Any city we visit we always like to find a cool bar to have a refreshing beer at and they don’t come much cooler than Rudy’s in New York’s Hells Kitchen. Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged ‘New York’
Coney Island
Coney Island was once considered one of the world’s best amusements parks, but that was a very very long time ago. Today there are a few small attractions, a few shops, food vendors and a large boardwalk and beach. Before World War II Coney Island was the biggest amusement park in the United States, today the area is a shadow of its former self and in some places looks very run down. There have been various plans to restore or redevelop the area over the years but none have gained too much momentum. Â We think this is probably not a bad thing as some of the venues of the area have a quaint charm about them that would be a great loss if destroyed. Read the rest of this entry »
New York’s South Street Sea Port
Amongst the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan tucked in on the Lower East Side is the South Street Seaport, one of the New York City’s thriving heritage villages. The precinct was once an important trading port between the 1820 and the 1860’s but like most cities around the world modernisation and the need for more space moved the port facilities away from the heart of the city.
In 1967 the South Street Seaport Museum was founded and helped remind people of the important heritage and value of the area. Then in 1998 a 12 square block historic district was designated by Congress forming “America’s National Maritime Museumâ€. This protects the area for ever and the South Street Sea Port is one of New York City’s great treasures.
The precinct now houses museums; libraries craft centres and dozens of galleries, boutiques and some great dining including bakeries, breweries and marketplaces.The centrepiece of the seaport is Pier 17 which is a huge shopping and entertainment complex with lots of tourist based shopping, river view dining and a large festival food court with great selection of cuisine.
In the area around Pier 17 there is a wonderful collection of historic ships, this collection is the largest privately owned historic fleet in the USA and has as its centrepiece the Peking which is a four masted barque built in 1911. Other notable sea craft include the Wavetree which is a rigged cargo ship dating back to 1885, the Ambrose a 1908 lightship a 1900 Tugboat called Helen McAllister.
New York Week- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Opening in 1959 the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum is regarded as one of New York’s City’s most impressive architectural landmarks and is home to some of the most renowned works of art found anywhere in the world. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright the white concrete building is a amazing piece of artwork in itself. The artworks are displayed along a helical spiral ramp which stretches the entire building. The centre of the building is lit with an incredible skylight which shines sun on the forecourt and ticketing area. The Guggenheim has become such a success in New York other Guggenheims’ have been built around the world, including Venice, Bilbao, Berlin, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The museum has an ever changing collection of art with Impressionist, Post Impressionist, early modern and contemporary making up most of the collection. The Guggenheim can be found on the Upper East Side overlooking the beautiful Central Park.
New York Week- Empire State Building
Standing on the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street the 102 Story Empire State Building is the tallest building in New York which it has held the title of for more than 50 years, (from its opening in 1931 to 1972 and then again from 2001 to present after the destruction of the World Trade Centre twin towers in lower Manhattan). Only the Chicago Wills or Sears Tower is higher in the USA and has only just fallen outside the top 10 tallest buildings in the world. The Art Deco structure has been named as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers and any visitor to the magnificent building will have no doubt why it is an amazing and beautiful engineering feat. The Empire State offers a magnificent observation deck with 360 degree views from the 86th floor and for a few dollars extra you can visit the 102nd floor, but from the Empire State Building you see all of Manhattan except the beautiful Empire State itself- so here at Tripandom we have a tip for you- try the Rockefeller Tower instead- It has a great observation area on the 70th floor offering an amazing look at the Empire State Building- this is where we took today’s photo.
