New York Day 5

I forgot to mention in my previous post that when we were walking past the Crown Plaza last night there were lots of police cars and police in helmets, body armour and with machine guns. We think that they were there for a politician but not sure who as we didn't see them come out.  As the police escort left, one of the two police on motorbikes dropped his bike and had trouble picking it up.  Rather embarrassing for the poor chap.

 Today we walked to Central Park as it is only two blocks from our hotel.  It is so strange to have this beautiful park in the midst of all this traffic and hustle and bustle.  The park is in central Manhatton and is 843 acres of grass, rocky outcroppings and ponds.  There are tennis courts, baseball diamonds, lots of playgrounds, miniature golf and in winter there is an ice skating rink.  There is also a memorial to John Lennon there called Strawberry Fields as the Dakota Building where he was shot is just over the road.  We stopped at a little kiosk just outside the park for a coffee.  Over the road is the Trump World Tower.

We then got on the hop on hop off bus and took the Uptown Route which took us through the upper west side and past the American Museum of Natural History, the Lincoln Centre, the Cathedral of St John the Divine,  and Grant's Tomb.  Then into Harlem past the famous Apollo Theatre where a lot of famous African/American talents were discovered - Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Jackson Five and many more.  We also saw the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum - amazing buildings.  We got off the bus at Central Park South and Fifth Avenue and had lunch at the Food Court (very upmarket) in the Plaza Hotel.

Then we got back on the bus with the intent of doing the Bronx tour but I wasn't feeling well so hopped off and went back to the motel.  I didn't know that Annamaree had been told that it was too late to do the Bronx tour so she caught the bus back to the motel and was concerned that I wasn't there but I had walked the 24 blocks back so it took me a while to do that.  Rested for the rest of the day so that I am right for tomorrow.

Till then
Roz