New York, New York
Perhaps the most difficult week of my life was the week we visited New York City. We had planned a wonderful holiday to show Mark and Hayley all there is to NYC. The day before we were due to fly out from Oklahoma we got a call from home to say my old Mum had passed away in the night, such loss is not quantifiable to those who have yet to know it, I talked to my sister Jenny about what to do, she said "Mum would want you to go on that holiday", she was right but I guess I needed someone else to tell me so. I had lost my old Mum, Mark had lost his Nan, I was so glad to have him with me at that time.
With a heavy heart we arrived in New York and made for Rockerfeller Plaza for that 'whole city' view, to the North is Central Park wearing its winter coat.
to the South is perhaps one of the worlds most famous buildings , the incredible Art Deco tower that is the Empire State Building which is still in the top 20 of the worlds tallest buildings. Quite an achievement for a structure completed in 1931.
The first day was coming to a close already (flying in had taken most of it) as we descended to street level we found the skating rink that appears in the city centre each wintertime, reverting to a restaurant in the warmer months.
as it was the first night we made our way to Time Square which draws people at night as a candle draws moths
the next day we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge with Mark and Hayley taking the lead on a surprisingly empty footpath.
we took the subway down to Battery Park in order to get a boat to the Statue of Liberty, the security before getting on the boat was a bit OTT to say the least but that is the way America responded to the World Trade Centre disaster and there's no going back now. I can't help but think that stop and search everywhere will ultimately damage the tourist trade of the nation. The airports are a joke and every major attraction is the same, they are now discussing doing it for rail travel.
Once on the boat we got some stunning views back toward Battery Park and all around, as we arrived at the Statue of Liberty we saw another huge security queue to get into the statue. Given that we had already stood in one security queue for an hour to get there (and been searched) what the hell did they need to do it for again...... we didn't bother going in, nor did a lot of other tourists who were discussing it at length on the boat.
I can't help but compare the reaction of America to the reaction of England when the IRA were forever bombing us (throughout my first 25 years of life) we were not searched, we were not prevented from taking photographs, we were not harassed by overzealous minimum wage power-trippers before entering any building or transport hub, we just stuck our middle finger up to our Western Isle and got on with life. I find it ironic that I am looking at the statue of LIBERTY under these circumstances. It seems the self appointed 'land of the free' needs a title change.
I can't help but compare the reaction of America to the reaction of England when the IRA were forever bombing us (throughout my first 25 years of life) we were not searched, we were not prevented from taking photographs, we were not harassed by overzealous minimum wage power-trippers before entering any building or transport hub, we just stuck our middle finger up to our Western Isle and got on with life. I find it ironic that I am looking at the statue of LIBERTY under these circumstances. It seems the self appointed 'land of the free' needs a title change.
after the boat ride we walked some of the way back toward the centre of Manhattan and did a little shopping along the way, Mark and Hayley looking like an album cover as they stride across the street.
back at the Waldorf Astoria on the fashionable 'Park Avenue' Mark examines one of his purchases as we wait for the Art Deco lift to arrive.
Next day we headed off to see Central Park and do a little more shopping as the weather took a turn for the worst and started to get very cold
on the way back we called in to Grand Central Station to see this iconic location, I have to say it is quite impressive.
We went to the comedy store for a show in the evening having got tickets from a tout in Time Square, I have no idea of the quality of the comedian as memories of my old Mum were all that filled my head, I didn't laugh once though that is no reflection on the individual trying his best up on stage.
The next day we walked down 42nd street to get on the famous Circle Line ferry to tour the island by boat. It had got significantly colder during the night and was -15 with a heavy additional wind chill taking the 'feel' down to -25 or so......this image of Mark is one of my most enduring memories of this NYC trip and looking back on it now makes me smile.
Hot coffee and front row seats inside the glass topped boat were enough to make the trip enjoyable, though next time I think the 1/2 tour would be better....it went on a bit.
The next day we walked down 42nd street to get on the famous Circle Line ferry to tour the island by boat. It had got significantly colder during the night and was -15 with a heavy additional wind chill taking the 'feel' down to -25 or so......this image of Mark is one of my most enduring memories of this NYC trip and looking back on it now makes me smile.
Hot coffee and front row seats inside the glass topped boat were enough to make the trip enjoyable, though next time I think the 1/2 tour would be better....it went on a bit.
I have so many photos of this trip to NYC I could fill the internet, suffice to say we did the tourist thing good style whilst we were there.
Every moment of every day I thought about my old Mum, but a big arm from my boy and the constant support from Sarah got me through, maybe New York City got me through it a little too.
Every moment of every day I thought about my old Mum, but a big arm from my boy and the constant support from Sarah got me through, maybe New York City got me through it a little too.
To cap it all, when we got back to the airport in New Jersey our flight was cancelled due to snow further north, we were very lucky to find a hotel close to the airport and spent a night in Jersey before flying back to Tulsa.