Running hot and cold in NYC

Having battled heavy snowfalls to get back to New York City, the weather warmed up (to about 0C) for most of our final 5 days here. Locals and other tourists complained about the cold, but having been hardened to real cold in the Canadian Maritimes, we thought it verged on balmy, and went out wearing a lot less clothes. But then, it turned bitterly cold again, about -15C, with a strong wind chill in preparation for another major storm. By the time that storm came, we were on a plane to Seattle. By and large, the cold days were bright and sunny but windy; the warmer days are overcast.

NYC dawn from our hotel room.

This sojourn in NYC was a relaxing break from the fairly frantic pace of our driving trip. We did long slow walks and sampled many cafes, bars and restaurants. We talked about going to the theatre, but were basically too lazy to do so - nothing on actually grabbed our fancy sufficiently.

Temporary vents pop-up everywhere in New York City to relieve leaks in the city wide steam heating system.

Afternoon cocktails are a daily routine.

One 'formal' activity we did undertake was to do a tour of United Nations Headquarters in 1st Avenue. Security is quite tight, rather like at an airport, with the usual seraches plus our photos taken and photo-ids scanned. The tour was particularly interesting but in some ways quite frustrating. The tall uninteresting building normally seen on TV when referring to the UN is actually the secretariat, full of bureaucrats.

Visitors to UN Headquarters in the courtyard.

The famous meeting rooms are in an adjacent quite low-slung building, spectacular on the inside with fabulous art-works donated by various member nations. In the large lobby area, changing exhibitions are held - currently a very moving tribute to the horrors of the Holocaust, including much 'forbidden art' hidden from the Nazi perpetrators. We saw all the magnificently decorated meeting rooms, including the Security Council, which had met only that morning. Our guide, Natasha, explained that since 11 September 2001, the public are not allowed into the Security Council while it is in session. We commented that this yet was another victory for Osama Bin Laden, but she didn't seem to understand our dry humour.

UN Security Council is off-limits to the public when in session, since 9/11.

By the way, we were very lucky with out tour group. We were the only two in it, although a late arrival was a UN employee from Beijing.

We were quite impressed with the UN's dedication to human rights, particularly those of childen. The HR articles are graphically displayed in naive art paintings, as if they were created by children. We wonder about Australia's adherence to these principles! And also we saw the UN's 'school in a box', a large suitcase packed with educational resources and rations for distressed children and parents, that is used in the worst trouble spots.

The Aroma Cafe in Houston St get's Clare's award for the best coffee.

We made big use of the MTA, New York's metro train and bus system. Seniors can buy a 'two-way' ticket to anywhere in the network (and back) for $2.50, including multiple trains and transfers to buses. This system is so big and complex, yet fairly easy to navigate, it makes you wonder how it is all managed. During the previous epic winter storm, the subway was shutdown. We suspect that decision is a device to keep people at home and out of harm's way in 'brutal' weather rather than a technical necessity.

External fire escapes are a feature of period NYC architecture.

Our biggest MTA adventure was to City Island, a destination we had had in mind ever since seeing the movie of the same name. City Island is an island in the East River in the Bronx. We caught the train to Pelham Bay Park, the last stop on the line, then a bus. The clever ticket knew exactly what we were doing, and it was easy to make the connections.

The bridge to City Island, captured in this delightful painting.

City Island has one main street (City Island Ave) up the middle, about 2km long. We walked it, and took a few side streets to the water. This Bronx suburb is clearly very popular in summer with many seafood restaurants equipped with huge carparks), but it was very quiet for our visit. Most restaurants were open, but nowhere could we find an espresso coffee (the only such place on this entire trip). We had a light lunch at a very modest cafe which reminded us of one in a tiny Australian town.

On NYC suburb City Island, the authorities go to some length to notify the end of dead end streets.

Throughout our travels, surplus snow is piled up to get it out of the way, this example in a City Island carpark.

Typical marina storage of yachts during winter, cost about $1000.

