Sorry for skipping a week, but E3 was a busy time for me. But E3 is over now, and I can focus on my travel blog again.

Day 3 (downtown and Brooklyn loop)
This will be my second and last day touring with Gray Line. It will be a busy day, because I will take two loops. Well after eating my breakfast, I went with my sister to the bus stop. My sister went to work and I waited for the bus. Because I was earlier than the day before, the wait wasn't as long. The bus stop was at Time Square, so I immediately shot some pictures


Downtown-loop map







The tour guide was kinda bad. It was an Asian man with a thick accent. You could hardly understand the guy. But I did not take a tour to listen to chitter-chat. The tour was so that I could step on and off. Think of it as a big red taxi.

The next sight was the General Post Office or as it is called "James Faley Post Office"

Very nice building don't you think?

But it was time for my first stop, the Empire State Building. Once I went out something strange caught my attention. Most of the people stayed in the bus and never get out. All they do is: sitting there, listening to the guide and taking pictures. What the fuck are they thinking; the best way to experience something is to do it yourself. That's why I take so many stops, to see things for myself. Okay back to the Empire State building.


The Empire State Building as seen from the bus

So I went into the Empire State building and the first thing I notices was the gold red motive. It gave the interior an old school look. The second thing is noticed was the long row. You see they have an airport like system, where you baggage is checked in an X-ray machine. You have to empty you pockets, take of your belt etc. No wonder the rows are so long. After retrieving my stuff I went on my merry way. But near the elevators was another long row. Arggggggg, another wait. While I waited I saw that the hallway was under construction. Wires were hanging from the ceiling and stuff.


See wires and stuff

After a long wait I took the elevator up and was finally on the observation deck. I wanted to take pictures, but people were in the way. Because throwing people of the building is frowned upon in America, I waited until I found a place to take my pictures. After finding a space I placed my camera through the fence and snapped a picture, than I scoured the premise to find another place to take a picture from, the process repeated itself a few times. Throwing people of the building would be so much easier and faster though.


Nice view


Maybe even a nicer view


View into the distance

I tried to snap pictures straight down, by sticking my hand trough the fence and snapping a picture. I tried to see if I could make a vertigo inducing picture. I tried it several times. This is my best attempt.


Shadow of the colossal building


Another vertigo inducing picture


We are looking towards the south. You can clearly see the hole in the skyline where the twin tower used to be.


The Chrysler building


We are looking to the West.


Lego-lized Empire State

The way down was faster than the way up, but it still lasted quite a while. I think it took me two hours to go up, snap a few pictures and go down. So I continued the tour.


Awesome looking skyscraper


The story behind this is funny. The neighbourhood was to be brought and renovated, but the owner of the house in the middle refused to sell his house. That's the reason the house in the middle looks different and rundown.


See, the low hanging sign. Dangerous


Trinity Church

Than it was time to take the Brooklyn loop. Of course I was the only one getting of, all the other pussies where staying put. But who cares? Time to enter the hometown of Super Mario:

Brooklyn-loop map


Here you can see another long hanging sign


We are approaching Manhattan Bridge


We are leaving Manhattan Bridge and entering Brooklyn


Brooklyn city hall


More of Brooklyn


Brooklyn Bridge, my goal in life is to walk it



View of Manhattan from Brooklyn


One of the fanciest neighbourhoods in Brooklyn

So the next stop was in Prospect Park, but there was a tiny problem. I needed to take a piss badly, so I hatched a desperate plan. There in front of me was the Public Library, and we all know that public places have restrooms. So I did the unthinkable and entered a library. Bleergh, I took my leak a walked around.


Evil, evil place


Knowledge is overrated and ignorance is bliss!


They had a photo exhibit on the main hall

I walked around the library a bit and than I got a bite to eat. Took a pretzel, man was that thing salty. Word of advice, do not buy pretzels with salt. The next stop was Prospect Park.


Entrance


Statue near the entrance

So I entered expecting to walk the park in about 15 min. So there I went:

Hey lost woods :P


Or maybe not

So I went under the bridge and I saw

Hyrule field, maybe it's bigger than I thought

Beautiful


Evil squirrel returns!

So I kept walking and walking

What are these antennas, and why there is sound coming from them?


