Germany and Beyond: New York City: Part 2

We took the budget ride up to the top of the GE building at Rockefeller Center for a sweet deal of $27 each... I am kidding. But seriously if you wanted to see the city from the Empire State Building then you'd be looking at paying about $42 for the privilege. This is one of those travel moments that despite the price, you know you have to do it, and we're glad we did.

Central Park from Top of the Rock

You can view the city from three different levels with 360 degree viewing platforms. It was windy and cold, but the view more than made up for the weather. Most importantly the sun was shining. After a very short visit to the top, and I mean short, it was the most cold and the most windy on the very top platform, we continued to explore the city before meeting up with Hannah later that evening.

Empire State Building from Top of the Rock

On our way home we passed by the famous ice skating rink at Rockefeller Plaza. It was a bit of chill out area with loads of people sitting watching, having lunch and/or ice skating.

Ice rink at Rockefeller Centre

As we pressed on we passed Grand Central Station. It was pretty magnificent. Everything in New York reminds you of different scenes from different movies, and it feels kinda strange walking through places you've only ever seen on television.

Grand Central Station

The next day we decided to head for Brooklyn Bridge. Beforehand we found a New York hot dog stand and tried a famous New York hotdog for the first time. My entire mouth was numb, burning and I was full of regret after only trying one bite of that hot dog. It was the spiciest thing I have ever eaten... with no prior warning either. I guess they assume you know.

Looks sunny but was absolutely freezing

The Brooklyn bridge was fantastic. The view of the city from the bridge made it a pretty spectacular walk. It's almost a 2 kilometre walk across the bridge! I must admit though, it was windy and freezing - like no other cold I have ever experienced... just freezing.

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge and the Lower Manhattan Skyline

We decided to cross the Manhattan Bridge on the way home. The subway runs along the Manhattan Bridge which created more wind and cold when they went past, but we did have a great view of the neighbouring Brooklyn Bridge with the city in the background.

Central Park

On a different day we visited Central Park. It's enormous and really pretty. You'll be pleased to know we didn't stumble across any dead bodies like they do in SVU. We went through the strawberry fields, where a local busker was playing John Lennon songs on his guitar and where countless adorable squirrels were carelessly frolicking around the place. You can hire a bicycle taxi for about $3 a minute, where they take you for a very leisurely ride through the park. We saw a couple having their wedding photos taken at the Bethesda Fountain. We walked past the hotel where John Lennon was shot (just to end our walk on a happy note) before heading home.

Chelsea

The next day we headed to this really cool park called High Line in Chelsea. An old elevated railway track that used to run through the area has been converted into a kind of walk through park. Instead of destroying it they decided to plant trees and create a path way dotted with park benches and recreational areas, cafes and spots to view the river.