A very grey miserable morning greeted us as we passed under the Narrows Bridge (real name Verrazano) to pass by the iconic Statue of Liberty to dock at one of the many docks on Manhattan. Hot chocolate was handed out on the deck as it was so cold and damp. The wind was cold and chilly.
We jumped on a hop on hop off bus and drove through Times Square, Broadway district, on to 42nd Street, on to Chinatown/Little Italy and disembarked at Park Row/Beckmann Street so we could cross the Brooklyn Bridge. So interesting to see all the terraced houses on Manhatten with the outside wrought iron fire escapes. There’s no way you would get me climbing down one of those!! The contrast of Times Square, which is so over the top with neon lights and advertising billboards, to the area where Brooklyn Bridge is, with its old historic buildings, is amazing.
What can you say about New York other than New York, New York. No one does it quite like the folks who reside here!
Buildings that we passed on the bus included Grace Church, which is a historic parish church and is located at 800-804 Broadway. Its architecture is of a gothic revival nature. We also passed the New York Public Library which is situated in Bryant Park, and the New York County Courthouse, a majestic old building in the Civic Centre neighbourhood of Manhatten. The bus drove through Hell’s Kitchen which is also known as Clinton and is in Midtown Manhatten. The area is known for its colourful characters, international eateries and Off-Broadway shows.
The Flatiron District, bounded by 14th Street, Union Square and Greenwich village to the south; the Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and Chelsea to the west; 23rd Street and Madison Square to the north; and Park Avenue South and Gramercy Park to the east, is named after the Flatiron Building at 23rd Street Broadway and Fifth Avenue. The area was sometimes previously referred to as the Toy District. Before 1985, the area was primarily commercial, with numerous small clothing and toy manufacturers. When this business moved outside the the U.S. the area began to be referred to as the Photo District because of the large number of photographers’ studios and associated businesses there. As of the 2000s, many publishers have their offices in the district, as well as advertising agencies, and the number of computer-and-Web-related start-up companies in the area caused it to be part of “Silicon Alley” or “Multimedia Gulch”, along with Tribeca and SoHo. The area’s business focus has shifted towards technology companies, and to firms serving the employees in the high-tech, finance, media, legal and medical sectors.
The benefit of the bus is that we were able to hop off at Brooklyn Bridge and walk over this amazing structure in to Brooklyn. The purpose of our visit was to see the brownstone houses and the tree lined streets. The terrace houses were very well kept and all the gardens were tidy and well cared for. Brooklyn is a pretty epic neighbourhood with museums, flea markets, parks and cool bars. After taking the wrong metro and having to change lines, we arrived back in Manhattan to rejoin the bus.
The final part of our bus journey took us past the One (One WTC) World Trade Centre, also called Freedom Tower. This is the centrepiece of reconstruction at Ground Zero. The World Trade Centre is home to the Oculus, One World Trade Centre, 3 World Trade Centre, 4 World Trade Centre, 7 World Trade Centre, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, One World Observatory, Liberty Park, Saint Nicholas National Shrine, the Vehicular Security Centre, and a transportation hub. The 104 story One World Trade Centre, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, is the lead building for the new complex.
Happily exhausted we returned to our haven for the last time. Dinner tonight at “Prime” restaurant to have surf and turf. Absolutely delicious!! And my last BBC! (Banana Bailey Colada).