So we have spent three full days in New York, and could have stayed longer...We saw lots, walked lots and we both really love NY.  We took the ferry from our campsite to Pier 11 in Manhattan and wandered through the  Financial District.  The feel of walking amongst such tall buildings was strange...

The scurry of  New Yorkers going off to work mingled with the tourists trying to get the vibe of the city....very noisy and fast paced.

Decided to take the Double-decker tour bus where you can hop-on-hop-off as many times as you like over two days. Great way to see the city without the hassle of driving.

The highlight of the day was taking the elevator to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, George was in awe, I was terrified...

I could barely make it to the side and take this picture looking down...we were so high and could see forever....what an absolutely massive city

I was very happy to get my feet back on solid ground..This is a picture of the Empire State Building from street level

Now everywhere you looked in NY there was either road construction or total building restoration, 20, 30 or 40 story buildings with scaffolding and signs of construction everywhere.  I don't think there was a single street that did not have something going on...

We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge along with a mob of other tourists, locals riding their bikes or walking home from work....

and on the bridge we saw a really unique way of making your mark.....the common lock..

Or if you wish to profess your love for someone or mark a very special day, this is how you do it...

And we also noticed that if you did not use a lock like this on your bike....(and it didn't need to be a really expensive bike, most of them we would not even give a second look at but to the bicycle courier, these are worth their weight in gold)...

But sometimes, even if you used a giant lock, in some areas of Chinatown, you were at the mercy of the night and whoever needed bicycle parts....

We saw some amazing Churches, far too many to take pictures of them all.   The most amazing was the Cathedral Church of St. John The Divine...I don't feel the pictures can really show how  breathtaking this church was, it was spectacular!!!

And for all you dog lovers...

The 9-11 Memorial was, a time to reflect, a time to remember and a time to marvel at how the Americans can embrace something so horrific and create a place of remembrance and a place to carry on...against all odds...

It was....surreal to imagine such a thing could happen...They created two separate fountains, with the names of all the lives lost, and are in the process of creating a museum which will open sometime next year.  A tree that was salvaged from the original site, moved and  nursed back to health, only to be uprooted again in a storm, but still alive, and has now been returned to its rightful place in the memorial garden....It's a symbol of the American Spirit and how they can endure such devastation and still be able to stand tall and strong and rebuild....And they do, life goes on...busy...busy ....busy

And in the midst of all this craziness....it's just a typical day in the life of a New York family...

And who could visit New York without seeing the Statue of Liberty. We took a boat tour around New York and over to the Statue of Liberty.  It was a beautiful day on the water...

And of course while in New York you must do the subway.....We rode the subway a few times, not sure we would like to do this everyday...hot, busy....

We also saw the home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono and of course the spot in which his life ended...

 And across the street in Central Park we have Strawberry Fields....a popular place for reflection...

And what would New York be without the "Boot"...... Parking Wars here we come...

There are also so many Security Guards and Police, it's absolutely crazy...but this guy isn't taking his job too seriously...could be because his office looks like an outhouse!!!

And now I know why when a place is busy we say "this place is like Grand Central Station", because  there was a lot going on there....

But my absolute favourite place in New York...

The pond in Central Park where the kids can spend the afternoon with their sailboats...Someone asked me what I really wanted to see in New York and oddly enough....it was just this...the innocence of a young child spending a sunny afternoon sailing his boat, unaware of the hectic world around him...just him and his boat....I could have spent hours and hours here just watching the boats...

But nothing was more breathtaking than the sunset over New York....

Except maybe the New York skyline at night....we had to literally drag ourselves away from the view and say "goodbye" to our stay in New York....we will be back...