Good-bye New York

Well today started out very well. Woke up before the alarm and thought Dad had not set it. Got moving around 0630 went down to the Station Cafe where we get our free breakfast. Dad having eggs, bacon and potatoes with orange juice and a coffee and I had pancakes with bacon with whipped butter and maple syrup poured all over them (insert drool) and an orange juice and a coffee.


We then went down to the subway caught the 'R' train all the way to Battery Park (3 stops) and caught the ferry to Statue of Liberty. Oh that was after the security checks and yes the lines AGAIN!!! Thinking that the river would be calm but I was wrong. The river was quite rough knocking the ferry against the pier (that bit is just for you Mum. You should have been there).

What I found surprising is that the Statue of Liberty is not as big as you think. However it is pretty amazing to look at and to learn about it. Fun fact: The Statue of Liberty was made by the same man who designed and made the Eiffel Tower Gustav Eiffel and the Statue of Liberty was built first. Bet you didn't know that (except my mother who knows everything). So after doing our own little thing for a while we decide to go and get a drink. Dad gets his usual coffee and today I thought I would get something different, so I chose a iced coffee. Worst decision EVER. The Americans iced coffee isn't like ours filled with milk, sugar coffee topped with whipped cream and syrup and/or chocolate powder. The Americans is ice with cold coffee and that is it. It was horrible!

So after abandoning my cold coffee I went into the gift shop and went to look at what they were going to try and sell us. Typical junk except from the few things I get very different and make perfect presents. We then went out and waited by the flag pole to have a guided tour. Our tour guide was the lovely Ranger Joanne. Had a wonderful tour with her and all the info that she knew. We had a fairly large group. There was us two Aussie's and the rest were Americans.

After spending a few hours at the Statue of Liberty we jumped back onto the ferry and went over to Elis Island. For people who don't know about Elis Island it was where all the immigrants would come to before they got access to New York. The museum is amazingly big and very well planed and very well organised. Everything was very hands on.

There is a story about the sign and getting the photo. Dad and I had been trying to get a photo of the sign for 5 mins or more but people just kept jumping in and having happy snaps so I had the button pressed halfway down ready so when one group was leaving and just as some more were coming I pressed the button and got the photo. So we entered the building and started onto the rat race of looking at everything displayed over that 3 floors.

So after spend quite a bit of time looking around we realised that we were starving. So we walked down to the ground level from the hall on the second level. When we got to the Elis Island Cafe yep you guessed it another huge line. However was moving considerably fast. We looked at the menu and both ordered the All-American Angus Cheese Burger. Dad had his with the usual black coffee and I had mine with a coke. We get the burgers and then receive the drinks and I'm shocked .

Only in America will you receive a coke that is about a litre. Don't worry people I couldn't drink it all. That would be insane. After we have consumed our lunch we slowly make our way to the ferry whick wil lake us back to New York. Once we get off the ferry we decide to walk up the Financial District to find the Bull. Walking in the direction of the most famous bull we come across The Museum of American Indian and what a beautiful building it is with all it'scarving and statues out the front and attached to the building. We turn around and follow the crowd and there it is the raging brass bull with shiny and clean horns and face tarnished body and perfect balls. Try to bounce off these big balls (yes I just made a reference to Wipeout).

Once we got the photo taken off to find Wall Street and along the way we see a cemetary in the city that we want to go into but it is closed so we go into the church. It turned out to be Trinity Church. WOW it really puts our church to shame. Such lovely stain glass windows and the detailing on the doors is quite amazing. I mentioned to Dad how big it was and he told me that it was nothing to the ones over in Europe. So once we leave the church we continued along to find Wall Street.

After Wall Street we waited for the Hop on and Hop off bus after having to wait for quite a while to find a bus with seats we went around lower Manhattan. We get off at Battery Park and go back to the hotel. By the time we get to the hotel it is 1900. So we decide to go out again to Brooklyn Heights to have dinner at a restaurant. We have dinner at 7 Old Fulom. Dad had a Mediteranian Salad and Lamb rack with Toasted figs and I had Boston Salad and Veal rack. After dinner we walked to Brooklyn Heights Park and took some night photo's and went back to the hotel via the 2 trains and started to repack everything for another early start to the airport tomorrow. Night all will update you on my Jamaican part of this trip.