New York City
weekly photo challenge: new…
not “new”… but New York City.
Our interpretation is to share a photo of NEW York City from the Empire State Building.
For other photos of “new” – see the Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge.
Happy New Year!
Back to blogging for another year, we are so appreciative of all the support in 2014!
Thank you to each and every one of our readers.
We wish you all the best for 2015.
Please feel free to leave us a comment on what you thought of our interpretation.
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weekly photo challenge: descent
Sorting through our photos, we realise we take more photos going up then down. But we managed to locate one of a descent from our trip to New York a few years back for the weekly photo challenge.
Snapped just before we descend some stairs in New York City Public Library. Photograph in black and white for a Halloween mood 🙂
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend!
We welcome your comments.
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our visit to the empire state building
Maybe its our generation or maybe its just our curiosity to see as much of the world as possible but New York City was high on our list and when the Australian dollar was tracking so strongly against the US dollar, it was our cue to go!
Those gone before us were giving us advice about this, that and the other, especially about visiting the Empire State Building. There were suggestions of going early, going late, pre-booking entry tickets and even others telling us not to bother and instead go to Rockefeller to see the same view for free.
On our first day waking up in NYC, the sky was blue with some clouds. We knew what we had to do – we raced over to the Empire State Building. It was early and we were staying only about a block away. We arrived and the elevators weren’t sending people up just yet as it was about 7.55am , so we joined the queue of about 15 people.
Within 10 minutes of waiting in line, after about 2 lots of security checks and of course having our token tourist photograph taken in front of the green screen, we were up on the 86th floor!
Other than the pollution morning haze, this was the view of New York City that we saw!
And upon leaving we saw that our “token tourist photograph” had us super-imposed in front of…. what else??! … But the Empire State Building.
Our tip based on our great experience: Go early on any clear day that you get so you can get uninterrupted views without having to wait too long. By the time we left, the queues were weaving worse than any theme park ride! (Opening times are 8:00 am to 2:00 am)
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starts spreading the news…
“Start spreading the news, I am leaving today..” – New York New York (Frank Sinatra)
“Concrete jungle where dreams are made of…” – Empire State of Mind (Alicia Keys)
“..There’s no stopping to the sound of the New York City beat.” NYC Beat (Armand Van Helden)
And the list of songs that are about NYC goes on and on, as can the movies and shows based in NYC and the celebrities that can be associated with NYC. It is a place to see and it is a city that sleeps very little. There is so much to do here and to anyone who has never been, GO! And if you do go, STAY (well, stay for more than 3-4 days , at least a week). Although accommodation might set you back a bit, that’s about where the pricey-ness ends as a tourist.
The best way to see NYC is to buy a metro pass and because we were there for a week, that is what we did. We looked at the map of NYC and visited an “area” each day, hopped on a metro and got off somewhere and then started walking. Just meandering through the streets and finding street performers and hole-in-the-wall eateries is what travelling is about. Unless there is something specific that you want to see and somewhere you need to be, a guidebook is not necessary.
There is no denying that being in NYC, there are touristy things that you shouldn’t miss out on – visiting Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Flatiron, Central Park and the Empire State Building. Trying a pretzel and hot dogs from the street vendors. Paying respects where the World Trade Center was. Stopping in at the countless museums. Seriously, it is impossible to be bored here! And you might also spot some stars (unlikely the ones in the sky, we were referring to movie stars), we walked past Naomi Watts and stood at a traffic light beside Michelle Rodriguez.
We have several highlights of our time in NYC:
- Touring the UN building
- Having unobstructed views of the city from the top of Empire State Building (barely any crowds because we were there on opening)
- Strolling through Central Park and stumbling across a marathon, a wedding, musicians busking….
- Watching Mary Poppins – The Musical
- People-watching in Greenwich Village
And to have a break from the hustle bustle of NYC, we took a day trip to Philadelphia where we saw Independence Hall and Liberty Bell. Goodness, this whole trip was beginning to feel like we were on the National Treasure trail with Nicholas Cage.
Then from national treasures and traffic, we slowed down a notch and also visited the Amish Country where we got to ride in a buggy! It was a great opportunity for us to learn about another way of life, one that we are not familiar with!
wise monkeys abroad 
