The Big City awaits

No issues at the Calgary airport, didn't seem to notice that the carefully packed ziplock baggie was left in the carry on. In Boston they play the 911 card for lesser indiscretions... Soon Air Canada is whisking us to Newark in a Embraer 195 cabin overstuffed with carry on that should be in the hold.
Four hours later we are in the Newark airport waiting another 45 minutes for the shuttle to Manhattan.  Best to take a cab as the wait for the shuttle is painful. The big city does not disappoint, Time Square is a sensory overload. The temperature is under 20F, we make mental note to wear long underwear tomorrow. There are many choices for beer and food... The Irish pub has decent beer and the Italian place very passable wine and pasta... Only a couple hours on the ground and we are comfortably feeding the economy and ourselves.

Empire State 102nd Floor

Morning dawns very cold maybe 15F at best with a brisk wind, I regret not having a buff face mask and am jealous of Elaine's... We walk 15 blocks down broadway to the Empire State Building and after airport like security, we enjoy the high speed ride to the 86th floor observation deck. You can go outside at that level and the wind is fierce... A fabulous view of Manhattan only surpassed by the view from the 102nd floor observation area which thankfully was enclosed...

As seen on the left a truly the views are fabulous. one wonders,with the amount of concrete piled up on this island that it hasn't sunk below water level. A highly recommendable life experience, well worth the $42/each to ride to the Empire State eyrie.... Of course they herd us through the gift shop prior to releasing us. Many King Kong stufties are available along with many other trinkets that would sell no earlier than noon at a garage sale, if at all. We escape wallets intact.

Wall Street

We find our way to a subway station and eventually figure out how to purchase a ticket. We want go to  the south ferry to ride the Staten Island Ferry but the metro station is closed. We get off in financial district and enjoy a less than random walk down Wall Street and Broad Street. Not much to this on a cold and windswept day, probably ever.



We enjoy another brisk walk to the ferry terminal, where amazingly we board the Staten Island Ferry for a free ride across the mouth of the Hudson River past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

South Manhattan

 It's a great tour to see the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline... Well worth a couple hours of my life....

We stopped by a big liquor store, academic interest of course. Not only is wine and Vodka cheaper But I have to say I haven't seen Oban scotch at a lower price anywhere, not even superstore or in Scotland.... The strategy of cheap booze has been taken to the elite level in the US... these must be tough times.