Day 3 in New York - Sunday 27 July 2014

Before we go any further, here is our hotel -

And this is our room -

We had a good night's rest and felt ready to face another day's demands!

We set off in search of breakfast in a fairly quiet New York.  Near our hotel there was a group of NYPD vehicles parked on the street, including an anonymous-looking van.  Suddenly a whole gang of heavily-armed policemen piled out of the van and deployed themselves in front of premises on our path.  I decided this was not a good time to take photos, but it was all a bit unnerving!

We found breakfast near to Ground Zero in a deli run by Hispanics - very good value though we did have to feel our way through the routine of getting breakfast in a deli!

We then moved on towards the ferries to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, past the Korean War Memorial and then through the airport-style security - the staff were much more polite this time - and towards the Statue of Liberty ....

We got on to the island and it was so hot! each day starts the same - like at home at the moment - cloudy and grey and then it suddenly clears into bright sunshine.  But whatever the sky, it is hot and very humid.

We had a walk round the island and enjoyed the gift shop ....

Then we were off to Ellis Island next door ....

Where the immigration officer's job can be a tricky one - deciding whether or not a photographer is fit to enter the US ....!

Then it was time to work our way back to shore and for a pit stop at the hotel ....

In the evening we walked to Chinatown and Little Italy - they were all buzzing, but we were the only white Caucasians in Chinatown and lots of shops were closed - it seems as it was Sunday.  No photos sorry - nothing to photograph!

Saturday 26 July - Day 2 in New York

We had a slightly false start today when we went down for breakfast to discover that they didn't have a dining room at the hotel!  I'm sure we'd booked a room with breakfast, but perhaps not.

That was a good excuse to get the subway and head for Grand Central Station ....

There are lots of eateries there and we found one which was OK ....

Then we set off - in the wrong direction (don't I just hate the grid system that is New York's streets?!) for Fifth Avenue and the swanky shops.

Suddenly we realised that we were passing that iconic Art Deco building - the Chrysler Building, perhaps my favourite of all the high rise buildings in New York.

Nice to see that the British Empire is still going strong on Fifth Avenue ....!

We then found an old favourite - the Rockefeller Center ....

Rockefeller Center in Lego ....

Not the same without the ice rink in the middle ....

Here's Elizabeth with NBC news anchor Matt Lauer.  He has a $20 million a year contract, Elizabeth doesn't!

Is this fame at last?

So that's what that thing is in the middle of the Rockefeller Center

Versace on Fifth Avenue ....

Thank God Cartier was closed for a lengthy refurbishment!

Elizabeth outside the unfortunately-named Trump Tower ....

We don't queue - even for A & F!

A risky shot in the middle of Fifth Avenue ....

Here I am inside Trump Tower ....

At the back of Trump Tower ....

We did venture inside, but the credit card didn't come out inside here - thank goodness ....

Here we are in FAO Schwarz - hope Harris doesn't get jealous ....

Some of you will recognise this from the Tom Hanks film - will it work if I put my credit card in, I wonder ....

How many times do I have to put my card in to be sure it will work ....?

Lots made of Lego again here - except for Elizabeth ....

and Batman ....!!

Here's Apple at the Big Apple ....

And here's a black squirrel in Central Park

Lots of hard selling in and around the Park for these rides - only $50 for 20 minutes.  They also had rickshaws which you could hire.  Surely they would be cheaper?  They were $3 a minute!

Here's the entrance to the Dakota Building - the spot where John Lennon was murdered in 1980 ....

In Central Park opposite is the place called Strawberry Fields as a memorial to Lennon ...

As we left Central Park we saw there was a large crowd gathering where the park meets the top of Broadway.  Last time I was in New York it was because Jon Bon Jovi was filming a pop video there.  This time it was different - it was 'Body Art Day' - all official and the police were in attendance to ensure good behaviour.  Thank goodness it was a warm day!  Needless to say, there are other photos on my camera that I can't put on to the family travel blog!

Some of the male artists seemed to have interesting jobs ....

Luckily this man's arm was in just the right place for my photo ....

The BBC website covered it, but with much less naked flesh than in these photos .... see http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28509725

Moving on to football, Chelsea FC have clearly lost a star.

Here we are on Times Square at last ....

And here's the ball which drops to bring in the New Year on the East Coast.

Is it really Sean Bean - Elizabeth can't be sure ....

A great re-creation of that famous black and white photo (staged) of the workers high up on the Rockefeller Center - which was built in the Great Depression - taking a break.  You can see an article about the original photo at - http://dailym.ai/1zijpNr

We went back to the hotel for a break and to recharge our batteries and then set off to one of our favourite shopping and eating haunts - South Street Seaport on the East River side of Manhattan.

Well, we were in for a big disappointment as South Street Seaport is no more.  It was overwhelmed by a storm surge a couple of years ago.  Many premises were flooded and/or destroyed and lots of other traders left.  The bit across the road survives but it's a shadow of what the overall complex used to be and we left feeling a bit down.  There are plans to replace SSS with a new upgraded facility, but that won't come on stream till at least 2016.

Not exactly the 'Wolf of Wall Street'!

Bored dog: "My mistress is always talking into that shiny little box."

We went to see The Bull, down from Wall Street, but it was covered in groups of Asians and Hispanics who were climbing all over it for photos so we made do with a pic outside the Cunard building opposite!