arieljasmine
<font color=magenta>Who says these things pass you
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2004
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Laurs and Andy tackle the Big Apple Day 2
Laurs 28
Andy 28
Sunday 5 August 2007
We both manage almost a full nights sleep after the exhausting day yesterday and were up at 7.30 am. The hotel we were staying at provided continental breakfast included in the price, so we headed downstairs to fill up. I was far too overexcited that they had Lucky Charms and Babybels so had those and some fruit. Andy had Cheerios, a bagel and jam and a Babybel.
In a moment of madness we had decided to throw ourselves in at the deep end and spend our first day visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I had booked the tickets on the internet but we had no idea of how we were going to get there! We asked at the concierge and she told us the approximate cost of a taxi and, the alternative, which line to take on the subway. After a quick disscussion we decided we might as well stress ourselves out a bit more and use the subway.
We left the hotel at 9.20 am. Luckily a subway entrance is located at the end of the street where the hotel is and we had discovered that the previous night. We went down on to the station and leaped the first hurdle of obtaining day passes, and then tried to work out which train we needed to get on. Of course, we choose Sunday for this first expedition when the desk was unmanned. After looking at the map without comprehension for some time, we found the phone provided for assistance and called to ask which train to get on.
Whilst we waited for the train to pull up, we looked at the map again and this time it all made sense. We took the subway to Whitehall St south, second hurdle taken care of.
Coming out of the subway we saw lots of people wearing medals and could hear a presentation going on. After a few goes of looking at the medals as people passed, we gleaned that the NY annual half marathon had been going on. This probably made it easier for us to find the ferry as a walking diversion was in place and there were quite a few signs up.
We went to the Will Call desk to pick up our tickets and I felt very proud of myself as the queue to purchase tickets was l-o-n-g and the will call line was empty! Hurrah for the internet!
We joined the queue to go through security (much like airport security) and were then permitted to board the ferry. The queue moved fairly quickly and we were on the ferry by 11 am. We were one of the last people on the ferry so set off almost straight away (note: it is a little disturbing to be sat on the toilet when the ferry sets off maybe wait until its already on the move!)
We arrived at the Statue and were both amazed at how big the island is. I think we expected a tiny piece of land with a statue in the middle and people squeezing around it!
We joined the queue to go up to the viewing platform (honestly, there is nearly as much queuing as Disney without there being anything to keep you entertained in the queue). You can only go on to the viewing platform and see the musuem inside if you have booked tickets 48 hours in advance. Once again, I was very pleased that we have gotten our tickets from the internet. There was a woman walking up and down the queue telling people that they wouldnt be able to go up unless they had a ticket. She said this repeatedly, but it didnt stop two women in front of us standing in the queue for an hour before they realised that they werent going to be allowed in!
It took about an hour and a half to get through security which was even stricter than the airport. In addition to the x-ray machine and the beeping arch thing, you also had to walk through an archway that blew air at you. We couldnt figure out what this was for, but an American friend tells me that it can pick up traces of explosives.
When we were finally through, we looked round the museum and took the lift up to the viewing platform. We walked around for a while Andy admiring the views, me trying to stop feeling like the floor was crumbling beneath my feet! On the way down you can look up and see the staircase where in the past people could climb up inside the statue. That was scary a tiny, spiral staircase, I was very glad that wasnt an option any more.
We got a couple of hotdogs and diet cokes for lunch from a stand and sat discussing how green the statue is! You really cant appreciate that from the TV.
After lunch we went to the gift shop and I got a top, a Christmas decoration, a mug for my dad, a magnet for my mum and bear dressed as the statue for my sister.
We got back on the ferry to head to Ellis Island about 3 pm. When we arrived, we bought tickets to see a short play, Liberty Dance, about some of the people who passed through the immigration centre. After the play, which was very good, we picked up headsets for the audio tour and listened to that whilst looking at the exhibits. It was so interesting, I could honestly have spent all day there. The museum tells the journey of the immigrants arriving in America, the procedure and tests they had to go through and stories of some of the immigrants themselves.
We sat on the steps afterwards, gazing up at the statue in the distance, feeling totally overwhelmed. Its a strange feeling, being in the presence of something you have seen so often on the TV, something that is such a huge iconic landmark I felt even smaller than I usually do.