Outside Macy's main store on Broadway, we encountered a large marquee pumping out loud music and obviously extremely popular with the crowds. It turned out to be Sports Illustrated's launch of its 2015 Swimsuit Edition. All the photographs were on display as posters, and the models were there to be selfied with the punters and autograph their copies of the magazine. Obviously, Mike was sad to leave this place!

Live music at the Sports Illustrated 2015 Swimsuit Edition launch.

Swimsuit models pose for photos with fans, and autograph their pictures in the magazine.

Another delightful walking day was in Soho, Chinatown and then across the Manhattan Bridge. Soho, and the Cast Iron District it encloses, is a swanky area of upmarket brand-name stores housed in exquisite buildings clad in, you guessed it, cast iron. We even found a cafe that, according to our resident afficionado, did the best coffee on our trip so far. In Soho, an episode of Gotham was being filmed - it's amazing the infrastructure which surrounds big budget TV production!

Ornate architectural detailing and fire escapes in SOHO's Cast Iron District.

This building in the Cast Iron District really has its ferrous facade on display.

Sometimes, when you can't have real windows, it's an idea to paint them on.

Chinatown seemed to be like its ilk all over the world, distinctive smells, exotic markets, pirated brand names etc. One fabulous building we discovered in The Bowery was the New Museum, an example of very modern and striking architecture. But we didn't go in.

Ultra modern architecture encloses the New Museum in The Bowery (2007).

Looking west down East Broadway, Chinatown towards the Financial District.

We had no plan to tackle the Manhattan Bridge until we saw it through the arch of the Confucius Plaza, and then decided to go for it. We had walked the Brooklyn Bridge on our visit many years ago, so it seemed right to do another bridge this time. As we arrived in Brooklyn, we encountered a heavy snow flurry, but it didn't last long. We hunted down a subway station and returned to Manhattan.

Panorama of Brooklyn across the East River.

Detailed steelwork in the Manhattan Bridge.

A special place to visit in Manhattan is the market underneath Grand Central Station. Clare discovered this on our last trip here, but we couldn't find it again until we entered via Lexington Ave. The market is full of delicious fresh products and prepared meals, just right for commuters to take home with them after a day at work.

Modern NYC Skyline from 1st Avenue.

We are very sad to have to leave New York. Cold as it is in Janauary and February, it is a wonderful exciting place, full of interesting nooks and crannys, and, being city dwellers, we feel very at home in the noise and bustle.

Manhattan skyline across the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Postscript from New York

Our last day in New York dawned brilliantly clear and blueskied, with a fresh covering of snow underfoot, so we decided to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge with all the other tourists and local joggers and bike riders. What a great day it was! The view from the bridge is fantastic, you can see far and wide, including the Statue of Liberty, and the next door bridge, the Manhattan Bridge. There are lots of helicopters buzzing around, as there is a helipad below the bridge, and the structure of the bridge causes the wooden footpath to vibrate with the traffic flow. Looking back to Manhattan, the skyline of New York City is a lovely spectacle. The ugly Verizon building makes it very difficult to get a clear photo of the Brooklyn Bridge looking back into Manhattan [photo].

Brooklyn Heights is a very cute suburb, with lots of up market housing. The shopping village had lots of trendy shops, markets and cafes. Some of the houses have a great view over the East River, and have had balconies added to enhance them.

On our last morning we headed out by subway to Harlem, but found it rather run down, and weary. Maybe if we spent more time there, we would have found some treasures, but all we had was a brief walk before heading back to get our bags and walk to the bus station, for a ride to JFK. We had a good flight on Qantas, to LA, and were glad we were not continuing on to Sydney that night, but having a few days to chill out before the long flight home.

The photo shows the 1 Train subway bridge as it traverses Harlem.

