New York, New York!!! We Love NY

WE'RE OFF .... NY AWAITS US ...

It is the set date for the start of our new adventure. We will leave as always from Milan Malpensa after having celebrated Christmas with our respective families, Selene in Calabria and Luca in San Benedetto del Tronto, now for us begins the week traveling around the world! What will the destination be?.....but of course New York! So much time can't pass...New York City is so fantastic especially during the Christmas period that by now we've almost become attached to it... The flight booked in October 2009 will be a bit long...we'll have 2 stopovers, Frankfurt and Boston, but to spend € 482.00 during a period of huge demand we're willing to add a few extra hours. We arrive in New York La Guardia with one small big problem!!!! Our suitcases are missing! After the Lost and Found procedures, devastated by both tiredness and nerves, we take a taxi and head to the hotel.

The hotel is a pleasant surprise, located in the Long Island area it's a practically brand-new Holiday Inn, very cozy, clean but above all with a breathtaking view.. the New York skyline with the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building dominating... all this by booking a room from the 7th floor up... We eat a little something at the hotel, a hot shower and straight under the covers, we need to recharge!!

December 30, 2009 Today in NY the sun is shining, even though the temperatures, as expected, were well below zero, we set off for our tour in the heart of Manhattan. The hotel in fact is not only nice and cozy but also super convenient. It is in fact located a 1-minute walk from the "39 St" subway stop on the yellow line, with 6 stops (about 10/15 minutes) you get off at the Times Square stop...fantastic! First important thing in NY is to buy the 24-hour metrocard for $8.25, it can be used to get around by subway and on the enabled buses. Armed, as always, with our meticulously prepared guidebooks, we decide to get off at the "23St" stop on the yellow line. Being our 2nd time in the Big Apple we decided to do everything we hadn't done on our previous appearance in New York in December 2007.

No sooner said than done, the first photos of our trip are taken at the Flatiron Building which holds a record that can never be beaten, that of being the first skyscraper in New York City, called Flatiron precisely because of its very particular triangular shape that resembles an iron. We continue on foot until we reach 34St. Where are we? Well, just look up where there is his majesty the Empire State Building. Symbol of the original profile of New York City, it has the particularity of having been built in "only" 410 days. 449 meters tall including the antenna, it is, unfortunately since September 11, 2001, the tallest building in the city. The advice is to arrive very early otherwise you might find endless lines.

We strongly advise against getting the City Pass because you can't skip anything, since even though we had the card we stood in the regular line together with the other tourists, not only that, we also had to go to the ticket office, and those who didn't have it paid $12 to enter, while in our case you had to validate the ticket via the barcode...so what was the point? Non-existent. Fortunately the organization is excellent and in less than an hour we're already in the elevator that makes us take off upwards. My goodness what a splendor! You can see all of New York! From north to south, from east to west.

Even though there's an icy wind it was truly worth it! The camera almost melted from all the photos taken! One last thing that we strongly advise against is also doing the observatory located right at the very top of the skyscraper...either you decide to do the classic observation point of the Empire, or you go directly up to the observatory, we are definitely for the classic observation point both because you don't pay the surcharge, which instead applies to go up to the 102nd floor, and because it's all outdoors (in the observatory you're indoors). We take the subway again and head toward Ground Zero. We get off at the "World Trade Center" stop on the blue line and head to the Century21 store. Unfortunately the suitcases haven't arrived yet and so we have to buy at least some essentials; Century21 is one of the most recommended places to shop.

At our departure the exchange rate was 1€ - 1.43$. We have lunch at the Majestic pizzeria, a very small place located 50m from Century21 where the pizza is very good and it really feels like being at home... not by chance is Angelo the owner Italian, from Pescara, in NY for a good 40 years. We continue always on the blue subway line and get off at "High St", turn right and voilà the Brooklyn Bridge. Impossible to resist the temptation to cross it on foot at least once in your life. There is a dedicated lane for pedestrians so you can do it in complete tranquility... 1.8 km to cover in about 20/30 minutes. On arrival in Manhattan the sun begins to peek out and a splendid sunset enchants NY! We return to the hotel, a nice regenerating shower and off...

again by subway heading to Bleeker Street in the heart of Greenwich Village where we find a small Spanish restaurant where we eat a very tasty paella served of course with excellent sangria. We decide to pass by Times Square. The preparations for New Year's Eve are underway. After all, Times Square especially at night, full of a thousand colors and a thousand lights, always has its charm. There are no words to describe the emotion that envelops us... even though it's not the first time, we remain enchanted by the lights and sounds that surround us night and day... good night New York

New Year's Eve! What good news, the phone rings in the room!! Our suitcases have arrived! But the surprises aren't over... we open the curtains of the room...New York presents itself before our eyes under a beautiful and fresh white snow! The cold is biting but we decide to take a stroll along the famous Fifth Avenue "5Av" orange line, our first goal was to enter Abercrombie and Fitch right in front of Louis Vitton but the line was endless, so under heavy snowfall, after a few photos in front of Central Park we decide to enter Macy's "34St" yellow line the same stop valid for the Empire State Building. A mega shopping center for shopping lovers is almost considered a tourist attraction... inside you can lose your head and your time... it's huge and a day inside wouldn't be enough to go all around it...

