Honeymoon on QE2 in 2002

[Peter Mugridge]

We are now on final approach to New York JFK...

[Peter Mugridge]

Well, we have landed - just a few hours after the originally planned QE2 voyage would have docked in Manhattan - and made our way to the hotel in the manner which you will by now have expected.

[Peter Mugridge]

Tonight I will show you some of the impressively decorated interior of the hotel.

[Peter Mugridge]

Well... you can't go to New York and not visit Liberty Island can you?!

There was a big irony here... this, the most potent symbol of freedom in the world, and you have to go through full airport style security in order to visit the island - including belt removal and x-raying.  Oh, and the statue itself was closed for security reasons, so there are no views here from the platform inside the crown.  It's ground level only!

[Peter Mugridge]

If you visit Liberty Island, you also visit Ellis Island - the historic immigration processing centre which is now a museum about, well... unsurprisingly it's all about immigration into the United States.

Once back on Manhattan after that, we walked to the Trinity church to see the world-famous stained glass window and then round to have a look at Wall Street.

[Peter Mugridge]

Yola asked to visit Ground Zero; I don't think she was prepared for the scale of the site.

[Lynda Bradford]

We had been on the Twin Towers in 2000, before they were attacked in 2001. We visited again in 2003 and can relate to what you are saying about the scale of the site and the loss.

[Peter Mugridge]

The next day we went looking round more of New York; just one image tonight but the next post will have at least three images... and it's probably obvious from the third picture here what those three images will all be of...?

We are getting close to the finish of this now; after tonight there are only 30 more images left to show you...

[Peter Mugridge]

...and if you guessed a full panorama of the view from the top of the Empire State, you guessed correctly. 

Here it is:

[Lynda Bradford]

Amazing view from the Empire State Building and it looks like you had a good clear view.

[Peter Mugridge]

Amazing view from the Empire State Building and it looks like you had a good clear view.

Yes, it was a bit misty so not a full horizon view, but still an awful lot of miles and well worth the time to ascend the building.

[Peter Mugridge]

Just before we left the Empire State Building, I spotted this pigeon having a rest right at the top!

We then had a short subway ride to the American Museum of Natural History, as you can see from the leaflets shown here.

[Peter Mugridge]

Now we are inside that museum and here are a few images showing us with some of the exhibits.

[Peter Mugridge]

That evening we ate at an Italian restaurant in New York, but I can't remember which one and as you can see, the receipts are too faint on the scan to read them... I'll have to have a look at the actual album again...

[Peter Mugridge]

Paperwork time again tonight I'm afraid!