New York City - Day 1

Often called the greatest city in the world, New York City is both romantic and exhilarating!  We arrived mid-day to rain and wind, the story of most of our trip.  Thankfully the weather improved by 6:00 PM when we journeyed out for an after-dark "City Lights" tour.

Our ship was docked in lower Manhattan.  After a short coach ride to Brooklyn (even short in NYC takes a long time),  we had a fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline.  The tall building on the right is One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the western hemisphere standing 1776 feet high.  The small finger of light above Jan's head is the Statue of Liberty.

Spanning the East River are four bridges, two are seen here.  In the foreground is the Brooklyn Bridge completed in 1883.  It is one of the oldest vehicle bridges in the USA.  Behind is the Manhattan Bridge completed in 1909.  Both connect the islands of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Traveling back to Lower Manhattan, we marveled at the glowing lights of the city from the 86th floor of the iconic Empire State Building, New York's 2nd tallest building.

One World Trade Center is the tall building in the upper right of the photo.

Next stop was Time Square.  At 10:30 PM the street was filled with people.  Stores are open until 1:00 AM and taverns even later.  The bright, digital signage reminded us of Las Vegas. 

This was a Wednesday night crowd.  Imagine what it must be like on a holiday like New Year's Eve.

Lot's of street vendors supply food and beverages  for the crowd.  We had been warned that unless we had a cast iron stomach, don't eat the street food!

Everyone stops for a selfie to memorialize their visit here! 

"Maybe this is a better angle."