We only touched on the Big Apple on a recent visit to New York but went from the sombre – the 911 memorial – to the sublime on the High Line and on Roosevelt Island. Love it or hate it, you will never be bored in New York.

Autumn leaves floating on water are one of the beauties of nature – but have an added poignancy when on the 911 Memorial. The two huge black pools echo the footprints of the Twin Towers which were destroyed in the famous terrorist attacks of 2001. The victims names are etched around the edges and backlit at night – their death certificates all stated ‘homicide’. In places American flags have been inserted, or roses: it is really all quite moving.

On a bright November morning we wandered amidst russet trees with a surprising sprinkle of squirrels. Soaring skyscrapers surrounded us with a myriad of blue sky refractions; the sleek sided World Trade Centre One soars to 1,175 feet, nearly 400 feet higher than the Twin Towers, but giving an idea of their lost immensity. There is an observatory and various dining options.

For further insight, we visited the 911 Museum which covers the day that four aircraft were highjacked and the consequences. Two flew to New York, one into the Pentagon and one was brought down in a field by the bravery of the passengers who stormed the aeroplane cockpit.

An introductory film gave an excellent overview of unfolding events on the fatal morning as President Bush and his associates came to realise that America was under attack.

Nearly 3000 people died and after a steep descent into the depths of the museum, one is confronted with harrowing images of the aeroplanes hitting the towers and the rescue efforts – 441 first responders were to die when the towers collapsed.

There were displays of twisted metal and a mangled firetruck from Ladder Company 3, whose 11 members all died. Add survivors stories, sound recordings from the hijacked planes, photographs of the devastation and the Memorial Room where a photograph is displayed of every victim – click to see the person’s life story.

Some detail went into the background of Al Qaeda and the terrorists, who scarily learnt to fly, completely under the radar, in Florida.

We retired to O’Hara’s pub on Cedar Street for lunch. Just a stone’s throw from the Towers, it is popular with police and fire services as seen from the many badges on the walls. It is a lively spot and has good value meals – I had a delicious French onion soup whilst Simon opted for the more traditional burger.

Afterwards we wandered down to Battery Park at the tip of Manhatten which is a bit of a mess at the moment due to the building of an extension to the seawall. Clinton Fort is huddled amidst the barriers: the last line of defence in a string of forts around the harbour (the Statue of Liberty is actually sitting on one), it was built in 1811 to ward off the British.

Once on an island connected by a drawbridge, there is not a great deal to see but it is an interesting anachronism amongst the skyscrapers. A nearby inaccessible flagpole marks the spot where the Canarsie Indians supposedly sold New York to a Dutch merchant for 60 guilders in 1626.

Past the flamboyant naval memorial of a pouncing eagle, we found the Staten Island ferry so hopped on that for the Statue of Liberty and harbour view.

Officially opened in 1886, the 93 metre high figure holds a torch in one hand and the Declaration of Independence in the other.

The harbour is quite flat and industrial and although one gets a nice view of the Manhattan skyline, I’m afraid it isn’t a patch on Sydney harbour. Neither are the ferries – make sure you catch an open air one for the best views. They go every half hour and are free.

Back in Manhattan after a quick turnaround, we checked out The Smithsonian Museum of the Native Indian which was once the Customs House and is beautifully ornate.

The Egyptian inspired building opposite at No. 5 Broadway once held the offices of the White Star Line and there is a famous photo of the distraught Jacob Astor emerging on hearing of the death of his son on the Titanic in 1912. An oil lamp on top of another nearby skyscraper marks the Standard Oil building, source of the Rockefeller millions.

A Halloween bier fest was in full swing on nearby Stone Street, a narrow byway of old brick merchants houses and thought to be the only one left in the city still where the Dutch had sited it. They would have been perplexed to see such an assortment of furry tiger costumes and ghouls.

The bull has moved from in front of the Stock Exchange to its present position at the end of Bowling Green park where an Insta queue had formed at both ends which is quite an impressive achievement – I took a pic of some other idiot and walked on!

