New York City - Trinity Church

Lower Manhattan has so much history, dating back to the 1600s when the Dutch established a fort in what is now Battery Park. It is a fascinating area to walk around, with old historic buildings sitting right next to imposing modern glass skyscrapers.



After we got off the ferry from Ellis Island, we walked over to Fraunces Tavern for lunch and some drinks.



The tavern is in a building that was constructed as a house in 1719. The house would later be turned into a tavern in 1762, and it would become an important landmark during the Revolutionary years. George Washington used it as his headquarters. British officers were overheard toasting to Benedict Arnold here, which lead to the discovery that he was a traitor. And then after the war, when New York served as the US capitol, the tavern housed the offices of finance, war and foreign affairs. The building was almost torn down in 1900 and replaced with a parking lot, but luckily it was preserved and is still open for food and drinks. 



From there we walked down Wall Street, with its mix of tourists and fancy business people.



And then we walked over to Trinity Church. The first Trinity Church was built here in 1698, but it was destroyed during a massive fire that swept through the city in 1776. The church was rebuilt in 1790, but it was damaged during storms in 1838. Construction on the current Trinity Church was completed in 1846, and it held the title of being the country's tallest building until 1869.



The church is surrounded by a small cemetery, which has the graves of many prominent early New Yorkers. The cemetery has probably also gotten a lot of visitors in the last ten years because it's also the final resting place of many of the people featured in the play Hamilton, including Alexander Hamilton, Eliza Hamilton, Phillip Hamilton, Angelica Schuyler Church, and Hercules Mulligan.



Next to Eliza Hamilton's grave was a handwritten letter from a bunch of school kids. They left several remarks for Eliza, including ones that said: "May you always be satisfied." And there was also "Dear Eliza, contradulations on opening the first private children's orphanage in New York City! you're awesome !! :)" Then there was "Dear Eliza, He didn't deserve you, diva :)" But there was one that read: "Dearest Eliza, Sucks you died. Quite the bummer." Which does seem like an odd thing to leave at someone's grave, but then again you have no control of who lives, who dies, and who tells your story.



The cemetery ground were a peaceful place to explore, a quiet refuge within the busy city that surrounds it.









And then a quick view of the interior, which is absolutely beautiful:



And finally, for a fun little comparison, we walked by Trinity in 2006 when we visited during a massive blizzard. Here's the view of it way back then:

New York City - Statue of Liberty

My first time visiting New York City was in 2006, and while we were there a massive blizzard dropped over two feet of snow on the city. It was a cool way to experience the city, even if it made walking around a bit more difficult (at least colder and wetter). But we did manage to catch Times Square with hardly any people and no traffic.



One of the places we visited on that trip was the Statue of Liberty. Since it was 2006, there was tightened security everywhere. The access to the statue's crown was closed (at the time we were told it was to be closed "indefinitely"). But luckily in the two decades since, things have opened back up. You can now visit the crown again, as long as you book tickets in advance since they quickly sell out. We got our tickets, and were eager to visit. Luckily this time it wasn't freezing cold and the grounds weren't covered in deep snow. Just for a comparison, this was during that visit in 2006:



So we took the subway south to Battery Park, where we walked over to Castle Clinton National Monument (past the line of people trying to sell fake statue tour tickets). Castle Clinton is an old fort that was built in 1812, but it is now where you can go to pick up your official tickets for visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and get your NPS passport stamped. We then walked back through Battery Park to reach the spot where the ferry departs for Liberty Island. I had to stop a few times to get pictures of the trees in the old park, which had some nice fall colors.



We made it to the ferry, and managed to get seats on the top deck. As the boat left Lower Manhattan, most of us tourists stood up and tried to get pictures.





Now I don't want to get all sentimental here, but it is really cool to see the Statue of Liberty in person. The statue is such an iconic emblem, it's like seeing a celebrity.





