Category: New York State

State or region

Niagara Falls and beyond

Ange Bowman2 Comments
Niagara Falls

On Saturday 18th August we set off to collect our second car from W34 St(near Penn Station) and drive to Buffalo NY.  Apart from needing to take a larger car (Kia Sorrento) due to no smaller cars being available getting out of Manhattan was relatively easy.

Within an hour the madness of NYC was well behind us and we were headed upstate New York. Sarah and Dan were spending their last few hours in NYC visiting ground zero before flying home. Charlie and Megs also left today for San Francisco before heading down to LA for their last week.

The day driving was pleasant it was nice to be out on the road again, we found a hotel in Rochester which would allow us to visit Niagara for the day and head towards Vermont. Hotels in the Niagara/Buffalo area are very expensive in the summer so we headed to Watertown for our next night.

Maple at Sugar Bush Farm

Niagara was just as beautiful and amazing as the last time I visited. Mum really enjoyed our day there with the Maid on the Mist ride under the falls being a highlight. After walking around the parklands and viewing both the American and the Horseshoe Falls we hit the road again. The weather was perfect for the visit not too hot and walking around the parks was pleasant.

Ben and Jerry’s  Ice-cream

After Watertown we headed further north to Plattsburgh NY were we overnighted before taking the ferry across to Burlington Vermont (VT) unfortunately we were too early for the fall colour but it was still very pretty and one can only imagine what the fall season would be like. After wandering around Burlington for a few hours we headed to Watertown to take the Ben and Jerry’s (Ice-cream Factory) tour which was okay and a good story. After the tour we checked in to our White River Junction hotel which near Sugar Bush Maple and Cheese Farm, we tried many cheeses and made purchases to bring home.

 It was a very pretty area and the farm was very authentic, and did not have the usual touristy shine to it. The drive is was worth the time in itself. One could imagine this place in winter with snow everywhere and the horses pulling the slay from tree to tree to collect the maple syrup.

After our tour we were Maine bound to experience all it had to offer. We drove up to Berlin Maine (ME) which is about 2 hours above Portland ME. After checking in we drove around to Penobscot Bay and took in the sights, dinner was at the best lobster place ever.

$17 for a great lobster dinner

We both had a whole lobster which set us back a whopping $17 each. Although probably not as good as our lobsters they were pretty close and the price is definitely right. After a restful night in our hotel overlooking the harbour we set off for Portland via the prettiest place in Maine, Camden. We booked a harbour tour of the Porland light Houses and a trolly tour of the district which included a visit to one the oldest still functioning light house. After yet another full lobster for dinner ($14 each this time) at XXXX we then set of in the evening for our hotel near the Kittery Outlet Mall where we planned to do our final shopping.

Camden Maine
Foggy Camden Maine

Our shopping done we headed to Boston where we planned to spend two days seeing the sights. We checked into the Bulfinch Hotel near TD Gardens in Boston. This was a great hotel and well within walking distance of everything that we needed including stop 4 of the ‘Old Town Trolley’ the hop on hop off tour which included a cruise around the Harbour.

We enjoyed both tours and got off at Stop 7 (near the Cheers Bar) and walked the freedom trail back to Quincy markets. Along the way we saw Mrs Mallard and her ducklings (the bronzes not the real ones), the swan boats and the frog pond (no frogs I am pleased to report).

The Floating Restaurent that saved
Portland Docks

The Boston common is a great place to spend time and there were many people spending time in the gardens playing sports, walking dogs and chasing children. All walked out we boarded our boat for a cruise around the harbour, this was made interesting by great guide who added good humour to his narration.

Oldest still operating Light House
Portland Maine

After the cruise it was time to head home neither of use were hungry so we picked up some bagels and coffee from Dunkin Donuts for a light dinner before turning exhausted from all the walking.

Bulfinch Hotel – Flatiron building
Our Hotel Boston

With only two nights before flying home and given that it was going to be a long flight(s) (including getting from NY to LA) then straight on (after 4 hour layover LA) to our long haul home we decided to spend the last two nights near JFK.

This gave me time to return the rental car and for us to reorganise all the bags to ensure they come in under the 23kg limit. This really turned out to be our only real rest day in the last month so it was certainly good to spend the day resting.

As I write this is our last night all the bags are packed and we are watch the hurricane (Isaac) in the Gulf on the weather channel. We will be in the clear by the time it sends heavy rain up the coast.

Tomorrow we wing our way home after a great trip that couldn’t have gone more smoothly for everyone. All other travellers are home and back at work and we look forward to joining them at home and catch our breath. This will be probably our last trip the USA for a while there is so much of the world left to see.

