The Long & Winding Road
Before I begin detailing our NYC adventure from Saturday, please refer to the map here, so you can follow our little hiking trail, as I reference the neighbourhoods we visited:
http://walkingmanhattan.com/images/manhattansubwaysouth.gif
Also, I’m trying my hand at thumbnails with this post...
CRAP! The thumbs aren't working! They don't link to a larger photo! I know nothing of HTML, & my editing attempts yielded nothing worthwhile, so I'm just gonna include links to the larger versions. Sorry, guys. If anyone knows how to actually make it work, please let me know!
The usual getting ready process ensued. It’s so hard to be Goth in the summer! Anywho, I don’t think it turned out too bad:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/me.jpg
Allison & I met up early at the bus station. Normally, I love taking the train into the City, but it’s becoming very expensive - $26 round-trip, as opposed to $18 for the bus - plus, you have to pay for parking on Saturdays (Sundays are free), if you use the parking deck near the train station, which you have to, because the town it’s in is not a place one can easily find somewhere to park.
Manuel & Heriberto met us at the bus station, & we all caught the bus around 9:30. It takes about an hour to get to the City, & we were slated to meet up with Al & Sabrina outside Madison Square Garden at 11 (Glen was slated to join us later). It’s a nice ride, with a couple of stops to pick up passengers at other locations. Gives you a chance to chat. Not much to see but trees & highway, & a few buildings. Closer to the City, the sights get more interesting. I didn’t get a chance to snag a photo of the Weehawken football stadium (they have it done really nice, with designs in the grass or turf or whatever it is - I tried on the way back, but the view is better going up), though I did manage to get a picture of the public library there, which looks like a small castle or Victorian mansion.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/weehawken.jpg
Sabrina wasn’t able to make it in, due to an issue with the buses in her town, but we did find Al, & after a few photos & a bit of a chat, we were on our way. Thought we might take the subway down, since we were in Mid-town (just a few blocks from Times Square), & we wanted to go down to the Village.
I can’t remember whose bright idea it was to walk...
It wouldn’t have been bad at all, but for the BLAZING heat - it had to be in the high 90s, & with the humidity, it might’ve felt like 100 or more. I brought my little folding fan, & we were keeping hydrated, but still, it was HOT!! I’m glad we did it, though, ‘cuz I got to see something I’ve been wanting to see since I was a teenager...
We’d entered a section of town known as Chelsea, & were heading toward Bleeker Street in the Village. I only realised this ‘cuz you’d see signs over shops saying “Chelsea Cleaners” or things of that sort. Musical, literary, & artistic history has long been centered around the Chelsea Hotel; most notably - or notoriously - the sad case of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious & his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, & her death at his hands (allegedly - some still speculate otherwise) in Room 100.
I asked Allison if she knew, off-hand, where the hotel might be. She knew it was somewhere in the area, but wasn’t entirely certain where. Lo & behold, however, a block or 2 further, & she was pointing it out to me!! There it was!! The Chelsea Hotel!! I immediately whipped out my camera & took a picture of it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/chelseahotel.jpg
Also snapped shots of anything I found generally interesting - a sculpture outside a school, churches, restaurant fronts, signs (like the one outside a bar, advertising happy hour, that read: “I know what you’re thinking & we can help!”).
