As the clock ticked into December it was time for us to leave Calgary and have a much deserved holiday (from our Canadian holiday) in New York where we met up with Jess' sister Caroline, her husband Gerard and our nephew Luke for three weeks of fun and frivolity in the big apple. Our flights from Calgary barely took any time and we were in New York just as the sun was setting. Unfortunately as the rest of the family was making the 30 hour odyssey from Cairns, they did not get in until midnight so it was decided that the first few days would be used to sleep and acclimatise to the jetlag as well as enjoying many cuddles and play times with our adorable nephew Luke.
Before we arrived in New York, both couples had decided that it would be financially advantageous to take advantage of the 10 day New York pass which allowed entry into as many of the more than 100 attractions on the pass that you could fit into 10 days. With a 9 month old we still managed to get all the ones we wanted done and some so I can only imagine how many you could go to if you were doing it as a single or a couple.
The night before we activated the pass we decided to head into Manhattan from our Airbnb in New Jersey to explore Time Square. We caught the bus in and arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal and then headed out into Times Square. Our first impression of Times Square was exceedingly underwhelming and unfortunately didn't improve as our holiday went on. What we had always assumed was a massive space with interesting screens and things to look at, turned out to actually be a giant rat warren filled with trash and scheisters trying to scam you for photos with "famous characters" which turned out more often than not to be obese Spiderman or Mexican Elsa. However they did sell giant pretzels so that was one positive from Times Square.
The next day we activated our pass and decided to do Madame Tussauds as it was a relatively easy option as it is easy to get too and doesn't involve too much activity. This was a great experience and we greatly enjoyed taking photos with all of the wax celebrities. After a delicious lunch at Five Guys burgers (which we had fallen in love with in Vancouver), we checked out Bryant Park which had set up a public ice skating rink and Christmas markets to celebrate the festive season. We came back to Bryant Park multiple times, even to ice skate which will be in a following post. Right next door was the New York Public Library which instantly became my favourite building after doing a quick tour and a few photos in front of the two lions guarding the library (named Patience & Fortitude).
Day 2 of the pass consisted of us taking the Hop on Hop off bus around Manhattan to see where all the interesting attractions were located so we could get an idea of where to go in the coming days. There were 2 loops for the bus, a downtown loop involving times square and surrounds which then went all the way down to wall street before returning and an uptown route which explored near central park before heading back to the meet up with the first loop in time square. We did the uptown loop first and got off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) Unfortunately we didn't get as much time to spend here as we needed to fully experience it however we did get to have photos on the steps (which I'm told is a big deal if you are a Gossip Girl fan). We did the downtown loop second before heading out to dinner and then heading home to crash.
Comments