Mrs Mallard and her ducklings

Facts:
Car One Kia Forte 1280 Miles
Car Two Kia Sorrento 1800 miles
Fuel- Between 3.33g(South) to 4.09g(North)
Stayed in many hotels including La Quinta, Best Western, Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express – all less $100 per night booked on hotwire.com (most time great breakfast included)
No one in the United States drives at the speed limit

The are only 10 states left in the USA that I have not visited, they may have to wait awhile but I am determined to visit them in next few years.

Frog Pond Boston Common

Thanks for following our journey and all the positive feedback you have sent me.

Only frogs at the frog pond

Apologies for any grammatical and spelling errors. No time on the road to proof posts, I may go back one day and correct any errors.

Buffalo and Niagara Falls

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Well we made it. It was a longish day driving but not too back. Our hotel was nice (even nicer as it was free night Thanks La Quinta returns program).  There was a Cracker Barrel near by so we walked over for a steak and salad before turning in.

After another hearty bright-side breakfast of waffles and cereal we set out to Niagara Falls. It was warm but not as warm as it had been lately. With lots of inexpensive parking at the falls we were soon out of the car and heading to the American Falls. One word ‘Spectacular’.  This is certainly the highlight of the trip for both of us. Although not a Natural Wonder of the World it should be in my book.

We walked for a couple of hours and around the American Falls before having lunch at the Hard Rock cafe.

After lunch we decided to walk around to the horseshoe falls via goat island. It was a long walk but there were a lot of great viewing places along the way.

The whole area is so well set up and organised to cater for the large numbers of visitors. Even though it is summer break there was no overcrowding and everyone had a good view at all the vantage points.

Day two we headed back to the falls and boarded the first Maid of the Mist tour of the day to view the falls from the river, this was really worth every cent of the $13 per head. I would have paid 3 or 4 times this for the 30 minute ride to right beneath the Horseshoe Falls.

Falls Facts:
The Niagara Falls are the most powerful waterfalls in North America. These voluminous waterfalls are situated on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario and forms the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and theU.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Toronto, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Over the Falls:
In October 1829, Sam Patch, who called himself “the Yankee Leapster”, jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and survived; this began a long tradition of daredevils trying to go over the falls. On October 24, 1901, 63-year-old Michigan school teacher Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to go over the falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt; she survived, bleeding, but virtually unharmed. Soon after exiting the barrel, she said, “No one ought ever do that again.”
Wikipedia has detailed information of all the attempts plus and more interesting falls facts.

In the “Miracle at Niagara”, Roger Woodward, a seven-year-old American boy, was swept over the Horseshoe Falls protected only by a life vest on July 9, 1960, as two tourists pulled his 17-year-old sister Deanne from the river only 20 feet (6 m) from the lip of the Horseshoe Falls at Goat Island. Minutes later, Woodward was plucked from the roiling plunge pool beneath the Horseshoe Falls after grabbing a life ring thrown to him by the crew of the Maid of the Mist boat.

I recommend this amazing place be added to everyone’s bucket list.

After the Maid in the Mist ride we set off for Columbus Ohio where we will stay for three nights (Four star $60 night thanks Hotwire.com). We plan to attend the Ohio State Fair the next couple of days before heading back to Kentucky.

New York Day 3 – Yankees and Beckham

Ange Bowman2 Comments

Today we were looking forward to going to a Yankees game tonight.

We headed to times Square early this morning to watch part of Good Morning America. We arrived in time to be right on the barrier behind the set in the street. Only the invited soccer kids were in front of us.

The segment was you guessed it a soccer segment with David Beckham and Thierry Henry. We had to wait for awhile but it was worth it. I got to meet Robin Roberts and she is a tall as she seems on TV. She was really good with all the crowd and spent ages talking to everyone.

The segment we are near the girl waving the Canadian flag …hard to see but we were there!!!
Watch the segment

 

After the show we headed to Stage Deli for brunch. This deli was old style and the staff had been there for a long while. It really gave the sense that nothing had changed inside for many years. The food was good and the service was even better.

After our meal we wandered back towards the hotel to rest up for the game. I headed to Macy’s for w quick shop and picked up some good sale items. It was starting to rain by the time I headed back to the hotel.

We set off around 4pm but it was raining heavily and getting a cab was proving difficult. 20000+ cab and not one to be had for any money.  We decided to have coffee and wait for an hour and see what happens.

 

 

Nothing changed so we headed back to the hotel and found that the game was delayed by the rain. In the end we gave up and went to bed NO Yankees game was a disappointment but glad we didn’t get to the stadium and find out.  As it turned out they eventually played but it was very late when they started, we would never have sat at the ground waiting. Next time!!!!

Day 2 New York

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We got up early again and after breakfast we set out to walk to central park. Down Fifth Ave with a stop in at the Trump Tower, hard to believe that this is or was owned by one man.