Oh, there is probably going to be concert

Dammit I have to return, the park is huge

Look the Forest Temple

So on my way back I took a slight detour and I saw this

Awesome


Also awesome

I returned to where I started. This is on the opposite side of the entrance to Prospect Park

The soldiers and sailors arch

Inside the arch you have these two things

Lincoln

And on the opposite site

Grant

And behind the arch I found this

Bailey's fountain, a beautiful site

Than I took the bus, but there was no place upstairs, so I had to sit downstairs. I learned that the park I just visited was 2/3rd the size of Central Park. No wonder I could not see everything in 15 minutes.

Prospect Park is made by the same guy who did Central Park. The difference is that Prospect Park was not limited by the grid design of Central Park. This means that Prospect Park still has some of its natural flora, while Central Park is faker than Pamela's tits.
In short Prospect Park > Central Park

The view is not as nice here, but it will have to do


Building

One thing I learned about Brooklyn was that the LA Dodgers used to be the Brooklyn Dodgers. They still feel the loss of "their" team to this very day. There is talk of a new team coming to Brooklyn in the new feature. Many people in Brooklyn still have a soft spot for the dodgers, but enough about baseball. The next stop was the Brooklyn Bridge. I wanted to walk over it, so I did do just that.


Brooklyn Bridge here I come


I can see it


There it is


Pretty big


I am now under it


On the bridge, below is for the cars. The bus did not cross it because the bridge is closed for commercial transportation.


Cars


Look it's the Manhattan Bridge


More of Manhattan Bridge


Governor's Island (the big one) and Liberty Island (to the right of the big one)


The Statue of Liberty


Pier 17, it says so itself

The walk went smooth and before I knew it I was on the other side.

the other side

Nice flowers

Yippee, the awesome building again

Another building

So I the next step was to sit down, drink some water and plan my next step. But before I could do that a girl came up to me and talked about some charity thing. I explained to her that I am no good, because I am tourist. I did not seem to be a good idea to sponsor a charity that went through American channels, with me being from another country. So that was finished, but before I could sit down another girl from the same charity thing spoke to me. I already said that I talked to the other girl, so I could sit down, finally.

Took a drink and planed my route to find the bus stop to finish the downtown loop. I get up and after walking a few meters I saw a street artist. He was painting some sci-fi painting with clever techniques, weird music at breakneck speed. He did not want to be filmed, so I did not take any pictures. He was done really fast and got an applause, but no one wanted to buy the painting immediately. So he walked away mad. What a pussy, crying like a bitch because no one wants to buy his painting at the very second it is done. Be glad people gave you a fucking applause and stop complaining.

I walked further and with a help of a NYPD officer found my bus stop. And what a timing the bus was waiting for me.

However I had began to rain, so most people were sitting downstairs. But I had an umbrella, so I went up. Than I continued the tour:


UN building

A building


Another one

Than I got out at the Rockefeller plaza:

The Rock


Rockefeller plaza

Than I turned around and saw this

Nice

But the reason I went to the Rockefeller was this

Need I say more?

Now I went inside and saw lots of stuff. I helped a couple with Super Mario Galaxy and watched a girl play Brawl. A guy next to her saw Marth and asked if he was Batman :lol:

Funny stuff, I did make pictures of the store on a later day, so more info forthcoming.

So than I took the subway home, and watched some TV until my sister returns from a charity run. The plan was to see the movie Iron Man, but before the show we will get something to eat. We went to a Cuban restaurant. First we had an appetizer that looked like Cat food. It tasted very good, and I had a noodle like main course.

During the feeding process I felt woozy. I guess the jetlag and the lack of rest the following days finally caught up to me. My sister asked if I wanted to go home to sleep, but I said that sleep was overrated. So we went to watch Iron Man.

To be honest it is difficult to give impressions because I was barely conscious. I did found it peculiar that they did not use the Mandarin as the main villain. Also I found the change from war monger to peace lover a bit too abrupt, but my overall feeling of the movie is unclear. Was it boring me or was I so tired, that I almost fell asleep. Difficult to say. Of course I stayed until the credits were finished and saw the piece that came after the movie and we went home. I really needed to sleep, but I stayed awake an hour still, because I am hardcore like that.

Next time: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island plus me insulting American history. Do not miss it!