New York City Part 1
Friday 26th December
Flew out on boxing day - we arrived at the airport about 2 hours before our flight departed. Had to wait in a line for 10 minutes to check in, then 20 minutes to drop our bags off at the x-ray machine, then joined a line to get to the escalator which took us upstairs to the line to security. Waited in that line until they called us to go through with 1 hour before our flight was due to depart. Flights board 30min before departure here.
Waited for a while at Chicago. Flew into LaGuadia airport. Caught the bus to the subway, and then the subway to our apartment. At the apartment we met the rental agent who let us in and showed us around (which wasn't much). The apartment was lovely - very small, but beautifully furnished and decorated - paintings on the wall, sculpture, nice and warm. Owner had done a great job - it was her home and really felt like home, if only for a week. Ate freeze-dried pasta for dinner.
Saturday 27th December
Caught the subway to Times Square. Visited the visitor centre, and asked about New Years - the reply was "Don't come to Times Square". Confirmed the time for a concert on New Years eve. There were people everywhere. It's a glass and concrete jungle, covered in billboards - electronic and paper. Passed a US Defence recruitment office, which looked nearly out of place. Discovered that 42nd Street and Broadway intersect in Times Square.
Took the subway to the Staten Island ferry - a free ferry for passengers (currently no cars) for which there was a huge crowd, and most of them tourists doing what we were doing - going for a free tour out on the water past the Statue of Liberty. Great views of the city and statue. Once at Staten Island we joined the queue for the return journey and once on the ferry discovered that there were few people and unobstructed views at the bow on the car level, but it was windy and cold.
We then walked to Wall Street, took some photos of the street signs and the Stock Exchange. We then headed uptown.
Sunday 28th December
Statue of Liberty - great tour by a National Parks guide. Unable to go inside the statue due to security. Like most things in NY and Washington there was airport like security screening. Over time we got used to what one can get away with i.e. leave watch on, coins and wallet in pockets and just remove backpack and jacket. Some thigs were more sensitive and so we had to be more stringent. Everywhere in Washington had checks, even a food court in the office district.
The Statue of Liberty is quite large, and was quite an engineering challenge just to erect. Its outside is constructed of hundreds of copper sheets, each of which had been shaped on a wooden mould. It is held together with an steel skeleton which was designed by Alexandre Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Ellis Island - immigration centre for all arrivals into the USA. A boat took us (and hundreds of others) from Status of Liberty to Ellis, about 15min trip. We had an adio tour (small handheld gadget with keypad and head phones - type the appropriate number in at each place and listen to stories and actual people who were on Ellis island). It was a huge facility, an island which had been quadrupled in size using landfill. Most of the islands buildings haven't been renovated and are out of bounds to the public, but the main building which was the arrivals centre has been and we spent many hours wnadering the corridors first with a national parks guide and then with the audio tour.
We ate lunch in the cafeteria - we shared a chicken burger and salad, with a chocolate muffin.
A large number of Americans can trace their ancestry back to those who arrrived at Ellis Island, and there were computer lists where one could look up relatives - we skipped that bit :-) We had planned to be on one of the first boats to Liberty in the morning, knowing from Ken that we could spend the whole day looking around Liberty and Ellis Island. However, being Sunday we wanted to go to church and what better place than the Brooklyn Tabernacle for their gospel service.
Brooklyn Tabernacle
On the walls of the entrance were huge paintings (murals?). It looked like it was once a theatre, given the location in Brooklyn city and the auditorium consisting of a main floor and gallery. We sat in the gallery as there were no spare seats and there were a couple of hundred people already in the gallery when we arrived. Fascinated that the bulletin we were given when we arrived did not mention many church activites other than a weekly prayer serrvice and three sunday services, and two New Years Eve services (which were our backup plans for NYE).
We knew we needed to get to Brooklyn at least half an hour before the service (to get a seat at the Tabernacle), and we just made it. We were not prepared for how different a place it would be - we walked through double doors into a glowing entrace hall with suited security people (trying to look inconspicuous) at the door and smiling people to direct us. We could get our parking validated (!!) at a desk in the foyer.
Went to use the restooms and they were all polished like a 5 star hotel. Having come because of the choir (they are world famous, especially for gospel singing, and not to be confused with the Mormon Tabernacle), we were disappointed by their sound - the amplification of them and the band made it all loud and shrill, and there were few times when it was possible to hear the harmonies.
Their conductor was enthusiastic and perspired as he urged them on. There were no words provided or displayed - singing was optional, but standing and clapping was not. At times we were encouraged to join in, and the words were often easy to pick up.
One memorable song at the end was "As long as I have life, I will worship you as long as I have breath, I will sing your praise" - in a style that was more like "contemorary" than "African-American Gospel".
The preacher was a guest, Dr Tony Evans, from Texas, and he was excellent - he spoke for 40min on "Seeking the planner, not the plan", and we were transfixed for the whole time. He used lots of stories to illustrate (and maybe just to take a break from) his message. We both thought the highlight was the message. The worship leader was a bit pushy with the offering, but the preacher had really gone out of his way to say that God provides what we need.
We stopped in Grand Central Station on the way back to the apartment - we had read that there was good food - and it is an amazing place - recently restored. It is all stone. On the ceiling of the main hall there was a laser show. We ate Indian in the downstairs food court, at one of the few places still open.
Flew out on boxing day - we arrived at the airport about 2 hours before our flight departed. Had to wait in a line for 10 minutes to check in, then 20 minutes to drop our bags off at the x-ray machine, then joined a line to get to the escalator which took us upstairs to the line to security. Waited in that line until they called us to go through with 1 hour before our flight was due to depart. Flights board 30min before departure here.
Caught the subway to Times Square. Visited the visitor centre, and asked about New Years - the reply was "Don't come to Times Square". Confirmed the time for a concert on New Years eve. There were people everywhere. It's a glass and concrete jungle, covered in billboards - electronic and paper. Passed a US Defence recruitment office, which looked nearly out of place. Discovered that 42nd Street and Broadway intersect in Times Square.
Italian Sausage wrapped in Pita Bread (fancy, cheap, hot and delicious) and a Knish (a Jewish food made from fried mashed potato which is nice with Mustard). We sat in the sun in Battery Park watching squirrels run around (every park seemed full of them), and then walked around to the Statue of Liberty ticket office to discover that it was tourist season and the next morning would be the time to go for the tour. We also found the sphere from a fountain which had once been in the World Trade Center plaza - it had been and stood as a memorial in Battery Park. It was quite moving to see it as it had been found - with holes and gashes, damaged but still intact. It seemed to convey more emotion than Ground Zero did, which we visited later.
Statue of Liberty - great tour by a National Parks guide. Unable to go inside the statue due to security. Like most things in NY and Washington there was airport like security screening. Over time we got used to what one can get away with i.e. leave watch on, coins and wallet in pockets and just remove backpack and jacket. Some thigs were more sensitive and so we had to be more stringent. Everywhere in Washington had checks, even a food court in the office district. 