The Church of the Village:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/churchofthevillage.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/churchofthevillage2.jpg
Fountain (or pileta, as it‘s called in Spanish, which I finally remembered after asking, like, 50 times) & garden on, I believe, Christopher Street:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/christopherst-fountain.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/christopherst-garden.jpg
Entered some familiar territory, which yielded some adventures last year; LJ friends can read about here & here. (Actually, that first entry is public.) Took a pic of the restaurant we went to that time, Jekyll & Hyde (just the front of it, mind you), since my old camera died during that outing. Naturally (since it’s across the street), we ended up outside that little adult shop known as The Pleasure Chest.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/pleasurechest.jpg
When I’d told my mom about it after the previous trip, there was one thing I’d described that she found, I think, among the most amusing details, & I promised if I made it back there, I’d get her one (not to go into too much detail here, but it’s a large lollipop shaped like a certain male body part). We perused the fun & interesting items, & they still had my favourite, the vampire gloves. ^_^
Soon we were on our way, moving swiftly (or, as swiftly as possible in the heat) toward Bleeker St., Allison & I hoping to pick up some lunch at Sushi Mambo, where we’d eaten the day of the San Gennaro festival (read about that here - this entry is also public). We passed, what? Like, 48 different Asian restaurants, many of them sushi places? And wouldn’t you know it, Sushi Mambo was closed!! It was after 12:00 when we got there, & there wasn’t any sign or anything denoting their business hours. Sadly, we marched on, intent on finding a new place. I remembered, from our walks in the area on our earlier trips, that there had been other Asian eateries not far from Sushi Mambo. Fortune smiled on us when we hit nearby MacDougal St. - an Asian-fusion place right on the corner!
And so, we found a little bit of culinary loveliness at Ritz Asia. The guy that waited on us was super-nice to us, & the food was good, too. I had the Rock & Roll - sushi w/kani (crab), eel, cucumber, avocado, & masago (Capelin roe) - & some Thai spring vegetable rolls, with a green tea smoothie. Allison had the California roll (sushi w/kani, avocado, & cucumber), gyoza (pan-seared dumplings), & mango bubble tea. We tasted a bit of each other’s stuff, too. Our gang is nice & shares like that. ^_^
But we hadn’t done much more than take a few sips of our much-needed cool drinks at that point, ‘cuz we had to make our way to Washington Square Park, where we sat in some shade to enjoy our meal, & relax a bit. I finally got to take photos of the place this time! (Dead camera last time.) There were lots of people in the fountain, & somebody was filming something, like for a movie or tv, I’d say, but we didn’t know what it was. Heriberto got better pictures of it than I did, I just took a snip of video.
And here’s another clip I took: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jRmrGBxM4s
Sorry about the quality of that. I don’t know anything about uploading onto YouTube. I have to convert it, first of all, ‘cuz the files my camera saves are too big, but I noticed it’s moving kinda slowly when you view it on YouTube. If anyone knows how I can do it so it looks normal, let me know. In the meantime, you’ll at least have an idea of what the park is like. I made sure to get both a video zoom & a still-shot looking through the arch, ‘cuz you can see up 5th Ave., including the Empire State Building. :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/washsqpk1.jpg
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Next, it was back through the Village (you’d be amazed at how much they seem to like Chess; we passed some shops with awesome sets in the windows, from traditional to baseball (Yankees/Red Sox) to the Civil War to Alice in Wonderland)...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/chess.jpg
...& on to Hudson River Park, where we enjoyed even more shade, & the breeze off the water! I couldn’t believe how many people were out sunbathing on such a hot, hot day! Enjoyed watching little birds perch on the chairs next to us. Of course, whenever I went for my camera, they flew off. Ah well. Anyway, we were soon joined by Glen, & we all walked to the end of the dock, enjoying the scenery & the breeze & each other’s company.
Oh yeah, & I took more pictures. XD
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/hudsonrvrpk1.jpg
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Seriously, I took so many photos, my friends were convinced by the end of the day that I was a Japanese tourist in my previous life! XD Stereotypical, perhaps, but I really am camera-crazy. XD
Wasn’t sure where we were headed after that, but I followed whoever was leading (might have been Glen & Allison, they know the City best, tho‘ Al knows it pretty well, too). We walked along the water’s edge, passing all sorts of nifty architectural structures, little garden pathways, & other scenic things - which, of course, I had to get pictures of! XD
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/22-pylons.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/23-railing.jpg
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Several of the sites across the water, I noticed, were places we’d passed on our holiday luncheon cruise back in November: the Colgate clock, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, etc. With a few stops for photo-taking, resting, & hydrating, we walked through Tribeca...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/tribeca1.jpg
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...& down to the tip of Manhattan, where you can catch the ferry to Staten Island.
