A New York Xmas Story Continued ...

[hkskyline]

Xmas in New York

Since I have been to New York many times before, my aim for this trip was to sweep the places I've never been to and explore some urban neighborhoods. I randomly picked a few streets around Lower Manhattan and just started walking, not caring where I'd end up and trying to find some architecture to photograph. There was plenty.

The New York Stock Exchange was decorated with the American flag once again ...

... and a Christmas tree!

While the NYPD's presence was prominent, there was a more polite reminder of the heightened security measures in place.

It was quite a warm day in New York. There was no snow on the ground, and the birds were out eating their breakfast. I decided to skip breakfast so I could sleep a few extra minutes. By now I was very hungry. Where was that pretzel wagon?

Even though it's free, I have never gotten on the Staten Island ferry before. I gave it a try. No more Circle Line for a third time.

It was a windy morning. When I got off at Ground Zero, it was cloudy, but by the time I got onto the ferry half an hour later, the skies have cleared out almost completely.

The Whitehall terminal is new. Did the ships use the old one off to the right before?

7 WTC is visible from this angle. It was very windy, which made it feel very cold. I didn't last very long in the outdoor observation area.

I thought Newark and Jersey City were connected somehow, not realizing that the two skylines are quite far apart. Here's Jersey City. It was a good 15 minute ride on PATH from Newark Penn to Exchange Place!

Lovely bridges

Goodbye Manhattan! What a lovely vantage point.

Since 9/11, I've noticed that New Yorkers have gotten a lot more courteous and friendly. The Staten Island ferry agent politely asked us to leave the boat because it was going out of service, and told us how to get onto the next ferry back to Manhattan. It wasn't the first time we got a friendly greeting in the Big Apple. Back a few nights before when we were in Newark Airport, their airport people gave me a full explanation on how to get to PATH and Manhattan by a cheaper New Jersey transit bus instead of taking Amtrak. I was quite impressed. These little things made my trip so much more enjoyable.

Now ... continuing the tour of Lower Manhattan :

Bowling Green is a very nice park within walking distance of the waterfront. It is also bounded by several major landmarks, such as Custom House :

... and a symbol of the stock market :

And that's when I spotted a Trans Enviro double decker posing as a tourist coach!

My next stop will be Union Square as I head further north on my Manhattan day tour. Stay tuned!

I have more photos at my newly-updated New York Gallery at : http://www.geocities.com/asiaglobe/gallery/newyork.htm

Previous thread : A New York Xmas Story

[Mith242]

Once again some great pics. A very nice photo tour. I look forward to seeing what's next.

[ZachariahDaMan]

More awesome pics!

[Urban_Legend]

I love your photo threads! Thanks for sharing!