New York Baby!!!!!!

Excellent restaurant! The best pizza in New York. We decided we wanted to find a great place to eat before we made the walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. Grimaldi's was recommended to us, so we hopped on the subway in search of this gem. We waited about 15 minutes to be seated; however, it would be worth it in the end.

We ended up splitting a pizza between the three of us, which was plenty. You get to choose the toppings, so no matter what your preference is, you will be happy. We ordered eggplant, ricotta, mushrooms, and cheese on the pizza with coke as well. They also have pasta that looks very good. Definitely a must. Plus, it will give you a ton of energy for the walk over the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. Also, the restaurant is very close to the water, so you can take a nice walk by the water to burn off the great meal that you just had.

The Empire State Building… Standing at 1,453 feet, the tallest building in New York (at the time of writing this, until the Freedom Building is finished being built).

One of the main attractions about New York is the Empire State Building. It is located on Fifth Avenue and 34th Street and cannot be missed. It took us about 10 minutes to get up to the top. However, we bought our tickets online and we went early on a weekday.

We visited the Empire State Building on our first day in New York, so it was a great overview of the city. We were able to see all the parts on Manhattan before we explored it. Trying to get pictures up there is more difficult - there are so many people trying to get the perfect shot that you just have to be patient, smile, and enjoy the wonderful views. We explored the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, enjoying the sights and looking around the gift shop.

TIPS:
GO EARLY !
BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE!
ENJOY THE VIEW!

here is the web site:

The grand oasis in a sea of concrete

My first sight of New York City besides the subway was Central Park. After getting off the subway with all my luggage, I spotted the park and all the trees. After dropping off my luggage I grabbed my friend and we started to explore the park.

We walked from 106th Street all the way down to the end of Central Park. There were so many children running around, playing, as there are many playgrounds in the park. We continued to walk, past the reservoir (which is the giant lake you see on TV and in the movies) - it is huge and very beautiful. Great views. Other sights we saw were:

The Great Lawn - great place to play volleyball, soccer, softball etc.
Belvedere Castle - a fairy-tale castle in the park that offers great views of the skyline, the great lawn, turtle pond
Strawberry Fields- beautiful part of the park where you can sit and relax. It is named after the song Strawberry Fields Forever in honor of John Lennon. There is a mosaic tile with one word, Imagine, in the center of black and white tiles. There is also a plaque that lists the countries that endorsed Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace.

Central Park is amazing. We stayed right by the park and walked through it every day. It’s a wonderful place to relax and sit on the grass, go for a jog, play Frisbee, walk your dog or anything that your heart desires.

In a city of chaos and non-stop action, this is the one place that allows the city to stay sane.

Visiting Ground Zero was a very somber experience. I still remember to this day waking up to seeing the second plane fly into the World Trade Center. I could not believe though how big of a tourist attraction it is. It is very sad to see people smiling while taking photos. I was in NYC in June 2004. At this time the site was there; however, starting July 2004 construction began on the new Freedom Tower. There were various memorials there as well as plagues of information, photos, as well as the Heroes of September 11th.

Security is high in the area, as you would imagine. They are still working on constructing the building surrounding Ground Zero; however, the Hilton, which is directly across the street, was repaired and is in service.

Overall I am glad I visited Ground Zero, it was very sad to be there in person. I could not even image what the people of New York have gone through and how hard it must be to see reminders of that every day. It is sad to see people trying to make money off of such a horrific event. Hopefully the new building will bring new life to the downtown area, however still respecting the tragedy that did happen.

The Guggenheim Museum was a must stop on our list of things to see in NYC. Beside the works, inside the building is also an attraction. The building was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and has been a brilliant work of architecture ever since. No photography was allowed beyond the first floor though.

A spiraling rotunda circles over ramp that leads past exhibits. We saw Kandinsky, Klee, Picasso works. When we were there three special exhibits were on display, Speaking with Hands, Constantin Brancusi and the Mondrian to Ryman. It was very beautiful to see all the art work/sculptures, etc.

I am not a real art person; however, I enjoyed the museum. I am glad I went to see the exhibits, as they were very well displayed and the talent of the artists came through. It was $10 US to enter the museum as a student, $15 otherwise. The museum was open Saturday–Wednesday 10 AM–5:45 PM, Friday 10 AM–8 PM. To reach the museum by subway, take the 4, 5, or 6 train to 86th Street. Walk west on 86th Street, turn right at 5th Avenue and proceed north to 88th Street.