A day out in Lower Manhattan - Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street

When it comes to New York, the question is not "What to do in New York?", there is always so much, but "How do I see as much as possible?" I had three days there and in one of those days I fit in seeing the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial, walking along Wall St and snapping a photo of the bronze bull before stopping for a bite at Katz's Deli.

Lower Manhattan skyline

Tips to see the Statue of Liberty

To visit the statue of liberty you need to book with one of the private ferry companies. Shop around as prices can vary from website to website and some include Ellis Island which was closed when i was there. Also, if you plan on climbing to the top (the crown) book well in advance.

Lady Liberty

The alternative (and cheapest option) is to take the Staten Island ferry, its free and goes right past the statue. I took the alternative because only tours of the pedestal were available and it would have take more time as well. Top tip - if you are taking the Staten Island Ferry, line up early and make a dash to the front right hand side of the ferry, it will give you the best view. On the way back opt for the front left hand side but note that you are further away from the statue on the way back to Manhattan.

The Staten Island Ferry and Statue of Liberty

Seeing Lady Liberty was as weird as standing in Grand Central. She was so familiar - and smaller than i expected, kinda like the Mona Lisa. I can now understand why she is an icon of freedom to so many.

Statue of Liberty - the visitors look teensy!

The Charging Bull

Once you are back in Manhattan, Wall street and the 9/11 Memorial are within easy reach. If you head up Whitehall street from the ferry terminal you will meet with the Charging Bull. You will notice that his horns are as rubbed as his testicles...people are odd. And yes I'm one of them but no I'm not sharing any photos of that!

The bronze Charging Bull near Wall St

Wall Street, Federal Hall & New York Stock Exchange

From the Charging Bull keep walking straight up Broadway till you find Wall street on your right. At the intersection with Broad street you will find Federal Hall National Memorial which originally was built as a Customs House and for a period used as one of 6 treasury buildings. It has a beautiful dome on the inside but the real point of interest for me was the locking mechanism of the doors to the vaults, it looked like something out of Gringotts! The Hall is built on a site loaded with American History. "Federal Hall, built in 1700 as New York's City Hall, later served as the first capitol building of the United States of America under the Constitution, and was the site of George Washington's inauguration as the first President of the United States. It was also where the United States Bill of Rights was introduced in the First Congress."*

Federal Hall meets Gringotts locks

A few steps down Broad Street will land you in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). You can also see this building from New street around the other side.

New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street

9/11 Memorial

How to get to 9/11 Memorial
The 9/1 Memorial is worth a visit. Its also super easy to get to from Wall street. Head back out to Broadway, take a left and the first right on to Rector street. Two blocks in, take a right on Greenwich street and after another two blocks you will be at the main entrance. There is no entry fee but they do take donations as you walk through. You can book visitors passes in advance but when I went (August 2013) I was able to walk in, possibley because it wasn't peak season. Bear in mind this is a memorial site for tragic events and you will be subject to security screenings.

9/11 Memorial pool

How it felt visiting the 9/11 Memorial
I walked inside and stood at one of the memorial pools. Surrounding the pool are parapets carved with the names of all those who lost their lives. I felt sad, pi$$ed off, helpless and hopeful. It was indeed a tragic event, all those live lost, all the people who loved them and having to get on without them, its very saddening. I was pissed off that it happened, and that it wasn't the only time innocent people have lost their lives. Syria is losing thousands upon thousands of innocent people in a harsh and brutal fashion. In fact there were so many wars, uprisings, senseless killings going on in the world that I was really very angry with it all, why are humans so brutal to each other? The scale of all of that left me feeling very helpless and yet, despite it all, hoping that the people coming to visit the memorial will be people of peace and understanding and will pass that on to future generations.

9/11 Memorial pool and the One World Trade Centre tower (aka 1 WTC or Freedom Tower)

And that's it for my day in Lower Manhattan. After the memorial, I hopped into a taxi and went on to Katz's Deli for a bite. However, there is no shortage of good places to eat in Lower Manhattan so feel free to explore and find a place that appeals if you fancy it.

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Embarrassing Moments - Boston, MA

Ever been in those situations where the world was spiralling out of your control and you feel totally and utterly helpless? Did you ever feel like you just wanted to disappear and never have to endure a particularly embarrassing moment? You’re not alone. Grab some popcorn (its a long post but worth the read) and enjoy my hopelessly mortifying moment.

