Ok without further ado - The Empire State Building. On my previous trip to NYC I did not go up the Empire State Building as I did not want to waste valuable shopping time queuing in the lobby of a skyscraper. Even if it was a super flash restored art deco lobby. This time it had to be done as The Farmchildren desperately wanted to go up a building and we decided that The Empire State Building was the building for us.
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| Looking At The Chrysler Building - Now That's a Skyscraper with Class. |
So we rugged up and went first thing to try and avoid the famous queues. And guess what - no queues at all. It was an overcast day in January and apparently this means no queues. So we zoomed up to the lift. We had tickets to both the observation deck and the enclosed deck right at the very top. Both were fabulous although the outdoor observation deck was beyond freezing. So cold that I struggled to get good photos as my hands were shaking and my camera was not a fan of the below freezing temps.
Here is Farmboy illustrating just how cold it was.
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| Please Mum Can I Go Back Inside? |
The views were amazing though. Even on a cloudy day.
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| Looking Downtown |
Then we went on a beautiful old lift to the higher observation area that was all enclosed. This was fabulous, much warmer and definitely worth the extra money.
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| High Up Above The City |
I love the above photo as it shows some of the construction beams. They are the same ones that the workmen used to walk and sit on during construction. Scary.
Now - next touristy must do was walking over The Brooklyn Bridge. This was one of the best days of the trip in my opinion. The Brooklyn Bridge is stunning and we picked a beautiful clear albeit cold day to walk over it.
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| On The Brooklyn Bridge |
The Farmchildren loved a chance to stretch their legs and spent most of the time running and playing chasey as we crossed the bridge. Much to the amusement of the other tourists!
The construction of the bridge was amazing. Look.
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| Amazing |
And the views weren't half bad either.
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| Manhattan With Random Unknown Tourist Who Has Nice Hair |
For the record we caught a cab over the bridge and started the walk in Brooklyn. We did this so we could walk towards the Manhattan skyline to try and get the best views. It would be easy to walk both ways but we didn't want to tire out The Farmchildren too much.
Now last but definitely not least in my little touristy post is The Statue of Liberty. We did a cruise over to view the Statue (or The Big Lady as Farmgirl insisted on calling her). Landing at Liberty and Ellis Islands is not permitted at present as the docks were badly damaged in Hurricane Sandy. The views were still fabulous and The Statue of Liberty is truly beautiful. Particularly her amazing pale green colour which catches the light.
Here are The Farmchildren desperately trying to catch a glimpse out the ferry window.
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| Look! |
And here she is in all her glory.
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| A Beautiful Lady - Liberty Enlightening The World |
So - that was my take on the most famous touristy landmarks in NYC.
A couple of things. First of all it is very obviously winter in these photos. I think it was a great time to visit with small children. There was not stacks of other tourists and we rarely queued or got caught in a crowd. This made things easier as small children are not the most patient of creatures. We just rugged up and got out there! I loved the winter light, particularly on the clear days. Secondly you will notice I haven't including the World Trade Centre site in this post. This is not because we didn't go but more because to me it wasn't a touristy thing to do. It was a different experience entirely and I will blog about it soon.
Enjoy your Wednesdays. I am hoping to finally finish the post holiday washing today. Now that's coming down to earth with a thud.
10 comments:
I love the captions you put on your photos.
I think winter is the best time to walk around a city no getting sweaty.
We went to New York when I was 10, and the statue of Liberty was being renovated, so was covered in scaffolding. I remember my mum (who liked to put a spin on things) telling us we were "so lucky" to see it with scaffolding, because that was the first time it had been covered in scaffolding in its lifetime!! Lucky us. We did get to go up inside it though, which you can't any more. xx
Thanks Heidi. My captions are often quite random and just whatever pops out of my head. My head is often a random place to be, particularly when jet lagged.....
Loved your story of the scaffolding and your Mum's comment. Made me smile as I told the Farmchildren it didn't matter if we couldn't land on the island as the view was way better from the boat and this way we could concentrate on that instead....
Winter is easily the best time for a city holiday I think. Particularly with kids who are impatient with queues and crowds!
Luff it all, please keep them coming! x
Thanks FF. Shall do.
I'm assuming your back then. I must've misunderstood that. Great photos and descriptions. My sister and I walked over the bridge many times because that's where we were living but it was August when we went and it was hot and muggy. The day we went to the Empire State it was pouring rain and you couldn't even see the top of it from the clouds so we didn't bother. I just have to rely on the views from "An Affair to Remember" (and your photos of course. Can't wait for the next instalment.
Anne xx
Hi Anne
We are definitely back. Sad but true. Actually it is always good to be home. Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge is definitely one of life's fantastic experiences! How lucky were you to do it often?
Take care.
Aw, lovely! I just adore NYC. And I'm surprised how winter turned out to be a pretty good time to go. Must make a note of that!
Thank you so much for sharing this post. Loved every word. Looking forward to the rest of your posts on your trip.
Agree, travelling in Winter is the best!!! Such a great experience for the Kids - love it! Mel xx
NYC! WOW! Would soooo love to make it there one day! Most def a bucket-list dream! Love your posts! Thanks for sharing! :)
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