As promised, some bonus posts to finish off our Summer adventures.
Our last major stop prior to heading to UK was New York - another city that I had not previously visited.
To be honest, I had not been in a great hurry to make its acquaintance - not quite sure why as it is clearly a globally renowned City with world-class museums and a storied cultural heritage. It does however have a certain reputation for “in your face” self regard, so the jury was out when we arrived.
As matters turned out, we had a blast.
The hotel was very well located on West 44th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. As a consequence, and due to the severe traffic restrictions caused by the 9/11 Memorial day preparations, we did a lot of walking around Manhattan as we were within around 20 - 25 minutes of Central Park and most of the major attractions.
In consequence most of our trips took us past Radio City (see photo below - we were a week or so too early to see Ringo Starr) and Times Square.
Our first full day coincided with my birthday and what better way to celebrate than with a bike ride around Central Park? The Park was framed by a beautiful blue sky and every where you looked was like being a film set - huge skyscrapers framed by a deep blue sky and the greenery of the park lit up by the Summer sun. I had also not realised there was some much water in Central Park - including a reservoir that provided some great views across to the towers and brownstones ringing the park.
After a celebratory picnic amongst the squirrels (and it must be said, rats) of Central Park, A and I made our way to the art deco splendour of the Guggenheim Museum. I have to say I am not much one for Architects but Frank Lloyd Wright was definitely on to something when he put this place together - somehow combining impressive scale with the intimacy required when viewing a collection of truly lovely artworks. Definitely a highlight amongst a tour of great museums and artworks.
We dined at NOBU - another destination that was new to me and we were suitably impressed before ending up at the Hotel bar for a nightcap to round off a splendid day.
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