New York, New York

Our New York hotel is well placed, right near Grand Central Station, which is a marvellous structure. It is clean and warm, and has a vast array of food shops, including supermarkets and a fresh food hall which is really good. The trains are pretty well hidden from view (unlike Paris stations), which is probably another good idea. From our hotel window we can see the Empire State Building, lit up at night in silver. On the weekend it was lit in red, white and blue for the President's Day holiday [photo]. Right next door is a great place for breakfast, and they have good wraps and salads. A short walk takes you right to Times Square, and we are adjacent to the well known streets, Lexington Ave, Park Ave, Madison Ave, and 5th Ave. New York is great city for walking!

Our week in New York has been very interesting, it certainly is a different city, and the people watching here is most interesting. Foreigners abound - the city is packed with tourists. The decline in the US Dollar seems to bring Europeans here en masses, and they seem to be buying up brand name luggage in bulk, maybe to sell on their return. English visitors swagger around as if they own the place, and maybe they do, what with over two dollars to the pound!

The weather has been below freezing every day, some days have been bright and sunny, and we have also seen the snow fall, which has been great. Just like home the fashions in the stores are all summer, even though it is snowing outside and every one is wearing big coats, and it will be some time before the little flimsy numbers will be able to be worn.

We have done the touristy things, and just walked as we usually do, gazing upwards as the buildings here are so interesting, especially the tops of them. The photo shows an interesting brick building in Soho, incredibly intricate detail at the top levels, and those amazing NY fire escapes. There were trips to Macy's and Bloomingdales, and Century 21 the great discount store. In fairly dismal weather, we walked thru some of the "village" precincts of NYC, looking at the quirky shops and cafes.

We're big walkers, but NYC is also very big, so we use the Subway to move uptown and downtown in big hops. There is a convenient 1 week Metrocard which gives you unlimited travel for about $25, very good value. For some reason, we were able to buy the first one on a credit card, but had to use cash to buy the second Metrocard. The underground trains are clean, frequent, crowded and feel safe. The sounds of live music and buskers permeate the system. The network structure is not as straightforward as it is in Paris and London, but you get the hang of it quickly.

In perfect sunshine, we took the Staten Island Ferry, and gazed back at the familiar skyline of the NY skyscrapers, a sad sight now of course, and passed by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, where the early immigrants were processed. We took a trip to the top of the Empire State Building, mostly because Clare, as a little girl, remembers her Nana going there. It was crowded and freezing at the top, but the visibility was perfect. It's amazing to realise this building is 1931 vintage.

The Frick collection is very interesting, thanks Elaine for that tip, and the Guggenheim Museum in that wonderful building, although now covered in scaffolding for a massive external renovation, was amazing to see. Unfortunately on the day we went there, a new and very popular exhibition was opening, and it was also snowing heavily, therefore the cloackroom was suffering a huge overload and we decided not to stand in line to check our coats, but instead we spent the day over 5th Ave in Central Park.

This was a good decision, as it was very beautiful, covered in snow, with lots of cross country skiers, and children with sleds having a great time. All the wonderful buildings around the park had snow on the tops of them, and there were no cars in the park. The fresh snow in the park gives it a wonderful aspect [photo]

On a sunny day, we visited September 11's Ground Zero. It was very moving, we thought of the terrible events of that day, and looked up into the sky where the buildings used to be. It's really just a hole in the ground now. The design seems to be settled, and new foundations are well under way, and the streets around are full of construction workers and cement trucks. The pedestrians are very forgiving, and everyone gives way to the trucks as they turn and weave in the street. Noone can be offended by the minor inconveniences in moving around this place. We also looked at the sculpture, now temporarily housed in Battery Park, which once sat in the plaza of the World Trade Centre. It is badly bruised and battered, but is a fitting memorial to that terrible day [photo].

Return to New York

The day to return the Subaru Outback arrived quickly, and we scarpered out of Vermont and through New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut rather more quickly than we would have preferred. The scenery through these states was great, but we didn't have much time to stop and enjoy it. We especially liked the frozen lakes with people wandering around on them, presumably safely.

