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High Line & Central Park
We all thought we’d had a really long sleep this morning and were convinced the clocks were wrong when they said it was only 4.15am!! Three hours sleep for Jon and I!!
We dozed for a little while longer before getting up and heading out. We found a place called Jimmy’s for breakfast. Callum wanted waffles, Jon the breakfast wrap and I decided to enter the spirit of things and go for the pancakes with bacon (and yes, I did have maple syrup!). Portions were huge and the pancakes defeated me!
Penn Street Station was our next stop (when we eventually found it!) as we needed to sort out how we were going to get from New York to Washington (Plane, Train or Bus!). We decided a bit more research was needed as it was clear if we could take our cases on the train.
We had planned a fairly relaxed day so we headed West to walk The High Line. This was a disused elevated freight railway line that had been converted into a park. It runs from 30th Street down to 10th Street-ish. They are currently working on extending the High Line further North.
The old tracks still run along the High Line in sections but now plants and artwork cover the track. It’s very tranquil … and it saves having to keep waiting for lights at each of the junctions. Buildings rise up either side … and you even walk through some buildings. Plenty of places to sit and relax … and people watch what is happening at street level below. It’s a truly amazing place and whoever thought of this idea is an absolute genius.
We dropped down onto 14th Street and went in search of Chelsea Market. Callum was a little disappointed that it had nothing to do with football, but cheered up when he realised wall-to-wall food was on offer.
The Market was the old Nabisco factory in the Meat Packing District but now it was the hub of activity with specialist food shops – wine shops, nut shops, herbs & spices … you name it, you could find it!
Lunchtime and we’d read about The Lobster Place in the guidebooks. This was more than just a fish shop. There was more shellfish in one place that we’d ever seen. Every type of fish for sale, smoked salmon with all sorts of coatings, sandwiches … and what we’d come in search of, the Lobster Rolls.
Callum and Jon both went for Lobster Rolls, whilst I went for the sliders. Mini Rolls, one filled with Lobster, another with Shrimp and the last one, crab cakes. Thumbs up from us all! Loads of people were opting for whole lobster … and am sure, given half the chance, Callum would have been happy to break into one!
From here, we braved the subway … and think we have it sussed. We headed uptown towards Central Park and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around here. We somehow missed Strawberry Fields and the Zoo, but it was really peaceful wandering around. Lots of people cycling around and others taking tuk-tuks or a horse and carriage ride around. We were expecting the park to be flat like the rest of Manhattan but it was quite hilly in places – lots of rocks sticking out of the crowd for the kids (big as well as little) to climb and explore.
After Central Park, it was time to head back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel only to find all the staff outside – they’d been nominated to do The Ice Bucket Challenge – a craze taking off over here with celebs tipping a bucket of iced water over their heads. As they were on duty, shower caps were donned, but about 15 staff took part.
The hotel has a very small bar in the lobby and Callum discovered they had complimentary cookies and pink lemonade on offer, which he tested out. A surprise for Callum – a magician was on duty so he was kept entertained whilst Jon and I had a beer and glass of wine!
Decisions on where to eat – there are a couple of recommended restaurants within 2 minutes walk of our hotel we may try before we leave (including a Korean restaurant!) but we opted to go to Brendan’s across the street – one of many Irish Bars in the vicinity.
From the outside, it was a very understated place, but inside certainly had the wow factor. Very high ceilings with ornate coving and probably the biggest fireplace we’ve ever seen. Easily 15 foot high and as Callum said, a crane would be needed to light the candles on the mantelpiece!
We weren’t overly hungry so Callum had a starter of ribs for his main course, Jon had fillet of sole topped with crab and I had the Cobb Salad with grilled chicken. Yum!! Callum enjoyed his ribs as sauce was all over his face!
Back to the hotel after dinner and eventually to bed. We have an early start in the morning as we’re going to see the Statue of Liberty up close!
