August 7, 2006 - A brutal wake up call at 5:30 am reminded us that we have to make it to the lobby by 6:30 am to meet our bus. No one should be late, we were told by our tour guide last night - and I didn't want to be the last one back on the bus!
So I got ready in record time (in less than 20 minutes!) and we were back on our bus once again. It was still dark but the sun was slowly starting to come out. As we make our way to New York City, our tour guide gave us some weird facts about New Jersey. I was too tired to pay attention, plus I was distracted by the New York skyline in the distance.
After going through the Lincoln Tunnel, we were in Manhattan! It was like entering a different world - skyscrapers, cars, cabs, buses, garbage were everywhere. Our first stop was the United Nations building, on the east side of the island. We drove past many famous landmarks: Grand Central Station, 5th Avenue, Central Park - but our schedule was so tight that we didn't have time to stop. The UN building was deserted when we got there. We didn't even get to go in: we were given 10 minutes to snap pictures, and then back on the bus we went. Having said that, from what I remember from my previous trips to NYC, the UN building is probably one of the most boring attractions. We did have fun snapping pictures though.
Next we went to Rockefeller Centre - one of the many places in NYC that I haven't been to. We got there just in time for the live weekend broadcast of the Today show, so that was neat (no Matt Lauer though). We walked around the block to Radio City Music Hall, 5th Ave, and the NBC studios. Streets were deserted, there was hardly anyone around - but then again, it is 8 am on a Sunday morning.
The next stop was Times Square - there's nothing like seeing the world's most famous intersection at 8 am on a Sunday morning! like Rockefeller Centre, there was hardly anyone around, all the stores were closed, and the streets were actually fairly clean. I was just so impressed (and distracted) by all the billboards and signs. We decided to walk along 42nd street - and came upon Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. There's just something about the streets of New York - the tall buildings on both sides, the exceptionally beautiful architecture. It's definitely every planner's dream.
We didn't walk too far - we had to make it back to our bus again. We were shipped to the other side of the island (en route passing by 34th street, Empire State building, Wall Street) for our 1 hour cruise along the Hudson River. Since Amy and I have both seen the Statue of Liberty many times, we took the time to relax, chill and enjoy the sights. It was really funny to see all of my fellow travellers fighting for the best spot to take pictures.
The Intrepid Museum was next. The museum features mainly WWII aircrafts on display, which was definitely really neat to check out. Personally though, I think it would have been much neater to visit the American Museum of Natural History or MoMA or the MET.
The Southside Seaport was our lunch stop in NYC - after a quick lunch and more shopping, we were back on the bus en route to see the former World Trade Centre.
We didn't actually go to the viewing pavillion that they built - instead, our tour guide took us across the street where we were given a great view of the construction work that's currently going on a ground zero. I was amazed to see how big the site is. It was hard to imagine that thousands of people died at this site. Construction work for the new Freedom tower has already begun - we could see the foundation being built already.
Half an hour later, we were back on the bus to Atlantic City. So in total, we had only spent 9 hours in NYC.
The Atlantic City part of the trip is the highlight of the whole tour - we were given the entire night to explore the town on our own. We stuck closely to the world famous boardwalk, visited a couple of the casinos, and went into stores that we normally would never go into (I went into Gucci, Louis Vutton, Coach, Burberry, and Tiffany's all wearing shorts and sneakers!). The town has changed a lot since my last visit (back in 1999) - it has definitely gotten a lot more Vegas-like (though still not as showy or flashy). We sat by the beach, had beer and cocktail (and then coffee) and laughed through out the night - like I said before, it doesn't matter where we go, as long as we have fun doing it that's all that matters. That part certainly did not disappoint me.
Tomorrow though, we were told, would be another long day of travelling.
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