Sightseeing in the Big Apple

by Steve W

We made a very brief stop in Los Angeles to take care of some personal business and to sell the car we had been driving on our trip around the US. Then we flew to New York City to see the sights before leaving for Europe.

Neither Rosemary nor I had been there in many years, so we did many of the usual tourist things. First stop, the Empire State Building, a 102 story Art Deco building in mid-town Manhattan.

In the lobby of the building.

There are two observation decks: an open air deck on the 86th floor and an enclosed deck on the 102nd floor. The views from both are amazing, with the higher deck views being even more breathtaking than the lower deck. You can see all of Manhattan and parts of New Jersey with these 360 degree views.

Looking southwest across the Hudson River to New Jersey

The view to the East

Northeast and across the East River

North, towards Central Park

This is one of the tallest buildings in the United States, giving visitors a unique view of the city, looking down on many other tall buildings.

The rooftop garden of a nearby building

The Flatiron Building, a name derived from its resemblance to an iron for clothing.

Based on the similar shapes of the buildings, guessing this is a housing project.

In the distance, you can also see the Statue of Liberty.

The view is from such a height, helicopters fly BELOW the observation deck.

And even though the city is full of skyscrapers, they keep building more.

Not all of them look quite right.

This is not an optical illusion or Photoshopped.

And given that we are over 1,000 feet above street level, it amazes me that this sign is even necessary, but after traveling around the country and seeing how lots of people act, it clearly is needed.

Duh! Really?

But you can see Central Park, which is several miles away!

"And don't forget to stop at our Gift Shop for some Empire State Building Chocolate!"

This is an experience that everyone should have at least once.

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