NYC - Day #2




Although we covered a lot of ground on Day #1 we went back into the city for another day.  We started back at Times Square and decided the way to get to Ground Zero was to get on the Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley (upper and lower deck busses) so we could learn more about the city (via earbud narration) as we were transported to our destination.


The photo above was taken as we entered the Garment District.


Notice all of the wooded structures at the tops of many of the buildings. I believe they are for water storage (like water towers for each building).


Entrances to Madison Square Garden above and Macy's on Fifth Ave. below.


Beneath the Empire State Building below.



The building below is referred to as the Iron Wedge Building because of its unique shape.


Quick view of a small section of Greenwich Village as we drove by below.



Below is the Freedom Tower; built on the sight of the former Twin Towers. The new tower is 1776 feet tall.


The Oculus is a very unique building that houses retail shops and restaurants at the base of the Freedom Tower.  



Standing at one end and looking up in the ceiling you can see One World Trade Center through the cutouts below.



In the One World Observatory (at the top of the Freedom Tower - also called One World Trade Center) you went up 1776 feet and were then able to walk 360 degrees to catch the spectacular views of the NYC.  It was quite cool to see the same waterways from above that we had traveled on to get there.



Looking north up the Hudson River from lower Manhattan. US Airways flight 1549 made an emergency landing here in the Hudson on January 15, 2009.



The photo below is of the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge.



You can see the Statue of Liberty out in New York Harbor in the photo below. The "Narrows Bridge" is in the top left of the frame.


9/11 Memorial Pools - The Memorial's reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in North America. The pools sit within the footprint of where the Twin Towers once stood. The Oculus is in the background.



The names of all of the victims of the tragedy are carved in the tablets that surround the pools.



Another view of the Freedom Tower taken from the Reflective Pools below.


Wall St. and the New York Stock Exchange






The Bull was difficult to find and when we did there were so many people trying to take a pic we just got the best shot we could.


For dinner that evening Brent insisted on taking me to Balthazar.  This restaurant was the Brasserie that Pavil in SA was modeled after.  There were so many similarities that is was shocking to me that from such a distance that they were able to capture so many details. It is Brent's favorite restaurant in New York.



He'd forgotten how good the bread was and just how enjoyable the thick crust was.



Steak frites above and roasted Amish chicken breast below.


By 5:30 the place was packed and it was MONDAY!!










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