So from where we last left off - Friday saw us hire a bike and go for a ride through and around Central Park. Let me start by saying this "green oasis" in the middle of a city of 8.5 million people is truly massive in size and ever so peaceful. Apart from the occasional glimpse of tall buildings or a plane flying over, it proved very easy to forget that we were actually in New York, a place known for busy, busy & busy! Set over 340 ha, there are a myriad of weaving paths (the majority of which are for pedestrians only) encompassed by a 10km ring road, shared between cars, bikes and pedestrians. From the many bridges and arches to the tree-lined paths to the Conservatory Garden, it is simply a beautiful place to get lost in :) Our bike hire was for three hours (on what turned out to be the hottest day of our stay - 32 degrees!!) and in that time we saw many different parts of the park. After the bike ride, we walked all the way down to 34th Street (from 59th St, which is just over 3kms) to have lunch and do some shopping at Herald Square.
Friday night we saw The Lion King @ Broadway. The production was simply amazing and definitely worth the $$$ we paid for the tickets. It was very interesting to see how all the animals were played by humans, but it was done very well and the stage sets were amazing!! Might have to make a trip to Sydney when it comes to Australia next year..... :)
Saturday was our final day in New York and we decided to take advantage of the fine weather and head back to Central Park to walk through some of the other parts that we didn't get the opportunity to explore by bike. We had a picnic breakfast near Gapstow Bridge (with the company of some ducks and turtles) and then walked up the eastern side of the park to the northern end. Overall, even though the walking was much more exhausting, it was decidedly nicer and easier to navigate all the different parts of the park by foot and allowed for a lot more flexibility.
After our second expedition to Central Park, we took the subway down to the Greenwich district (mid-Manhattan) and visited the apartment building used for the outside shots of Friends and the house where Carrie lived from Sex & the City (see photos below).
Saturday evening saw us re-visit Top of the Rock, but this time as the sun was setting and it provided an amazing backdrop and some great photo opportunities. Certainly a very picturesque way to end our visit to The Big Apple!
On Sunday we took the Amtrak train to Washington, D.C.. We travelled in Business Class, which was definitely worth it as the leg room was amazing, especially for the 3.5 hour trip. Being our first time travelling via train when overseas (previously we have either flown or driven between cities), there were a few things that were a little confusing, and not sure the conductor was very happy with the amount of luggage we had, but we made it safely and Washington is a very nice city, that seems slightly more relaxed and nowhere near as busy.
Again, a selection of photos are below - we will update again when we leave Washington :)
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| Gapstow Bridge - Central Park |
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| Bow Bridge - Central Park |
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| "Friends" Apartment Building |
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| Carrie's house from Sex & The City |
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| Empire State Building just after sunset |
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