A week in New York
- PART 3 -
© Etudiante Vagabonde. Photo: Grand Central Terminal
DAY 6
Chinatown
As I venture this afternoon into Chinatown, the city's Asian neighborhood located in the borough of Manhattan, I feel like I'm crossing a border. That's the advantage of New York: each neighborhood has its own population and its own traditions, so you travel from one universe to another as you wander the streets.
Here, all the traditions come from China: the shop signs are written in Chinese, the markets are typically Asian, and the neighborhood is populated by Chinese-Americans who speak Cantonese and Mandarin in the streets. In the 1870s, this Manhattan neighborhood had only a few hundred Chinese. Since then, their community has continued to grow despite a law that advocated their exclusion.
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Little Italy
I go from Chinatown to Little Italy in a few steps since these two neighborhoods are stuck to each other. I feel like I'm traveling from one continent to another, they are very different universes. As you will have understood, Little Italy is the neighborhood that once welcomed immigrants from Italy. So I come across a lot of Italian restaurants and souvenir shops.
Grand Central Terminal
The station named Grand Central Terminal is the largest railway station in the world with its 44 platforms and 67 tracks. Opened and inaugurated in February 1913, the station has a magnificent entrance hall in which approximately 750,000 travelers rush every day. In the middle of the hall stands a four-faced clock whose value is estimated between 10 and 20 million dollars. A large American flag also decorates one of the walls since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
To get there, take the subway and stop at the subway station at 42nd Street which bears the same name "Grand Central". It is open every day from 5:30 am until 2:00 am.
Bryant Park in the rain
In the heart of the Manhattan borough, in the city's most important business district, there is a beautiful French-style park: Bryant Park. Surrounded by tall skyscrapers, the garden actually reminds me of the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris as I watch the old people sitting on chairs smoking their pipes or reading the newspaper.
The New York Public Library
Adjacent to Bryant Park, the New York Public Library is the second largest library in the United States. It is open to the public, and you can come to study or simply visit its very old-style interior. The rooms of this monument are gigantic with high ceilings, wide staircases and large chic chandeliers that illuminate the halls.
Opening hours:
Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Services :
Free access to WiFi and MS Office
DAY 7
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry Tour
This morning I'm heading to Battery Park in Lower Manhattan to board the ferry to Liberty Island, the island where the Statue of Liberty is located.
Symbolic of New York, this statue marks the entrance to the city and welcomes visitors from all over the world. We therefore moor at Liberty Island first to go around the statue and visit the Statue of Liberty Museum for those who wish.
After this first visit, we get back on the ferry to go to Ellis Island where the Ellis Island Immigration Museum is located. This immigration island was the main entry point for many immigrants at the end of the 19th century. All those who wanted to live the American Dream tried to get to the United States. Upon arrival, the immigrants found themselves in a large hall to be sorted before undergoing a series of medical examinations and questions.
I found the museum tour very engaging. Accompanied by an audio guide, I moved from one room to another with explanations that retraced the day of an immigrant who landed on this island. As the tour progressed, I immersed myself in the places by visualizing in a fairly concrete way the situation experienced by thousands of arrivals in the United States.
Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum
One last activity remains on my list before leaving New York: it is the visit of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. This museum ship located along the Hudson, traces the maritime, aerospace and military history. Even without being passionate about war history, I was fascinated by the collections that are exhibited: an aircraft carrier, a submarine, a space shuttle, a Concorde plane and many planes and drones.
The CV-11 USS Intrepid aircraft carrier on which the museum is located was used during World War II beginning in 1943. After seeing action in the Vietnam War in the 1960s, it was retired and moored at Pier 86 in New York City in 1982 to become the Intrepid Museum.
Latest Burger in New York: Shake Shack
I discovered this fast food here in New York and I was not disappointed! Far from the fast food chains found in Europe, Shake Shack offers the best burgers in town! It also offers hot dogs, fries and milkshakes. So that's where I enjoy a last meal before taking the plane the next day.
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