Some shots along the way to the diner - I actually made my way into "Little Brazil." Funny thing is I can't even find the diner on Google Maps anymore...maybe it's closed now?
I had a nice serving of French toast and the usual breakfast fixings and a pretty decent cup of coffee. It'd been so long since I had eaten in a diner setting and since I had to tip that I completely forgot to tip my waitress hahaha! I didn't leave anything on the table, just paid my bill at the front and walked out, and only realized once outside I had not left a tip! Like the previous days, I had absolutely nothing planned, and it was until after my breakfast that I decided I'd try to see the Statue of Liberty. Little did I know (though I should have) that unless you pre-purchase the tickets online or head down first thing in the morning, there's no chance of getting out to see Lady Liberty (it was almost noonish at this point). But I made my way to the subway and headed south anyway.
Heading toward Times Square to catch the subway.
Riding the subway - also much better than the TTC in many aspects.
When I got off the subway at Rector St. station, I saw some signs indicating that Ground Zero was very close by, so I decided to make a detour and visit it first. These are just some shots I took along the way - the 1st photo is of Trinity Church.
At Ground Zero and the tribute to the World Trade Center. There was a tour group there while I was taking photos, so I got to hear some interesting commentary even though I tried to not pay attention to it (the tour guide was on a speaker phone so it was kind of hard not to hear him hahaha).
Some shots as I headed back south to Battery Park, where the ferry for the Statue of Liberty leaves. I should have realized from the really tall buildings I was right next to Wall Street, but for some reason it never dawned on me.
At Battery Park. It was really really cold down here and extremely wind this day, and being beside the water sure didn't help. But despite the cold weather, I decided to walk around Battery Park for a bit while I figured out what to do when I found out all the tickets to the Statue of Liberty were sold out for the day.
And I decided to take the Staten Island ferry! I remember reading that it was a free commuter ferry that offered views of the Statue of Liberty at a distance, so I decided to take a ride since I was down here anyway.
Some shots I took along the ferry ride, including Ellis Island (3rd photo) and the Statue of Liberty (4th and 5th photos). It wasn't exactly the best weather to be taking photos.
When the ferry got to the dock at Staten Island, I noticed that there was another ferry preparing to leave Staten Island (as did a lot of other people). So as soon as the ferry docked, a large mass of people, including myself, rushed off the boat and through the dock to get onto the ferry heading back to Manhattan (if I missed this ferry, it'd be another 30 minutes until the next one left and I didn't want to waste any time). There's not much to see on Staten Island, it's mainly a residential community. I don't know why, but I found it pretty funny watching all the tourists try to rush to the departing ferry; not everyone caught it. I was one of the few just to make it in to the departure area as they staff were closing the doors.
Some shots on the ferry ride back. The orange ferry (1st photo) is of another Staten Island ferry heading to Staten Island. I think it's pretty obvious from the second photo it was extremely windy on the outside deck hahaha. And I managed to get a much better photo of the statue this time (last photo).
Some views of the financial district (1st and 3rd photos) and Brooklyn Bridge (2nd photo) as the ferry got closer to Manhattan. The clouds were pretty bad at this point (1st photo).
If I had realized I was right next to Wall Street, I would've stopped by to explore the area. Instead, I headed back up north and decided to explore 5th Ave. and then Times Square in the daylight.
A look into the southeast corner of Central Park.
At Grand Army Plaza.
Walking down 5th Ave. - a mix of tourists and shoppers (lots of high-end stores here).
The history of Nike Jordans at the Nike flagship store in Manhattan.
For some reason, I thought the building was some government intelligence building or something along those lines because of how sleek it looked - I later found out it was a building for the Solow Development Corp. hahaha. Still, I think it looks cool.
More views along 5th Ave.
Crossing over to Times Square.
