Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Travel Tuesday - To That Tall Skyline I Come


Times Square

View from our hotel room on the 30th floor.

The view from the top of One World Trade Center, the new tower. The view from lunch.

Bryant Park at night, just behind the New York Public Library

One World Trade Center


There is something magic about a tall city, New York, Chicago, parts of San Francisco, parts of London. I love Washington DC, but DC is a short city, the tallest buildings are only about 15 stories.  The result of a building code change 100 years ago, when a new building blocked the view of the Washington Monument from someone with power and influence.  

Our hotel room was on the 30th floor, we had lunch last Thursday on the 102 floor.  There is a lot of low and mid-rise buildings in New York, but there are also amazing tall buildings.  

We had a great trip.  My longest stay in New York City, four nights, three fully uninterrupted days. We visited three amazing museums (the weather was miserably hot and humid, we focussed on indoor fun.) We had lots of amazing food, a couple of surprises.) We met up with two great friends (and we will see the third one on the next trip.) 

The crowds have started to return to the city.  People were wearing masks for the most part.  The museums and most restaurants were asking for proof of vaccination to be seated inside.  For the most part the subway was much less crowded.  

Until a dozen years ago, I had never been to New York.  And frankly until I had been there, I didn't understand what people see in it.  It is big, it is crowded.  It is New York.  New York is not representative of the United States. It is its own unique identity.  Seeing New York and thinking you have seen the United States is like seeing London and thinking you have seen England, or Paris and thinking you have seen France.  Yet all of these places are worth seeing, for their unique identity as a place. 

I expect a few of you will be humming Simon and Garfunkel for a while,  New York to that tall skyline I come,   

12 comments:

  1. Great photos and amazing views.

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    1. I had lots of fun with the camera on this trip. Next time

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  2. Anonymous8/31/2021

    More like humming Sinatra for me. The weather was so hot and oppressive when we visited a few years ago and perhaps that influenced my opinion, but I wasn't that keen on NYC. I did like Macys though where I bought a $40 shirt and after discount upon discount was piled on, I think it cost $5.

    I look forward to hearing much more about New York, New York.

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    1. The heat and humidity limited what we could/wanted to do outside. There are things I want to see that will wait for another visit in cooler weather.

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  3. Love the photo. It's been more than a hot minute since we've been to NYC and I am so ready to go back.

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    1. It had been over 2 years for us, the last time we were in NYC is snowed.

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  4. Glad you had fun! I've only been in NYC once, very briefly, to see Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party" at the Brooklyn Museum.

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    1. I still have not made it to Brooklyn, my grandmother lived there in 1911-1912.

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  5. Great views and fabulous photos! I'm so glad you had a nice trip. We passed through it a few times taking the train to New England, Albany, and Niagra Falls, but only stayed long enough to change trains. Otherwise it has been decades since I actually stopped and stayed for a day.

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    1. The new train hall is amazing, next week's tuesday post.

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  6. Beautiful photos! I love all those view over all the buildings. Look at all those water tanks on the tops of the buildings in that view from your window.

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    1. Hampton Inn Times Square, we were on the 30th floor on the back side of the building. From talking in the elevator, the views were better from the back side of the building than the front.

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