Day 6: New York: High Line, Meatpacking District, Greenwich Village, Chelsea Neighborhood: Chelsea Market, Manhattan Cruise, China Town, Little Italy
We start the day at 5:30 in the morning and as usual these days ago, we look out the window and see that the day is super clear and begins to dawn, leaving us with views of the Empire State with clouds around, which really impress and make us decide one last change of plans for today to tour the High Line, Chelsea Market and do the Manhattan cruise with this good weather, it is that in New York carrying fixed plans is not too recommended, especially for the issue of time, so it is not bad to take a plan B or organize it in such a way that you canmove the different activities, always taking into account the things that we must book before traveling to New York.
Sunrise in New York
With this change of plans and seeing that the weather is so good, we decided that today will be the day that we will take the opportunity to also approach China Town and Little Italy, after touring the Hight Line, eating at Chelsea Market, where we have read are some of the New York's best restaurants, and enjoy Manhattan cruise.
So with today's plans already closed, we leave the Holiday Inn Times Square, a hotel that every day that passes we are happier to have chosen for the trip to New York in 11 days.
Although we are only 1 km and a half from the Hight Line, and we just have to follow the octave to get to the entry, we decided to take the subway to advance time and thus be able to reach the 222 West of 23rd Street, where we found the Chelsea Hotel famous for being a place where many artists, musicians and writers have passed, but which is currently being restored , so we can not take any picture that is half decent or see the architecture of it too well.
Chelsea Hotel Entrance
But getting here has a prize and we are right next to a Donut Plant, which is one of the most famous donut places in New York, where we order three donuts of different kinds, plus an American and a coffee for $ 17 .
Donut Plant
With the stomach already toned to continue with this sixth day in New York, we set off to get to the High line, one of the places that we did not want to miss the city and that, apart from that, we hoped to travel one day in good weather, since being an outdoor visit and at a time when the vegetation is not especially spectacular, the Sun undoubtedly helps to see it with more color.
Approaching the New York High Line
We only have to travel a few meters until we reach the entrance of the High Line, between Gansevoort Street and 34th Street, where we started to make the route, firstly following the direction to the right, where for practically 1 kilometer, we traveled an area of the High Line that although it is currently under construction in some sections, so we can not see too well, we have to confirm that this area is incredible and more knowing the transformation that has undergone, turning the old subway tracks into one of the gardens New York's most impressive.
New York High Line
The High Line is built on an old train line in New York, which stopped being used in 1980 and that in 2003, began to be thought of as a possible attraction of the city, turning it into an elevated park, which Today is one of the great attractions of the city and also one of the 100 things you should see and do in New York.
New York High Line
Spring in the High Line
This project ended in 2014 and today continues to be modified and taken care of by voluntary associations, which are dedicated to keeping it clean and prepared for all visitors who come daily to visit it, both tourists and locals who come in search of this corner of tranquility in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. One of the things that attract our attention the most is that the entire High Line route is full of benches, making it a unique place on the days when the sun begins to rise or in summer, becoming the perfect place to take the sun or relax surrounded by greenery.
Resting in the High Line
The High Line Elevated Park has a total of just over 2 kilometers and it takes you from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street, in the western part of the city. A part is divided into three zones, which can be accessed separately, something that offers you the possibility of going from one end to another in one direction, without having to go back to the beginning to go back to the streets of Nueva York
New York views from the High Line
Walking the High Line
After making the first section, we retrace our steps and head towards the other part of the High Line where we do begin to see more vegetation between the train tracks, which have been preserved, recognizing that this is one of the places without doubt that you can not miss in New York, and it is really essential, although we believe that in summer it can be a more pleasant area to visit, since precisely today, although the sky is clear, temperatures are quite low, something that does not allow us to just enjoy sitting for a while, just to watch life go by, that we like so much and that is almost forced in a place like this and in a city like New York.
High line
It's a little more at 10:30 in the morning when we finish the walk along the High Line and being in this area, we decided to approach Meatpacking District, a very special neighborhood of New York, which we want to meet and then approach Greenwich village, another neighborhood of lower Manhattan, located between the Hudson River, Broadway, Houston Street and 14th Street that in recent times has become one of the most popular in the city.
Road to Meatpacking District with the High Line in the background
These two neighborhoods are worth visiting, especially if you have approached the High Line since they are not too well known or at least not too much visited on a first New York trip and it really is the contrast to the entire downtown area of Manhattan, since here all we find are small restaurants, coffee shops, charming shops and a lot of tranquility in the streets, something that It is worth living, after spending a few days touring more bustling parts of the city.
Greenwich village
New Yorkers call Greenwich village "The village"or"West village", although this name already delimits the area to the western part of the 6th, as well as the denomination"East village", it locates the east of the 4th, an area quite different from the one we are at the moment.
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Today this is one of the most desired places in New York to live, with increasingly higher prices and you just have to walk around its streets to understand it
Tree-lined neighborhoods, with cobbled streets, hidden courtyards between buildings and small gardens, which after the walk, have made this one of our favorite areas of the city.