I passed by a fancy looking restaurant and bakery along the way and saw one of these chocolate croissants in the window and knew I had to try one. For such a nice looking place, the staff were completely disorganized and I could have easily walked out not paying for it, but of course I did. It was very good though: a nice mix of crunchy dough and chocolate. It wasn't soft at all like croissants usually are, but surprisingly crunchy and flaky, which I found to be much better than if it was soft and buttery.
Arriving at Times Square.
I didn't eat lunch yet so I stopped in one of the many pizza joints for a pizza roll - very greasy but oh so good.
So many billboards! They're so clear in the daylight. Is it just me, or does the Chinese guy in the ad for Mandarin language courses looks like some kind of cult leader?
It actually looks different in the daylight - a bit "calmer" than at night (I guess because all the bright lights aren't on yet). It was nice to see the big American Eagle Outfitters billboard still wishing everyone a Happy New Year. And the weather was so much better than it had been earlier in the day at Battery Park.
Besides hot dogs, a lot of the carts also sell roasted chestnuts, pretzels, and some even sell grilled meat on stick. For whatever reason, the guy at the cart didn't want me to take a photo of the cart, but I managed to snap one before he told me not too. They're expensive though - $4 USD for one stick of meat!
If you have the money, there's plenty to do just on one street in Times Square.
I love the huge billboards and unique building designs!
The New York Times.
The FDNY rushing somewhere.
Very interesting and practical parking. The coolest part is the car elevator (the red box in the front).
A bottle of decent champagne I picked up for myself at a liquor store to celebrate the new year, since I didn't get a chance to earlier. The hotel had the exact same champagne at $9 USD a glass, so I figured even if I didn't finish the entire bottle (and I obviously didn't), it'd still make more sense (and be cheaper per glass) for me to spend a few more bucks and get the whole bottle. I had a couple of glasses later on in the night after I chilled it in the ice bucket.
A giant Swarovski star-shaped ornament on display in Rockefeller Plaza.
Inside the lobby of the "Top of the Rock" attraction. I decided since it'd be my last night staying in the Rockefeller Center Hotel, with Rockefeller Center being right next door, it'd make sense for me to go up to the top of Rockefeller Center on this night.
Some info on the tower.
Out on the observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking out over the Manhattan skyline. It was a pretty nice view. It also was very windy and cold at the top, making it quite difficult to take photos at slow speeds without a tripod. I tried my best, and I spent quite a bit of time outside trying to get steady shots, but I came out with a lot of slightly blurred photos. The skyscraper lit up in green and red lighting is the Empire State Building.
A look down into the inner observation area.
There was this really cool room where the floor, ceiling, and walls had sensors that would light up the panels in the room matching any movements any person made inside.
The best angle overlooking Times Square I could get.
Shots of the night skyline of Manhattan from the top observation deck. The claim that Rockefeller Center offers a completely unobstructed 360 degree view, but this is a lie. It's obvious in the first couple of photos that they've set up clear glass screens along the ledges of the lower observation deck (which reflects the light coming from the inner rooms and any camera flash), and they also set up a few at key photo-taking points on the top deck, so it's not truly unobstructed.
The glass screens make it very hard to take night photos.
One last photo of me at the top! I think it's pretty obvious it was really winder up there hahaha.
A huge Swarovski star-shaped crystal.
The best angle of the Chrysler Building I could get (the MetLife Building was always in the way).
A couple more attempts to get a good shot at Times Square (there's just too many tall buildings in the way).
In the elevator ride back down.
In the lobby of Rockefeller Center.
Outside, with a view of the famous Rainbow Room/NBC Studios entrance.
I wandered back into Times Square for a bit, grabbing some dinner at a Famiglia.
A huge steam stack that caught my attention.
Some shots of 5th Ave. at night before I went back to my room, including St. Patrick's Cathedral (1st photo), the Atlas statue (2nd photo), and the NBA Store (4th photo). I really liked the Christmas decorations they had on the side of the stores on 5th Ave. - very festive.
And that marked the end of the night. I returned back to my room to take advantage of the many amenities and comforts of the Rockefeller Center Hotel one last time, champagne in hand.
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