Grand Central station

Another place I had to see while in New York!!

 

I have seen this station on TV so many times. The scene that comes to mind the most is from the movie 'friends with benefits'. At Grand Central station Justin Timberlake sets up a flash dance mob for Mila Kunis as a surprise.

 

... Sometimes when I see things on TV and then go to see them in real life I expect them to look a little bit different. I was glad that the station looked exactly as I'd imagined.

 

Brent and I got a coffee, had a walk around and then set off on our next adventure.. the public library! Here are the photo's of the station which I took along the way!

 





 

 

Toys R Us

 

 

Toys R Us is located in the middle of Times Square. As I was walking past the window, I were tempted inside by a giant giraffe, his name is Geoffery! How could I resist such a giant giraffe!

 

As soon as I got inside I was bought me back to my childhood! Barbie, Cabbage patch kids, Baby born, Pokémon, Mickey Mouse... Just awesome!    

 

The store is like no other. It consists of three levels which include a giant Barbie home, a Ferris wheel, an ice cream store, a mini Lego land and that is just the beginning. I could have spent hours in there as well as many $$$$

 

One thing I wondered about as I was walking around is how on Earth parents get their children TO LEAVE the store considering I was having enough trouble getting myself to leave. It must be a struggle. I often wonder how I would cope in a situation like that. A grumpy child refusing to leave a busy shopping centre... I would probably take the easy way out and use bribery. If you are going to use bribery in Toys R Us, be sure to bring lots of money. There were just so many toys!  

 

I hope you enjoy the photos I took while in the store.

 

Here is the giant Barbie home that you can actually walk into and around.

 

The Ferris wheel. You can sort of make out on the right hand side the 'cabbage patch kids' carriage. I loved the carriages, they were all different themed and included pokemon, tonka trucks, Disney characters and super hero's.

 



The ice cream shop in the store

 



 

Dinosaur in the Jurassic Park section

 



Mini Lego land featuring many New York favourites such as Empire state building and the statue of Liberty.

 



Massive Superman on top of the roof. This area would be every little boys dream land!

 



Central Park

The famous Central Park! How could I have gone to New York and not visit the worlds most famous park... I couldn't! I had to visit and it did not let me down.

 

Firstly, it is HUGE! I walked around it for over an hour and didn't even cover a quarter of the park.

 

Secondly, it is very beautiful. Because I was over there for the winter, the grass was covered in a light snow and the lakes were frozen. I think it would also be such a beautiful park in the summer. Brent and I talked about re-visiting in the summer and enjoying a lunch in the sun.

 

It was freezing that day but I just love that even though the weather is cold New York continues to be full of life and fun. It seems like winter in Australia is quiet and everyone hibernates like a bear, afraid of catching colds or getting wet. But the weather doesn't slow New York down. Truly the city that never sleeps!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

9/11 memorial

While in New York I tried to see and do as much as I could in the 5 days that I was there. Brent and I both thought that the 9/11 memorial would be a good sight to see. I still remember what I was doing when the 9/11 attacks occurred. I was watching Rove and when it first came onto the TV, I thought it was an add. I was only 13 at the time but I still remember being shocked and wondering what the people in that tower were going to do.

 

The visit to the memorial brings up emotions in everyone around. All I could think about while visiting the memorial was how insane the city would have been from people panicking. People would have been wondering 'are there more planes coming?' (well I know I would have been thinking that). The city would have been covered in dust, people struggling to breathe and in shock from what they would have just seen. New York is such a busy city that I can only imagine how crazy the panic in the people was that day.

 

The water falls are amazing. In some strange way it is some what peaceful there. I say that it is in a strange way because the waterfalls are actually really loud and there are a lot of other people wandering around and visiting also.

Around both of the memorials are the names of everyone who was killed, its sad to hear that so many innocent people were killed as well as people such as policeman and fireman who were just doing their job that day.

 

There is a lot of construction happening around the memorial including a museum which is being set up. The museum looks like it is going to be amazing. One particular thing they are doing with the museum is including a photograph on the wall of everyone who died that day. I think that creates a bit of a personal touch for honouring those who died which is nice.

 

Brent and I visited the gift shop and inside they were playing a DVD which told stories about those who had loved one pass away that day. One story which was told was from a father, he had a fire fighter son and a police officer son who both died that day. While the story was playing, people around us were crying. It was a very touching story. The father felt that he was lucky as the last thing he said to both of his sons was I love you. I guess that is a reminder of how quickly and unexpectedly someone can pass away and the importance of always treasuring those you love.

 

I took quite a few photos of the memorial, have a peek.

This last photo is of the only tree which survived the 9/11 attacks. The tree was found after the attacks as a stump, the people of New York helped the tree grow back to full strength and have placed it back in its original home. The tree is very close to the first tower so it is just amazing that it has survived through! 

 

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11823159/?claim=nd3fcxf7cgq">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>



Times Square

The thing about times square is that the whole time you are walking through it, you are in a state of excitement. I felt like a bird in a tree constantly looking left, right, up, all around with all the shiny bright lights catching my attention.

 

I was so busy looking around and checking out all the stores, bulletins and people that unfortunately I didn't take as many photographs as I would have liked. I went to times square once while I was there... I LOVED times square but it was full of people trying to sell you tickets, music and souvenirs. It causes a bit of anxiety and I just don't like the pushy, in your face kind of sales. Therefore I didn't do any shopping in times square, instead saving my shopping for the cheap deals in Soho (which was full of amazing shops $$$).

 

I had taken the subway to times square which was also a heap of fun. Riding the subway was something that had to be done while in New York. I was expecting to ride with some American looneys but there was no free show on the subway. I know its only a ride on a train but I love doing the simple things which you see in movies and on TV shows.

 

So check out my photos below. They do not do the whole scene justice at all (it is a mad house there) but they put a smile on my face and bring back good memories and that's what photographs are all about!

New York

 

 

Well I haven't done a post in a couple of weeks. I apologise but I have been having the time of my life in New York! We were there for 6 days and had to squeeze in as much as we could in the short time we were there so unfortunately I had no spare time to blog.

 

It was time for Brent and I to say goodbye to Canada. It had been a great adventure however I am very excited for what is installed for the future!

After leaving Canada and having an amazing time in New York we boarded from JFK and survived through a 25 hour horror flight back to Australia. Here we are, in the Gold Coast. The weather is warm and my skin is having a freak out as it see's the sun again for the first time since November. It feels great to wear shorts and thongs again!

 

The next few posts will be filled with some memories and adventures of New York. If you haven't been to New York I would encourage you to visit as soon as you can! Brent and I stayed on Manhattan in Soho. Soho is far enough away from Times Square that it is not crazy busy and full of tourists but still filled with fun things to do including many great cafes and cocktail bars and amazing shopping! It felt like Soho had many locals living there which is exactly what we wanted.

My favourite part of New York was the fact that you can walk and walk and walk ... and it just keeps going, it never gets boring. There are always people out and about having fun, there is always some restaurant with a cheap lunch on special, a bar with happy hour or a show about to start. Its amazing. Here are some photos of the amazing scenery and atmosphere that I was talking about.

 

 

 Is it just me or are you also in love with all of the buildings...