The bull was once faced with another statue in 2017 – a little figure, hands on hips, of a Fearless Girl. This was another great photo op but she was moved to opposite the Stock Exchange a year later where it is easy to lose her amidst the Insta crowd. She was originally intended as a statement about the need for more women in finance but now only displays their idiocy as they emulate the pose!

Our ramblings led us back to the Memorial, past the brightly lit red windows of Trinity Church and an arbor of glowing Christmas lights.

The High Line

The following day we walked down Gansevoort Street, which has a tight concentration of luxury shopping, to the Meat Packing District. Washington Street marks the start of the High Line, once an elevated disused railway line which has been beautifully transformed into a garden walkway.

Servicing a busy industrial area, the railway arrived in 1847, but it was only in 1929 that it was elevated 30 feet above street level. By the 1960’s it was obsolete and 14 blocks worth to the south were demolished before the last train ran in 1980. Over the next 20 years nature gradually took over with self seeded trees and grasses springing up.

In 1999, when the remainder was threatened with demolition, the Friends of the High Line came together to preserve it as a public space and by 2019 it was open again. The old tracks can still be seen within the landscaping which is scattered with lots of benches and artworks. The whole concept works brilliantly, providing an airy walkway in the sky with superb views over New York.

We had hardly started when Little Island Park at Pier 55 caught my eye with it’s 132 striking concrete tulips which support a 2 acre elevated garden in the Hudson River. It opened in 2021 and has great views over Manhatten, all the way to the Statue of Liberty.

The sad, truncated piles of Pier 54 in the water beside it are all that remain of the White Star Line dock. The Titanic should have arrived here in 1912 but it was the Carpathia who came in with 710 survivors.

The large metal archway to the dock still bears the remnants of the Cunard White Star Line name and there is also a plaque to the Lusitania which left on May 7th, 1915, bound for Europe. It was torpedoed by a U-boat off the south-eastern coast of Ireland, going down in 18 minutes with the loss of 1,198 lives.

We headed back to the High line, but only for a short distance as the delights of Chelsea Market beckoned just below between West 15th and West 16th Street. Once the National Biscuit Company from 1898 – 1958 (due to the easy access to lard in the area) and the original home of Oreos, it now houses a delightfully diverse array of food outlets in an industrial-chic space.

I loved it: it is rather like a raw, funky version of Fortnum’s food hall and we had difficulty making up our minds: Buen Italia with their great cheese and salami selection, plus big wodges of quiche or the Ho’cakes at Mõkbar – a mouth watering mix of pork belly and a kimchi pear sauce.

Alf Bakery was suitably French although no Frenchman would recognise their laminated baguette with it’s croissant-like crust in a delicious mix of salt and butter – we had to try it and it was actually delicious. A Frenchman may well be converted although I think he would baulk at paying just over $10 for one!

In the end, we shared a gooey cheese sandwich from Saxelby whose name and signature blue cheese was suspiciously reminiscent of Stilton!
We then bought some bagels from Black Seed Bagels who have an assortment of Montreal-style, wood-fired bagels. One really needs to go every day for a week to do justice to the delights on offer.

Luckily we were able to continue on the High Line with no further distractions other than the sweeping city views, vistas up endless streets and tall high rises above the trees – it was actually a great time to visit with all the leaves in their autumn colours particularly in those areas where trees grew thickly above the path creating a corridor of vibrant yellows and russets.

The high line nears its end at Hudson Yards, a relatively new development that was built over 30 platforms of Penn Railway Station. Amongst the buildings, it is impossible to miss the coppery Vessel Sculpture, a hollow network of 154 flights of stairs (2,500 steps) and 80 landings. It was closed for a while as it became a popular suicide spot but it is now fully netted in and tickets cost $15.

Another popular high point is just nearby: the Edge with a striking glass floored viewing platform which protrudes from the top. For the truly brave, there is the possibility of climbing further up the sides.

The line also splits here; a small spur which originally went to the post office provided a large seating space and the best sculpture of the walk: Dinosaur, a giant, surprisingly life-like pigeon by a Colombia artist called Iván Argote – it would really be quite at home in Trafalgar Square!

