This was my first visit to New York. I walked through the streets of this exciting city crowded with people. I had some places I wanted to visit, but as usual for me being a first time in a city, I walked around to get an impression of the city.
I stayed some time a Ground Zero, walked along Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and Central Park, and visited St. Patricks Cathedral, several department stores, etc..
Unfortunately, there was the opening of the Aztec (?) exhibition in the Guggenheim Museum – one of the places I really wanted to visit – and it was crowded with people. I was told I had to wait at least 30 minutes to get a ticket and another hour before I could enter the museum. So I decided to skip a visit. Being interested in architecture and especially in the masterpiece of Frank Lloyd Wright, this was a pity, but I do not want to be in a museum which was that crowded with people.
Also, it was a pity that MoMA was closed and will be reopened on 20th November 2004, but hey this is a reason to visit NYC again and by this way collect some miles (in the moment I plan the way and when I travel :D ) ….
A visit at the United Nations building was one of the highlights of my time in New York. There was not session scheduled for this weekend and so it was possible to visit the building and the rooms and halls I have seen so many times on TV. Our guide was very good and explained everything very good. To me, it seems, it was not the standard speech one could hear quite often while visiting places like this.
Originally I wanted to return to my hotel at 19:30, but as I passed along Empire State Buidling I decided I should really visit it. There was a long line queuing for the cashiers desk and then further on for the elevators. But as I had a book to read during the three hours wait for getting to the lifts and pass the security check, time rushes quickly.
On my last day in New York, I walk up early. After breakfast in the hotel, I decided to take the ferry to Liberty and further to Ellis Island. The lines again were quite long, but luckily I had not to wait that long before the masses could board the ferry. During the “short cruise” I had a nice view on the skyline of Manhattan. As we reached Liberty I was among the first to leave the boat. I made a really quick visit to this Island, took some photos and was able to board the same ferry I had left 30 minutes earlier just seconds before the ferry continues to Ellis Island.
Ellis Island was very interesting and it was worth to limit the visit at Liberty Island to just thirty minutes and save the time for the visit at Ellis Island.
Returning to Manhattan, I had time for a quick visit to the skyscraper museum before I returned to the hotel and relaxed for an hour, wrote some cards, before the shuttle brought me to the airport.
The security screening one has to pass before entering a building / monument need much time, especially if there are so many tourist. I had never thought about my clothes while visiting a city, but in NYC you have: No metal belt, sport shoes or sneakers, no mobile, no keys, no coins in the pocket, no pocket knife…… I hope (but I doubt it) that this will change, as the new old president is elected now. At I waited for the ferry to Ellis Island, a visitor had to pass the metal detector four times because there was still a beep. This procedure took nearly eight minutes ….To be honest, it is very annoying, if you have to wait such a long time, only to security reasons.