Greenwich village
Small gardens in Greenwich Village
Currently, although the bohemian spirit of some years ago and the avant-garde of the past endures, this neighborhood has become a leisure area, especially for the youngest, who meet in the heart of the Village, in Washington Square Park, a from the liveliest areas of the neighborhood, where it is not uncommon to meet artists, walking neighbors and students from nearby New York University.
Washington Square Park
Another of the places we visited on our tour of Greenwich Village is Cherry Lane, the oldest theater with continued activity located off Broadway, located at No. 38 of Commerce Street that opened in 1924.
Cherry lane
Greenwich village
As we said before, it is certainly worth spending a few hours in this area of New York and forgetting a bit of everything that is the chaos that we find in the most central areas, where despite being also to our liking, there comes a time that can saturate, creating that need to find quieter places.
Between street and street of Greenwich Village we find a store with a lot of charm, where they sell some very original paintings, which we can not resist and that is that in the last trips always we load with someone to have a memory at home, hung on one of the walls and occasionally we move back to the trip. We follow the route and we arrive again to Washington Square, this time to the subway station, where we find the basketball court The Cage, one of the most famous in New York.
Studio Manhattan
The cage
From here we continue to Chelsea Market which is the next point that we have marked today and of course the place where we will eat and this is one of the most recommended places to do it and being here Who is able to not try it?
Chelsea Market
Upon entering Chelsea Market we enter a world of colors, smells and flavors in which it is very difficult to choose where to stay to eat. Good luck we have targeted
Los Tacos No. 1, one of the most famous Mexican restaurants in New York, which is apart is number 17 of all the restaurants in New York, recommended on TripAdvisor, so with this choice already made, we stand in line.
We ordered a couple of quesadillas, one of roasted meat and another of chicken and a couple of tacos one of roasted meat and another of marinated meat plus 2 waters for $ 21 that we tasted on a little table that is right next to the place, standing already that Los Tacos No. 1 has no tables to sit on.
Eating tacos and quesadillas at Los Tacos No. 1 at Chelsea Market
With the stomach already toned, we go to Sara Bets, a bakery that is a little further on on the left, where there are some impressive sweets with which we finished the table, adding an American coffee, a cappuccino a muffin and some cookies for 16 dollars, which in the end almost cost us more than the food itself, but that makes a perfect complement and ideal for a day like today, in which we already needed a little rest after being all morning touring the High Line and Greenwich Village.
After spending a while enjoying this dessert, we will tour Chelsea Market and this is not only a place to have dinner, Chelsea Market is much more. It is that kind of essential places in the city, recommended especially the visit at lunch or dinner, to take advantage of the experience and we have to say that if we had been staying in this area, we would have had a true paradise for We who like to combine visits with good food in a city like New York.
Sushi in Chelsea Market
Chelsea Market is located very close to the Hudson River, in the Meatpacking District and opened its doors in 1997, becoming a reference in New York a few years later. But Chelsea Market is not only famous today, it was once a building with a lot of history created by Nabisco cookies in 1890, a brand that now includes names such as the famous Oreo cookies or Ritz crackers.
Oreo Cookies at Chelsea Market
Today Chelsea Market occupies a complete block, between 15th and 16th streets and 9th and 10th avenues. It is best to enter through the ninth or tenth avenue and thus be able to travel it completely, enjoying the different shops that are in the main floor, as well as the many restaurants and places where you can have a drink or taste its cuisine.
Shops in Chelsea Market
One of the curiosities of Chelsea Market apart from being the origin of the famous Oreo cookies, is that the main floor is dedicated to the market, but on the upper floors we find the offices of companies such as YouTube, something that is clear in one of the corners of the market, where we can see an elevator with the well-known brand logo.
Gateway to You Tube
Chelsea Market
After this walk and to point several places for when we return, among which are a sushi bar and a lobster bar, which attracts a lot of attention and where we have promised to return before leaving New York, we left Chelsea Market to return to the streets of New York, this time in the direction of Circle Line, one of the companies that makes Manhattan cruises, an activity that we want to enjoy today with the good weather, as we commented this morning.
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From Chelsea Market we begin to climb north, which is where the pier from where Circle Line cruises depart. Although there are several companies of Manhattan cruises, we have opted for this, since it is included in the CityPASS.
Other good and romantic options are to book this New York night cruise that includes dinner or book this sunset cruise.
From Chelsea Market to the pier we have 1.8 miles, which we travel in about 30 minutes, entering an entirely new area for us, where we find many sections in works and some other contrast, such as a church surrounded by skyscrapers, something that does not Stop astonishing us, even though here in New York is the most common thing.
