The previous day is HERE

Wednesday 6 July

Our last day in NY

We had originally planned to be here for 7 nights including full days for a trip to Woodbury Outlets and another over to Six Flags in New Jersey

But these days were sacrificed to make way for Washington

We walked over 10 miles a day in NYC, those extra days may well have been finished us off so it’s as well we went to DC


We have so much we still didn’t see, especially the museums … but always good to have a list for next time

And so we return to our last day. This was to fit in our last two Must Dos – TOTR and 9/11

Anything else was to be a bonus

Today was also going to see the TCFS

Anyone who travels with offspring will immediately know what this is

Yes

The Customary Family Spat

There is always one somewhere

We had done really well

It is 5 days since we set off – this is probably a record

At the time I couldn’t understand why today ended up a bit flat

But after reading all we did yesterday I realise ………..

We were just plain knackered

And had been adjusting to life in each other’s pockets

We all know TCFS occurs over the most trivial thing – like who ate the last Honeybun or left the wet towel on the floor.

It’s never over anything important.

Onto the day itself

We were awake around 5 am and took in the fantastic sunrise over the amazing skyline

It took until 6 for our legs and feet to be civil enough to work properly and we had the usual hotel breakfast.

We were not in a huge rush this morning - the first stop is not far away at the Rockerfeller.

I figured as long as we were there by mid-morning, it wouldn’t be too bad.

After all , everyone else will still be trying to exit the naffing ESB from last night

We set off around 0930 taking a nice walk up to the Centre , passing Bryant Park ( and failing to take any pics) It did look lovely around there

We were in Rockerfeller Plaza around 1015

Now when we watch this we can say - we’ve been here !



You always see this place in the background ..





We went in here by mistake







Before being directed around the corner ..





Walked straight in – no queue – ESB take note

Happy faces



Such a lovely entrance, very sleek

We did the obligatory photo mimicking this one, but we didn’t stop to look at it on the way out



It was a more interesting area but as no queue it was actually a rush to look at it all







Some random photobombs this pic



This is supposed to be a shot of the amazing lights as the elevator wooshes up

Its an epic fail but I wanted to remember how brill that lift was !



And then you step out to see this









But only if you are not catching Pokemon

Across to central park




Love that you can see ESB, OWO and the SoL in a line



She’s over there in the distance







It was stunning, truly stunning and I am so pleased we did it. It will be a lasting memory of the trip, stepping out into the sunshine and seeing that awesome view

Exiting the building was very easy and we were soon on our way to Grand Central Station.

After a few snaps around the Plaza









Reservoir Dogs do Rockerfeller



The Chrysler building looked more splendid in the sunshine


It was about now the TCFS started

And carried on till Grand Central

Simmered nicely at 9/11

Was well stewed by the afternoon

Fully charbroiled by dinner

And charred remains by breakfast

It was over some drinks – of all things, how large, what flavour and who paid

Ah well, wars have been started for less I suspect

These things can take on a life of their own when dealing with strong minded, free speech advocates

And there is a fair few of those in our party

But on the plus side, once we have had TCFS, it does set the ground rules for the rest of the holiday

And we got along pretty darn well for 3 weeks

Just don’t ask anyone for a large lemonade !

Spat aside, we trogged on

My camera hated the lighting at GC and the pics are crummy



This just doesn’t do it justice

The roof was stunning













We headed down here to the whispering walls





And they work !

These two were whispering to us over in the opposite corner

I would have liked to have mooched around a bit more but no one else was really feeling it so we pushed on to 9/11 , taking the 4 train to Wall Street

It was very poignant walking around the streets towards the 9/11 memorial – we were talking about all that horrific footage of people running down these streets away from the dustclouds.

It really is just unthinkable

The 9/11 reflecting pools are the most humbling sight and it felt almost inappropriate to be here

Its beautifully done

And just so terribly sad





I didn’t take many photos. It doesn’t feel right

Andy was going to go into the museum but changed his mind

So we set off for lunch

We took either the 5 or 6 train to get to E Houston Street and it was a bit of a faff trying to find where we going

The faff coupled with the sombreness of the 9/11 memorial plus being just hot and hangry – well, maybe not the best build up to take full advantage of the amazing meat fest that is …

Yes the deli from When Harry Met Sally and Man V Food fame.



We opted to sit on the waiter service side as it was already packed out at just after 1215



These tables were for people who queued at the counter



Jamie had Philly Cheesesteak




Nick had a very flat cheeseburger



Connor had a pretty well stuffed Turkey sandwich , the meat was so moist. We expected this to be really dry but it wasn't at all



Andy and I had plain hot dogs



I had a lovely iced coffee.