On my recent trip to Boston, my friend planned a day that was designed to make an impression. And it did, just not in the way he'd hoped. He wanted it to be a surprise, all hush-hush and very cloak and daggery and cryptic. I was happy to play along. At one point a couple of clues escaped and I was so smug, I thought I knew exactly what the surprise was....oooh boy was I wrong!! The two clues? "Flight" and "Airport". I assumed my friend (who is one exam short of a pilot licence) was going to take me for a flight over Boston. If only...

We rocked up to a small airport and as we walking though one of the buildings my friend revealed that he had booked me in for an introductory flying lesson!!! His flourish and excitement about planning something I didn’t figure out was only matched by my utter astonishment and panic. I did not want to get behind the controls of an aircraft, I harboured no such desire, ever! What was he thinking?!! Yes I was a flight attendant and I do enjoy being on a plane, yes I skydived but being behind the "wheel" was a whole different kettle of fish! *queue panic attack*

I was not happy. I could feel the colour drain from my face and nerves set in but there was no way I could back out. I met the instructor and he was good, reassuring and very understanding...it didn’t stop my stomach from doing the Highland fling the whole time though.

Intro, safety and run through completed, we headed out to the plane. At that point my instructor asked me, "Do you get motion sickness?". And I don’t, not usually, but I wasn’t taking chances and popped a motion sickness tablet into my mouth. Checking the plane, instructions and other information took about 15- 20 minutes and then we were ready to taxi and take off. Did I feel calmer? Heck no. Knowing the instructor could take over in seconds if a royally screwed this up didn’t really ease matters in my mind. I gritted my teeth, listened to every word he said and tried my absolute damnedest to follow them to the letter.

Taxiing on a runway is not easy. You don’t use the controls in front of you; you use the pedals at your feet, and for an unco (uncoordinated) person like me, to make it worse, to go left your push down on the RIGHT pedal and to go right, you push down on the LEFT pedal*. God knows how I managed, I must have been zigzagging all over the place!

*Update 05 Dec 2013: My friend has since told me that the pedals are actually left for left and right for right and that i might have been using the breaks at the top of the pedals for steering, which do appear to work as i have described...i dont remember it that way (obviously) but he is the expert out of the two of us.

So, so far so good, i was still nervous and my emotions felt like they wanted to tear out of me like bats out of hell but I'd managed. No crash, no disaster, catastrophe or embarrassment and only a mental note to kill my friend later. My instructor radioed for clearance to take off and then guided me through take off. Surprisingly it was the easiest part of the whole thing - probably because he handled all the technical adjustments. Before I knew it we were soaring into the open skies. Looking back on it, I’m quite proud of all that, and that moment, being up in the sky and looking down, being behind the controls, it was pretty cool. At the time though, I was too caught up in not screwing up to really take it in for more than a second.

Reaching cruising altitude we noticed that it was slightly bumpy. Normally I don’t mind, but you really do notice the slightest bump in a small light aircraft and I constantly had to adjust to keep the plane level. We'd been in the air for about 10 minutes or less and my instructor thought it a good exercise to show me how to turn. He demonstrated a left and right turn for me before allowing me to try on my own. Halfway through my second turn I began to feel warm....

There was the heat, the heat that seems to come from nowhere and makes you crave a cooling breeze. The heat that causes you to feel slightly light-headed and breathless. I asked my instructor to take the controls for a minute. Usually all I need to do is get some fresh air, close my eyes and take some deep breaths. I put up my hair, adjusted the vents and tried to quell the rising queasiness. It didn’t seem to work. My friend handed me a sick bag from the back - just in case. The last thing I wanted was to be sick but it would be worse if I was and it went everywhere, so I took it. At this point I suggested we should probably head back, it didn’t look like I was going to improve. I'd also noticed that my legs and knees were numb and my fingertips were getting tingly. Last time that happened id been dehydrated so I asked for my bottle of water. I took a sip and felt it cool me on the inside. Id barely put the cap back on the bottle before I was hurling into the plastic bag and feeling chunks of my morning’s breakfast evacuate my stomach. My body instantly went from warm to cold, clammy and shaky and funnily enough I felt better. But it didn’t stop there...I was sick again in seconds.

All three of us were mortified. For the instructor, I was the second person to be sick with him that day. For my friend, he thought he was doing something nice (and he was) but it had left me sick and miserable. For me, I wanted to die, I was embarrassed, and wanted to dissolve into thin air. I have flown as a job daily. I have dealt with turbulence as though it were nothing more than a fun park ride or a gentle rocking to sleep. I have seen people be sick but was never sick myself. So what the hell happened?

