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-   -   The Big Apple and a Big Ship! - Day 2 - Liberty & Ellis Islands, Brooklyn Bridge, 5th Ave & ESB (https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1067538)

Sotong 24 Feb 18 05:45 PM

The Big Apple and a Big Ship! - Day 2 - Liberty & Ellis Islands, Brooklyn Bridge, 5th Ave & ESB
 
August 1,2017 - Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, 5th Avenue and Empire State Building

Woken at 2.30am by a text from Andy, he hasn’t got the hang of the time difference!
Back to sleep until my alarm at 6am when I got up and showered and then went across the street (7th avenue) for Starbucks. I noticed the time 7.15am on the clock under the ball on Times Square.



We had tickets booked for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for this morning and planned to get there for the first ferry at 9am.
We left the hotel and went down to the subway right outside hotel entrance.
It was really easy to buy a metro pass and down one flight of stairs to the platforms and got on a train on the yellow or the W line straight down to the south of Manhattan and to Battery Park.


Quiet train even though it was rush hour and we got off after about 7 stops at Rector St near Wall St as Harriet needed new sunglasses. For breakfast we bought a BEC sandwich, turkey bacon egg and cheese and drinks but couldn't find sunglasses.
Saw the bull statue on Wall St and then into Battery Park where found the will call booth and got our Statue of Liberty tickets and wrist bands.


Quickly through security and onto the ferry the Lady Liberty, the queues later in the day were huge, so I was glad we got up and arrived early in the day.


Arrived at Liberty Island and had a fairly quick look around the museum in the base after more security and placing handbag in locker. Walked the 150 steps to the pedestal and took in the view. Another 170 steps to the crown up a spiral staircase but this was too claustrophobic for Harriet so we went into the base of the statue then went back to the ferry to Ellis Island.




Back on ferry to New York at 12 and restarted the hunt for sunglasses as H was wearing mine! It was getting hotter and very sunny.

Walked uptown towards the 9/11 memorial area, also looking for sunglasses and lunch or a drink. Harriet bought sunglasses in H&M at the Westfield shopping centre the Occulus, and we saw a police scene and believe someone had tried to commit suicide from the balcony of the shopping centre.



We walked around the 9/11 pools, a lot deeper than I though they would be but not as moving, noise of the waterfalls was calming but tourists and school groups meant it was busy and noisy.



Went to McD again for lunch but had the snack wraps and H had a hash brown.
Then went shopping in Century 21 a weird shopping centre with a mix of designer goods at full and very reduced prices. Got my Halloween perfume and Harriet bought ELF make up brushes and a MAC lipstick for $17.

As we weren't far from the Brooklyn Bridge we walked across towards Brooklyn, interesting view of Manhattan but the bridge was very busy and hot.



We got a freestyle soda from Subway 20oz avoided the 40oz! and got the subway back, fairly easy once I’d topped up my metro pass that we had bought this morning. We got on a train but quickly realised it was an express so it didn't stop at every station, it did stop at Grand Central though so we got off there.
Great place, very beautiful with some nice shops so it looks like a shopping centre but then you see the platforms and trains!



We then walked up 5th Avenue towards the huge Top Shop that we saw yesterday, visiting Sephora and Urban Outfitters etc on the way. Harriet bought more make up!
We were both hot and sticky so decided to go to the recommended Black Tap for milkshakes and then back to the hotel for a shower. However there was an hour queue outside and then we realised we were very close to the hotel so I got an ice cream and Harriet had Five Guys fries with drinks, diet root beer – my favourite!

Showers and hair wash for both of us and phones charged we set out for the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller centre, took a while to find the ticket office and unfortunately I'd forgotten the advice to book in advance and the next time available for entry was 9.30pm and was currently just after 8 so we booked to come back tomorrow at 9.35am and decided to go to the Empire State Building instead. We walked the 12 or so blocks to 34th street down 5th avenue where we had been shopping earlier and queued for an about an hour to get access to the top.



Great view of the city in the dark, saw the Allianz sign next to the H&M one in Times Square.



Definitely time got something to eat as it was now about 9.45pm, there was a Chipotle next door to the ESB so we ate in there.
As it was getting late we got an Uber back to hotel $13 and 10 minutes later we were back at the Wellington hotel and bed.

Starbucks $10
Metro $10
Breakfast $9
H&M sunglasses x3! $30
Locker $2
Lunch McD $10
Metro top up $10
Ice cream $5
Five Guys $10
Chipotle $30
Uber $13

34,350 steps or 14 miles

Goldia 25 Feb 18 09:45 AM

Wow, this was a packed day! We had a similar first day to you! We did SOL on our first morning too, and also wandered over to the 9/11 memorial via the Westfield shopping centre and then over the Brooklyn bridge. The weather on our first day in July was rubbish though and quite cold so in Westfield we all bought hoodies and cardies to keep us warm.

yellowrose78 25 Feb 18 11:23 AM

Great day! You seen loads :)

RachelM 25 Feb 18 08:58 PM

14 miles! WOW!. What a busy but fantastic day.


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