New York 2010
On the way to Mexico we made a stopover in New York. We arrived in the afternoon on December 31st in 2009 at JFK Airport and the transfer to the hotel in New Jersey was a little bit more complicated because some roads for New Year's Eve celebration at Times Square were already locked. We then had a few blocks to walk to the bus station and find the right bus to New Jersey. Very helpful people were not there. From the hotel we went right back to the Times Square and stood in the middle of the celebrating crowd in freezing temperatures, it was pretty full and really cold.
The next morning we drove back early to Manhattan, Times Square was empty, hard to believe! We were then at Battery Park and drove with the ferry to the Statue Of Liberty and Ellis Iceland. The security measures at the Statue of Liberty were larger than at the airport! Then we were at Ground Zero, you could not imagine how bad the 9/11 must have been. Well we went on to Trinity Church and Wall Street and then over the Brooklyn Bridge. In Manhattan Bridge Park we had a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. Next we took the subway to City Hall and Court Of Justice. At the evening we have been in Chinatown and Little Italy an then went back to Manhattan Bridge Park by using the subway to make a few night shots of the Brooklyn Bridge, before we went back to New Jewsey.
Got up early, we went by bus to Manhattan again. The first targets were the Grand Central Station, the UN Building, the Chrysler Building and the Public Library. At the Empire State Building, we went to the observation deck and this is really an incredible view in all directions. Then we did a little walk through the streets and have been at the Flatiron Building, Macy's, Madison Square Garden, Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center (at Christmas), Trump Tower and the Plaza Hotel. Then we have gone a little bit through the Central Park to the Guggenheim Museum. Again, through the Central Park, we then get warmed up at the American Museum Of Nature History. It was really really cold, the hands and foots were already partially frozen and did hurt quite a bit from all the walking. In the evening we went to the Times Square and had something to eat and a little bit of shopping.
After checking out, we went by bus to Manhattan and have issued our luggage for storage. We walked a bit through the streets and were a little bit shopping. Then we drove to the Newark Airport and wanted to continue flying to Mexico. We sat on the plane, as the entire terminal was evacuated. All had to go from the gate area again back in the check-in hall, because a man gets into the gate area without getting controlled. After a few hours then we were allowed to "check in" again which had lasted an eternity and our flight was already canceled, because the staff was not allowed to fly because of too long working-time. When there would be a replacement flight was not clear and so we spent a comfortable night in a corner at the gate area. Then it should finally start the next morning, but the plane had technical flaws that have been fixed after a further hour. The stewardesses were themselves afraid to fly by plane and were very upset. But we then still arrived safely in Mexico.
New York is truly an incredible city that you absolutely must have seen. We already knew skyscrapers from Hong Kong, but New York probably surpasses anything! Skyscrapers wherever you look and the streets seem never to end. New Year's Eve is a state of emergency at Times Square, all the side streets are closed and only passable by strong controls. The christmas spirit is really great, everything was beautifully decorated and there was a lot of ice rinks. It was really cold, so we did everything from cold already hurt, we 've warmed up by shopping or in museums. The security measures in some buildings were very high, especially at the Statue of Liberty and the Empire Statue Building, at least as well as at the airport. Central Park is huge and with the distance you totally misjudged. A great city that we are determined to visit again with more time!