My instructor took us back down and I was never more grateful to be on solid ground again - even if I could barely stand. I was so faint I had to hold on to the plane for support while they did their final checks.

Now here’s the thing...do you think it could get worse? Probably not right? Wrong! It turned out that after the lesson my friend and his family were flying us out to Nantucket (a small island about 30-45mins flight away) to have dinner at a really nice restaurant by the water. My friend’s father took one look at me and said "I’m guessing you probably don’t want to get on another plane right now do you?". So that’s two for two. I felt awful, so much planning and excitement and it all went kaput. Flying lesson gone wrong, very thoughtful dinner plans cancelled, and what should have been an amazing day gone horribly wrong.

Could there possibly be a bright side? Yes. It still was an amazing experience, it showed me how blessed I am to have such a friend and, once id gotten past the mortification, it gave me a very funny story to tell! I hope you enjoyed it!

Whats your mortifying story? Ever had plans go wrong? Leave me a comment or drop me an email, it would make me feel so much better!

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New York - Empire State vs Top of the Rock

Chrysler Building viewed from the Empire State Building at night, New York City

My favourite skyscraper in New York is the Chrysler Building. Its elegant and beautiful and i just never tired of spotting it amongst New York skyline. Unfortunately it doesn't have a viewing deck open to the public. I had always intended to visit the Empire State Building but New York lover told me a should go to Top of the Rock. So i went to both.

The Empire State entrance hall

I confess, standing in line for hours is not my ideal way of spending time on a short trip but, one night out, i walked past the Empire State Building and decided to give it a go. I was in luck! There was no line snaking out the building and around the block, so in i went. I didn't have to queue more than 10 minutes at either the security screenings, to buy a ticket or for the lifts. Seeing Manhattan lit up at night was worth it. It was a fair but busy at the top but i still managed to get all my touristy photos and find a spot to just look out at the city without looking over someones shoulder. The very top on the other hand was less crowded and enclosed, which made it a bit warmer than being in the open air. Standing there, i tried to imagine what it would have been like if it really did act as a landing bay for airships and what the world would have looked like if that was a common means of transport. I also had an even more incredible birds-eye view of this amazing city and was able to comfortably mark out where i had been already.

Downtown viewed from the Empire State Building at night, New York City

Times Square all lit up at night, viewed from the Empire State Building, New York City

Top of the Rock is the top of the GE Building at Rockefeller Centre. I was lucky to find that there was hardly a line at all. Top of the Rock has stunning views over Central Park, the city and the Empire State building itself. It was nowhere near as crowded during the day as the Empire State was at night and it had many levels all open and instead of the protective metal fence, they had glass and some places didn't need any protective barrier at all which allowed for some great photos!

Rockefeller Centre and the GE building (Top of the Rock), New York City

Looking towards Central Park and Upper Manhattan, viewed from the Top of the Rock, New York City

By far one of my most favourite photos - the Empire State and Downtown, viewed from Top of the Rock, New York City

I have to say, i do prefer Top of the Rock to the Empire State but each building does have its own magic and charm. If you have the time, budget and the inclination, go see both, each has its own pros and cons and you can make up your own mind which you prefer.

Have you visited either skyscraper? Which was your favourite?

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Trip planning: New York, New York!



Times Square - Manhattan, New York via

In less than three weeks i will be jetting off on an 8 day whirlwind New York/Boston trip. My friend is keen to show me around his Boston neighbourhood and the other cultural delights his city has to offer. This will be my first trip to both Manhattan, New York and Boston.

For New York, there is just so much i want to see and do. I have already started my trip planning and have a list of what i want to see/do/explore. I'm sure it will grow into an absolute monster of a list before the scarcity of time will force me to cut it down to size a bit...but that's not before loads of deliberation and lots of "I'm sure i can fit it in if..." and the inevitable realisation that it better to spend quality time than rushing things. Maybe. It is New York City after all and a lot can be done in a New York minute!

In the spirit of getting ready to take my first bite of the Big Apple, i have been busy researching New York. I have bought two guide books and I'm cruising the blogosphere for some New Yorker blogs to add to my reading list. If your a New York blogger, drop me an email, I'd love to read what you have to say about your city!

Also, I would love to hear from any New Yorkers or anyone who has been to New York, what are the must-see or must-dos that i wont find in the guidebooks. Recommendations for breakfast spots, good coffee shops and restaurants are also most welcome!

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