Five boroughs, with penguins
Oct. 17th, 2004 09:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gridloreWoo Hoo! I did it! I hit all five boroughs of NYC in single day!
Queens
OK, this one is a bit of a cheat, since I woke up in Flushing. Still, I had to go out and about to get to the other parts of the city. I took the bus and train into Manhattan, where I transfered to the 9 and headed to South Ferry. From there, I took the ferry to Staten Island.
Staten Island
I sat around the terminal waiting to get back to Manhattan! C'mon, we're talking about Staten Island here!
What I forgot to do was take pictures of the Statue of Liberty. I'm an idiot.
Manhattan, part 1
Back from SI, I wandered around lower Manhattan for a bit. After a little exploring, I found St. Vincent's Church (and its colonial graveyard), along with a few other neat spots.
Then I went to the WTC site. It was almost unplanned, but I found myself on Canal St only a block away, and I decided that since my wanderings had led me here, I had to see it. My reactions were mixed.. sadness, anger, and constant double takes as I saw buildings and views that I remember from 9/11. Luckily, I remembered the role St. Mary's had played, and went over to that glorious old church.
The church has turned itself into a museum of the days immediately following the attacks, with artifacts and photos from the scene, as well as several interactive terminals on both 9/11 and the church itself. Very interesting place, since both Governor George Clinton and George Washington worshiped there!
After leaving the WTC, I headed east, crossing the island and finding myself at the entry to the Brooklyn Bridge. I had planned on hopping a train over, but since I was there... did you know the pedestrian/bike path on the bridge is made of wooden slats? You look straight down into the East River!
Brooklyn
I didn't stay long in Brooklyn, stopping for a slice and a Coke before hopping a train back into Manhattan. So while I set foot in the borough, I didn't really visit it.
The Bronx
Back in Manhattan, I transfered to the 4 train for an important mission - Curse the Yankees! I rode out to Yankee Stadium and quietly wished them the managerial touch of Dusty Baker, the clutch fielding of Jose Cruz, Jr., and the pitching of Livan Hernandez.
Let's hope it works. But back to Manhattan!
Manhattan, part 2
Went to the Port Authority Terminal for my Grey Line Tour. Rode it for bit, then jumped the bus near Wall Street. I used to be a tour guide.. you don't have to be condescending and treat your audience like idiots. Besides, I was having too much fun walking!
So I set off north, heading through the Village and into the West Side. I was having such a great time, I barely noticed how far I had gone until I hit Lincoln Center! I found a nice Thai place for lunch, then struck east towards Central Park.
Lost in the park
Central Park is huge and every inch of it is beautiful. Next time I fly out I'm going to spend an entire day, maybe two, just following all the trails and seeing everything. There are points where you can forget you are in the center of one of the biggest cities on Earth. I went where my feet took me, entering at around 72nd St and just going. I quickly got quite lost, but each turn had some new find for me.. our family motto is Think of it as an Adventure for a reason!
Eventually I grew tired, and headed for the Central Park Zoo. To speed things up, I got on 5th Ave and used the sidewalk.
Once at the zoo, I was amused to see the first animals were... California Sea Lions. You want sea lions? Come to Pier 39, we've got them by the ton! But the penguins were calling me, so I bee-lined for that exhibit.
This zoo has the best penguin enclosure I've ever seen. It's in a darkened room, and the glass walls allow you to see above and below the water level. They have 60 Gentoos and Chinstraps, and the birds are quite active, swimming, hoping on their rocks, posturing... Watching penguins fly underwater is one of the most entrancing things I've ever seen. At one point, a Chinstrap floated up to the glass less than 6" away from me. Heaven!
Eventually, I moved on.. because they have polar bears! Kiri, a polar bear decided to come home with me. Don't worry, he's a little one.
For a small zoo, Central Park does a great job. They have a rain forest building where exotic birds fly free, and island of Snow Monkeys from Japan (good choice, considering NYC's climate) and the entire operation is well run.
By now, my feet hurt up to my knees, and I was getting tired. Checking my subway map, though, I realized there was one more thing I had to see...
Times Square
I had passed under Times Square at least a dozen times during my travels, but I hadn't gone up and seen it.
Wow. I'm glad I took the time. Times Square is a cyberpunk vision. Every building is a living billboard, broadcasting ads and news in colors that scream for attention in broad daylight; I shudder to think of them at night! The streets were packed with tourists like myself, gawking at a display that required the power output of most small nations. Very, very impressive.
As I was heading back to the subway, I encountered a piece of political activism in front of the Times Square recruiting station. You'll have to wait for the pictures.. words cannot do it justice.
So, my really big day of exploring! I don't think I'm going anywhere tomorrow, my legs are freaking killing me, and Bree wants to hang a little. Assuming the cats let me up, I'm flying out tomorrow night at about 2000.
I've had a blast in New York, but I really can't wait to get home to my Kiri and my regular life.
BTW, who was kicked off Survivor last week?
Queens
OK, this one is a bit of a cheat, since I woke up in Flushing. Still, I had to go out and about to get to the other parts of the city. I took the bus and train into Manhattan, where I transfered to the 9 and headed to South Ferry. From there, I took the ferry to Staten Island.
Staten Island
I sat around the terminal waiting to get back to Manhattan! C'mon, we're talking about Staten Island here!
What I forgot to do was take pictures of the Statue of Liberty. I'm an idiot.
Manhattan, part 1
Back from SI, I wandered around lower Manhattan for a bit. After a little exploring, I found St. Vincent's Church (and its colonial graveyard), along with a few other neat spots.