be careful not to forget your credit card!! because there are so many offers!!! With the dollar so convenient it makes you want to buy anything. We return to the hotel, drop off the shopping and after a shower, around 9 pm, we decide to go out. The arrival of the new year is now at the doorstep and without a precise destination we wander in search of a place where we can eat something and toast to the new year. Times Square, the heart of the world, is by now closed and sealed off from 4:00 in the afternoon, walking between Grand Central Station and the Chrysler Building "Grand Central 42 St" green line, we enter a very nice place, Brasserie44. The place is fantastic, dim lights, live music and a very chic atmosphere...what more could you ask for? we eat something and at midnight the celebrations for the arrival of 2010 begin! As we already knew in NY there are no fireworks...

there are so many people on the street you can't even walk, but around 2:00 we return to the hotel exhausted...the first day of the year in New York awaits us.

Happy new year!!!!!!!

January 1, 2010 After a sunny day, another one with snow, this last day gives us partly cloudy weather...we get up early with the goal of entering Abercrombie and Fitch. The line today too is endless if it weren't that the doors still had to open, so as soon as 11 o'clock strikes and the doors open we manage to enter with the first wave! Fantastic, house music at full volume, male and female models in every corner of the store, here too after a good hour we come out loaded with bags and head to the very nearby Central Park. It's incredible to think that in the city where skyscrapers reign there can be a green space, where you can admire squirrels, small lakes (frozen at this time of year) and about 500,000 trees. The park is truly an escape from the smog and the stress of New York life, you can find fields for any sport, you can meet people jogging and doing yoga...

before our eyes a splendid panorama Wollman Rink Ice Skating, Selene can't resist the temptation to be able to skate on a well-equipped frozen lake. A few minutes to rent the skates and she's immediately inside, Luca of course stays outside, partly because he doesn't love skating, partly because someone was needed to fully capture this truly unforgettable moment. After this beautiful interlude, we return to the hotel to leave the purchases, but we immediately set off again heading to State Island "South Ferry" red line. This way we'll be able to observe the Statue of Liberty, the Downtown skyline, and Ellis Island just in passing. Boarding happens very quickly and moreover the crossing is completely free. An icy wind blows over the bay, but it's worth it...

we pass not far from the Statue of Liberty, which rises 93 meters on Liberty Island where an 18th-century fortress was previously located. Forever the symbol of the Big Apple and of the American dream for many immigrants to the United States, since 1886 it has welcomed every vessel arriving in the port of New York. The Statue of Liberty is nicknamed "Miss Liberty!" by Americans and depicts the Goddess of Liberty and symbolizes the victory over slavery. With one hand she raises the torch of liberty, clad in gold, and with the other she holds up the American Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776. The Statue of Liberty was made by the sculptor Frederic Bartholdi on a steel framework designed by Gustave Eiffel. It is entirely covered in copper and houses inside a museum dedicated to its history. From the top of the crown tourists can admire a splendid panorama of the Upper Bay.

Next time we visit NY we hope to have more time and visit the statue inside! We are really cold, our hands completely frozen, we can no longer hold the camera in our hands, it's time to return to the Hotel, so we take the subway from MidTown and get off at "23St" yellow line at the Flatiron Building. With our backs to the "iron", we continue straight along Fifth Avenue. Suddenly on our left we notice a building with 230 Fifth Avenue written on it... found it!!!!! The place takes its name from the street number and has a splendid terrace from which you can admire one of the most famous skyscrapers in the world. We try to enter and go up to the 20th floor... They welcome us with a very sweet welcome and have us admire the view from the splendid terrace, we are just a few steps from the Empire State Building.

Given the biting cold, people who decide to sip a drink outdoors directly overlooking NY can wear a huge and very warm bright red fleece bathrobe in which you can wrap yourself to be at least a little sheltered!! Everything is indescribable, we sipped a drink on the 20th floor with a view of the illuminated Empire State Building and Chrysler Building...speechless. Before returning to the hotel, we pass by the Rockefeller Center perhaps the symbolic place of the New York Christmas with its immense Christmas tree lit by thousands of colored lights and the famous ice-skating rink below...truly a surreal atmosphere...like a movie. We cross NY on foot, we pass in front of Radio City Music Hall with its lights, the music, the horns and the steam coming out of the famous NY manholes, we remain enchanted... we arrive all the way to Times Square but our time in NY is coming to an end...

but someone reminded us that in NY anything can happen... we return to the hotel under the snow...everything is magical!

In the morning with a bit of melancholy we pack our bags and after leaving the hotel we head to JFK airport. Imagine, 30 minutes by hired car with driver, booked directly from the hotel, given the heavy snowfall of the previous evening, $40. Super Honest.. Bye Bye New York...