Trip to New York - part 2

As I wrote in the previous post, hubby, his cousin, and I had been to New York on a sightseeing trip during golden week holidays. On 30th April, we stayed at my relative’s home in New Jersey. We were all refreshed after eight hours of sleep, and on 1st May we were ready to go sightseeing at about 7 am. We had a nice and heavy breakfast of waffles, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and coffee. The breakfast was too heavy but we knew that we had a lot of walking to do that day, so ate everything.

Hubby having breakfast

At about 8 am, my relative dropped us to a railway station named Metuchen. We took NJ transit and after about one hour of train ride, we reached Penn Station.

Me and hubby’s cousin at Metuchen railway station platform

NJ transit train

Walk around Pennsylvania Station
Pennsylvania Station, commonly called Penn Station is a major intercity rail station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. The railway station was massive. Once we came out of the station, we were surrounded by high rise buildings. We walked around the place for about 30 minutes and enjoyed the views. We took a few photos in front of Madison Square Garden. The city is so vibrant and fast-paced. We loved it.

Inside Penn Station

Hubby inside Penn Station

Hubby’s cousin and I in front of Madison Square Garden

Hubby and I in front of Madison Square Garden

High-rise buildings near Penn Station area

After moving around the station area for some time, we went to Penn Station subway and bought three subway passes called MetroCard. For 27 dollars each, we got a one week unlimited travel pass that we used quite a lot during our sightseeing trip of the city. The first few times, all three of us had embarrassing moments swiping the MetroCard incorrectly at the entry gates, the gates not opening, and a big queue of people forming behind us! But during three days of sightseeing, we used the subway a lot and became quite proficient at swiping the MetroCard.

Ticket vending machine

MetroCard

Hubby’s cousin and I standing at subway Pennsylvania Station

Battery Park
From Penn Station, we took a subway up to South Ferry railway station. From this station, we walked for about ten minutes to reach Battery Park. While walking we passed in front of Staten Island Ferry terminal, which offers free half hour ride on the Staten Island Ferry with nice view of Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline. But we skipped this, and walked up to Battery Park. There were many high rise buildings in Battery Park city and we enjoyed viewing them.

Hubby’s cousin and I in front of Staten Island Ferry terminal

Hubby walking towards Battery Park

High rise buildings at Battery Park city

We reached the park after about ten minutes. Battery Park is a 25 acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island, facing New York Harbor. The Park holds much significance in the history of New York City. It started as a fortress to guard early settlers and has gradually evolved into the largest open space in Downtown Manhattan. Along the waterfront, ferries depart for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

At the entrance of the park, we took photos with a mime mimicking the Statue of Liberty. We also took a few photos with Hudson River in the background as well as in front of high rise buildings. We saw a memorial statue of an eagle honoring the soldiers who died in the western Atlantic during World War II. We walked for some more time in the park and then bought Statue Cruise tickets at ticket booths inside Castle Clinton National Monument which is located within in the park premises. Thousands of people visit Statue of Liberty daily, and prior reservation is usually required to access the crown and pedestal of the statue. We were able to get flex tickets, which allows access to the grounds of Liberty Island and Ellis Island. There was a huge crowd of visitors and we had a waiting time of almost two hours for entering the cruise vessel.

We along with a mime at the entrance of Battery Park

Hubby and I with Hudson River in the background

Me in Battery Park

Memorial statue of an eagle honoring the soldiers who died in the war

Ticket booths inside Castle Clinton

A long queue of visitors at Battery Park waiting for the cruise journey

Hubby’s cousin and I walked around a bit in the park. We loved the greenery of the park that was in striking contrast to the high rise buildings around. It was a very bright and shiny day and we got tired just after 15 minutes of walking, and so we returned back to the long queue of visitors patiently waiting to enter the cruise vessel. We bought pretzels from a roadside stall and had them. While waiting in the queue, we saw impressive displays by several street performers. They sang, danced, and performed jaw-dropping acrobatic moves. It was fun to watch them and a nice way to pass the time. As we moved further in the queue, we saw American Merchant Mariner’s Memorial that was sculpted by Marisol Escobar. It was inspired by a photograph of victims of a submarine attack on an American merchant ship during World War II, and was dedicated in 1991.

