An exciting couple of days ahead of us as we walk New York City …. Our berth on the Hudson River was at Manhattan Terminal, next to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum and we had spectacular morning views from our balcony of 'Uptown' Eager to get moving and with comfy shoes, we walked from the Terminal up 42nd Street to Times Square. It was abuzz with tourists, neon lights, noise and hustle & bustle – so colourful and exciting!! We enjoyed an al fresco sit down and coffee at Juniors (but resisted their famous cheesecake).
We walked through part of Broadway and then into the majestic Grand Central Station with its elegant marble from floor to ceiling, archways snaking their way to numerous platforms and the awesome Main Waiting Room which was festooned with sparking chandeliers on the domed ceiling. An exciting place to be with familiar destinations all just a ticket ride away, and travellers scurrying in all directions. Then we strolled through Rockefeller Centre, Saks on 5th Avenue and up to Central Park, but we then needed to get back to the ship.
After lunch and a quick change of clothes, we met up with Ros & Arnold to tour the 9/11 Museum & Memorial. With our audio guides in hand, we spent a couple of hours walking around all the exhibits of the retrieved debris from that horrific inferno, as well as history of how the buildings were built. The moving Memoriam Hall which included photos of every life lost, totalling 2,983 people, and heartbreaking stories from family and friends was extremely emotional…. a day in history, never to be forgotten, which sadly changed our world forever.
The new One World Trade Centre which soars skywards, is the tallest building in the western hemisphere (104 stories) is the 6th tallest in the world, and is an shiny icon of the city skyline, with an elegant spiral to top it off.
We then crossed the road and entered the unique, stunning white structure called the Oculus, owned by Westfields. This underground mall took our breath away and the simplicity of this architecturally beautiful building was impressive to say the least. It is filled with shops, restaurants, cinemas, etc., and was also our entry point to the stifling hot subway where we were on our way to Battery Point to meet up with our Table 84 dinner cruise mates at Gigorno. Location, location - this delightful, covered but open air restaurant, was perfect for our last meal together this trip and although there were a few sprinkles, we enjoyed a great pasta meal with the Statue of Liberty in the distance and finishing with farewells and hugs to six great friends, who were all off in different directions around the States.
Feeling quite exhausted, we cabbed it home with Joanne & Garry and fell into bed after the most brilliant day.
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