We woke bright and breezy the following morning, jet lag had still not hit and it seemed we were running on adrenaline. It didn’t take us long to establish a routine and we found ourselves in the city by 10 am each morning.
It was Saturday and to be honest I was expecting the streets to fill with New Yorkers going about their weekend. Oddly, it was Sunday that delivered the biggest crowds into the city. It was such a lovely October that we decided to stay above ground and take a slow meander through the streets enjoying the early fresh air instead of the stale offering from the subway. We were on the hunt for the High Line, the product of re-purposing. It was once a a freight line, delivery meat and other goods to the city. Originally these trains travelled at street level but by the late 1920s it had had so many fatal accidents, it was elevated way above the citizens heads. By 1934 it was in full swing even running through the center of some buildings for ease of delivery ( I find this really cool). As trucks became more of a thing slowly the need for the trains dwindled and by the 80s it wasn’t used at all.
The line soon became claimed by nature and to many was an eye sore. However through the ugliness shone the beauty and the potential and like with all these things, it was saved by the power of community. It runs for 1.45 miles above the city streets and because you can’t see what is directly below you without leaning over a railing. It’s as though New York is swallowed within this stunning oasis, many cities could learn a lesson here and do something with rotting industrial zones instead of letting it all crumble. The easiest way to get to the high line we found, was to arrive by subway no. 7, get off at Hudson yard , it placed us at the very start of the line. This calm space among the madness of a crazy city is totally free.T here is also wheelchair access here and a lift this end but there are many access points to the high line and I have left a link below.
From here we stopped off a 30 Hudson yard, a shopping center (mall) which we fell upon and a good job we did as we needed to come back here later in the week to visit the Edge. It was lunchtime by the time we had left the delights of Hudson Yard with it is marble corridors, inspiring art installations and a Dylan’s candy store filled with more sugar than any self respecting ten year old could possibly make their way through without needing a brand new set of adult teeth.
We hit Time Square at the wrong time, my hangry button had been pressed and I took leave of my senses. I hate being dragged into a gimmick or a scam, in fact I’d go so far as to say I’d rather miss out than be fooled but I am a push over when it comes to the ‘you’ll never do this again’ angel. In the middle of the madness of Times Square is a Bisbee’s food truck selling subway style sandwiches with typical fillings and just about any drink you can think of at a cost so high, in my opinion, it’ll make your eyes water but ‘you’ll never do this again!!’ so the price didn’t matter. With some semblance of common sense, we shared a subway sandwich, fries and stretched to two cans of lemonade. We sat on red metal fold out chairs at a wonky table as New York moved around us and enjoyed every bite of our $30 lunch. It was one of the surreal highlights of our trip and a memory that will last forever.
From here we visited a museum that sang the praises of this thriving city from its humble beginnings, through its ever climbing skyscrapers, fashion trends, music and T.V. accomplishments to its influence on the world. If you have been lucky enough to visit WDW and have rode soaring, the immersive experience at the end is on a similar vein and rewards with the same thrill. Jessica had been chomping at the bit to visit this attraction. Rise NY can be found on 160th west 45th street, if you are in any doubt it can be seen from Times Square and is easily identifiable by the true size like arm of the Statue of Liberty protruding from the building. Personally, I thought this was a costly attraction at $42 each and not worth the expense considering every thing you see is right outside its confines and is there to see for real not a fiberglass mock up. Your money could be put to better use elsewhere.
Another of our typical tourist mistakes was to visit our one and only bar too close to Times Square. The cost of two drinks each came with a price tag of $45 plus tip, getting drunk was for the more affluent here. Bar further away in other parts of the city are probably cheaper but we didn’t have time to find out.
I love a little inside joke and on this day I gained a phrase that from now on will come to mean that something has an astronomical price tag. The world over can be found parents that will indulge their little darlings at all cost and beyond all common sense, my children will tell you, I do not fall into this category to their disappointment at times. On our now slightly intoxicated amble through the streets we fell upon the American Girl doll store. Here you can create a doll in the likeness of your little angle who can then be dressed in the same outfit as the doll. To go along with this, you can add to the accessories with cars, and beds and pets and a bread shop( we all wish we had a bread shop as a child).
Considering New York has a similar problem with homelessness as London does, it was sobering to leave the doors of this store where two plastic buns no bigger than a ten pence piece comes priced at $75 to find mere streets away a man lies who hasn’t eaten for days, hasn’t washed in months and has no shoes. So now when I see anything overly priced that is merely an indulgence, I will say $75 for plastic bread!! This had Jessica in despair by the end of the week but the injustice of it remains with me. To add to the irony of this, just around the corner was a van with two men distributing white bags containing a bread roll and water to the homeless for free.
On this thought provoking note our day ended abruptly as I launched into a full Trigeminal Neuralgia attack and had to leave to quieter surroundings. I crawled into a clean warm bed in a safe building and slept off my pain.
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