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And then we kept walking!
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One place sort of blends into another at this point, so half the time, I wasn’t sure which section of town we were in. We passed beautiful garden areas, walking bridges, piers, pylons, a police memorial, open squares, & yachts at docks.
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Some of this area reminded me of Japan! Especially the Heian Shrine gardens in Kyoto. Read about that here: http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/184902.html - see photos here: http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/187023.html
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/pier-a.jpg
We soon entered what is known as Battery Park City, which features some very, um, interesting sculptures.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batpkcty-boobs.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batpkcty-garden.jpg
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A bit further, & we were into the actual Battery Park. There were some guys sitting on a bench playing drums (not bongo, but close), & someone at the far end of the park was dressed as the Statue of Liberty. But the main feature here is a sphere of metal found in the wreckage of the Twin Towers. There is a plaque in front of it, & an Eternal Flame.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batterypark-sphere.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batterytunnelauth.jpg
Apparently, the site of the 9/11 tragedy is not tremendously far from the park, but we didn’t go in that direction. Instead, we walked past the Native American Museum, as well as some other ornate buildings & gardens...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/nativeamericanmuseum.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/wallst-garden.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/coolbuildingfronts.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/coolbuilding.jpg
...& ended up on Wall Street! I saw (& photographed) the Stock Exchange, & the big bull statue (which people were climbing on or putting their kids on). Wish I could’ve gotten better shots of those 2 guys walking around with large snakes around their necks. But there were too many people about.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/wallstbull.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/wallst-stockexchange.jpg
Some more walking & photo-snapping, finishing up at the intersection of Wall & Broadway, & the breathtaking Gothic structure known as Trinity Church.
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Somebody was saying something about it being or resembling something in the movie National Treasure, but I thought it looked a lot like the cover of Malice Mizer’s album, Bara No Seidou - http://www.comani.de/images/product_images/thumbnail_images/1335_0.jpg - especially when I took this pic:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/trinity3.jpg
Allison was set to visit family in NY that evening, so she & Glen stayed on in the City, but took us back to the bus station ’cuz we didn’t know the way. The subway car we were in had NO AIR CONDITIONING!! XP But on the upside, we did have it all to ourselves. XD
Al’s bus being different than ours, we parted ways at one gate, while Allison & Glen walked me, Heriberto, & Manuel to the one we needed. Soon, we were saying our good-byes, & the 3 of us chatted on the ride back. The guys had driven in together, so I bid them adieu at the bus station (how funny was it that we were parked next to each other?), & made my way home.
Glen asked me to text him to let him know I got home okay, which I did, & called my mom to let her know, too. Spent a nice chunk of the rest of the evening in the air-conditioned home of deadfoxkyo1 & his sister, watching videos & episodes of Invader Zim, & playing games like Hamster Ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9FkUQhKU70. KER-SPLAT!! XD (Sorry, that’s an in-joke.) And thanks to their mom, celtic21, for the chocolate mousse cake! ^_^
Talked to my mom a bit again when I got back, then passed out. Slept, on & off, through most of Sunday. I was completely knackered! My neck got a little burned (the one place I didn’t put sun-block, ‘cuz I thought my jewelry & clothes would cover it), & while my back & feet are better, my legs are still sore from all the walking. But it was a lot of fun!
And OMG, I took so many photos!! XD It has taken me FOREVER to go through them!!
By the way, if you’re not on Facebook, or you are, but just haven’t looked at this, here are some pics I took with actual people in them, LOL:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039803&id=1548491398&l=039873bfb5
(The order’s a bit random in this album, sorry.)
Heriberto & Manuel took ones that have me in them, but I didn’t want to re-post without permission.
http://walkingmanhattan.com/images/manhattansubwaysouth.gif
Also, I’m trying my hand at thumbnails with this post...