 

 

Before we arrived at Central Park we dropped in at the Apple store which was under wraps. So many people and so much beautiful technology in one place.

 

When we arrived at the entrance near
Fifth Ave and organised a carriage ride through the Park. Our Irish driver (most of the carriages are Irish owned) has been in New York for 11 years. This was fun and gave us a small insight to the park and some of the things happening in the park.  It was good weather and a lot cooler than the previous day. After we tipped our driver we set off on a long walk through the park, there is so much to see and there was no hope of us seeing it all. We did get to see
the Zoo and many off the sights at the Downtown end of town.

How big is Central Park?

Our Irish Carriage Driver
  • 843 acres or 6% of Manhattan’s total acreage, including:
  • 150 acres in 7 waterbodies
  • 250 acres of lawns
  • 136 acres of woodlands

How many playgrounds are there in Central Park and where are they?
There are 21 playgrounds scattered throughout the entire park.

Where is…?

Horse park himself like this
on command
  • Balto – East 67th Street near the East Drive
  • Alice in Wonderland – 75th Street just north of Conservatory Water
  • Hans Christian Andersen – 74th Street just west of Conservatory Water
  • The Obelisk (Cleopatra’s Needle) – 81st Street behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art

There also are 48 other fountains, monuments, and sculptures in Central Park.

How many trees are there in Central Park?
24,000, including 1,700 American Elms.

How many benches are there in Central Park?
Over 9,000, which would stretch 7 miles if placed end to end.

How many bridges and arches are there in Central Park?
36

How many species of birds are there in Central Park?
More than 275 species of migratory birds have been sighted in the Park, a major stopping point on the Atlantic flyway.

How many fountains are there in Central Park?

Gazebo in used in Home Alone 2

There are seven ornamental fountains and approximately 150 drinking fountains. The ornamental fountains are:

  • Angel of the Waters at Bethesda Terrace
  • Burnett Fountain at Conservatory Garden’s English garden to the south
  • Conservatory Garden’s Italian garden in the center
  • Untermyer Fountain at Conservatory Garden’s French garden to the north
  • Cherry Hill
  • Sophie Loeb Fountain
  • Pulitzer Fountain at Grand Army Plaza
Central Park Zoo 
After the park we headed back downtown with a stop off for lunch at John’s Pizzeria. The pizza was the best I’ve eaten, the base was just perfect and we had the John’s Pizza (cheese and John’s special tomato sauce) with added pepperoni and black olives. Did I mention it was huge but oh so yummy?
We continued to stroll back towards the hotel walking off our lunch there is so much to see but the best part is just experiencing the sites and sounds of such a busy place. We headed back to the hotel around 4 for a rest and catch up on email and calls home etc.

We decide we would have Korean BBQ for dinner, there were plenty in the same street as our hotel to choose from. In the end we settled on Wonjo. The BBQ meat (BBQ at our table) was really good and the accompanying sides were fun to try and we liked everything they dished up. The meal was finished with the sweetest orange I have ever eaten.

Day 2 Walking 4 miles

An early night as we are planning to head to times square to watch the Good Morning America morning show.

Hot Dirty Smelly New York – I Still Love It!!!!!

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After a near flawless drive in to the big apple we had delivered the car to the valet and the bags to the doorman (too early to check in) we set off to walk downtown to take the ferry to Staten Island.

It was a long walk but we made it all but the last 20 odd blocks a total of 71/2 miles. We were a bit foot sore but recovered enough to walk another mile to Tony Di Napoli’s for dinner.

This place came highly recommended by brother-in-law Scott and he was right on the money. The anti pasta was the best we’ve ever had and the Lobster Ravioli in creamy tomato sauce was equally good.

One of 5 new Towers
Ground Zero

Back to the walk and the ferry. It was very hot walking but worth it as you get to see so much more. Ian was able to eat at least three yes that’s right three hot dogs on the way down. He bought them off the street vendors and gave them the thumbs up.  We were purchasing lots of water which was readily available for every vendor and really cold.

We spent quite awhile at ground zero they are making great progress on the new towers . It is hard to imagine what it would have been like on 9/11.

Remembering Ladder 24
Firefighter that died 9/11

A memorial called “Reflecting Absence” honors the victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The memorial, designed by Peter Walker and Israeli-American architect Michael Arad, consists of a field of trees interrupted by the footprints of the twin towers. Pools of water fill the footprints, underneath which sits a memorial space whose walls bear the names of the victims. The slurry wall, which holds back the Hudson River in the west and was an integral part of Libeskind’s proposal, remains exposed.

Ladder 24 Fire Station

Walker and Arad were selected from more than 5,000 entrants in the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition in January 2004. Construction of the memorial is due to be completed by September 11, 2011.

