Times Square, NYC

Howdy folks!,

Just spent a weekend in NYC…..was exhausted when we got home…..so much to do – so little time!!…

Here’s the photo’s: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DKHf1UFMqoEpptGp7lh-1r_l4LqKxxtU?usp=sharing

Had a very touristy time… were busy running round Brooklyn Bridge for its fab views of the financial district, Battery Park and various other miscellaneous parks – we didn’t know there was somuch parkland in the city – other than the biiiig green one in the middle, of course!!

Went to see the 9/11 Memorial which was depressing but not as bad as the first time we were there which was only a few months after ithappened when it was still covered in photos and toys and flowers which was horrific… 😦

They are only up to ground level on the new building but it does look as though it will be a beautiful building with lovely gardens andwaterfalls when they eventually finish it….

Anyway…..Times Square was insane as usual – nice stuff obviously seen up The Rockefeller Centre which has an open rooftop (Geoff was pathetic as usual as it’s quite high 850 feet above street level – on the 70th floor  – but as it’s been standing a while I didn’t feel in immediate danger… nor presumably did the other millions of tourists at the top! ;-))… saw everything from Central Park to downtown to midtown to the Empire State Building to the Chrysler Building… I’m sure you’ve got the picture!!

Also managed a hike around Central Park…. a jaunt through The Museum of Modern Art which was fab – even G loved the Monet Water Lilies exhibition  ..saw all kinds of really famous works – Gustav Klimt in particular….and Marilyn in Gold J….other various pop art from the 60’s etc – a lot if iconic stuff….and the most famous US painting of all time – Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth 🙂

Liked West Village a lot…..very posh suburb – not for the “low of income” ……and Soho was very impressive….lots of wrought iron building facades and pots of money/arty type/shopping area..had a great chocolate shop which sold absolutely delicious curry chocolates…..I’m not hallucinating ;-)….

Wasn’t mad about Chelsea – allegedly the centre of the universe for galleries but it seemed overrated (lots of cr*p and some good – to be honest I see better work selling on the streets on the show circuit!) and uninspiring architecture (though by then it was blowing up a storm – we were clinging on to the umbrella for dear life and we might have missed the good bits as we tried to scuttle over the hobos and avoid the dodgy looking flooded road areas ;-))…  Greenwich Village – similarly famous – seemed to be decorated with various student “ debris” after too much booze the night before I guess ;-)….!!…..think we must be getting old 😉

Loved Union Square and the Greenmarket…if you had enough $$$ to live here – this IS where you’d shop for your veggies!!…..I’m sure I’ve forgotten other places we liked too…..basically it was all fascinating – very hectic/very colorful and all good fun J (except for the subway which was ghastly – but then I’m not too good on public transport at the best of times……was considering burning all clothes when we got home but decided to boil it all to child size instead 😉

The view from the room in the Hilton Times Square was amazing……photos attached…I know I will be forgiven my total lack of photographic skills….and anything vaguely out of focus is to be ignored – it was not easy taking pickies through glass/poked through a 3” gap in the window at night at 42 floors up 😉

Went to Gordon Ramsay’s London restaurant for 10th anniversary dinner (verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry expensive….however, if youwant a very posh meal that’s your place…it was fab food as hoped but I still can’t help thinking it was the price of a flight out west;-)… G tells me I’m just being cheap 😉

So…all food was great…NYC is a wonderland of chaos/beauty/amazing buildings/fab views and weird smells ;-)…spent afortune….glad we don’t live there – we’d be paupers and VERY fat ;-)!! Now I need to get painting and selling many cityscapes so I can talk him into a return trip !!;-)

So..we’re home now…..need a rest/diet for about 6 months and then we might have the energy to try it all again next year 😉