CRAP! The thumbs aren't working! They don't link to a larger photo! I know nothing of HTML, & my editing attempts yielded nothing worthwhile, so I'm just gonna include links to the larger versions. Sorry, guys. If anyone knows how to actually make it work, please let me know!
The usual getting ready process ensued. It’s so hard to be Goth in the summer! Anywho, I don’t think it turned out too bad:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/me.jpg
Allison & I met up early at the bus station. Normally, I love taking the train into the City, but it’s becoming very expensive - $26 round-trip, as opposed to $18 for the bus - plus, you have to pay for parking on Saturdays (Sundays are free), if you use the parking deck near the train station, which you have to, because the town it’s in is not a place one can easily find somewhere to park.
Manuel & Heriberto met us at the bus station, & we all caught the bus around 9:30. It takes about an hour to get to the City, & we were slated to meet up with Al & Sabrina outside Madison Square Garden at 11 (Glen was slated to join us later). It’s a nice ride, with a couple of stops to pick up passengers at other locations. Gives you a chance to chat. Not much to see but trees & highway, & a few buildings. Closer to the City, the sights get more interesting. I didn’t get a chance to snag a photo of the Weehawken football stadium (they have it done really nice, with designs in the grass or turf or whatever it is - I tried on the way back, but the view is better going up), though I did manage to get a picture of the public library there, which looks like a small castle or Victorian mansion.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/weehawken.jpg
Sabrina wasn’t able to make it in, due to an issue with the buses in her town, but we did find Al, & after a few photos & a bit of a chat, we were on our way. Thought we might take the subway down, since we were in Mid-town (just a few blocks from Times Square), & we wanted to go down to the Village.
I can’t remember whose bright idea it was to walk...
It wouldn’t have been bad at all, but for the BLAZING heat - it had to be in the high 90s, & with the humidity, it might’ve felt like 100 or more. I brought my little folding fan, & we were keeping hydrated, but still, it was HOT!! I’m glad we did it, though, ‘cuz I got to see something I’ve been wanting to see since I was a teenager...
We’d entered a section of town known as Chelsea, & were heading toward Bleeker Street in the Village. I only realised this ‘cuz you’d see signs over shops saying “Chelsea Cleaners” or things of that sort. Musical, literary, & artistic history has long been centered around the Chelsea Hotel; most notably - or notoriously - the sad case of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious & his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, & her death at his hands (allegedly - some still speculate otherwise) in Room 100.
I asked Allison if she knew, off-hand, where the hotel might be. She knew it was somewhere in the area, but wasn’t entirely certain where. Lo & behold, however, a block or 2 further, & she was pointing it out to me!! There it was!! The Chelsea Hotel!! I immediately whipped out my camera & took a picture of it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/chelseahotel.jpg
Also snapped shots of anything I found generally interesting - a sculpture outside a school, churches, restaurant fronts, signs (like the one outside a bar, advertising happy hour, that read: “I know what you’re thinking & we can help!”).
The Church of the Village:
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Fountain (or pileta, as it‘s called in Spanish, which I finally remembered after asking, like, 50 times) & garden on, I believe, Christopher Street:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/christopherst-fountain.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/christopherst-garden.jpg
Entered some familiar territory, which yielded some adventures last year; LJ friends can read about here & here. (Actually, that first entry is public.) Took a pic of the restaurant we went to that time, Jekyll & Hyde (just the front of it, mind you), since my old camera died during that outing. Naturally (since it’s across the street), we ended up outside that little adult shop known as The Pleasure Chest.
