Visiting New York City: Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn [Part 8]

New York City is upon us and for the first time during our road trip, we are staying put in the city for the next five days. I don't need to talk about the fact the New York City is a massive and big undertaking for the traveler, and that Manhattan is a city in itself, containing almost everything you could ask for in life. We had the luck of staying in a top apartment in West Village which is in the heart of Manhattan. Everything was close by and exploring the city via Metro and by foot was an easy task. We did so many things in New York City and want to come back for more. I will try to show you everything you need to know about this city in the next few posts. So I hope you'll enjoy them.

This is only a part of our big travel series to the USA 2016

For the other parts click here

Arrival in New York City

We left Manchester early in the morning a drove for 4 hours to New York City, got some groceries at Walmart and headed for our apartment. Driving in NYC is a bit crazy, there is lots of traffic and you have to stay alert all the time. We drove through the Lincoln Tunnel which costs 15$. You go underneath the Hudson river and emerge in Manhattan. That same night we went out to explore our neighborhood.

We went to the shore of Hudson River in West Village. Since it was night not too many people were here at the docks. But we did enjoy the sights of the glittering city. New Jersey is on the other side and we had a nice view of it.

I tried to capture some of the nightlife in West Village. This city, as we would later make sure, never sleeps, and there is always some activity here. We didn't do much just went out for a walk, since we were pretty tired from the drive on this day. It was a very big change from the small towns of New England, but I think we were ready for some change.

Downtown Manhattan

The next day we woke up fresh ready to explore the day. We got 7 days Metro passes which we used a lot during our time here. We parked our rental in a parking garage for the duration of our stay. On the first morning we went to the One World Center and the 9/11 Memorial. As you can imagine there are lots of tourists here, but it never felt crowded.

Looking up at the skyscrapers was a real treat (and nerve wracking). They are huge. I stood at the foot of one and pointed my camera upwards. You can hear the wind coming from up above and feel like a little bug down here. Of course the real treat is to go to the top of one, which we did the next day, but more on that in the next post. The One World Center has a Observatory, but I will talk about the views from above and which I think is the best one in the next post.

9/11 Memorial

Right next to the One World Center is the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, the former location of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed during the September 11 attacks. It is operated by a non-profit corporation whose mission is to raise funds for, program, own, and operate the memorial and museum at the World Trade Center site. It's very impressive and touching to stand here.

The huge memorial is the size of the former Twin Towers with water coming down the sides leading into a big black square hole in the center of it. Lots of people crowd this spot but since it's so big you can always find a spot to stand and look around. The 9/11 Museum tickets are 24$ per person. Its exhibits include 23000 images, 10300 artifacts, nearly 2000 oral histories of those killed – mostly provided by friends and families, and over 500 hours of video.

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge

After strolling the streets of Downtown Manhattan we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. It's a huge suspension bridge with lots of traffic from both cars and bikes. Of course you have to add a lot of tourists and locals who cross it as well. Taking nice shots midday here is almost impossible but I did my best. To be honest were so tired already from walking all day that the only thing we wanted was lunch. The bridge is very impressive but you have to be careful when crossing because of the crowds. I think it's best explored at sunset, but since I haven't been there during that time of day I can't vouch for it.

Eventually when you come to Brooklyn the crowds die down a bit. From here you can take some really nice shots of the bridge and Downtown Manhattan.

Lunch in Shake Shack

We had lunch in Brooklyn in Shake Shack. It's a chain but much better then usual fast food places. The burgers are awesome and fairly priced. After walking for the whole day we would have eaten anything though. But luckily it was delicious as well :)

Brooklyn Park

After lunch we went to the Brooklyn Park which gives you amazing panoramas of Manhattan. The weather was great this day so we got some really nice pictures. You can view the Brooklyn Bridge from here and all major skyscrapers of Downtown Manhattan

Returning Uptown

We headed back to our apartment with the Metro. Two images down you can take a look at the street where we stayed. Our building had a rooftop which was accessible so as the sun went down we could go up there to enjoy the views and take some pictures.

The view from up here were really breathtaking. I probably stayed longer then I should have up here since it gets cold after sunset. New York City impressed us from the first day. It's amazing how a huge city like this can feel small and welcoming, but in a weird way it did. We would spend 5 great days here, and I will show you the rest of the highlights in the upcoming posts.

Next up in NYC will be our visit the Broadway, Rockefeller Center which houses the famous Top of the Rock viewpoint and Times Square. I hope to see you back.

End of Part Eight

To be continued...

Where I'm Linking To