Summer In The Big Apple

The highlight of the summer was my trip to New York City with my dad in mid-July.  The last time I was in the Big Apple was 2004 and I wanted to see how much the city has changed in 20 years.  I only had a week to spare so our trip focused on exploring Manhattan Island.  You would need at least a month to explore all five burrows in detail.

My dad & I flew business class.  It’s the only way when travelling to the “city that never sleeps.”  The snack meals on the Air Canada flights were pretty good.  We landed at LaGuardia Airport in the early evening.  The last time I was at LaGuardia was 1999 and it wasn’t a nice-looking place.  The airport had a long reputation for being ugly and unpleasant.  Thankfully, the airport underwent an extensive redevelopment, beginning in 2016.  The project is mostly complete at a cost of around $5.5 billion USD.  I think the money was well-spent because the airport looks more spacious & visually appealing.

We took a cab from the airport to our hotel in Midtown Manhattan.  Traffic wasn’t too bad, and I was able to take pictures of buildings from the passenger window.  The hotel is located not too far from the Empire State Building.  In fact, we could clearly see the iconic building from our hotel room because it was on the 27^th floor.  We could also see the New Yorker building.

My dad & I planned on getting around Manhattan by using the extensive subway system.  We bought 7-day Metro passes at the nearest station.  We made our way to the Empire State Building on our first full day in the city.  I planned one activity for each day.  The iconic structure is nearing 100 years old!  We cleared security and then walked through a museum featuring portraits & information plaques.  We took an express elevator to the observation deck on the 86^th floor.  My dad & I walked outside, braving the hot sun, and took pictures of the surrounding cityscape.  I took many photos and even a short video.  It’s quite impressive to hear the metropolis from a high altitude.  Speaking of high altitude, we took an elevator up to the 102^nd floor observatory.  It’s smaller & you have to pay extra, but worth it.  The visit ended in the merchandise store.  All tourist places have a merchandise store at the end.  I’ll admit to buying a t-shirt.

We headed to Times Square by subway.  The area sounds louder to me, possibly due to many pedestrians, vehicles, bright lights, and digital ads plastered on buildings.  People suffering from seizures should be careful and/or avoid Times Square because it may be triggering.

At the end of the first day, my dad & I had dinner at the Beer Authority restaurant, not far from our hotel.  We ordered fish & chips, and shrimp teriyaki.

The second day was all about flight.  We visited the Intrepid Museum, on the actual USS Intrepid (CV-11).  The carrier was launched during World War 2, decommissioned after the end of the war, recommissioned in the 1950s as an attack carrier, converted into an anti-submarine carrier, decommissioned a second time in 1974, and finally becoming a museum ship in 1982.   The carrier hosts many aircraft, helicopters, and even the space shuttle Enterprise in an enclosed pavilion.  The pavilion is air conditioned and provides respite from the hot sun.  Wear a hat & sunscreen when visiting.  You can explore most of the decks & island control tower.  I took a lot of pictures, so many that I can’t post them all here.      

Next to the USS Intrepid sits the decommissioned British Airways Concorde G-BOAD.  It “holds the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing.”  You must buy a separate ticket to do the Concorde Tour.  The tour lasts 30 minutes and was very informative.  This was our first time sitting in a Concorde.  I wish I was rich to afford the tickets when Concorde operated.

We explored a small part of Central Park on the morning of the third day.  Central Park is a very big place, and you can spend an entire day there.  Maybe two.  The park serves as a way for the people of Manhattan to escape the hustle & bustle of the city . . . without actually leaving it.  Surprisingly, the noise level drops significantly when you walk several metres into the park.  You really feel like you’re in a quiet suburb or dense forest.  Just ignore the tall buildings surrounding the park.  There are a lot of places to visit, including a zoo.  We didn’t go there this time.

We proceeded to Lower Manhattan, aka Downtown New York City, where the Financial District is located.  We got off at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, recently opened in 2016, at an estimated cost of $4 billion USD.  It was built to replace the previous hub that was destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001.  The main station house is the Oculus and it’s quite a nice-looking building with a lot of floor space and a very high ceiling.  My only gripe is the limited seating on the main floor.  I guess this was done to prevent people from congregating and interrupting the constant flow of foot traffic.  [Oculus video clip].

We walked across the street, got a close-up view of one of the reflection ponds and then proceeded to One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the western hemisphere.  The building stands at 1,776 feet, or 571 metres.  The height of 1,776 feet was deliberately chosen during the design phase to reference the Declaration of Independence.  We proceeded through security, walked through a small museum about the tower, and then took an express elevator to One World Observatory on floors 100 – 102.  I took a lot of pictures of NYC, including a passing Hercules transport plane.  I also purchased a New York City hat from the gift shop.  It’s the probably the most I ever paid for a hat.  We enjoyed a late lunch at the One Dine Restaurant before returning to street level.

