Crisp, clear early morning, Rosie and The Operator are on their way to beat the ques at The Empire State Building. To get there we are using the Subway for the first time The Operator has been studying the route, direction, etiquette and ticket purchase.
We have a 7 day pass each and intend to get our monies worth! The subway station is only 400 metres from our door, down into the hot (and it is very hot down there) bowels of hell we go. The stations are very clean and the trains just come and come, there is virtually no waiting at all, the length of them as well is astounding.
Rosie did abit of covert under the arm of The Operator photography, at 8.30 on a weekday, I thought there would have more people. A subway fare is $2.20 per journey and you can travel as far as you like on that one fare in one journey plus you can connect to any of the buses if need be with in 18 mins. All access is through turnstiles and you just have a swipe card, the locals top theirs up with money like a phone card. So you cant swipe into the subway and hand your card back to the person behind you to come in, the cards cannot be used twice at the same station with in 18 mins. So plan your trip carefully.
Above ground we walked a couple of streets and came to the Empire State, the tallest building at the moment in New York city and the ultimate icon. It is a limestone classic built in just 410 days during the height of the Great Depression and opening in 1931 at a cost of $41 million dollars. This is the foyer of the building, it is spectacular….did you ever wonder what they do with the rest of the building other than have visitors go up it and appreciate the view….companies rent floors for office space…..can you believe that 20,000 work in this building, it even has its own zip code!
Today we were going to ride the lift up to the 86th story of its 102. First job though was to get into the ticket line…..we were lucky there were not too many people there at 9.00 in the morning….our New York Pass gave us fast track ticketing and then they made us weave through the roped off aisles to get to the security check. They sure are prepared here for the crowds! The Operator passed through this security check with fly colours. On the way to the lifts we passed through a museum out lining the history of the building construction plans, costs and a visual on how quick the floors went up during this record build, it was really interesting.
Into the lift and we were on the observation deck in earpopping record time. The deck itself gives 360 degree views and is enclosed within a wide steel fence…wide enough to poke your camera through but not enough to let your kid fall through. Rosie was prepared for the howling wind at that height but there was actually nothing, it was still and very pleasant.
The height we were at was unreal, to be able to look down on everything else around you and have it look so tiny and small when you know those buildings too are giants when you are the ant down on street level is quite amazing. We were even looking down on the tourist helicopters that were buzzing about!
Early to bed (well earlyish and definitely not before a Happy Hour), early to rise means you will beat the que forming before your eyes. The people were fair piling in when Rosie and The Operator were leaving the building. We wandered up the road toward the next subway station and stopped at this wee urban oasis, Greeling Park for a sip of water and a spot of breakfast from a vending cart outside the park gates…a raisin bagel with cream cheese, delicious! These parks are beautifully designed for the small space they are in, well maintained and beautifully planted. People were meeting people for a chat, sitting with laptops (the whole town has WiFi) drinking coffee or feeding the pigeons, of which there are signs that say ‘don’t feed the pigeons’. Find a seat and a table and stay as long as you like amongst the rarity of green.
Bryant Park was our next subway stop and you pop up from underground outside what appears to be one of the bigger inner city parks, close to Grand Central Station.
The park used to be a reservoir in the 19th century and is now a beautiful midtown retreat which has a huge seating area, a cafe, carousel and a really large field which they turn into a skating rink in the winter. Lay down on the grass and look up at the gleaming glass buildings through the leafy foliage.
The New York Public Library has a grand entrance right next to the park flanked by two lions called Patience and Fortitude, it was built through the generosity of wealthy town philanthropists and houses a huge reference area which is handy to the University of New York.
The giant reading rooms are pretty spectacular with chandeliers and painted ceilings. It was deathly quiet, as a library should be. The Operator went to paruse the shelves to pose for the photo below……
Rosie got the giggles and couldnt stop laughing, heads swivelled and a ssshhhh went up, one of the librarians walking past frowned and pointed to the no photography sign and that was the end of our library experience. The Operator never even got the chance to check his book out! Personally Rosie thinks the books are now just for decoration….everyone seemed to have a computer and were surfing the net!
Grand Central Station is just that….Grand, built n 1913 it is now the main commuter terminus for the city and 700,000 people per day go in and out of these doors, that in itself is just crazy!
The building is another squat old European style facade surrounded by gleaming glass, it was restored in the 90s after the city was talking about demolishing the building and replacing it with a new glass one…saving the building was mostly accredited to Jacqui Kennedy Onassis who threw the weight of celebrity behind the protest.