Hubby’s cousin and I having pretzels

A street performer

American Merchant Mariner’s Memorial

Me and hubby’s cousin waiting in the queue

Statue of Liberty
We reached the security screening area after waiting in the queue for about two hours. Visitors to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island must pass through security screening similar to airport security procedures before boarding the cruise vessel. After passing through a very strict security check, we boarded the cruise ferry. It was a 75 minutes journey that featured the best views and skylines of lower Manhattan and the islands of New York Harbor. As the cruise ferry started, we enjoyed and admired the high-rise buildings of Manhattan from the observation deck.

Me at the observation deck of cruise ferry

Hubby and I at the observation deck of the cruise ferry

High-rise buildings and skylines of Manhattan

After about 15 minutes of cruising, we neared the Statue of Liberty. The official name of the Statue of Liberty is ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’. It was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States for the 100th anniversary of America’s independence, and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, and was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue was designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.

As the cruise ferry approached the Statue of Liberty, people in the ferry got very excited and started taking photos. We were also really thrilled to see the symbol of the free world, democracy, and America. We took photos of the towering 93.14 meters high monument from various angles. We also took a few photos of us with the statue in the background. However as the cruise ferry was rather crowded with many people around us, it was not possible for the photographer to move much back, and so we were pretty close to the camera lens while taking the photos. We all look rather funny in these photos!

Several photos of the Statue of Liberty as seen from various angles

Hubby’s cousin and I along with the Statue of Liberty in the background

Hubby and I along with the Statue of Liberty in the background

After another five minutes or so, the ferry reached Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty is located on this island. However, we did not get down the ferry as we could not get tickets to explore the pedestal or crown of the statue.

Statue of Liberty as seen from the observation deck of the cruise vessel docked at Liberty Island

View of docking area of Liberty Island

After some time, the ferry started moving again and reached Ellis Island. The ferry stopped for some time at this island and then returned back to Battery Park. While returning back to Battery Park, we again passed in front of the Statue of Liberty and took a few photos. Also, we again enjoyed a good view of high-rise buildings of Battery Park city.

I and the Statue of Liberty in the background

Hubby and the Statue of Liberty in the background

Me at the observation deck along with high rise buildings in the background

Manhattan skyline

High rise buildings of Battery Park city

High rise buildings and a cruise ferry near Battery Park

The cruise ferry reached back Battery Park after 75 minutes of pleasurable journey. After getting off the ferry, we took rest for some time in the park and enjoyed an acrobatic performance by a few street performers.

Return to Battery Park

Cruise vessel we used

Video of acrobatic performance by a few street performers

We left Battery Park at about 2 pm, and went to see Brooklyn Bridge. Later we went to see Empire State Building. I will write about these in the next post.

Trip to New York - part 1

During this year’s golden week holidays, my hubby, his cousin (Tatsu-chan’s daughter), and I went sightseeing to New York. In fact, hubby and I had been to New York City for a few days in May 2006, and had instantly fallen in love with the wonderful city and its vibrant neighborhood. So this year when hubby’s cousin wished to do sightseeing outside Japan, we decided to revisit New York.

On 29th April, hubby and I left our home at about 11.15 am and it took us about an hour to reach Akita railway station by hubby’s car. We took Akita Shinkansen bullet train to go up to Tokyo. The train left Akita at 1.05 pm. We had ekiben boxed meal lunch inside the train. The previous night, hubby and I were very busy packing for the trip, so we were not able to sleep much. Therefore, we both dozed off after lunch and got up as the train neared Tokyo. We reached Tokyo at about 5.15 pm. We met hubby’s cousin at Tokyo railway station at about 5.50 pm. Since it was already time for dinner, we went to an Italian restaurant located inside the railway station premises and had a heavy meal. At about 7.30 pm, we took Narita Express train and after about an hour of travel, we reached Terminal 2 of Narita Airport located in Chiba prefecture.

Me and hubby’s cousin inside Narita Express train

We left the terminal and took a taxi to a nearby hotel chain named Toyoko Inn. It was ten minutes ride to the hotel. By the time, we checked in at the hotel it was already 9 pm. After seeing to it that hubby’s cousin was safely in her room, hubby and I went to our room. Although we were very tired due travelling the whole day, we could not sleep that early. So we went to the first floor of the hotel, and hubby had dry-curry-rice which was complimentary dinner served at the hotel. He also had a can of beer and we chatted and relaxed for almost 1.5 hours. We noticed that the hotel actually looked rather expensive and luxurious, although Toyoko Inn chain is supposed to be nice, clean, functional business hotel. The expensive look of the hotel is probably because it is located very near to the international airport. We took a few photos of the hotel lobby.

