Well, we had a nice sleep overnight as we didn't go to a show and we got in to bed early. I went to sleep about 9 p.m. or just after. Then I woke up a few times in the night but managed to go back to sleep every time, so it's all good. I got up at about 6:30 a.m. or so in the end.
We had Priority Tickets for the One World Observatory at The One World Trade Center Tower.
These were for 10 a.m. showing. I was worried about missing it but we managed with 9 minutes to spare. The city was a little smoggy and the viewing was nowhere near perfect, but it was a great experience, I thought, and just being in the huge tower (4th tallest building in the world, and tallest in the Western Hemisphere) after the 9/11 disaster and seeing the comeback from that was very moving for me.
Three World Trade Center is in construction. One World Trade Center Tower was finished this year. So far just over 500,000 people have been through the Observatory. I'm thinking they are gearing up for many millions per year. The process was very smooth and it was all excellent except for the smoggy views resulting in less than spectacular photos of the surrounding New York City.
Certainly, one thing is clear, New York is an amazing city, with so many huge and amazing buildings. Wow! We bought some souvenirs and left down the speed elevator after maybe a 20 minute look around in the Observatory.
We then walked along towards Uptown and came across a couple of book stores, a huge Barnes and Noble, and further along famous Strand Books. Well, I love books and book stores so I didn't have to be beaten over the head to go. Then we looked for a guitar store to try and find a colourful case for Ross's Ukelele. Only black cases did we find after looking through three guitar shops. Maybe we would have to go to Honolulu to get a coloured one.
After the walk, to the guitar stores, we had already taken more than 10,000 steps so I was ready for the subway back to the hotel. I had a lot of laundry I wanted to get done and I had sourced two laundries. One wanted $15 for 8 pounds of laundry, whereas the other one , on the corner of 48th street and 10th Ave., wanted $1 per pound. I walked down there and our combined laundry was 16 pounds, $16 very good! In San Francisco it was $1.35 /lb and it cost us $25 to get our combined laundry done. Have to pick up the "washed, dried, and folded" laundry between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
I love it when you are travelling and you have all clean clothes or near enough.
Macy's was fun. Lots of sales, as usual, and got some good stuff for Little Lee.
You can see what I meant about the smoggy view from the Observatory on the 102nd floor. We have tickets for the Statue of Liberty tomorrow, even an earlier start than this morning. We need to pick up the tickets from a ticket stand in Battery Park and then get to the Ferry for the 9 a.m. leaving time.
It may give Ross a strained sleeping muscle.
You may just be able to make out Manhattan Mid-Town with the Empire State Building and the much smaller Chrysler Building. I also want to do some research on the tall slim tower in the far background, which we were told is an apartment building on the East side of Central Park.
Looking more or less straight down to the 9/11 Memorial "Ground Zero" and the site of Two and Three World Trade Center Buildings.
After the Laundry trip Ross went to mail a package and then try to get over the Williamsburg Bridge to Brooklyn and see the design store he has been wanting to have a look at. He was to text me later about his whereabouts, so to speak.
Unfortunately, he has just texted and the store, GGrippo, was closed! It is only open Wednesday-Friday 12-7 and Saturday 2-7. That's a real bummer. I hope there were other attractions in Brooklyn.
I have been walking around Times Square again; it is a real zoo. I have a few photos of zoo-like activities in Times Square at about 7th Ave and 46th Street:
We saw "On The Town" and it was excellent except our seats were not as good as the ones for "It Shoulda Been You" and also there were a group of non-English speaking girls in front of us that wouldn't shut up and they annoyed me.
Well, it's 6:45 p.m. and I am thinking when Ross gets here we will go out for dinner (quite hungry, we had muesli with granola at around 11 a.m. maybe, not sure.) and then we can go and collect the clean laundry from Washerworld.
703 Tenth Avenue. On the Western corner of $8th Street and 10th Ave.
It is in the neighborhood of "Hell's Kitchen" right across the street from Hell's Kitchen Park.
Bye for now,
That's about the size of Monday, July 13th. Only one more full day in NYC, then on Wednesday we get a shuttle bus out to JFK and pick up the Alamo Hire Car and drive to Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
Ross and Lance
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