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When I’d told my mom about it after the previous trip, there was one thing I’d described that she found, I think, among the most amusing details, & I promised if I made it back there, I’d get her one (not to go into too much detail here, but it’s a large lollipop shaped like a certain male body part). We perused the fun & interesting items, & they still had my favourite, the vampire gloves. ^_^
Soon we were on our way, moving swiftly (or, as swiftly as possible in the heat) toward Bleeker St., Allison & I hoping to pick up some lunch at Sushi Mambo, where we’d eaten the day of the San Gennaro festival (read about that here - this entry is also public). We passed, what? Like, 48 different Asian restaurants, many of them sushi places? And wouldn’t you know it, Sushi Mambo was closed!! It was after 12:00 when we got there, & there wasn’t any sign or anything denoting their business hours. Sadly, we marched on, intent on finding a new place. I remembered, from our walks in the area on our earlier trips, that there had been other Asian eateries not far from Sushi Mambo. Fortune smiled on us when we hit nearby MacDougal St. - an Asian-fusion place right on the corner!
And so, we found a little bit of culinary loveliness at Ritz Asia. The guy that waited on us was super-nice to us, & the food was good, too. I had the Rock & Roll - sushi w/kani (crab), eel, cucumber, avocado, & masago (Capelin roe) - & some Thai spring vegetable rolls, with a green tea smoothie. Allison had the California roll (sushi w/kani, avocado, & cucumber), gyoza (pan-seared dumplings), & mango bubble tea. We tasted a bit of each other’s stuff, too. Our gang is nice & shares like that. ^_^
But we hadn’t done much more than take a few sips of our much-needed cool drinks at that point, ‘cuz we had to make our way to Washington Square Park, where we sat in some shade to enjoy our meal, & relax a bit. I finally got to take photos of the place this time! (Dead camera last time.) There were lots of people in the fountain, & somebody was filming something, like for a movie or tv, I’d say, but we didn’t know what it was. Heriberto got better pictures of it than I did, I just took a snip of video.
And here’s another clip I took: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jRmrGBxM4s
Sorry about the quality of that. I don’t know anything about uploading onto YouTube. I have to convert it, first of all, ‘cuz the files my camera saves are too big, but I noticed it’s moving kinda slowly when you view it on YouTube. If anyone knows how I can do it so it looks normal, let me know. In the meantime, you’ll at least have an idea of what the park is like. I made sure to get both a video zoom & a still-shot looking through the arch, ‘cuz you can see up 5th Ave., including the Empire State Building. :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/washsqpk1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/washsqpk2-nyubldgs.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/washsqpk4-thruarch.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/washsqpk5.jpg
Next, it was back through the Village (you’d be amazed at how much they seem to like Chess; we passed some shops with awesome sets in the windows, from traditional to baseball (Yankees/Red Sox) to the Civil War to Alice in Wonderland)...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/chess.jpg
...& on to Hudson River Park, where we enjoyed even more shade, & the breeze off the water! I couldn’t believe how many people were out sunbathing on such a hot, hot day! Enjoyed watching little birds perch on the chairs next to us. Of course, whenever I went for my camera, they flew off. Ah well. Anyway, we were soon joined by Glen, & we all walked to the end of the dock, enjoying the scenery & the breeze & each other’s company.
Oh yeah, & I took more pictures. XD
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/hudsonrvrpk1.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/hudsonrvrpk11.jpg
Seriously, I took so many photos, my friends were convinced by the end of the day that I was a Japanese tourist in my previous life! XD Stereotypical, perhaps, but I really am camera-crazy. XD
Wasn’t sure where we were headed after that, but I followed whoever was leading (might have been Glen & Allison, they know the City best, tho‘ Al knows it pretty well, too). We walked along the water’s edge, passing all sorts of nifty architectural structures, little garden pathways, & other scenic things - which, of course, I had to get pictures of! XD
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/22-pylons.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/23-railing.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/25-pier.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/24-garden.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/26-tribeca.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/prettygraffiti.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/gothicfirehydrant.jpg
Several of the sites across the water, I noticed, were places we’d passed on our holiday luncheon cruise back in November: the Colgate clock, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, etc. With a few stops for photo-taking, resting, & hydrating, we walked through Tribeca...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/tribeca1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/Untitled-TrueColor-32.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/Untitled-TrueColor-33.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/Untitled-TrueColor-34.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/Untitled-TrueColor-35.jpg
