New York stopover

Having never been to New York before, I was a bit intimidated by the idea of navigating our way around the city looking very much like the bimbly tourists that we are. But Neil was adamant he wanted to fly to New York then take the train to Atlanta in Georgia, rather than flying direct to Atlanta, and train times meant that an overnight stop in New York was required. And I’m really glad we chose to stay over – it’s been an unforgettable experience!

Our hotel was just off Wall Street, so it was quite a challenge to work out how to get there from JFK airport.

After clearing immigration and customs, we took the SkyTrain to Jamaica Station, with the skyscrapers of Manhattan visible against the sunset, before we disappeared into the depths of the subway system for an interminable journey to the World Trade Center. After weighing up all the different ways of getting to the nearest subway station to the hotel, we had decided to ride the train we were on as far as we could then walk the rest. Not necessarily the best way, as it was absolutely freezing by then, but it was a lot easier on our frazzled brains and also helped us get our bearings in Manhattan.

The sight of the skyscrapers at night was absolutely stunning, as we hurried along with our bulky holdalls and old suitcase. We snapped a couple of photos but it was way too cold to stop and admire the views for too long!

After checking into our hotel, we enjoyed a swift relaxing pint of east coast IPA in a bar before stuffing our faces with some of the best curries we’ve had in a very long time! I had thought Wall Street would be full of overpriced eateries, but this Indian restaurant was an absolute gem, excellent value and reminiscent of some of Bradford’s best curry houses.

We were up early this morning to make the most of our time in the city. Before breakfast we walked round the corner to Battery Point; we visited the war memorial, and took the obligatory photos of the Statue of Liberty across the Hudson River. It was a crystal clear morning and the sun shone warmly on the skyscrapers, but in the streets, unless we were directly in the sunshine it was well below freezing.

After breakfast it was on to the 9/11 memorial. It was incredibly moving – so many names carved in the black marble, so many nationalities. And so many first responders who went into the Twin Towers to help save lives, and lost their own. A busy but somber place of reflection.

Neil then decided he wanted to see the fire station from Ghostbusters (which we both loved as teenagers – who didn’t??!) so it was a long plod over to Tribeca for photos. Sadly they were working on the front of the building, so the photo isn’t great. I just hope that doesn’t mean we have to go back there when we pass through New York on our way home!