Lobby of Toyoko Inn hotel

Open restaurant area of the hotel

Hubby having dry-curry-rice and a can of beer

The next day we woke up at about 6 am. Hubby went to the balcony of our room and took a few photos of the hotel and its surroundings. We could see several aeroplanes at the airport from our eight floor room. We all had complimentary breakfast at the hotel, and left for Narita Airport at 7.45 am.

Toyoko Inn restaurant as viewed from our room

Surrounding area of the hotel as viewed from our room

Due to the golden week holidays, we expected a lot of people at the airport. But the peak day to travel overseas was on 29th April. Since it was the day after the peak travel day, we could finish check-in with just 30 minutes and had a lot of time before the flight. Hubby’s cousin did some shopping at duty-free shops. Hubby and I just relaxed at the seats provided at departure area of the airport.

Hubby relaxing at Narita Airport

Hubby standing at the departure area just before the security check

Me and hubby’s cousin at the departure area

At about 9 am, we all went through the departure procedures like security check, customs, and passport control. All this took just 15 minutes, and we still had a lot of time for boarding the flight which was at 10.40 am. So we went to a restaurant and had snacks and coffee. Hubby had a glass of beer. From the window of the restaurant, we got a nice view of several aeroplanes of various countries.

Hubby having beer and sausages at a restaurant

Me and hubby’s cousin at the restaurant

Aeroplanes of various countries

There was a slight delay and our flight took off at about 12 noon. Lunch was served after about an hour of flight. Again after a few hours dinner was served. Hubby was not so comfortable and was not able to sleep during the entire flight probably due to too little space in front of us. We were travelling by economy class, which is what we can afford. Hubby’s flat foot was giving him some problem and I massaged his foot, which gave him a bit of comfort.

Me and hubby’s cousin having lunch during the flight

We having dinner during the flight

Hubby wide awake during the flight

Hubby’s painful flat foot

After 13 hours of flight, we reached JFK International Airport in New York at 11 am (local time). We finished the immigration procedures within 30 minutes. Overall, it was a nice flight from Narita to New York. My relative was going to pick us up from the airport. We were going to stay for two nights at my relative’s home in New Jersey. My relative was caught in a traffic-jam and was delayed by almost an hour. So we all had coffee and relaxed at Terminal 1 arrival area of JFK Airport.

A cafe at terminal 1 arrival area of JFK Airport

Hubby relaxing at the airport

Me and hubby’s cousin outside the arrival terminal of JFK Airport

Outside JFK Airport

My relative’s home in New Jersey was about 1.5 hours drive by car. During the ride, we enjoyed the scenic views around us. Every time we travel to USA, we are struck by the wideness of highways and roads. Everything looked so big and huge. Wow!

On our way to New Jersey

Wide highways

Scenic view

We stopped at a rest and service area after about an hour’s drive. We all had hamburger and French fries for lunch at a fast-food restaurant chain. Hubby’s cousin was shocked to see the portion size of hamburger and cold drinks and was wondering as to how to eat and drink the entire thing! She is used to smaller food portion sizes of Japan, and so she took several photos of hamburger and cold drinks.

A rest and service area

Fast food restaurant at the service area

Another fast food restaurant

Hubby’s cousin comparing the size of hamburger with that of her hand

Hubby’s cousin wondering as to how to eat the entire hamburger

Hubby happily eating hamburger

We reached my relative’s home at about 3 pm. We were tired due to Jet lag and took rest for a few hours. In the evening, we all went for dinner to a Japanese restaurant named Ichiumi located in Edison, NJ. It was buffet style dinner. We had many plates of sushi, sashimi, and petit desserts. We liked the food a lot.

Japanese restaurant Ichiumi

Japanese characters written on a board inside the restaurant

A plate of sushi and sashimi

A plate of petit cakes

Hubby eating dinner

We retired for the day at about 11 pm. We had a lot of sightseeing to do in New York during the next three days. I will write about our sightseeing experiences in the next few posts.