…New York…

Thursday 17 April A day off work. 9:55 flight from Heathrow to New York JFK. I tried to sign both of my parents into the business lounge with my Silver membership but the staff were having none of it. We were only travelling with hand luggage so I used FastTrack boarding with my mum to get to our seats earlier while there was still plenty of space in the overhead bins. Tammay was boarding with my dad but some sort of foul-up with the booking meant she was told she'd been bumped off the flight. 5 minutes later she managed to get her seat back!

The Pierre

After landing at JFK we took a taxi into Manhattan where we were staying at The Pierre on 5th and 61st, just on the corner of Central Park.

Lunarglide 5

After an hour in our room we headed out in search of a Starbucks for a caffeine injection. We walked straight past the branch in the Trump Tower we ended up at Le Pain Quotien.

Tammay disappeared for a couple of quick drinks with her US colleagues and I headed back to the hotel with my parents. I made a stop at the Nike Store along the way and picked up a new pair of bright/luminescent yellow Lunarglide 5 trainers.

That evening we had dinner at Michael's which was close to the hotel but perfectly fine.

Running Central Park

Friday 18th April A benefit of the jet lag meant I was up at 7am and had plenty of time for a run in Central Park.

I was amazed at how much topography there was in the park. Following previous visits I had remembered it to be fairly flat but there were plenty of inclines to keep the run interesting. Cars aren't allowed in the park on the weekend, but even when they are, there are dedicated lanes for runners and cyclists.

I completed a full 10km circuit in 48:12 for a new personal best time.

The ferry to Liberty Island

We had a great breakfast at Rue 57 then took a taxi to Battery Park for the ferry to Liberty Island.

The ferry to Liberty Island

The queue was massive. Thankfully we already had our tickets but even the queue for security/boarding was quite long.

Statue of Liberty

The view of the Statue of Liberty as we approached on the ferry.

Statue of Liberty

A less familiar view of the statue.

Me and the parents on Liberty Island

We spent a few hours on Liberty Island.

My parents on Liberty Island

A view of lower Manhattan in the background.

Statue of Liberty

We went up to the top of the pedestal level and worked our way down.

Lower Manhattan

A view of lower Manhattan from Liberty Island.

Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty

You can see the windows around the crown. Tammay and I had been up there on a previous visit, but not this time.

Freedom Tower

After getting back to Battery Park we made our way to the Memorial Plaza. No sooner had Tammay and my parent stood on the plinth a warden was shouting for them to get down... I managed to take a quick photo first!

Memorial Plaza

Two square pools mark the footprints of where the Twin Towers once stood.

Memorial Plaza

The names of the 2,983 victims of the attacks are inscribed on 76 bronze plates attached to the parapet walls that form the edges of the Memorial pools.

Memorial Plaza

After spending time at Memorial Plaza we walked to Trinity Church/Wall Street, then took a taxi back to the hotel.

That evening we took a taxi to Mole, a Mexican restaurant in the Meatpacking District. There was a bit of a delay before we got out table but the food was good.

Central Park

Saturday 19th Back for another breakfast at Rue 57 then a taxi to the Dakota Building where we entered Central Park. We saw the Imagine memorial and walked around The Lake to Bow Bridge.

Central Park

A view of The Lake from Bow Bridge.

Bethesda Fountain

My parents and me at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park.

Belvedere Castle

We passed Loeb Boathouse and walked on to Belvedere Castle and the Great Lawn.

We made our way back to Loeb Boathouse for lunch. We also passed the zoo on our way back to the hotel.

Tammay and I then went to the Nike Store to exchange my trainers (for a larger pair) and I took advantage of another 40% off in Banana Republic at the Rockefeller Center.

Empire State Building

That afternoon we had planned to take in the views from the Empire State Building. What we had not planned on were the queues which seemed to be never ending! If we had known how long the queue would be we would have certainly paid for the 'fast track' tickets ($50 vs $29).

Empire State Building

The view South with the Freedom Tower just visible.

Empire State Building

The view North.

It took so long to get to the top that we missed our dinner reservation at Catch and ended up just taking a taxi to Sarabeth's on Central Park South where there was thankfully no queue and they were still serving food!

5th Avenue

Sunday 20th We started the day at Starbucks on 58th, just East of 5th. After some caffeine and a lite bite we joined the Easter Day Parade along 5th where lots of people wear and display ever more elaborate hats! Only time you can walk down the middle of 5th Avenue.

5th Avenue

Tammay and my parents on 5th.

5th Avenue

It was nice to be able to walk down 5th with no traffic.

5th Avenue

Easter Day Parade

There were quite a few people in some elaborate costumes.

Easter Day Parade

After we finished staring at the hats and costumes we took a taxi to Grand Central Station.

Grand Central Station

We showed my parents the main concourse, Campbell's Apartment and the whispering gallery.

Grand Central Station

The main concourse.

Grand Central Station

Then it was a taxi back to the Meat Packing District for Sunday brunch at Bagatelle - a trendy place with far too many good looking people.

The Highline

We had a short walk along the Southern end of The Highline.

The Highline

Unfortunately my dad's hip was hurting so we took them back to the hotel. Tammay and I spent a few hours shopping on Columbus Circus.

The Viceroy Hotel

That evening we took in some pre dinner drinks at The Roof, the bar at the top of the Viceroy Hotel on 57th. There were some amazing views of Central Park from the 29th floor!

After a couple of drinks we headed to dinner at Cipriani's Downtown in SoHo. Our taxi driver was possibly the first sane one we'd had.

The restaurant was packed and there was a bit of a wait for our table but we were given a few free Bellinis. Another customer clearly wasn't happy waiting and we actually heard him say 'Don't you know who I am?'. Turns out he was just a regular.

Running Central Park #2

Monday 21st I went for another early run - 7.5km through Central Park and around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, ending up outside Nike Town on 57th Street between 5th and Madison.

Running Central Park

Great morning views across the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.

Running Central Park

A final breakfast at Rue 57. Then a walk to Rockefeller Center.

Rockefeller Center

We spent an hour looking at the easter eggs on display at the Rockefeller Center.

Central Park

We checked out at 13:00 and walked onto Central Park for our last few hours in New York.

Central Park

We found a nice shady bench on the South side of the park, just across from The Plaza.

Traffic on the way back to JFK was hideous, our driver had to get a little creative. Thankfully we'd left plenty of time to get to the airport. We were on the 19:30 to London Heathrow.