Brooklyn Bridge and Downtown

We had agreed with the boys not to get up before 6am and weren’t surprised with a text at five past from Harry. Tom, Harry & I visited the hotel gym and started our Tabata regimen which we intended to do every morning we were in the hotel. I knew it wouldn’t be long before we were setting alarms to get up in the morning so it was no problem today.

We breakfasted at the Gemini Diner on 2nd Avenue (at 35th Street) and were treated to a typical diner experience. Not short on quantity, good on quality and excellent on value. We had an assortment of eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles and granola. It was fairly empty with just a few booths occupied. We then made our way over to the subway at 33rd Street and took the 5 to Borough Hall in Brooklyn. They don’t have a prepay system as good as our Oyster one in London and, although you save a tiny amount by pre-loading, there is a maximum of 4 fares you can load on it. So we always needed two of these cards and always needed to load from a subway ticket employee.

The walk over Brooklyn Bridge was spectacular with views changing all the time of the classic Manhattan skyline. A good part of it was covered & boarded for refurbishment which spoiled any clean photo opportunities. Half way over the bridge and there were some metal heavy gauge wires which people had attached ‘eternity padlocks’ to. Good idea but we weren’t walking all the way back to find a hardware store. It was pretty hot and it took us a good hour from the subway into Manhattan. The pathway actually cuts through the middle of the bridge (with traffic either side) and is shared with cyclists, so you had to have your wits about you as you meandered across.

After wandering through the downtown area (and sampling New York tap from a stall dispensing free of charge from a fire hydrant) we elected to visit the 9/11 Memorial. Part of this feels like you really should but when we actually entered the park it was nothing short of spectacular and are very humbling. The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest man made waterfalls in the North America. The pools sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood and the names of every person who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks are inscribed into bronze panels edging the Memorial pools.

The boys were starting to feel hungry (their metabolism must be much higher than ours) and our plan to breakfast large, snack and then evening meal it was falling apart on day one. We visited TGI Friday’s for some appetisers to keep us going and then made our way over to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The building is definitely new but ferry service is the same as ever – free of charge between Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan to Staten Island about 20 minutes away.

We stampeded on with what seemed like 90% tourists and then turned straight back around for the return trip. On the way out the route goes close by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty (great view from the right hand side) and on the way back takes a wider course but for great view of Manhattan stand at the front of the car deck. The ferry doesn’t have a front or rear which Ive never encountered before, so bow and stern interchange – don’t know how the nav lights work for that.