We got on the ferry back at 5.45 pm and bought an ice cream cookie each to eat on the way back. When we got off the ferry and walked up the road, we noticed a map and decided to see where we were in relation to other things we wanted to see. It was a little bit of a stretch, but the World trade center site was just within walking distance. I didnt really want to go because I find it disrespectful that it has almost become a tourist attraction, but I knew Andy wanted to see it so we walked there.
The site is now being developed, part of which will be a memorial garden, so there were barriers all around the actual site. We walked all the way round and looked at the memorial with the names of the deceased. It was very moving. We didnt take any photos, and I couldnt really understand why anyone would want to.
We walked further than we intended to and had to get the subway back from Canal Street as the station we stopped at first didnt have trains running on the line we needed on a Sunday. We arrived back at the hotel around 7.30 pm, picked up a couple of coffees (coffee and tea was complimentary all day) and took them back to the room to drink before showering.
We were both itching to get to Times Square, so despite the aching feet we headed out there. We stopped at KFC for some food about 9 pm. I had a very tasty mash bowl which had cheese, chicken, sweetcorn and gravy as well as the mash, and Andy had a chicken twister with wedges.
After refuelling we went over to the Hersheys shop, which is like chocolate heaven for me. I got a Hersheys brownie, a Reeses brownie, some limited edition kisses, peppermint patties for Andy and some chocolates for my cousin for Christmas.
We did Virgin next which is fantastic, so huge with lots of choice. I got a book called All about me which has lots of questions to fill in about yourself (like a private Ask me anything!), Hercules DVD, which I didnt even know you could buy at the moment, American Dad series 2 for Andys birthday and a Doctor Who DVD, Talons of the Weng Chiang (Tom Baker) which is my favourite series of episodes ever.
Our final stop of the night was Sephora. I saw lots of things I liked, but Andy was flagging so I just picked up the one thing I knew I wanted, a Hard Candy set in the shape of a cassette retro cool.
We made it back to the hotel at 11.30 pm, just in time for last call at the bar, and picked up a malibu and coke for me and a gin and tonic for Andy to take back to the room. We drank those and headed to bed at 12.30 am.
Laur's
Laurs 28
Andy 28
Sunday 5 August 2007
We both manage almost a full nights sleep after the exhausting day yesterday and were up at 7.30 am. The hotel we were staying at provided continental breakfast included in the price, so we headed downstairs to fill up. I was far too overexcited that they had Lucky Charms and Babybels so had those and some fruit. Andy had Cheerios, a bagel and jam and a Babybel.
In a moment of madness we had decided to throw ourselves in at the deep end and spend our first day visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I had booked the tickets on the internet but we had no idea of how we were going to get there! We asked at the concierge and she told us the approximate cost of a taxi and, the alternative, which line to take on the subway. After a quick disscussion we decided we might as well stress ourselves out a bit more and use the subway.
We left the hotel at 9.20 am. Luckily a subway entrance is located at the end of the street where the hotel is and we had discovered that the previous night. We went down on to the station and leaped the first hurdle of obtaining day passes, and then tried to work out which train we needed to get on. Of course, we choose Sunday for this first expedition when the desk was unmanned. After looking at the map without comprehension for some time, we found the phone provided for assistance and called to ask which train to get on.
Whilst we waited for the train to pull up, we looked at the map again and this time it all made sense. We took the subway to Whitehall St south, second hurdle taken care of.
Coming out of the subway we saw lots of people wearing medals and could hear a presentation going on. After a few goes of looking at the medals as people passed, we gleaned that the NY annual half marathon had been going on. This probably made it easier for us to find the ferry as a walking diversion was in place and there were quite a few signs up.
We went to the Will Call desk to pick up our tickets and I felt very proud of myself as the queue to purchase tickets was l-o-n-g and the will call line was empty! Hurrah for the internet!
We joined the queue to go through security (much like airport security) and were then permitted to board the ferry. The queue moved fairly quickly and we were on the ferry by 11 am. We were one of the last people on the ferry so set off almost straight away (note: it is a little disturbing to be sat on the toilet when the ferry sets off maybe wait until its already on the move!)
We arrived at the Statue and were both amazed at how big the island is. I think we expected a tiny piece of land with a statue in the middle and people squeezing around it!
