Travelling America: New York City Part 2

Started Day 2 in NYC with a pleasant stroll in Central Park, the huge green lung in the middle of Manhattan. It's a fantastic decision to gazette this green space in the middle of NYC. I am sure it provided a much getaway for the stressful city life. 

Check out NYC Part 1 in:

https://weesertan.blogspot.com/2019/05/traveling-america-new-york-city-part-1.html

Ice-skating in the midst of sky-scrappers

It's always to gazette land as nature reserve

Actually played a game of chess at the Chess Room with an elderly man. He looked really lonely and was waiting for a next challenger. Needless to say, I was well-beaten, having last touch chess maybe a decade ago.

Apparently, NYC has the biggest Chinatown outside China. It was indeed a happening and bustling part of town.

Staircase are located outside of the building - So you can't go upstairs if it's raining?

Chinese chess played everywhere in every Chinatown in the US

Everyone's favourite

Craving for some more familiar food, we searched high and low for something more comforting, rather than burgers, fries, pizzas and sandwiches.

Always a safe bet

Chinatown NYC is just beside 'Little Italy'. Nothing much in 'Little Italy' though.

After lunch, a quick head to downtown saw us reach 5th Avenue, famous for the high-rise and shopping malls. We should pay the most powerful man (may not be the most popular) on earth some homage. Everyone knows who the current President is. We checked out his 'nest'.

Traveling America: New York City Part 1

Before we start, I feel the urge to explain the difference between New York and New York City (NYC). New York is a state, with a land area of 141,000 km square, or basically 4 times the land area of Malaysia (that includes Peninsular and Borneo if you are going to ask), at 330,000 km square. Albany is the capital of New York State, while NYC is the biggest city in New York state (and the whole world I believe). 'New' York, is basically named after the English Roman town of York. 

From Boston, I took the Amtrak train to New York City. A 1-way ticket cost around $49, while a bus ticket will cost half the price. It depends on what you like. I was able to do some work on the train, with free Wi-fi and proper table/chair. 

We stayed in a Airbnb in Queens, Long Island. The NYC Subway was convenient, and runs for 24 hours, so it was a good choice staying away from Manhattan. NYC was actually founded by the Dutch, and was initially named 'New Netherlands', before being transferred to the English, and renamed New York.

5th Avenue

The first stops in NYC, on a good spring day, would be the Statue of Liberty. Do go early to beat the queue. From Battery Park (southern tip of Manhattan), you could take a ferry to Liberty Island.

Probably the most well-known statue on earth

The Statue of Liberty was a present from the French to the US, in celebrating the abolition of slavery and the victory of the Union in the Civil War (or some would argue, to celebrate more than a century of independence from the British).

The Statue would welcome migrants arriving in America from Europe

Liberty wasn't 'green' to start with, but after years of oxidation of bronze, she became 'green'