Eventually we made it to the ferry just in time to take the next ferry to the island. It was a pleasant crossing and it was a chance to sit for awhile and watch the city recede into the distance. We disembarked and waited for the next ferry back again.

Staten Island Ferry

We decided against exploring the island as the main purpose was to actually catch the ferry. We enjoyed the return trip and then set off up town it was now 98 degrees but felt hotter of the street. Not the hottest I ever been but it was warm. Last time we were in new york it was -5F which is -11C. I think next time we will come in autumn or spring.

One

 

Two

 

Three

 

Wine with Dinne
Tony Di Napoli’s 

As previously mentioned dinner was great and I would highly recommend Tony’s to anyone, we were lucky to get there early enough to avoid a wait but by the time we were leaving they were out the door waiting on a table. We have a very nice local wine with our dinner as recommended by our waiter Gregorio.

Tomorrow we are off to explore Central Park and of course I HAVE to visit the apple store.

Roosevelt Hotel New York

Ange Bowman1 Comment

Our home for the next 5 nights. Ian drove from Washington to New York, uneventful trip and

even managed to drive down Broadway and Fifth Ave on the way to the hotel. Although we felt like the odd one out a bit with all the yellow cabs. Apparently, they are more than 2000 in Manhatten and yes I think they we all going our way.

After dropping mum and the bags to the room Ian and I headed to JFK to deliver the rental car back. We caught the Skytrain to Jamaica Station then boarded the metro to Penn Station. We arrived at Penn and decided to walk to the hotel it wasn’t too cold walking and we enjoyed the exercise. We headed to a little deli near the hotel for dinner.

The next morning we walked to Rockefeller Plaza and caught the hop on hop off bus to do the downtown loop. It was freezing fortunately the bus was covered in but not good for photos. We left the bus at the Empire State building and headed towards the top, after a quick security check we were on our way up. The weather was very clear so we could see for miles. After the Empire State building, we headed across the street to spend a bit of time in Macy’s. Back on the bus for the rest of the downtown loop and getting colder by the minute. We had a good day but were pleased to see the hotel and hot showers.

Didn’t feel like going out or dinner so order in Chinese which arrived what seemed like mere minutes after we ordered it. The next day we worked out they deliver using bikes which is how they get through the traffic so quickly. It was delicious and my wonton soup was the best.

The next morning we walked to where we could catch the Hop on Hop off bus for the uptown loop. This took up both sides of Central Park and past the Museum (we had complimentary tickets so decided to take a look) it was interesting and a good place to warm up before the last part of the loop back to Fifth Ave. We left the bus at Fifth Ave and walked along Fifth till we got to 46th street (back entrance to the hotel) It was interesting and looks of great shopping where the plastic could be melted into an unrecognizable state if shopping was the go. Too cold for me but saw a couple of places I would visit tomorrow. The concierge got us reservations at Becco’s for lunch tomorrow, can’t wait it is supposed to be fantastic. We walked up to a Pizza place on Fifth Ave for dinner. It was really good, so good I went back for a second slice. The slices are like a small pizza at home.

Today we were going to take the two-hour circle line cruise but 10am came around too soon and we thought 4pm would be too late for us as it was a two-hour tour. We walk down Fifth again to Macy’s, I picked up some sports shirts for the boys at NBA store on the way.

We made it to Macy’s and spend three hours exploring the store before walking down Broadway until we hit 46th St again and headed to Becco’s for the best Italian I had outside of Italy. Two bottles of wine later and stuffed full of pasta we waddled back up 46th through Times Square to our hotel. Definitely, no dinner needed.

Sarah this breaks all early bird records dinner at 2pm in bed by 5pm asleep soon after.

Our final full day in New York we finally got motivated enough to make the 10am Circleline cruise and to our surprise and delight, it was heated inside. A good thing because the ice was forming in the Hudson and it was a whopping -7c at 11am halfway through the cruise. The ferry had to break through the ice near the wharf to get underway, tour guide suggested that the river would freeze right over if the cold keeps up much longer. The cruise was again very informative and well worth doing we cruise around the downtown area, the statue of Liberty and up the east river under the Brooklyn bridge and back again. After the cruise, we caught a taxi back to the hotel and rested up for dinner. We had a dinner reservation at Benjamin’s Steakhouse at 6pm.

What can I say about dinner it was terrific the service was outstanding and we decided to go with the house specialty Porterhouse for three. The plate can out with two of the thickest T bone steaks I have ever seen which had been aged for a minimum 25 days. It was sliced in filet pieces and cooked to perfection. The waiter served it at the table and we had creamed spinach and mash as sides. This was a memorable meal and I will have to go back when next in New York. Mark and Frank McKillop eat your heart out.

Will add pics from LA flying there now