We swung around Hudson Yards and bore off towards the Hudson River. The path followed a section of unrestored track with rotting sleepers and scattered weeds before ending at West 34th Street.

The Intrepid Museum

We decided to continue walking north along the shore line to the Intrepid Museum where we paused under a Concorde (the tailfin was G-BOAD but it was known as Alpha Delta) which served with British Airways between 1976 and 2003 – it still holds the world record for New York to London in 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds.

It was sitting on the end of Pier 86 with the American aircraft carrier towering above. A ticket to the Intrepid Museum also includes the rather rusty USS Growler, the first nuclear submarine which became obsolete in 1964 after only 6 years in service when submarines were developed which could fire missiles from underwater.

Entry is $36. Concorde is an extra $13 but it is possible to visit the pier for free after going through security if you just want to admire everything from a distance.

Roosevelt Island

Later in the day, we caught the Roosevelt Island tram from 59th Street and 2nd Avenue to this intriguing island which sits in the East River just off Manhatten. It seems to be a bit of a hidden gem, has some great parks and views and is rather more peaceful than the city.

The tram whisked us over in about 4 minutes with lovely aerial views over the river and into people’s apartments – we even had a glimpse of the New York Marathon trotting by!

We walked to the southern tip of the island, past the 1856 Gothic smallpox hospital which is now a pretty ivy clad ruin and sadly fenced off, having been abandoned in the 1950’s. It was actually built using prison labour from granite quarried on the island with the two wings added in the early 1900’s.

We had the added bonus of coinciding with an Ai Weiwei installation which cleverly commented on the hidden cost of war to animals by draping camouflage netting along the walkway – however, instead of the usual camo design, it consisted of cats! (Sadly, it ended on November 10th).

The theme was particularly apt as there is actually a feral cat population on the island which is provided with food and shelter by willing helpers: you will spot them near the hospital. One wonders if maybe the armed forces are missing a trick here: would it change one’s perception of war if camouflage were used with animal patterns?!

We followed the camouflage along the walkway all the way to the tip of Four Freedoms State Park which pays homage to Franklin D. Roosevelt. It opened in 2012, rather later than intended by Louis Kahn who designed it – and died – in 1974. The name comes from the Four Freedoms as envisaged by FDR in 1941: the freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear – there is still a bit of work to be done, I think!

The park is a great sunset spot as we were shortly to discover, the light reflecting off a myriad of glass sides as the water swirled oilily below us and Ai Weiwei’s camouflage netting flapped softly above our heads. A Ukrainian proverb “For some people, war is war; for others, war is the dear mother”, is incorporated in the structure, hinting at the combinations of luck and profit in war.

In the gathering dusk we ambled back along the East River bank as all the lights came into full splendor. New York is probably at its best at night: one cannot failed to be awed by the display.

We paused at Pat’s Bench (find it on Google!); Pat obviously had her feet well grounded with a pragmatic outlook on life: the plaque on her bench reads “Now, I too am a bench“, which, when one thinks about it, is really as much as most of us have to look forward to!

Roosevelt Island ll

The next day we decided to return to Roosevelt Island having run out of time the day before. This time we arrived via the subway and took the free bus down to near the northernmost end where there is a stone lighthouse, dating back to 1872 and built by convict labour.

Lighthouse Park also has a wonderful art installation by the American artist Amanda Matthews called The Girl Puzzle Monument which is a homage to Nelly Bly (1864-1922) who was a local activist and journalist. The Girl Puzzle was her first published headline in 1885.

Five seven foot tall faces, including hers, as well as those Asian, Black, Young, Old, Immigrant and Queer stand resolutely with a scattering of Mini-Me’s. Some have cracks or repairs representing the resilience of women in that they can break but be repaired.

In the middle of them all there are three shiny silver orbs, in ascending sizes, which throw great reflections.

One of Nelly’s pieces of investigative journalism involved having herself incarcerated in the local lunatic asylum for 10 days – the old entrance still exists at the nearby Octagon which is now apartments.