New York Week – Times Square
Times Square is known as the Crossroads to the World and is one of New York’s most exciting intersections. The square is really just a huge junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretches about three blocks from West 42nd Street to West 47th Streets. The intersection is a dazzling display of huge video screens displaying all the must have products being advertized by whoever is the celebrity face of the minute. Once a bit of a sceeedy area the area is now family friendly and home to many iconic restaurants, bars, cafes and specialty stores, including New York’s Hard Rock Café, the M&Ms store, Toys R Us, Virgin Megastore and Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Co. Then there are theatres including the New Amsterdam Theatre home to Mary Poppins and the rest of Broadway is only steps away. Currently Times Square has been closed to cars, as a trial to turn the area into a pedestrian only zone, trials have been good and have hopefully after some studies of traffic flow and the surrounding area the area may become permanently car free. New Years Eve is the biggest celebration of the year at Times Square, hundreds of thousands gather in the often freezing temperatures to watch the crystal ball drop at the count of midnight.
New York Week – The Brooklyn Bridge
Linking Manhattan Island with Brooklyn the 1825 metre long Brooklyn Bridge has spanned the East River for over 125 years. Opening in 1883 the bridge was designed by John Augustas Roebling and like the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty is one of the most iconic structures in New York City. Upon opening the bride was the longest suspension bridge in the world, infact it was nearly twice as big as anything previously built, but it soon lost its title in 1903 to the Williamsburg Bridge which also crosses the East River to Brooklyn. The bridge has a clearance of about 41 metres at mid span and the huge brick Gothic towers rise 273 feet. For visitors the Brooklyn Bridge has a wide walkway open to both pedestrians and cyclists and offers some spectacular vistas of the Manhattan Skyline from a different perspective.
New York Week – Central Park
Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Clavert Vaux , New York’s Central Park is one of the worlds’ great urban spaces. Taking up a huge 1.32 square miles or 843 acres on Manhattan Island the park plays host to over 25 million visitors every year. The park is a very popular tourist attraction for visitors with so much to see and do year round. There are magnificent landscaped greens with lovely plantings and two spectacular lakes, many sporting facilities including plenty of paths for jogging, bike riding and just strolling. The park is home to the Central Park Zoo which is one of the world’s great zoological gardens and the park is a well known venue for entertainment, with plays, opera, open air theatre and some of the biggest music events ever being staged in the park. The park is home to 37 playgrounds making it a favorite with the young and there is plenty of wild life, birds, chipmunks and plenty of squirrels. The park has some spectacular pieces of art and many monuments including the moving Strawberry Fields which is dedicated to the Late John Lennon who was murdered outside the Dakota Apartments overlooking the park in December of 1980.
A grand old lady reopens
The Statue of Liberty has been fully reopened to visitors after closing in September of 2001 after the terrorist attacks on New York City. For the last few years visitors have only been able into the pedestal of the grand old lady but now are able to climb the narrow winding stairs to the top to see the spectacular view of Manhattan through a series tiny windows in the crown. It is expected the climb will be open for two years and then closed for another period for some maintenance and safety works. Due to the restricted space only a limited number of people are able to climb the statue every day, the number is around 30 an hour, so it is going to be one of the most sought after things to do in New York City. Tickets can be purchased up to a year in advance from the cruise companies, and for added security people must show ID matching the names on the ticket to use them. Good news is the tickets only cost $3 each on top of the usual $12 ferry ride.The Statue of Liberty has been looking over the skyline of Manhattan since October of 1886 and is the world’s most recognisable statue, with smaller copies in Paris and Tokyo also much loved and are regular stops on tourist tours of both cities.
see our photo spread
Wall Street’s Charging Bull
The Charging Bull is one of the most recognisable pieces of art around New York Wall Street financial district. Weighing in at over 3200 kg and standing 11 feet tall and 16 feet long the huge bronze bull was sculptured by Arturo Di Modica as a symbol of Strength and Power to the American People after the 1987 stock market crash. The artwork was actually a piece of guerrilla art by the artist who had it installed under the stock exchange Christmas tree in 1989. The statue was seized by police and impounded but after public outcry was brought back and installed a little up the road at Bowling Green. The statue today is one of New York City’s most photographed and loved sculptures with thousands posing with the bull every day. Some pose beside the head and horns of the beast while just as many want to pose with the rather graphic rear end.
