NYC + Trip End

On Saturday September 3rd our time in America came to a close.  But not before we crammed a quick visit to NYC!  

Our flight back to Edinburgh was via Newark airport with an inevitable layover so we decided to make that layover as long as possible and travel into New York City for a few hours between our flights.  It was a little bit of a hassle getting to and fro but with some good advice from our friends Rebecca and Scotty we managed to use cheap local transit options and it was totally worth it!  

Our train from Newark deposited us at the World Trade Center where we were able to see the progress made on the Freedom tower.  

We couldn't visit the memorial site because it was not yet open to the public so we moved on and took the metro to midtown to see our favourite collection of highrises: the Rockerfeller Centre.

We came to NYC over New Year on our honeymoon in 2007 so it was really fun to see the square without the Christmas tree and ice rink but still bustling with an outdoor restaurant and loads of tourists.  We had wanted to be creative about where we ate but quickly got overwhelmed with the options and our limited time and decided to eat a restaurant we had been to in 2007.  We did not regret our choice, especially not the cheesecake part!

Next, we ventured across town to see the Highline.  Being big city buffs we had heard about this innovative park which has been created on a defunct raised railway line and we wanted to see it for ourselves.  

Our view as we approached the park:

Going up the stairs...

When we got to the top it was as though we had entered another world.  Up above the noisy cars and cluttered sidewalks we were now surrounded by greenery, grassy areas for relaxing and happy people out for a late afternoon stroll.

Despite the change in pace it wasn't hard to remember where you were when a vista like this popped into view!

Empire State Building

Love these modern bird apartments.

Notice that the railway tracks are incorporated into the paths.  This part was a totally green oasis.

Graham rocking the carry-on amidst the crowds.

The park was full of all sorts of different seating areas.  Loved this huge curved bench.

Railway inspired landscaping.

At the end of the park a fence blocks pedestrians from venturing onto this still disused section.  Hopefully they extend it one day!

A pop-up skating rink and shops.  

After our stroll along the Highline we walked to Penn Station to catch our train back to the airport for our evening flight back to Edinburgh.  Across from the station is the postal service building, with their motto engraved at the top.  Of course, I loved this because it reminded me of Newman in Seinfeld.

And that's it!  Two months away from home, in cities big and small, by car, by train, and a hundred other ways,  amazing museums, friendly people, different churches, different languages. Such a crazy crazy summer and we are so thankful that we had the opportunity to enjoy it. 


Thanks everyone for reading along over the past few months, I have been surprised at how much I enjoyed chronicling parts our adventures and sharing them with you all as they happened.  Since we returned we have been working working working, but it is great to be back home and to get back into our usual routines.  We love to travel but regular life is pretty great too!