...& down to the tip of Manhattan, where you can catch the ferry to Staten Island.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/Untitled-TrueColor-38.jpg
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And then we kept walking!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/Untitled-TrueColor-40.jpg
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One place sort of blends into another at this point, so half the time, I wasn’t sure which section of town we were in. We passed beautiful garden areas, walking bridges, piers, pylons, a police memorial, open squares, & yachts at docks.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/Untitled-TrueColor-44.jpg
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Some of this area reminded me of Japan! Especially the Heian Shrine gardens in Kyoto. Read about that here: http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/184902.html - see photos here: http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/187023.html
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/Untitled-TrueColor-53.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/willowtrees.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/pier-a.jpg
We soon entered what is known as Battery Park City, which features some very, um, interesting sculptures.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batpkcty-boobs.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batpkcty-garden.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batpkcty-sc1.jpg
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A bit further, & we were into the actual Battery Park. There were some guys sitting on a bench playing drums (not bongo, but close), & someone at the far end of the park was dressed as the Statue of Liberty. But the main feature here is a sphere of metal found in the wreckage of the Twin Towers. There is a plaque in front of it, & an Eternal Flame.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batterypark-sphere.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batterypark.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/batterytunnelauth.jpg
Apparently, the site of the 9/11 tragedy is not tremendously far from the park, but we didn’t go in that direction. Instead, we walked past the Native American Museum, as well as some other ornate buildings & gardens...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/nativeamericanmuseum.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/wallst-garden.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/coolbuildingfronts.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/coolbuilding.jpg
...& ended up on Wall Street! I saw (& photographed) the Stock Exchange, & the big bull statue (which people were climbing on or putting their kids on). Wish I could’ve gotten better shots of those 2 guys walking around with large snakes around their necks. But there were too many people about.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/wallstbull.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/wallst-stockexchange.jpg
Some more walking & photo-snapping, finishing up at the intersection of Wall & Broadway, & the breathtaking Gothic structure known as Trinity Church.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/trinity1.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/trinity-door.jpg
Somebody was saying something about it being or resembling something in the movie National Treasure, but I thought it looked a lot like the cover of Malice Mizer’s album, Bara No Seidou - http://www.comani.de/images/product_images/thumbnail_images/1335_0.jpg - especially when I took this pic:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/nyc72410/trinity3.jpg
Allison was set to visit family in NY that evening, so she & Glen stayed on in the City, but took us back to the bus station ’cuz we didn’t know the way. The subway car we were in had NO AIR CONDITIONING!! XP But on the upside, we did have it all to ourselves. XD
Al’s bus being different than ours, we parted ways at one gate, while Allison & Glen walked me, Heriberto, & Manuel to the one we needed. Soon, we were saying our good-byes, & the 3 of us chatted on the ride back. The guys had driven in together, so I bid them adieu at the bus station (how funny was it that we were parked next to each other?), & made my way home.
Glen asked me to text him to let him know I got home okay, which I did, & called my mom to let her know, too. Spent a nice chunk of the rest of the evening in the air-conditioned home of deadfoxkyo1 & his sister, watching videos & episodes of Invader Zim, & playing games like Hamster Ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9FkUQhKU70. KER-SPLAT!! XD (Sorry, that’s an in-joke.) And thanks to their mom, celtic21, for the chocolate mousse cake! ^_^
Talked to my mom a bit again when I got back, then passed out. Slept, on & off, through most of Sunday. I was completely knackered! My neck got a little burned (the one place I didn’t put sun-block, ‘cuz I thought my jewelry & clothes would cover it), & while my back & feet are better, my legs are still sore from all the walking. But it was a lot of fun!
And OMG, I took so many photos!! XD It has taken me FOREVER to go through them!!
By the way, if you’re not on Facebook, or you are, but just haven’t looked at this, here are some pics I took with actual people in them, LOL:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039803&id=1548491398&l=039873bfb5
(The order’s a bit random in this album, sorry.)
Heriberto & Manuel took ones that have me in them, but I didn’t want to re-post without permission.