The following day we wanted to visit Ellis Island so we walked through lower Manhattan to Battery Park where we boarded a boat to the island via the Statue of Liberty. Ellis island was the gateway for all the immigrants that entered the USA from 1892 till it closed in 1954; by then some 12 million people had passed through its gates. Ellis Island was well worth the visit, an impressive place.

By the time we got back to dry land it was past midday and we still wanted to walk the High Line which is a disused elevated section of railway line converted into a park. It was much shorter than we expected so didn't take much time. Next stop was the Meat Packing District along the Hudson River. We popped into a tiny cafe, too trendy for its own good. So small it felt like we were sitting on each other's laps, another cup of coffee downed. Hotel bound.

Day 4, our last in the city that never sleeps. This was to be a mix of sightseeing and shopping. Times Square appeared in front of us, free of traffic, tables and chairs scattered all over the place. To be quite honest, I wasn't all that impressed; it was just a lot of flashing lights and not much else. Next we decided to walk down 5th Avenue looking in the shops on the way. I’d heard so many people say how great the shopping is in New York but, to be honest, I think London is much better, far more choice and much more on trend. 
We decided about half way down 5th to get the subway to Wall Street. Luckily enough, being the weekend it was quiet but worth a look. Our next port of call and the most poignant was the massive gap that was left after the Twin Towers fell. Photos as a reminder of the devastation in the aftermath. It must have been horrendous. One odd thing, a catholic church within spitting distance of the towers survived unscathed: St. Paul’s Chapel. It was a place of rest and refuge for recovery workers at the WTC site.
Back to the hotel to pack and a last few glimpses of New York as the taxi takes us back to JFK for our flight home.

Day 2 kicked off quite early well for us, we had breakfast in the hotel, nothing to write home about really. Tea or coffee, bagels and that was about it, so we are off. We wanted to fit a good few things in today so we might have to the use the subway a few times. First stop Grand Central station via the subway. This place is massive, especially the main hall is huge, it felt like a city within a city. There are restaurants and shops on different levels and it seemed that lots of people used the station but without any intention of travelling.  

Next we walked to the Empire State Building and joined a long queue for the lifts to take you to all the way to the top; I guess we waited for at least half an hour before ascending to the viewing deck. Well, what a view. The Statue of Liberty in the distance, Central Park and looking down on ants busying their day away. 
There was an option of going higher for a couple of dollars more which I chose to do and I'm glad I did. I got chatting to a guide, a nice lady originally from Ireland. She pointed out various landmarks and recalled how nice it used to be to see Concorde fly into the city. 
But the biggest story of course was 9/11, still quite raw she said that they must rebuild; if not higher than the Twin Towers to show that they will not be beaten. By now, a whole group had gathered around, asking what is this what is that, I could have stayed much longer but my partner was down on the lower level and isn't that keen on heights, so time to go.

Our next stop was to be the famous Chelsea Hotel but before that some refreshment in Starbucks (our first one) in the form of coffee and a slice of lemon cake. We arrived at the Chelsea and looked around the lobby. An odd place but with a huge past. The likes of Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, Iggy Pop, to name a few had stayed there over the years. 

Our next pit stop was the MOMA in midtown Manhattan. You make a donation as an entry fee as much or as little as you like. After about one and a half hours of wandering around we found a nice roof terrace with a wonderful view over Central Park. Time for drinks. 
We walked through the park to the boating lake and then on to the Bethesda fountain. By then the sun was almost over the yardarm so time to head back to Greenwich village for some light refreshments. A couple of glasses of white wine in hand we looked at all the photos we had taken that day. Dinner that evening was a mix of bar restaurant with people drinking planks of beer. We stuck to wine. I opted for the burger and chips, my partner had a pizza. Day 2 done and dusted.

We got a taxi from JFK to our hotel, the Washington Square hotel in Greenwich village. Checked in and off we went to our room. First few things we noticed was that the room was quite small and had no outside window. Oh well, we wouldn't be in it that much anyway. Due to the time difference we had left London early afternoon and arrived late morning in New York, so we decided to get a few hours sleep, as it would be a long day. 
After a good few hours of sleep we were ready to explore, so we turned left out of the hotel and headed to Washington Square Park. There was an arch similar to Marble Arch in London and just behind it the beginning or the end of 5th Avenue. Famous, though I couldn't see why. 
One thing that became obvious was that you are never out of eyesight of a Starbucks coffee shop, there must be hundreds in this city - in fact there are 212 on Manhattan.
We wandered up 5th, as it shall now be called, and we caught our first sight of the Empire State Building, looming that bit higher than all the rest; with the sun shining on it it did look quite impressive, even if I say so myself. Marching on and up 5th we come across the Flat Iron building and it's obvious why it's so called.

Time for some late lunch so we hopped in a taxi and headed to Katz Delicatessen on the Lower East Side, famous from the film ‘When Harry met Sally’. It was a great café full of atmosphere. Of course we ordered two rhy sandwiches with pastrami; when they arrived we realised one sandwich would have been enough. 
We walked back to the hotel, you see much more walking than you do in taxis or on the subway. This was a good idea to work off some of this monster sandwich, but by the time we got back to Washington Square Park I still hadn't finished mine so we sat down for a while, it was too much for me. We decided to wander around Greenwich Village which was right on our doorstep. What is nice about the village is that it's low rise. I much preferred this area, full of bars and restaurants falling out onto the street. I knew I would like it.
We opted for a carafe of wine in a Greek restaurant with seats outside; a bit of sun and shade suited us both fine. We polished off the carafe and, by the way, the sun was well and truly over the yardarm. We headed of in search of a restaurant for dinner. One thing became very apparent: New Yorkers eat early, restaurants were already full and it was barely 6pm. By the time we were ready to eat the rush would definitely be over. We both fancied something typically American, to eat something like a burger or a New York strip (a steak) so this one should be easy. It was choice after choice. This one a typical diner but not quite it, that one a bit too sleek. We passed lots on our way back to the hotel to change for the evening’s entertainment and knew it wouldn't be a problem other than making a choice. 
At about 7.30 pm we hit the streets again but first off a nice chilled glass of white wine in Greenwich Village. It was beginning to get dark by now, the sun hiding behind the buildings.  It was about 8pm and the restaurants were much quieter than earlier so we wouldn't have a problem where ever we went. We chose a very trendy though on the inside very dark place; so dark I had to read the menu by using a candle that was on the table. We both chose the New York strip and we were not disappointed.   
Dinner over it was time for a bar, by the time we were installed and took our first sip we noticed that most others had been there for hours and were very merry but to us it was still so early. A cultural difference. 
We ordered a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and settled in to watch the antics of the drunk New Yorkers. Well, it was like a chimps tea party; suits and ties when they arrived but by now a raucous rugby team. By 11pm things started to thin out; staggering in stilettos they headed for the door (and that was only the men). We were getting tired by now. After all it had been a long day so we finished our wine and walked back to the hotel, day one a success.