Since we had crown tickets, we had to go through another security screening. You can't carry a lot of things with you when you visit the crown - you're only allowed to bring a water bottle, a phone, a camera and medicine. Items like tripods, car keys, umbrellas and bags are strictly prohibited. So I reluctantly put my camera bag in a nearby locker, and we made our way up to the pedestal first. The pedestal is the granite base that the statue sits upon, and it provides some good views looking up at the statue.



And also some nice views of Ellis Island and New Jersey:



And also a nice view of New York City:



And to compare, here's what that same view looked like in 2006:



And then we started our ascent up 162 stairs to the top of the crown. Which doesn't really seem all that bad, but it's on a very narrow and steep spiral staircase. You can see why the NPS limits what people can bring, because there really is just barely enough room for a person to walk.





There is a small viewing area at the top, which is limited to only ten people at a time (along with two park rangers). Since the statue isn't looking towards New York (she's actually looking east, towards Europe), most of the crown windows have a view of the harbor. You can get a few views of the skyline from some of the smaller windows on the side, where you can also see the top of the tablet that the statue is holding.



Even if the view isn't as great as what you can see from the pedestal, it was still an amazing experience to be at the top. From here you can see the inside of the statue itself, the steel frame that supports it and the rivets that hold it together. You can reach out and touch the thin copper, and see the artistry that went into all of the intricate details.





When our ten minutes was up we headed back down the stairs, which were much harder to descend. It felt like gravity really wanted to make me fall down and tumble down the stairs like in a cartoon. Luckily I stayed upright and made it safely to the pedestal.

Inside the statue you can find a plaque that is engraved with the poem "The New Colossus," by Emma Lazarus. It reads: 

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, 

With conquering limbs astride from land to land; 

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand 

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame 

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name 

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand 

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command 

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. 

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she 

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, 

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. 

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, 

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

It's a powerful poem, and a reminder that immigrants are the ones who built this country. It's a shame that the sentiments of this poem, and the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty, are being ignored, degraded and insulted by our current government.



After that we got our belongings from the locker and then went to check out the museum on the island. Here you can see the statue's original torch, which was replaced in 1985.



From the museum, you also have this view of the back of the statue:



Unfortunately, you can't coat the statue in pink slime and bring it to life and use it to ride back to Manhattan (like in Ghostbusters 2). Instead you have to wait for the ferry to take you. But it does also make a bonus trip to Ellis Island, so we rode over and had a look around.



Ellis Island was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the country. When it was open, almost 12 million people were processed here. It's estimated that 2/5 of all Americans have ancestors who walked through these buildings.



The main building at Ellis Island was under renovation and covered with scaffolding, and several areas of the interior were closed. But the Registry Room was open, which was where new immigrants would wait to be inspected and registered by government workers.



After looking at some of the exhibits, we went out to see the view looking back towards Manhattan:





Even the seagulls seemed to enjoy the view as well.



And then we took the ferry back. I found a spot at the front of the boat so that I could get a few pictures as we made our way back to the towering skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan:

New York City - Gapstow Bridge

Our hotel was a few blocks from Times Square - which was just close enough to be convenient to the subway stop but far away enough to put some distance from the craziness. We did have to walk through there a few times, and it was as crowded, hectic and overstimulating as always (and filled with an oddly large amount of people dressed as Minnie Mouse). The best way to appreciate it was from the 40th floor of our hotel, which had a nice little rooftop terrace. From there we had this view looking towards the cacophony of chaos of the Times Square area.



And also a nice view looking back towards Hudson Yards. From here you can just make out some people hanging out over at the Edge.



After that I rode the subway north for a few stops and ended up at Central Park. I made the short walk over to the Gapstow Bridge, which was built in 1896. Fans of great cinema may recognize it from its appearances in Home Alone 2, as it is the spot where Kevin both meets and says goodbye to the Pigeon Lady.



There were no Pigeon Ladies there that night (just an occasional rat), but the views from the bridge are pretty spectacular.