We walked back along the river enjoying the views. I also discovered the Graduate by Hilton New York, the only hotel on the island. It has the Panorama Room, a 360° roof top bar and restaurant with a superb view over Manhatten and Queens – it is certainly a great alternative to the more obvious viewpoints and the hotel is surprisingly mid-range – I will aim for it on my next visit as I was surprisingly taken by the island which is pleasantly quiet whilst having superb links – the tram whisked us to Manhatten in 5 minutes from where we walked up to Central Park.

We were briefly distracted by Bloomingdale’s, where I got into conversation with a very flamboyant staff member.

“You guys did such a great job in Liverpool!” He gushed and it took me some time to work out that he was talking about the Eurovision Song Contest – is that all the recognition poor old Britain can hope for these days?!

Central Park covers 150 blocks and we didn’t get beyond the bottom third in the time we had, but it was sufficient to enjoy the superb landscaping job that was done when it was laid out in 1858.

The trees were in full autumn colours and glowed over the lakes and ponds. We admired the 1886 German street lamp from the Lombard Bridge in Hamburg as well as a plethora of statues.

One popular doggy one ‘Balto‘ is in honour of the huskies that carried a vaccine to Nome in 1925 – I guess it is admired by more people in Central Park than it would be if it were in Alaska.

One of the great delights of Central Park is the Carousel which dates back to 1871 and is one of the largest in the nation. It was originally turned by a horse until steam arrived in 1924, a mixed blessing as the next two burned down.

The 57 horses (and two chariots) that one sees today were hand crafted in 1908 by Solomon Stein and Harry Goldstein. They are a colourful bunch of tossing manes and wild eyes, furnished with lion saddles and I hate to admit it, but we climbed on two of the tallest and joined a ride ($4 each)! I think it probably counted as one of the simple pleasures in life!

After a coffee and sandwich stop at the Ballfields Cafe which was in a pleasant leafy spot with nice views from the outdoor seating, we went on to find the Roc d’Ercé, a rocky outcrop with expansive views at the top of the popular Sheep Meadow area.

This spot has an importance which isn’t obvious to the uninitiated: it was once the gathering area for people from the Ariège region of the French Pyrenees. Driven by poverty, from 1880 many emigrated to New York or even just visited seasonally. WWI and then WWII hastened the exodus. From a region of bear trainers, they became restaurateurs and hoteliers – indeed there is a French restaurant in New York today called Le Rivage which has its roots in the Ariège.

We know and love the area very well and had long intended to find the rock on our next visit to New York – unfortunately our French friend didn’t recognise it when we sent him a picture, although his brother had been born in New York in 1960. His father had returned to his homeland in the Pyrenees. On our visit it looked appropriately French too with a pack of scruffy students.

Meandering on, we found the Bethesda Fountain and terraces which were beautifully laid out in 1873. The stone stairways have some wonderfully vibrant carvings of animal and plant life.

It was a horribly busy spot with competing street entertainers at full blast – feel free to join in if you wish although we hastened on, skirting the boat dock and ending up at the 71 foot tall, 3,500 year old Egyptian obelisk, erected in 1879. Since then it has become heavily eroded by pollution, so much so that Egypt has threatened to take it back.

It sits in a peaceful spot hidden away on a leafy knoll, and we admired the hieroglyphs before walking out past the Belvedere and bringing our time in New York to an end.

There is so much to see in New York but our three days had certainly been pleasantly diverse!

NOTES

We stayed at the Chelsea International Hostel where a twin room cost a ridiculous £150 a night although it did the job, had plenty of hot water, a window, and was in a good location! Go in the off season, not at a weekend and don’t coincide with the Marathon to have a wider, more affordable choice!

TAKE THE METRO – it works brilliantly! Just tap on with your bank card on entry and that’s it. The NYC ferry is also great fun.

If you are staying a while, it might be worth considering buying one of the multi-visit cards to access the sights and viewpoints. I would recommend the viewpoints at night. Also check out free opening times, ie. the 911 memorial museum is free on Monday evening, but you have to book from 7 am that morning online.