We joined the queue to go up to the viewing platform (honestly, there is nearly as much queuing as Disney without there being anything to keep you entertained in the queue). You can only go on to the viewing platform and see the musuem inside if you have booked tickets 48 hours in advance. Once again, I was very pleased that we have gotten our tickets from the internet. There was a woman walking up and down the queue telling people that they wouldnt be able to go up unless they had a ticket. She said this repeatedly, but it didnt stop two women in front of us standing in the queue for an hour before they realised that they werent going to be allowed in!
It took about an hour and a half to get through security which was even stricter than the airport. In addition to the x-ray machine and the beeping arch thing, you also had to walk through an archway that blew air at you. We couldnt figure out what this was for, but an American friend tells me that it can pick up traces of explosives.
When we were finally through, we looked round the museum and took the lift up to the viewing platform. We walked around for a while Andy admiring the views, me trying to stop feeling like the floor was crumbling beneath my feet! On the way down you can look up and see the staircase where in the past people could climb up inside the statue. That was scary a tiny, spiral staircase, I was very glad that wasnt an option any more.
We got a couple of hotdogs and diet cokes for lunch from a stand and sat discussing how green the statue is! You really cant appreciate that from the TV.
After lunch we went to the gift shop and I got a top, a Christmas decoration, a mug for my dad, a magnet for my mum and bear dressed as the statue for my sister.
We got back on the ferry to head to Ellis Island about 3 pm. When we arrived, we bought tickets to see a short play, Liberty Dance, about some of the people who passed through the immigration centre. After the play, which was very good, we picked up headsets for the audio tour and listened to that whilst looking at the exhibits. It was so interesting, I could honestly have spent all day there. The museum tells the journey of the immigrants arriving in America, the procedure and tests they had to go through and stories of some of the immigrants themselves.
We sat on the steps afterwards, gazing up at the statue in the distance, feeling totally overwhelmed. Its a strange feeling, being in the presence of something you have seen so often on the TV, something that is such a huge iconic landmark I felt even smaller than I usually do.
We got on the ferry back at 5.45 pm and bought an ice cream cookie each to eat on the way back. When we got off the ferry and walked up the road, we noticed a map and decided to see where we were in relation to other things we wanted to see. It was a little bit of a stretch, but the World trade center site was just within walking distance. I didnt really want to go because I find it disrespectful that it has almost become a tourist attraction, but I knew Andy wanted to see it so we walked there.
The site is now being developed, part of which will be a memorial garden, so there were barriers all around the actual site. We walked all the way round and looked at the memorial with the names of the deceased. It was very moving. We didnt take any photos, and I couldnt really understand why anyone would want to.
We walked further than we intended to and had to get the subway back from Canal Street as the station we stopped at first didnt have trains running on the line we needed on a Sunday. We arrived back at the hotel around 7.30 pm, picked up a couple of coffees (coffee and tea was complimentary all day) and took them back to the room to drink before showering.
We were both itching to get to Times Square, so despite the aching feet we headed out there. We stopped at KFC for some food about 9 pm. I had a very tasty mash bowl which had cheese, chicken, sweetcorn and gravy as well as the mash, and Andy had a chicken twister with wedges.
After refuelling we went over to the Hersheys shop, which is like chocolate heaven for me. I got a Hersheys brownie, a Reeses brownie, some limited edition kisses, peppermint patties for Andy and some chocolates for my cousin for Christmas.
We did Virgin next which is fantastic, so huge with lots of choice. I got a book called All about me which has lots of questions to fill in about yourself (like a private Ask me anything!), Hercules DVD, which I didnt even know you could buy at the moment, American Dad series 2 for Andys birthday and a Doctor Who DVD, Talons of the Weng Chiang (Tom Baker) which is my favourite series of episodes ever.
Our final stop of the night was Sephora. I saw lots of things I liked, but Andy was flagging so I just picked up the one thing I knew I wanted, a Hard Candy set in the shape of a cassette retro cool.
We made it back to the hotel at 11.30 pm, just in time for last call at the bar, and picked up a malibu and coke for me and a gin and tonic for Andy to take back to the room. We drank those and headed to bed at 12.30 am.
Laur's
I found Ellis Island fascinating too Laur's 
