New York–New York!

Yesterday morning (Tuesday) we were up at 4am for our entry into New York.  During the last eight days at sea the excitement of the approach to “The Big Apple” has been building…

…. and, at 4:15, the first wow factor as we neared New York was the Verrazano Narrows bridge ………

……. and we just managed to scrape under!

The Statue of Liberty, as it has done for so long, welcomes her visitors at the entrance to the city………

…….. and, looking around from the Statue of Liberty, there in front of us is the spectacular and iconic view of New York in the very early morning light.

Entering New York by ship is all it’s promised to be – it really is the only way to do it!

Travelling up the Hudson river we soon arrived at our berth at Pier 90 – right in the heart of the city and, incidentally, it’s right where US Airways Flight 1549 landed safely in the river.

We couldn’t have got any closer – sitting in the Crows Nest, and waiting for our turn in front of the US border security personnel, it felt as if the ship was right in the city.

Once we’d been “approved” and allowed to wander freely on US soil, we walked the short distance to Times Square, where we popped in to check on the hotel we’ll be staying in during this New Year celebrations.  Doug made use of their free Wi-Fi while we were there!

These are just a few of the famous places we passed on our walkabout -  Radio City ……..

……. the Rockefeller Plaza …….

…….  St Patrick’s Cathedral (still undergoing it’s massive restoration both inside and out).

We also popped in to see the Waldorf Astoria hotel where we stayed a while back now ……

……. the inside of which is just wonderful.

Next on the list was Central Park ………

…… to experience the peace and quiet of the city’s “green lung”. Our first time seeing it in warm weather!

All around this lovely park the city bears down with its massively high skyscrapers.

Taking the bus from Uptown to Downtown we walked to the World Trade Centre to see the progress so far.  The new museum is now open now but construction still moves on apace with the, now complete, One World Trade looking down on things.

The Wall Street Stock Exchange still draws much attention from us tourists.

Dramatically, One World Trade rises high above some of the older buildings in New York.

And New York isn’t just about iconic and famous buildings – it’s about everyday life and squashing so much into the island of Manhattan.  Cars are parked liked tins of beans on a supermarket shelf.

The noise, the colour and smells of this amazing place are what it’s all about …….

…… and it’s not a proper visit unless you’ve been to Times Square.

With a bit of ‘serious’ shopping on the agenda we went to Abercrombie and Fitch on 5th Avenue where the specially honed doormen gives you a warm welcome!

After buying some cologne, Doug was given his moment with the doorman!

Our last port of call before the ship sailed at 5:30 in the afternoon was to get down to Greenwich Village to a watering hole we enjoy.  It’s very much a village in the middle of the huge city, with lots of individual shops.

The end of a great couple of days was almost at an end and it was a quick subway journey back to 50th Street and Pier 90 …….

…… where, like so much of New York, “Arcadia” looked very much shoe-horned into the city.

Leaving at 5:30 we were able to leave and experience the sights of Manhattan in the daylight ……..

…….. and enjoy our usual sail-away party.

Although the light was fading there were some wonderful and dramatic views of the city as we left.

Two happy passengers!

James asked the captain if there was a chance to stay for another day – “the computer says No!”

We’ve booked to see the statue on our next visit in December – looking forward to this lookout position!

The sensation of this event is shown in this poor picture.  You only get once chance at this one!

A final view as we leave New York for our next destination ……

……. and this party’s over (for now!)   After a great couple of days in this amazing city!