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In the second week of April we flew to New York with our grandson for a long-promised experience. At age 16 we were a little worried he might be bored, but his enthusiasm for the sights was infectious.
We landed at Newark Liberty airport shortly after 9:30pm local time, but it took a good hour and a half to get through US border control. So we settled for a taxi to our hotel near Battery Park, arriving in time for a drink before going to bed (by now, our body clocks thought it was 5am!).
Day one was like a winter’s day at home (Scotland), but we’re hardy folk. We took the first of many subway rides to Times Square and then visited the Madam Tussaud’s wax museum. Luckily, we had a three-day pass for entry into the attractions which in total, gave us a saving of over $300 by the time it expired. Otherwise, we’d have soon been out of pocket, the cheapest attraction being about $40 per person.
Yes, we soon learnt that New York is very expensive.
Afternoon on the first day started with a long walk towards Central Park for our destination at the National History Museum. We joined a lengthy queue so lost 45 minutes before we even gained entry. But William was very happy seeing the exhibits, which included a show in the planetarium.
The cold weather was accompanied by a lot of low cloud that in the evening took on an eerie appearance.
In contrast, our second day in the city was hot and sunny. The mist was replaced by a haze that could have been caused by pollution. Anyway, our first stop was the 9/11 Memorial, a place we had visited once before on our last visit to New York.
It is two large infinity pools set into the ground where the twin towers stood. Next to them is the brand new One Word Trade Centre, a building we would be visiting later in our stay. The memorial museum is adjacent to the pools, and we joined many other visitors to learn more of this sombre story. Unlike the temporary museum we saw on our previous visit, this one is huge (and underground), taking in much of the area that would have been the footings for the twin towers themselves.
Later we joined the crowd of tourists heading to see Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Seeing the famous statue up close was impressive, but of more interest was Ellis Island.
It’s museum provided an interesting reminder of how current day America was created by immigrants arriving from all over the world. We learned about the many problems they faced, including prejudice from some of the earlier settlers. What I found a little lacking though was the impact on Native Americans and their culture. That said, it was definitely worth the visit.
The following day we were back at the One World Trade Centre to take a very fast lift to the top. You get a stunning 360 degree view of the city, including neighbouring New Jersey (photo below)
Staying with tall buildings,we also went up the Empire State Building after dark for a stunning night vista of New York.
The final attraction we visited was the Guggenheim Museum. The art on display wasn’t really to my taste, but it was a fascinating building.
On our final day we headed up town for the Easter parade, which was more of a crowded gathering really; and ended our stay at a great little Italian restaurant. Then it was 3 trains and the monorail back to Newark Liberty International for the flight back across the Atlantic.