I was one of the billions of people who also made it to the city that never sleeps!! My husband’s work took us to this amazing city and luckily, he brought super cool colleagues. One of them had his wife accompanying him, too. So, you get the image: while the men were working, the wives were having the time of their lives. Haha! But luckily, our diligent men were joining us for many times.
Obviously, there is a lot to see in New York, among my highlights were biking in the Central Park, a historic tour through Brooklyn and the following walk along the East River, a private tour through the UN building, the Highline and Meatpacking District, the many ferry rides to our friend in Williamsburg, and the day at Rockaway Beach. Oh yes, and the amazing Burgers (e.g. at Five Napkins). And watching the Broadway Show “Of mice and men” with the Hollywood Stars James Franco and Chris O’Dowd.
Ok, this list is never-ending!!! Long story short: It was simply amazing!!! I’m aware that there are many photos of New York online already, so I’m hoping I can show you something new or a motive from a different angle. On a side note: New York, teh city that never sleeps? No way! I was quite surprised to find that most shops close latest at 10pm and don’t open until 9 am, including all the restos and cafés – at least on my side of Manhattan!! It was not always easy to find the morning coffee or a midnight snack.
Photos taken in June 2014.
The infamous Highline that runs from 34th St near the Jacob Javits Convention Center through Chelsea and the Meatpacking District (Gansevoort St) is a such a nice way to see the city from a different angle. As an urban planning student, I loved seeing the different facades of the houses. And let’s be honest, who does not like to try to peek behind the curtains and see how people in Manhattan live like?
As you probably have already noticed, I’m a huge flower fan (even though I don’t know any designations, haha)! And the highline is a beautiful garden, an oasis in the concrete jungle. I was super slow walking down the path as I photographed SO MANY FLOWERS. I even bought a T-Shirt from the “Friends of the Highline” that have some orange-y flowers on it. It’s my favorite shirt. And even though it already has some holes in it (it was worn out during three summers) I am not ready to let go of it.
I tried to photograph the feel of the Highline in this picture. On the one hand, you can see the situation the Highline is placed in: in between the high-rise buildings, bridging over the streets and the traffic. On the other hand, you see that it really is a garden, full of flowers, bushes and small trees. And then, of course you have the people that either walk down the wooden pathway or decide to take a break, sit down, and enjoy the view.
This picture reminds me a bit of a play carpet with the pink truck, the yellow cab and the colorful stall selling Hot Dogs.
We were on our way to the Times Square when the sun was setting between the high-rise buildings.
One Sunday morning we took part in a tour about slavery in New York. It took us to Wall Street, Brooklyn Heights and finally to the Tabernacle Church. We learned about some local actors who took part in the secret Underground Railroad network, which would help slaves escape further north for freedom. As the music genres Soul, Blues and Gospel derived from this time and New York became a focal point for these genres, too, we were also introduced to a bit of music history. In the very end, we were free to visit the Tabernacle Church service, which is famous for its Gospel music. I usually go to church in Germany, so I was happy to go and get to know a new church! Afterwards, my husband and new friends took a long walk through Brooklyn. The photo shows the Brooklyn town hall.
After our long day tour through Brooklyn, we relaxed on a green patch in the Brooklyn Bridge Park, overlooking Manhattans fascinating skyline. We were pretty tired at that point (some of us were near the edge to become hangry)!! But it was such a beautiful promenade along the East River and such a lovely summer day so that I dragged my companions further and further :-).
Impressions from the Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Impressions from Brooklyn Bridge Park.
On one of those days that our husbands had to work, my friend and I decided to go to the Central Park. It’s a really huge park! And that’s why decided to rent a bike for two hours. Just before that, we fueled ourselves with food and smoothies in a shop nearby and then we started! We did not plan a route and our main orientation were the bike paths (we were actually supposed not to ride certain paths, ooops!), here and there we took a little break. This photo was taken close by the Bethesda terraces and the fountain. Those kids enjoyed the summer day, too. To rent the bike was not inexpensive and we had to watch the clock closely, yet it was a great opportunity to spend the day outside and see many parts of the park.
On the way to the East River Ferry for a sunset ride to Williamsburg! We did plan to have a drink, but smartypants called Malin did forget her ID, so we weren’t allowed to enter any bar. Instead, we ended up in a random restaurant with the BEST blackened chicken ever (I haven’t had it before but it must have been the best version of it). This trip wasn’t so bad afterall. Oh yes, and when we took the metro back, there was this super weird “art performance” by a person in a white body crawling all over the platform’s floor with creepy music. I’m all in for art, but this was spooky! Haha!
Blue hour over Williamburg’s rooftops. We visited a friend who was lucky to have a rooftop terrace (fully furnished, unlike the neighboring roofs). He invited us over for a BBQ and another time for a party! I felt pretty hipster there and enjoyed every minute of those summer nights.
People surf at Rockaway beach and therefore you can see many boards stored in the gardens and yards.
Before we could start our beach day we had to prepare our bellies first. That’s why we got ourselves some super tasty Tacos at “Rockaway Tacos” close by the beach. You get it, my travels are a lot about food.
My mission was clear: I had to go to the beach! On our last day, we took the metro to Rockaway Beach. It took forever but it was worth it! A long stretch of sand, a hot breeze, and the cool Atlantic. It still had an urban flair, but it still felt like a world away from Manhattan. This picture is just so American to me: the plane and the women with the fake breasts somehow both represent the value of freedom :-).
Related
