| Since our plane landed nice and early we had | | | | tourist you can only access the lobby, but the |
| virtually a whole day left to explore yesterday. | | | | central area with its ceiling mural and the authentic |
| The weather was pretty nice, quite sunny when | | | | Art Deco elevators (and their doors covered in |
| we started, although it clouded over a little and | | | | wood marquetry) are definitely worth a little |
| was a little on the cool side, it never got much | | | | detour. |
| above 15 degrees Celsius. | | | | Then we snaked our way up towards Central |
| Around noon time we hopped on the Q subway | | | | Park, mostly on Lexington and Fifth Avenues. We |
| line, which is literally 5 minutes from our bed and | | | | walked by the (apparently just closed) famous |
| breakfast, and we made our way into Manhattan. | | | | Plaza Hotel and into the south end of Central Park, |
| The subway actually emerges at the Manhattan | | | | a masterpiece of landscape design and 850 acres |
| Bridge and we got a good look at the Brooklyn | | | | of much-needed recreational space by the |
| Bridge and the south-eastern tip of Manhattan. | | | | famous landscape designer Frederick Law |
| We decided to get off on Times Square, figuring | | | | Olmstead. We only explored the south end, |
| that this would be pretty good place to start | | | | including the Dairy and Sheep Meadow and headed |
| exploring NYC. Times Square, with all its neon | | | | out onto Central Park West with all its stately |
| advertising signs, and promotional displays is | | | | apartment buildings, including the Dakota Building, in |
| something else. The sidewalks were totally full of | | | | front of which John Lennon was shot in 1980. The |
| people strolling and tons of promoters were | | | | Strawberry Fields hillside garden was dedicated to |
| handing out flyers for broadway shows, comedy | | | | his memory. |
| shows and other entertainment events. There is | | | | Everything is blooming here right now, and New |
| so much advertising in the Times Square area | | | | York City is definitely a few weeks ahead of |
| with lights and displays blinking everywhere, that | | | | Toronto in terms of the horticultural cycle. |
| the individual advertisements actually started to | | | | Something was in the air, and I had to sneeze |
| run into one another in my mind, probably not the | | | | about a hundred times, and by the end of the |
| effect the advertisers tried to achieve. Indeed, | | | | day we both had to pick up some allergy |
| the hustle and bustle in this area is huge and can | | | | medication since we were both battling major |
| get a little overwhelming. | | | | hayfever symptoms. |
| We strolled around that area for a while, and | | | | Then a brief hop on the subway later, we popped |
| walked by Rockefeller Center, although we did | | | | up again in Greenwich Village, a beautiful |
| not get to explore the whole complex. Then we | | | | neighbourhood of brownstone townhouses and |
| tracked down Grand Central Terminal and walked | | | | took in the ambience. We ended up at a nice little |
| through this grandiose historic train station which | | | | restaurant on 7th Avenue, called "Pennyfeathers" |
| opened in 1913. There are over 100 commuter | | | | where we had a beautiful dinner in an enclosed |
| train platforms at Grand central and they all run | | | | porch so we could take in the street life. |
| off a glorious central concourse. | | | | A couple of subway rides later we came back to |
| The east side of Grand Central opens out almost | | | | our temporary home in Brooklyn where we |
| straight onto the Chrysler Building, and considering | | | | dropped into bed exhausted from all the walking, |
| that I am a huge fan of Art Deco skyscrapers, I | | | | trying to catch up on a bit of rest for the next |
| had to go inside this 1929 masterpiece. As a | | | | day. |