Was it a good idea returning to a holiday destination? Well, for a big city like New York, it was. There were so many things we did on this trip that we had not done 26 years ago, and there are still many places to see.
Changes since our last visit together included the traffic. It was busy previously, but was so much busier this time. The 20 mile road journey between JFK airport and Manhattan was bumper to bumper both ways, and at any time of the day. An estimated 75 minutes is good timing for this trip. We were soon to find out that in the centre of New York sirens and toots sound continuously – day and night.
Just as busy were the pavements. There were tourists in their masses and extra time had to be allowed to get to a destination on foot. Of course, we added to the numbers. Most people appeared to have come to see the Christmas decorations and to shop.
When we mentioned we were going to New York at Christmas, many people asked if our trip was to see the decorations. It was not the intention, but we were then surprised that these were not abundant in Manhattan.
The Rockefeller Centre had its 70ft tree with a reported 45,000 lights and Macy’s had some window ornaments, but there was nothing on the scale of the London’s Regent Street lights. However, there were coach trips out of town to see community displays, which had caught the attention of a UK TV station prior to our trip – one house being the talk of the town with the owner’s 450 bright ornaments.
Despite the noise, traffic and visitor numbers, central Manhattan was an ideal location to catch a show. The theatres were all minutes away. It was also a good time to visit as the sites (particularly museums and galleries) were very low on numbers. We covered a great deal of ground during our few days in New York, but there is still so much more to see. Maybe some day we will return. In the meantime, we wish you an enjoyable 2020 and shall leave you in good US tradition, hoping you too had ‘happy holidays’.
Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2019
Sue and John, Well done! We enjoyed reading your wonderful and unique chronicles. It is very interested for Miriam as she lived in New York and had the seen the Christmas show and lights in Manhattan.
A 2020 with Peace Warmth and Hope. MiriAm and John
So good to hear from you both and we wish you a good 2020 and continuing golf. Have you scrolled back to our Colombia travels a few weeks ago? We thought of Miriam when we were there. I hope it will bring back some good memories. Best wishes.