From here you can see the Plaza Hotel, which was built in 1906 and is where Kevin stayed in Home Alone 2 and racked up a $967 room service bill (the bill is estimated to translate to $2,233 in today's money).



Even with a wide angle lens, it was hard to get pictures of the supertall skyscrapers reflected in the Pond. But here you can see the Central Park Tower, which is 1,550 tall and the second tallest building in New York City. But it is technically the tallest building in the city in terms of roof height, and has the tallest roof height of any building in the world outside of Asia. And it also claims the title of the tallest residential building in the world. Also from here you can see 111 West 57th Street (aka the Steinway Tower), which is the third tallest building in New York City. It's billed as the world's second tallest residential skyscraper and the world's most slender skyscraper.

New York City - The Vessel

Situated in the middle of the new Hudson Yards development is the Vessel, which can be described as a large interactive sculpture/tourist attraction. It is a series of interconnected staircases which climbs up to a height of about 16 stories. From the outside it looks like a giant honeycomb or a massive shawarma.



I paid the $20 entrance fee, and made my way to the top. And to be honest, it really wasn't worth the price. But that's just me, other people might find joy at climbing a bunch of stairs in order to reach a view that doesn't really show much of the city around it (there is an elevator but it is reserved for disabled visitors only).



Also a good portion of the Vessel was blocked off and closed, limiting visitors to just one section of the structure.



I quickly got my steps in for the day when I headed back down the stairs and then got this shot with a fisheye lens from the bottom.





From the Vessel you can take a quick walk along The High Line, an elevated park that was built on abandoned railroad tracks.





There are many pieces of art along the High Line, including this large aluminum sculpture of a pigeon. There were even a few actual pigeons walking around the base, which made me wonder if the real pigeons are even aware of this sculpture? Do they notice is as they scavenge for people's old french fries? Do they consider it their King?



And one last shot from the High Line. We were pleasantly surprised at how nice the fall colors were in New York during our visit.

New York City - The Edge

A few weeks back, Caroline and I celebrated our 12th anniversary by taking a little trip to New York City. It was a great trip - New York is an amazing place that is filled to the brim with things to see (and photograph). So it was well worth waking up at 3:30 in the morning so we could catch the first flight out of the airport.

Say what you will about the Little Rock airport, but one great thing is that you can occasionally catch it when it's not busy at all. That morning there was not a single person waiting in the TSA security line. I don't think I've ever been able to just walk through security like that before (thank you Clinton National!). Our flight took off at sunrise and then a few hours later deposited us at LaGuardia airport. And then after sitting through some traffic, we finally made it to our hotel. We dropped our bags off and were free to start exploring the city. Our hotel wasn't too far from the new Hudson Yards development, so we headed off that way first. Along the way we passed by this place which has taken so much of my money in the past:



And then we went to the observation deck called Edge, which sits on the 100th floor of the 30 Hudson Yards Building (I'm assuming they named it after the guitar player in U2). The Edge is billed as the highest skydeck in the Western Hemisphere, and has a 80 foot cantilevered outdoor terrace that stretches out 1,100 feet above the streets below. The views are pretty good from up there.



The overlook offers views of Lower Manhattan, the Hudson River, the Empire State Building, and Midtown Manhattan.





You also get a good view of two of the city's newest skyscrapers from here - One Vanderbilt (the 4th tallest building in NY) and 270 Park Avenue (the 6th tallest). They both seem to tower over the Chrysler Building.



And the view of the One World Trade Center tower, the tallest building in NYC. We'd get a much closer look at it later in the trip.



There seems to be a strong competition between all of the Observation Decks now for customers, and each offers various other attractions to see beside the views. At some you can do skywalks, or recreate famous photographs (like at Top of the Rock), or have influencer-friendly spaces (like at One Vanderbilt). Here at the Edge, there is this random hallway filled with plastic bananas. I can see how this would appeal (or a-peel) to certain tourists.