It’s known as The Big Apple, Gotham, the city that never sleeps, the capital of the world, the Empire City, Metropolis and many other nicknames but as one of the most dynamic, frenetic, influential and chaotic cities in the world it is a mecca for any traveller passing through these parts.  And here we were, arriving from London after reluctantly leaving Tramp behind for his cruise across the Atlantic, keen to spend a week in the biggest of big smokes, and seeing what all the New York hype is about.

As it happens, I hadn’t been to New York since my university days and Julie had never been here at all.  Since New York isn’t exactly the sort of place Tramp would be comfortable in it seemed only appropriate for us to take advantage of being here while Tramp is still in transit. 

New York is huge and it is also super expensive, not the sort of place our budget would normally handle.  So after a lot of homework we settled on a hotel in Weehawken New Jersey, across the Hudson River from Manhattan, where the costs were slightly lower and transport into the city was relatively easy. 

And it’s from here we launched ourselves the next morning on New York, catching the 158 bus into the city, getting our Yankee SIM cards and landing at the famous Times Square where huge screens on the buildings around the square promoted all sorts of things in dazzling fashion, locals and tourists moving like ants in all directions, the whole scene exactly as we have seen it on TV.  Very cool.

We spent the rest of the day exploring midtown Manhattan, walking it’s busy streets, taking in all the sounds and smells of this wonderful city, the friendly people, the bumper to bumper traffic, the shiny skyscrapers blocking out the sun, everything we could have imagined.  Midtown is packed with cool things to see but the highlight of the day was our trip up to the 86the floor of the Empire State Building. 

The Empire State Building, the self-proclaimed most famous building in the world, was built in 1931 and at that time it was the tallest building in the world. It was – and still is – an architectural and technical marvel of the world, a 102 story Art Deco skyscraper which since it’s completion has featured in more than 250 movies and TV shows.  The Empire State Building is New York.

We made our way through the excellent museum and display centre before catching the lift up to the outdoor observation level on the 86^th floor on a perfect blue-sky day.  The building is of course outstanding and a great treat to see it up close but the views from the top were absolutely spectacular.  In all directions, no matter where you look, views that you can not see anywhere else in the world.  What a treat!

After treading the streets of New York on an unseasonably hot day we staggered back to the bus depot and headed home for a well-deserved quiet night. But the next day we were at it again, into Times Square to stand in the queue to buy last minute discounted Broadway tickets, because Julie said you can’t come to New York without seeing a Broadway show, and then catching the famous grimy New York subway to the southern tip of Manhattan.

From the South Ferry terminal we caught the Statue City Cruises ferry across the water to one of America’s most famous and recognizable landmarks – the Statue of Liberty.  Built on a small island off the tip of Manhattan – Liberty Island – the statue was a gift from the French in the late 19^th century to commemorate America’s independence and democracy.  It’s beautiful shining image overlooking the water and the cityscape all around must be one of the highlights of anyone travelling in the US.

We bought tickets to climb up the 195 steps to the top of the statue’s pedestal which gave us even better views and perspective to this wonderful icon before catching the ferry over to nearby Ellis Island which played a definitive and transformative role in making America what it is today.

From 1890 to 1924 over 12 million immigrants arrived at Ellis Island from countries all over the world – but primarily Europe – to make a better life for themselves and their families.  The facilities at Ellis Island processed these new immigrants, sometimes thousands of people per day, and 98% of them were then released into the community, sometimes to be met by family or friends who had funded or encouraged their trip.  These people, and their uber-millions of descendants, are what makes America such a vibrant cultural and ethnic melting pot that it is today. 

The museum in the main Ellis Island building was one of the finest museums we’ve ever been to, documenting and illustrating not just the island’s purpose and function but also the people that worked there and most importantly, the people who passed through their gates.  Absolutely wonderful.

That night we went to a Broadway musical, not usually my cup of tea, but it was super fantastic, a great experience and despite the outrageously priced discount tickets it was worth it.  And then to see Times Square bopping like never before at 11pm at night was icing on the cake.

The next day we were back in town, first to the Australian Consulate on 42^nd street to vote on the referendum for recognition and the Voice for First Nations people, then down to the massive United Nations headquarters complex on the East River where we passed their extensive security and wandered through their lobby, displays and shops. 

We then met up with our good friends Tony and Jo from Australia who were in New York to meet their first grandchild.  It’s a small world when our paths around the world can cross like this and we had a few Guinness while we celebrated their new arrival, caught up with news and swapped stories. 

Rain came the next day so we turned it into a designated museum day, catching a bus uptown to the fabulous Metropolitan Art Museum, or simply the Met, one of the most famous museums in the world.  The Met’s extraordinary art collection is unsurpassed and even a not-so-arty guy like me had to check it out, especially when it was on the top of Julie’s list.

On top of that there was also a special collection of the best art from two famous French artists – Manet and Degas.  Checking out all their good stuff plus a whole lot of other good stuff was a great way to spend a rainy Saturday morning.

But wait there’s more.  After walking through a portion of soggy Central Park, the trees starting to drop their red and yellow leaves, squirrels scampering about, and ducking into the landmark building Trump Tower for a laugh, we hit the Museum of Modern Art, or MoMa, to see more art stuff, including Van Gogh’s famous Stary Night.  By the end of the day we were totally arted-out, exhausted and ready to have a quiet night back at our hotel. 

Like most visitors to New York, we were totally overwhelmed by the size, complexity, diversity and intensity of this huge city and we still had a few days to see more of it if our stamina would hold out.