With a beer and 3 cokes it came to $80

It was nice, the sandwiches really did look fantastic

It was boiling hot again so we were pleased it was a short walk to the subway, either 1st or 2nd Street, I cant recall which, but it was nearer than the one we had arrived at.

We took the R train back to 28th arriving back at the hotel around 1.45

We went our separate ways here

The teens wanted to chill out and just kip and watch Wales in the Euro semi final

I wanted a bit of time to myself so I walked along Broadway and went to Macys

Andy watched the footy

I sat in the Macys Starbucks and had a Very Berry Hibiscus – its nice but gets watery



I was so tired by now with the heat and walking, it was all I could do not to fall asleep and get myself ejected for vagrancy

It was so comfy in there

I had a bit of a mooch across a few floors but it was a bit overwhelming

It is a huge store – with old wooden escalators – eek

I also sat outside for a bit , just taking in the atmosphere



I arranged to meet the rest of the tribe at the Outback Steakhouse on 23rd – no one was being very helpful over what they wanted to eat so a quick Google determined that this was

A] nearby ( so no, “ its too much walking”, whingeing)
B] offered burgers and steaks (so no, “ there is nothing I like”, whingeing
And
C] unlikely to be mobbed out.

I sent a screen shot from google maps and set off

Still arriving before they did

I came from 34th Street, They came from 27th

Saying nothing about navigational aptitude.

I had a delicious blackberry martini. Nom nom



And a cup of baked potato soup



This was really tasty

Followed by the small plate of coconut shrimp



Connor had 1/2 rack of ribs. He said they were nice but cold . Why didn't he say so at the time !



You can just see Andy's sirloin with mash in the background. He had gone for the madeira sauce. He said it wasn’t the best choice.

Nick had a cheeseburger for a change




I had the mini strawberry shortcake dessert , it's like trifle in a jar



And Nick had the mini Oreo parfait




I can't find a pic of the bill it will be somewhere .. But I know it was $95 which was ok.

Jamie didn’t eat, I think he snaffled other people’s chips and ate the free bread.

It was ok – we did have a better meal at the Outback in Orlando but this did the trick

We had a short walk back to the hotel, a last look at the local sights







The evening is rounded off with finishing the packing so we can make a decent getaway in the morning – the train is at 0930 so not too bad but we don’t know what the traffic will be like

Everyone is tired now and I think we were all fast asleep by 10pm

It felt a bit of a flat afternoon but I’m not sure we would have had the energy to do any more sightseeing even if there had been no darn footy on TV.

It was good that we got some downtime as it helped with travelling tomorrow

I felt we were ok to move on – there were things we missed out but we had done loads and enjoyed our time here.

It had been way hotter than we expected

We walked more than we realised

It is much more expensive than Florida ( I know, could have predicted that one)

Our hotel had been perfect

We managed to get around on the subway pretty well ( the unlimited 7 day pass for $31 really worked out well for us)

We had visited some iconic sights

We had seen the steam coming out the grates and felt the subway rattle beneath our feet – two of the really cool “ wow, we are here” moments.

I am not sure we “ loved” it at the time , we liked it, but Washington did edge it

However ……

Since looking back at the pics and re-living the days, we seem to like it a lot more than we realised

I guess it’s a “grower” for us

The next day is HERE

Great day. You and your troops do so much walking. My feet would be so done in.

Great day and end to your time in New York! I think I will wait a few more years before taking my 2. Keira will hate all the walking

I have loved this chapter, thanks so much! Can't wait to read Washington!

I loved re-living your day with you.
We loved TOTR, but we did sunset, as you mentioned seeing all the buildings in a line down to Lady Liberty makes a great photo.
The whispering Wall is incredible, you can hear so clearly.
I love the cacti outside the Rockefeller, when we went it was all done for fall and Halloween with pumpkins etc. We can't wait to see it with baubles and Christmas lights.
3 weeks getting along with each other most of the time is amazing, well done, it's fine to have a few bumps in the road. Sometimes it's hard to make 3 minutes if they are in "that" sort of mood.
Glad you loved it

Loving this report, I've looked at my itinerary at think I'm trying to cram to much into our days

Looking forward to Washington

Another great day. I much preferred TOTR to the ESB. I was the same after my first visit to New York - didn't like it as much as I thought I would. But it certainly grows on you the more you go - trip number 6 in 2 weeks time. Looking forward to your Washington instalments.

Great read.