We had specifically booked a Subaru from Avis, because that would guarantee "all wheel drive" which is highly desirable on the snowy roads we expected. This was after our experience in the Rockies two years ago when we discovered (several states too late) that, in the USA, SUV does not mean 4-wheel drive!

In the 40 days we had the Outback, it performed without a hitch. We travelled 5880 miles (9408km) through 16 states. Petrol (gas) prices were between $US2.90 and $3.20 per US Gallon, which translates to $A0.89 to $0.93 per litre, so they haven't got much to complain about, have they?

On the driving trip, we followed our usual US travel procedure and did not book hotels ahead. In the jargon of the trade, we were "walk-ins", and this lets you get good deals and make use of those discount coupon books you get from state welcome centres and McDonalds stores. We deviated from this strategy only twice, in Key West FL (where, worried about limited options in high-season, only Cuba, we rang 2 hours ahead, and just as well, because the town was full when we got there) and in Alexandria VA (where we had to tell a friend where we were going to be staying). We almost had a wheel fall off once, in Rutland VT, a ski resort town on the Presidents Day long weekend, but we managed to pay more and avoid having to sleep in the car.

Depending on opportunities, we stayed at Days Inn, Best Western, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, Comfort Suites, Fairfield Marriott, La Quinta and one independent as well as two friends, of course. We like these chain hotels, because they not only provide the essentials and decent comfort, but also complimentary broadband (for this blog!) and breakfast. Three hotels let us down in the breakfast stakes, but we managed to avoid starvation.

Our reseach is anecdotal, of course, but we noted that, within any chain, the quality of the accommodation can vary widely. As someone said to us, look for recent construction or renovation! Our award for the most consistenly good hotels on this segment of our trip goes to Holiday Inn Express.

There is a Bear Out There!!!

After 8000km of driving, we finally saw a bear! Just after stopping for a picnic lunch by the Delaware River a few km north of Bushkill NY, Mike happened to notice a black bear cub in the field. He was grazing on some maize stalks, but took off when he saw us. Mananged to get a photo, not close enough of course! This was the highlight of our day after peering into forests for a bear for all this time!

Prior to this, after surviving the ice storm in Washington, we headed north through Maryland and into Pennsylvania. We called into the snow-covered Gettysburg battlefields (which surround the town), and did a road tour. These battlefields were the bloodiest in the Civil War and, apparently, Union victories there turned the tide against the Confederates. The fields are immense, and are peppered with hundreds of memorials and markers to various armies, regiments, positions and soldiers. Unfortunately the Visitor Centre was closed when we got there, "due to inclement weather" the rough notice on the door said, so we missed out on the ineveitable, very informative interpretive exhibits and movies. This is the only time we have felt let down by the management of the battlefields - there was no justification for the closure. We talked to a school teacher who had arrived there with a bus full of students, to meet a guide for the day. She was not impressed!

Gettysburg township itself is old and very pretty. The historical buildings are in very good condition, not doubt funded by the myriad of visitors to the battlefields in summer. But in winter now, the town was quiet (although many trucks seem to drive through), and we found a nice place to have cappucino and hot chocolate. We stayed overnight in Harrisburg.

The next day dawned perfectly fine but extremely cold, as predicted accurately by the Weather Channel, but the residues of the ice storm made for lots of black ice in car parks and sidewalks, and piles of snow, having been rained on and then frozen, were as hard as concrete. This made walking hazardous all day, especially morning and night, so we had to be very careful not to slip.

We called into Bethlehem PA to find a cappucino. The historic district of this town is very close to the now defunct steelworks, and it's quite sad to see this city, the birthplace of Galvalume, in a depressed state, a real rust-belt town [photo]. We passed through Pennsylvania into New York State. The landscape of fields and hills, was snow covered, and calm, with glimpses of the Catskills in the distance as we moved into NY. The town of Port Jervis on the NY side of the border was quaint, and provided us with an afternoon hot chocolate to help combat the cold.