We returned to Lower Manhattan the next day to explore the Financial District on foot.  We found the New York Stock Exchange but didn’t go inside.  We also located the famous Charging Bull statue but didn’t pose next to it because there were two long lines.  One for the front and one for the back.  The line at the back is for people who want their pictures taken of them holding the bull’s, um, balls.  I’m not kidding.  Apparently, holding them in your hands brings you good luck, but I doubt that’s true.  Someone probably said that as a joke and then many people believed it.

We continued south towards Battery Park.  I bought a large pretzel from a street vendor next to the US Custom House.  You have to buy good street food from a vendor at least once when visiting NYC.  Speaking of food, there are a lot of food vendors at Battery Park, selling fruits, drinks, ice cream, and sweets.  There are other vendors that sell hats, paintings, and post cards.  There are a lot of people in Battery Park because there’s a ferry terminal and a dock for tourists wanting to visit Liberty Island.  (More on this coming up).

My dad & I left the park and walked east towards a helicopter pier.  I booked The New Yorker Tour with HeliNY.  We checked-in, watched a safety video, given inflatable safety vests, and then waited with other passengers for our turn to board.  The pier is used by several helicopter tour companies.  The flight lasted about 20 minutes.  We flew past Governor’s Island, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and then proceed up the Hudson River.  The pilot circled around the George Washington Bridge and then returned the way we came.  He pointed out notable landmarks and shared some history about the city.  A helicopter tour is a great way to view NYC.

We enjoyed an early dinner at Fraunces Tavern.  The establishment “played a prominent role […] before, during, and after the American Revolution.”  The tavern once “served as a headquarters for George Washington, a venue for peace negotiations with the British, and housing federal offices in the Early Republic.”

On our last full day in The Big Apple, my dad & I returned to Battery Park to catch one of the ferries to Liberty Island.  Liberty Island is where the famed Statue of Liberty is located.  There were a lot of people even though we arrived in the morning.  We lined up at the main dock after going through security.  The sky was clear & the sun was shining brightly in the sky.  It’s a good thing we put on sunscreen & were wearing hats.  The ferry made its way to the island filled to maximum capacity.  We disembarked and took in our surroundings.

Viewing the island from the air the day before made it easier for us to get our bearings.  The island was swarming with visitors, but thankfully, it wasn’t too crowded.  I took many photographs of the statue and the surrounding area.  The statue’s pedestal is currently under renovation.  We had to go through another security checkpoint to access the Statue of Liberty’s Pedestal.  You can either walk up stairs or take a small slow-moving elevator to the top of the Pedestal.  Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long for the elevator.  Unfortunately, that’s the only elevator.  It’s all stairs if you want to get to the observation decks in the crown and at the torch.  You must pay extra to gain access.  We spent about 20 minutes walking around & taking in the sights.

We explored the remainder of the island before lining up for the ferry.  Unfortunately, the line was very long.  I think we waited close to 45 minutes.  Liberty Island needs an additional dock to handle all the tourists.  Next stop was Ellis Island.

The last time I visited Ellis Island was 1999.  The island served as a gateway for immigrants from 1892 to 1954.  It’s now home to the National Museum of Immigration.  The museum looks a lot better since my last visit, especially the history exhibits.  There are plenty of statues, photos, and plaques to read & photograph.  I was ecstatic to see they kept the Old Italian Story quote.  (It’s the only thing I remember from my first visit).

It was mid-afternoon when we returned to Battery Park.  Visiting Liberty & Ellis Islands requires an entire day.

We took a subway to East Village to enjoy an early dinner at Veselka, a popular Ukrainian restaurant.  The place was busy, and the food was great.  The restaurant is also the subject of a recently released documentary.  Slava Ukraini!

Unfortunately, the time had come to return to Canada.  We checked out of our hotel and got a taxi ride to LaGuardia Airport.  We felt like VIPs because the taxi was a black SUV.  We checked in our luggage, went through security, and proceeded to the Maple Leaf Lounge for breakfast and to kill some time.  We walked to our gate after some time had passed.

The short return flight was uneventful and thankfully going through Canadian customs didn’t take long.  We caught our second flight a few hours later, collected our luggage at our final destination, and then took a taxi home. 

Overall, the trip was a success.  We did everything we set out to do and had a great time.  The only thing we had to get used to is going through security checkpoints at all tourist destinations.  It’s the norm in the USA and I doubt it’ll change.  I’m glad I returned to New York City after a 20-year absence.  I’ll need to plan a future visit to explore the other boroughs.