We had been given detailed instructions by our Airbnb host on how to get to Astoria by public transport; 2 trains and a bus, and although we had to ask for help several times, we arrived without any problems. We were travelling with only carefully-packed hand-luggage precisely to avoid hassle on public transport.
Sightseeing
Big Apple Greeters http://bigapplegreeter.org/ are volunteers who show people their neighbourhood, a smashing idea, but in our case it just didn't happen. I emailed my request in spring, asking for a walk in Harlem, but never received an offer, which was disappointing but understandable.
Day 1
We took the train direct to Central Park, the ride in itself was fascinating, whizzing through neighbourhoods high up on rails before descending into the subterranean lines. We emerged at Lexington and were immediately struck dumb by the enormity of the Manhattan skyscrapers. We wandered the streets heading in the general direction of 5th Avenue, the Rockafella Centre and St. Patrick's cathedral.
I recommend studying the website and downloading the plans before you go.
https://www.rockefellercenter.com
We then walked back up to the enormous Central Park to see what goes on there and had a beer in the Tavern.
By now, having been walking for around 8 hours, we were exhausted, starting to suffer from jetlag, and it was starting to get dark, so we headed back home. Our first day in Manhattan was a real eye-opener.
Day 2
All our carefully-laid plans went out the window. We were dying to see the Statue of Liberty so headed straight there, which is miles from Astoria. It took an hour or more to get there by subway. It is a great boat trip though. The river is full of life, the views are spectacular in both directions, boat trips are always
We walked up from the South ferry station, through the business district and on the way saw Wall St., Federal Hall, to Tiffany's, where we were invited in by the doorman despite our rather scruffy appearance. The shop is wonderful. Then on to Trinity Church and a short rest in the beautiful art deco lobby (see photo) of a centre whose name escapes me.
One thing we learned: although the transport weekly pass seems pricey, it is worth it. In the blazing heat of summer, you soon get tired of walking the streets, no matter how interesting they are. By the time we got to Cortlandt Street, we were shattered.
Then we turned a corner and were presented with the new WTC Subway; we were blown away by the Calatrava building. It is stunning. Like a huge white dove. And when we could finally pull ourselves away from that, we were then mesmerised by the One World Tower, which disappears up into heaven. We hadn't planned on going up knowing it costs 30$ each, but we succumbed. And boy what an experience! We went in around 530pm which meant we were able to see the views of Manhattan both in daylight and in all its illuminated beauty by night as it was dark by 730pm. The lift is mindboggling for a start, showing a video of the history of NY while you whizz up 100 floors in a matter of seconds. You emerge in a circular room with a cafe and gift shop in the centre, packed with tourists of course, vying for the best spot. The 9/11 museum was closed when we came out, but we wandered around Ground Zero, and yes you can feel sadness all around. By 10pm, we were practically asleep on our feet and headed for the subway and the long ride back to Astoria.
Day 3
Baking hot day. We headed to Times Square. The noise. The lights. The heat. The chaos. We couldn't take it. We took the nearest quiet back street and slipped away. Fortunately, we came across a great little grocery shop-cum-cafe that sold good pizza slices for less than $2.
From here we walked back to Central Park, passing the cute Love sculpture on the way. Exhausted by the heat, we decided to head back to Astoria where we had read there was a public open-air swimming pool. Well, we arrived to find a huge queue, in which we waited for almost an hour in th scorching midday sun. The pool is huge, the facilities old and extremely basic. It was absolutely packed with families of all descriptions. The water was like soup, but even still, it was good to get in it. Suddenly, after half an hour of swimming, an announcement came over the tannoy ordering everyone out. Due to the heatwave, there were another couple of hundred people queueing to get in, and so the decision was made to allow them a chance to refresh themselves also. It was frustrating to say the least, but understandable.
So we headed home for a bite to eat, then went for a stroll around the neighbourhood. We came across Welling Court, adorned with great street art, then walked along the Queens side of the river towards Socrates Park (which was closed), and were captivated by the sun setting over the Manhattan skyline.
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| View of Manhattan from Astoria |
And so ended another fascinating, exhausting day in the Big Apple.
Looking back, although strolling around the cities streets means you get to see nooks and crannies you would otherwise miss, I believe it was a big mistake not to invest in the weekly transport pass. It seems expensive, but I can tell you from experience that you will need to make many, many subway journeys.
Tune in next time for further adventures in New York state.
