The Big Apple

An incredible view of the New York skyline from ‘The Summit ‘

We leave the Yankees Red Sox game early . Leroy is in disbelief . There are still 2 innings left and the Yankees trail by 2 , but alas there is never enough time to see everything in New York . I think he was close to shedding a tear . We found out later the game would eventually go into extra innings with the Yankees coming from behind to steal the win. Leroy wouldn’t even look at us for the next hour . I must admit it would’ve been fun to be caught up in amongst the celebrating Yankees fans , especially in the bars below the underpass .

Look at Emma , she fucking loves it …..GrandCentral station .

We hit the subway , seeking to land near The Summit in New York , fortunately we get to exit at Grand Central station , another New York icon . It’s a cavernous piece of architecture that makes you feel you’re in a grand old church or castle in Europe , a mighty big church at that . Once again , threading through the underground subway system in New York is an eye opener and a reminder that not everyone has an easy life . We jumped carriages at a station stop when a patron decided to urinate in the carriage itself . On every subway trip there was always someone on our carriage who was drug or alcohol effected . There’s a lot of damaged souls who seek refuge down at the bottom level in New York . One Vanderbilt is our next destination , The Summit observation deck is our mission . It doesn’t disappoint . There are several skyline observation decks to chose from , the obvious being the Empire State Building , but the Summit worked best for our schedule and for the kids senses . Glass walls , floors and ceilings , often mirrored , including the lift had everyone hyped and a little tripped out as well .

Look carefully and you’ll see me through the distortion

The views of the New York skyline were breathtaking , in all directions , even beneath your feet …… horrifying . A million photos can’t match what your senses are taking in . It was amazing .

How is that backdrop !! Leroy with the provided sunglasses , you need them .
Times Square … New York’s Mecca

After a huge day we leave the kids in our room and slip over the road for cocktails and tapas . It was true New York style and substance ….. geez I could do this every night . Central Park is next .

Central Park . How’s the backdrop ?

The Metropolitan museum of art , or ‘the Met ‘ as it is commonly known as was also meant to be in our plans , but alas we had to forgo our tickets to see the rescheduled Yankees game . Emma made sure that we took in plenty of cultural stuff , know matter how much the kids bitched about it . Central Park is huge . Miles of walking is required , but I don’t mind , every day and every minute you soak in as much as you can . You never know if you’ll ever see it again , and yes the kids complained .

The Met
Got an original dog in too

The final day was about ticking off institutions .

Joes pizza , as New York as it gets .
A one hour , 40 person queue for Leo’s Bagels ……Emma doesn’t flinch ..”I’m not missing out “ , she says .

The kids retreat back to the room . They won’t walk another block . Emma and I are on the charge . We pound out the customary 20000+ steps a day to squeeze in as much as possible . The Brooklyn bridge is next . The bridge is packed with walkers ,snaking along the two kilometre length to the Brooklyn side . The bridge is littered with stalls , tables and sellers offering every sort of tacky New York paraphernalia you could think of . I’m really surprised at how popular this attraction is and I can confirm that after walking it I can understand why . The New York backdrop , the Hudson River , the Statue of Liberty in the distance were an incredible spectacle that an iPhone couldn’t quite replicate , but shit i took a thousand shots anyway .

On top of the Brooklyn Bridge with the Big Apple in the background and if you look carefully the Statue of Liberty is in the distant left hand corner of the shot .

Finally , whats a trip without a twist in the tail to finish with ? Of course a flight delay will do it , ahhhh just a 6 hour delay . We get home to LA well after midnight , The flight delay , the actual 5 hour flight and then the realisation that Ubers and taxis are not easy to find at 1am in the morning still can’t wash away the buzz of an amazing 3 city trip to Americas East Coast . “ New York , New York , I think I love you ,” I drove the family crazy singing this ode to New York ,by LCD Sound System .

The craziness of the Big Dog ……….New York

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