Then I went to the WTC site. It was almost unplanned, but I found myself on Canal St only a block away, and I decided that since my wanderings had led me here, I had to see it. My reactions were mixed.. sadness, anger, and constant double takes as I saw buildings and views that I remember from 9/11. Luckily, I remembered the role St. Mary's had played, and went over to that glorious old church.
The church has turned itself into a museum of the days immediately following the attacks, with artifacts and photos from the scene, as well as several interactive terminals on both 9/11 and the church itself. Very interesting place, since both Governor George Clinton and George Washington worshiped there!
After leaving the WTC, I headed east, crossing the island and finding myself at the entry to the Brooklyn Bridge. I had planned on hopping a train over, but since I was there... did you know the pedestrian/bike path on the bridge is made of wooden slats? You look straight down into the East River!
Brooklyn
I didn't stay long in Brooklyn, stopping for a slice and a Coke before hopping a train back into Manhattan. So while I set foot in the borough, I didn't really visit it.
The Bronx
Back in Manhattan, I transfered to the 4 train for an important mission - Curse the Yankees! I rode out to Yankee Stadium and quietly wished them the managerial touch of Dusty Baker, the clutch fielding of Jose Cruz, Jr., and the pitching of Livan Hernandez.
Let's hope it works. But back to Manhattan!
Manhattan, part 2
Went to the Port Authority Terminal for my Grey Line Tour. Rode it for bit, then jumped the bus near Wall Street. I used to be a tour guide.. you don't have to be condescending and treat your audience like idiots. Besides, I was having too much fun walking!
So I set off north, heading through the Village and into the West Side. I was having such a great time, I barely noticed how far I had gone until I hit Lincoln Center! I found a nice Thai place for lunch, then struck east towards Central Park.
Lost in the park
Central Park is huge and every inch of it is beautiful. Next time I fly out I'm going to spend an entire day, maybe two, just following all the trails and seeing everything. There are points where you can forget you are in the center of one of the biggest cities on Earth. I went where my feet took me, entering at around 72nd St and just going. I quickly got quite lost, but each turn had some new find for me.. our family motto is Think of it as an Adventure for a reason!
Eventually I grew tired, and headed for the Central Park Zoo. To speed things up, I got on 5th Ave and used the sidewalk.
Once at the zoo, I was amused to see the first animals were... California Sea Lions. You want sea lions? Come to Pier 39, we've got them by the ton! But the penguins were calling me, so I bee-lined for that exhibit.
This zoo has the best penguin enclosure I've ever seen. It's in a darkened room, and the glass walls allow you to see above and below the water level. They have 60 Gentoos and Chinstraps, and the birds are quite active, swimming, hoping on their rocks, posturing... Watching penguins fly underwater is one of the most entrancing things I've ever seen. At one point, a Chinstrap floated up to the glass less than 6" away from me. Heaven!
Eventually, I moved on.. because they have polar bears! Kiri, a polar bear decided to come home with me. Don't worry, he's a little one.
For a small zoo, Central Park does a great job. They have a rain forest building where exotic birds fly free, and island of Snow Monkeys from Japan (good choice, considering NYC's climate) and the entire operation is well run.
By now, my feet hurt up to my knees, and I was getting tired. Checking my subway map, though, I realized there was one more thing I had to see...
Times Square
I had passed under Times Square at least a dozen times during my travels, but I hadn't gone up and seen it.
Wow. I'm glad I took the time. Times Square is a cyberpunk vision. Every building is a living billboard, broadcasting ads and news in colors that scream for attention in broad daylight; I shudder to think of them at night! The streets were packed with tourists like myself, gawking at a display that required the power output of most small nations. Very, very impressive.
As I was heading back to the subway, I encountered a piece of political activism in front of the Times Square recruiting station. You'll have to wait for the pictures.. words cannot do it justice.
So, my really big day of exploring! I don't think I'm going anywhere tomorrow, my legs are freaking killing me, and Bree wants to hang a little. Assuming the cats let me up, I'm flying out tomorrow night at about 2000.
I've had a blast in New York, but I really can't wait to get home to my Kiri and my regular life.
BTW, who was kicked off Survivor last week?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 17 Oct 2004 19:30 (UTC)Cool - he's got a new penguin to keep him company. (Blame
I had passed under Times Square at least a dozen times during my travels, but I hadn't gone up and seen it.
Wow. I'm glad I took the time.
Yeah, it was so worth it when I went. I couldn't help but giggle as I looked at the giant Cup o' Noodles and remembered the MTV promo - how 'bout you?
BTW, who was kicked off Survivor last week?
Bubba's gone. He got swapped to Yasur, then tried to talk to one of the guys who was still at Lopevi before the immunity challenge. (I got this off the website, since I wasn't home....)
no subject
Date: 17 Oct 2004 19:37 (UTC)The Bronx is my family's old stomping grounds, and you're right about Times Square, it's amazing.
All five boroughs of NYC in a day?
Date: 17 Oct 2004 22:01 (UTC)Re: All five boroughs of NYC in a day?
Date: 18 Oct 2004 10:18 (UTC)no subject
Date: 17 Oct 2004 22:31 (UTC)no subject
Date: 18 Oct 2004 00:19 (UTC)no subject
Date: 18 Oct 2004 16:02 (UTC)It sounds like you did the town just right; letting the adventure lead you is really a wonderful way to experience NYC, rather than just see it.
PS -- *hug* the little polar bear for me.