We headed to mid town today, on the subway, during peak hour travel because we are adventurous souls.
By the way peak hour is all the time except between 10.30am and 3.30pm and after about 7.30pm.
The platform of our local station, East Broadway, looks calm but once the train arrives forget pictures. Hans was suggesting they needed Tokyo style shovers. Fun and a good experience. We were not put off.
We get off at Rockefeller Centre in mid-town Manhattan. We follow the general crowd to get to the surface but on the way we had to stop to photograph these business men all too lazy to shine their own shoes. It's after 9am, shouldn't they be at work?
- the ice skating rink in winter (now prepped as a summer garden bistro)
- home to NBC television
The NBC Today morning show always has an outdoor segment and a crowd gathers every weekday morning. We might have to do this NYC tradition at some stage, but it was too late for today.
This woman seems keen to participate, but she forgot her cardboard sign at home today...
Just around the corner to Rockefeller Center is Radio City Music Hall. It seems like a very cool place to see a performance but the next one, on 4 May, is a Hispanic singer we don't know and probably wouldn't understand. We were sure that a lot of Latino women would be there though.
We zig zag the streets and come out on Park Avenue and to Waldorf Astoria. It looks sort of plain from outside but it is very very different in the foyer.
Gorgeous, plush, gilt decor. This clock weighs 2 tonnes.
A useful visit to The Waldorf Astoria for 2 reasons - 1) a very nice bathroom break and 2) we also find out that the hotel does a famous Grand Sunday Brunch. We book in for 19th May. Very exciting. We did not ask the price but it has to be done.
Onward we walk and hit our planned destination - Grand Central Station. That guy reading the map earlier must be ok at navigation...
After walking through a gloomy tunnel we reach the main concourse. And it definitely is grand. The station is celebrating it's 100th birthday this year.
A friend had recommended a visit to this market inside Grand Central Station - Di moved so fast that she was already inside before Hans could take a photo!
Lovely fresh produce. High quality, not cheap.
Easy to find lunch - a nice red pepper dip, fantastic bread, some ham and a pickled olive, onion mix. Too hard to choose.
We continue our wandering and saw the entrance to this parking garage. Somebody here liked their signs. Are they really expecting motorists to read every single one of them while driving down to park?
Times Square. An ocean of neon signs and people... and barricades. Last time Hans was here, all those years back in 1984, you could drive across Times Square on Broadway. No more. We were not sure whether that was temporary or permanent though.
We took a break on the platform on the northern side of Times Square, looking south. If you look closely, you can see the gong among the neon in the centre between us, we think is the one used to count down the seconds to zero on New Years Eve.
OK, after that, time for lunch. We passed Bryant Park on 42nd street earlier in the day and thought that it may be a good place for our Grand Central Market picnic lunch. It was. This guy must really be hungry.
Below is an interesting concept supported by HSBC bank. They provide newspapers and books that people can read while having their lunch or just spending some time in the park in the middle of the day. You have to return them when you leave. Some rules applied such as no mobile phones and no smoking. A sort of library in the open.
Another pic of Bryant Park (yep, we like it) looking west with New York Public Library behind the grass behind Hans. Grass was newly laid so no stepping on it yet.
We stepped inside New York Public Library and in Rose Main Reading Room. A young Japanese looking woman offered to take our photo, she took two, and unfortunately neither was very good. We had to choose one for the blog.
Busy, busy. 5th Avenue looking north from outside New York Public Library.
Inside the lobby of the Chrysler Building. Apparently the building was New York City's tallest between 1930 and 1931 until Empire State Building was completed in 1932. Unfortunately all 77 floors are tenanted so you can't get higher up to see the view.
Well, we continued east until we found the United Nations building by the water at East River. Gosh, it looked somewhat modernized since 1984 when Hans was here last, but still a very dull building.
We turned around on 1st Avenue without exploring further as we now thought that we would call it a day and wandered back to our F-line subway stop at the corner of 5th Avenue and Bryant Park.
Back underground at 42 (that is what the walls say) waiting for our subway train.
We liked this moving display of stations, where you are at present and what stations are coming up. Very neat and easy to follow.
Back in Chinatown, we walk along East Broadway westwards to pick up a few ingredients for tonight's dinner which is Malaysian Chicken Curry with Roti bread aka Roti Canai. A funny moment in the Chinese supermarket when Di can't see the chicken pieces she wants so pantomimes by slapping her thigh and pointing to her leg. One guy just shook his head not understanding and another said 5 minutes. She wanted thigh pieces but got Chicken Maryland's instead, which she butchered into smaller pieces once home. All good.
Durian. Do we need to say anymore?
There is something undeniably cool about durian, a fruit which is prohibited to bring into many hotels in Malaysia. Hans tried Durian gelato once in Singapore and while it doesn't taste too bad, the taste however lingers in the mouth for a loooooong time.
Well, we pick up our ingredients and walk back to our little haven on Henry Street. Very nice home cooking Malaysian curry roti canai washed down with a bit of Australian Red (for Hans) and White (for Di).
We picked up a number of pamphlets and brochures during the day and spend some time reading through those. There is so much to do and one month here seems to barely scrape the surface.
Anyway, we book a couple of "free" walking tours for later, one in Harlem and one in Brooklyn Heights. As we don't know that much about either area, those walking tours would give us some insight to other areas than Manhattan south of Central Park.
Another day in New York City, both full on and very satisfactory at the same time. Good night.
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