the Dodgers left back in 1958. I think it’s time they just let it go, and our guide wasn’t very sympathetic either since he was a Yankee fan.
Next we headed uptown to Central Park and walked around that a little; it’s very beautiful and even more so I think since it’s right in the middle of so much concrete. We didn’t have very much time to wander and it would have been nice to spend a day just walking through the park but there was just too much to fit into two days. Another bus ride landed us at the Empire State building and we headed to the top. We actually came at a good time I think as there was hardly any line to get to the top, and we were entertained by King Kong while we waited. It was a little crowded at the top but we still had a good look and the views from there are spectacular; and we had a perfect day, everything was visible and clear. And I now know that the Chrysler building is not the Empire State building as I could see it from the top of the Empire State building! More rushing around when we got back down, this time we walked to Grand Central. Wow what a building, it’s beautiful, way too nice to be a train station.
After getting food for mam and dad it was time to get them to the theatre in time for the show. We decided to walk the 10 or so blocks to the right street, which in hindsight wasn’t a great idea since mam, while trying to keep up with Mike, fell over while we were walking up Broadway. While dad rescued the soda bottle from the gutter, two nice policemen helped her back to her feet; they even wanted to call an ambulance for her. She hit the pavement really hard and is going to have a gem of a bruise to remember her time in New York.
We left them at the theatre to watch Jersey boys – tickets courtesy of Jaime and Lec – and mike and I headed off to waste thee hours in New York. We wandered the streets, ate pizza standing outside a deli which was yummy, and then spent a long while watching the people in Times Square. People watching is so much fun especially in a crazy place like New York, and Times Square is a very weird and wonderful place with people and advertisements everywhere. We saw the Naked Cowboy, and later in the evening the female version.
We headed back to pick them up later and it sounds like they had a great time at the theatre and enjoyed the show immensely. I think they were surprised by how much of the music they actually knew but didn’t know that Frankie and the Four Seasons had sung it. Then we caught the shuttle back to the hotel for the last time this trip.
We all headed to bed (after icing mams leg) absolutely knackered but I think we all enjoyed the two crazy hectic days in New York City. It is not a place I’d ever want to live but visiting was fun and hopefully we’ll get to come back sometime soon.

Mike: Go Dodgers! New York is fabulous as long as I don’t have to drive!