The South Riding RV Travels

733

12th October 2012- New York City - Views from Empire State Building

We went to the Empire State Building after managing to get there through the dozens of ticket touts. There is a reduced ticket for seniors (I feel ancient!). There is security and endless queues. We even had to walk up the last six flights to the main platform. It is expensive but I think it is worth it.
Of course trying to work out which view is which is not easy. I think here we are looking south east over the East River towards Brooklyn.
So this will be north east towards Queens.
We also looked down. That you can see the people is a function of the quality of the camera. I couldn't see them with the naked eye.
This will be north west looking towards New Jersey north of Hoboken on the left and The Bronx to the right. The crane on this 80 storey partially completed building is destined to become famous.
This is more or less west over the Hudson River to Hoboken in New Jersey.
I think this is west but looking more at Manhattan itself. So this is showing 33rd and 34th streets.
Looking south this could well be Broadway or Fifth Avenue. Avenues go north-south and streets go east-west. Other names may go either way or diagonally. You can see how busy it is.
The main viewing platform is at the 86th floor but there is a smaller one 15 more floors above it for which you pay an additional fee and travel in a different but equally venerable elevator.
There are fewer buildings at these elevated heights. At one time the Empire State was the tallest but not any more. This is looking south towards the World Trade Centre.
Slightly to the west we have the Hudson River with Ellis Island (the former immigration centre) and behind it the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. Just to the right of the picture is where we were camped.
This is the Verrazano Narrows bridge from Brooklyn to Staten Island, named after the Italian explorer who first discovered New York. The central span is 4260ft and in 1964 it was the longest bridge in the world. Now it is the ninth and is surpassed by the Humber Bridge.
Just to remind us we are at the 102nd floor having come up from the 86th.
This is the famous Brooklyn Bridge which connects Brooklyn to Manhattan. There are also tunnels under the East River.
The sun came out which makes the view across the Hudson  to the New Jersey shore much prettier than it really is.
Another view but looking more to the west.
The world famous Macy's store almost directly below us. Actually it's about six blocks away.
You take your life in your hands when you try to cross the road. Despite the rules cars do not always give way and some people drive them way too fast for these conditions.
I haven't quite mastered the panorama shot at this stage but the new zoom is awesome. This is the USS Intrepid, a museum on the Hudson which we visit later.
.Looking more or less north, this is Central Park. Again we visit it later.
This is reputed to be the most photographed building in New York. It is called the Flatiron Building and is on the junction of Fifth Avenue and Broadway a little to the south of us.
Gardens are hard to find in Manhattan but I did spot this one on the top of a building at least 20 floors high.
The round building is Madison Square Gardens. Underneath it is Penn Central Station. They are just to our west.
Sorry about the focus. This is actually on the other side of the Hudson and is probably a main station in Weehauken to the north of Hoboken. As you can see there are at least 30 platforms.
The 102nd floor is quite small and has a much smaller number of visitors. You can't move down on the 86th.
Looking over to Queens in the sunshine...
Trains leaving Penn Central and heading under the Hudson to Jersey City. This is by far the busiest train station in the US, All the east coast Amtrak trains go through here along with many commuter lines.
Can you work out the directions of the panoramas above? This shows the rails necessary to stop folk jumping off at the 86th floor.