After you have fought the crowd coming in and out the doors it opens up into the stunning vaulted ceiling main concourse area. Standing on top of the staircase looking down at the people hurrying to and fro wondering where they are off too the sound was eerie….there kind of was no sound, the footsteps on the marble and people talking was a quiet buzz, hardly audible. almost like running water….reminded me of our river and the spa….aaaawwwww.
Beautiful chandeliers lit the concourse and alot of natural light came through the windows, looking up at the ceiling it was painted a sky blue and pinpoints of light delineated constellations on the ceiling…all in reverse…for a Gods eye view….
Rosie and The Operator were in Grand Central not to catch a train….but to catch some of the best seafood on offer in town…The Boss and Her Majesty had recommended a must visit to the Oyster Bar, in the food court of Grand Central Station. Grand Central food court has to be seen to believe, there is something there for every taste and mood. The Oyster Bar has a formal chequered seated dining area for an intimate lunch date. For the less formal and abit more bawdy you can sit shoulder to shoulder at the U shaped bars, order lunch and make friends with you neighbours if you are so inclined, Rosie and The Operator opted for this option and over a bottle of Prossecco mulled over the options from the extensive menu, the wine list was on the other side of the menu and has a huge international offering. We started with Ipswich Clams and Cajun Fried Shrimp which was delicious!
Under the vaulted ambiently lit ceiling we finished off our lunch with a dozen local Blue Point Oysters….believe me there are more than a ‘dozen’ types of oyster available here. It was a great place to have lunch…..did Rosie say lunch….well it was more like 3easies……we wandered back to the hotel through the daytime crazyness of Times Square ……….ok.ok, The Operator is wanting to go out for tea…it was pretty much the end of the day albeit another great dinner experience….will fill you guys in later….tequila and tacos await!
Rosie is a Middle Aged Kiwi who is about to embark on a twelve month adventure of a lifetime, travelling The World with her trusty, loyal sidekick The Operator. In search of adventure, culture, new taste experiences and world wide 'happy hours', Rosie's journals chronicle their travels and experiences.
Rosie had a lightbulb moment. Within that flash of clarity came the realisation that time was spinning out of control and passing her by. So, armed with the confidence, means, ability and a new found passion for life, Rosie and her trusty, loyal sidekick The Operator have devised THE PLAN.
ROSIE – Continually travels The World for the next 12 months.
THE OPERATOR – Works his 28 day roster and meets Rosie somewhere in The World to explore the area together for his 28 days off. Repeat x6.
ROSIE – Will then stay in one spot of the country they have been exploring for 28 days of local immersion whilst The Operator returns to work.
THE OPERATOR – Certainly has the shorter end of the stick xxx
Join me as I journal my middle aged musings on our day to day travels, culture, food and the quest for the ultimate world wide happy hour.
Above ground we walked a couple of streets and came to the Empire State, the tallest building at the moment in New York city and the ultimate icon. It is a limestone classic built in just 410 days during the height of the Great Depression and opening in 1931 at a cost of $41 million dollars. This is the foyer of the building, it is spectacular….did you ever wonder what they do with the rest of the building other than have visitors go up it and appreciate the view….companies rent floors for office space…..can you believe that 20,000 work in this building, it even has its own zip code! 
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Early to bed (well earlyish and definitely not before a Happy Hour), early to rise means you will beat the que forming before your eyes. The people were fair piling in when Rosie and The Operator were leaving the building. We wandered up the road toward the next subway station and stopped at this wee urban oasis, Greeling Park for a sip of water and a spot of breakfast from a vending cart outside the park gates…a raisin bagel with cream cheese, delicious! These parks are beautifully designed for the small space they are in, well maintained and beautifully planted. People were meeting people for a chat, sitting with laptops (the whole town has WiFi) drinking coffee or feeding the pigeons, of which there are signs that say ‘don’t feed the pigeons’. Find a seat and a table and stay as long as you like amongst the rarity of green.
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The building is another squat old European style facade surrounded by gleaming glass, it was restored in the 90s after the city was talking about demolishing the building and replacing it with a new glass one…saving the building was mostly accredited to Jacqui Kennedy Onassis who threw the weight of celebrity behind the protest.
Beautiful chandeliers lit the concourse and alot of natural light came through the windows, looking up at the ceiling it was painted a sky blue and pinpoints of light delineated constellations on the ceiling…all in reverse…for a Gods eye view….
Under the vaulted ambiently lit ceiling we finished off our lunch with a dozen local Blue Point Oysters….believe me there are more than a ‘dozen’ types of oyster available here. It was a great place to have lunch…..did Rosie say lunch….well it was more like 3easies……we wandered back to the hotel through the daytime crazyness of Times Square ……….ok.ok, The Operator is wanting to go out for tea…it was pretty much the end of the day albeit another great dinner experience….will fill you guys in later….tequila and tacos await!
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