Road to the Circle Line dock for the Manhattan cruise
New York contrasts
The Manhattan cruise What we are going to do with Circle Line lasts an hour and a half and does everything that is the southern part of Manhattan. You also have the option to do the "Cruise of Lights", which is night and is also included in the CityPASS. If you think little time or little tour (after the experience we can say that it is the most complete) you can do the two-and-a-half hour cruise, which is the most complete of Circle Line, go around the island of Manhattan and You only have to pay five dollars more than teaching the CityPASS.
Circle Line dock
After collecting our tickets, you have to pick them up at the box office of the pier, as we still have half an hour to enter the ship, we take the opportunity to approach the area where the Intrepid Museum of the Sea, Air and Space, where there is also a Small bar with a terrace, where we take the opportunity to have another coffee and warm up a little before doing the Manhattan cruise.
Intrepid Museum of the Sea, Air and Space
Manhattan cruise
One of the experiences that we can recommend on a trip to New York and that you can not miss is the Manhattan cruise And it is one of the best ways to have a different perspective of the Big Apple and above all one of the best views.
Although they recommend being half an hour before the hour at which the cruise starts, we recommend that you be well before, maybe even about 45 minutes, since they usually fill up quite quickly and if you are not sitting in the side area, in the upper floor, probably if you want to take pictures you can't, since with people it is impossible to have a good perspective.
Manhattan cruise
In our case seeing that we have arrived very just in time and we are practically in the third position of the third row, we decided to go down to the first floor where in the back there is a small piece of cover where there is no one and we understand that Most people prefer to be seated, despite not having full views, but we, who want to take pictures and have a 180º view, prefer to stand up and enjoy the incredible views we have from here.
Views from the Manhattan Cruise
Another thing to keep in mind is that being a round-trip cruise, whether you are sitting or standing, you will always have the views of Manhattan or New Jersey on your way or back.
The Manhattan cruise It has an hour and a half of duration and is totally recommended, since it is enjoyed spectacular views of Manhattan and of the Statue of Liberty, where it passes very close unlike the Ferry to Staten Island, so we highly recommend that you book this hour and a half on your itinerary in New York to be able to make this excursion.
Manhattan cruise
If we also consider that it costs $ 39 per person, but with the CityPASS it is free, it should be taken into account to assess whether it is better to buy it or not, depending on the visits you want to do in the city.
Punctual as a clock we set sail from the dock when it is 3:30 in the afternoon and being located as we are, in the back of the boat for ourselves and starting to see what awaits us, we have only to look at each other and smile and is that we have hit full, both choosing the site and the day and is that today the city looks spectacular, resulting in the perfect day for this Manhattan cruise.
First views of the Manhattan Cruise
Manhattan cruise
The truth is that little else can we tell about this Manhattan cruise that we have not told you is that the images speak for themselves, if you don't just have to keep reading (or looking) and check that the views of Manhattan are really spectacular.
Manhattan cruise
The first part of the cruise, in which the entire Midtown and Lower Manhattan area is covered, is for us the most important or the most spectacular and is that at times it is getting closer to the skyscrapers, making the views really amazing. Just as when he begins to move away from the financial zone and begins to approach the Statue of Liberty, one of the symbols of New York, which for the first time we are seeing so closely.
Statue of Liberty from the Manhattan Cruise
After approaching the Statue of Liberty the ship begins the approach maneuver again to the financial zone, now passing through the helipad, where we will be in a few days for the helicopter tour of New York, to spend a few minutes under the Brooklyn Bridge, which we crossed on foot the day we did the New York Contrast Tour, and then passed through the Manhattan Bridge.
Manhattan cruise
Brooklyn bridge. Manhattan cruise
Manhattan Bridge
At this point, the ship takes the opposite direction, already on the return route, at which time we we relax and after having spent the first part taking pictures, we ordered a couple of coffees at the bar for 7 dollars, which we tasted while we rejoice with the stunning views of the Manhattan skyline that is giving us a day as spectacular as today.
Manhattan cruise
It's 5:15 when we return to the Circle Line dock in the south entrance area and as soon as we get off we see that right in front of us there are buses that go directly to the Times Square area, in our case the M50 which with the MetroCard is also Free like the subway, so we decided it is time to have the experience of riding a bus in New York and thus save us the ride to Times Square and arrive on time to the Top of the Rock and that is today we want to end the day in the best way, enjoying another of the best views of the city at sunset, this time from the heights.
It must be said that it is an experience and that is to see a city like New York from the comfort and speed of a bus, has its that, although we also have to say that it is not especially fast and that is that in the end between one thing and another we arrive in front of the Top of the Rock when it is 6 in the afternoon, at which time we go straight to the ticket office, where we only There are tickets for 7:15 in the afternoon, time that will be dark, so we quickly change the plans, picking up tickets for tomorrow at 6:20 in the afternoon, which is the time they recommend to watch the sunset. They recommend us to be here about 45 minutes before to queue, access the top and see both New York from the heights of the day and then enjoy the sunset and sunset over the city.
Seeing what time it is and considering that Chinatown and Little Italy They are two of the neighborhoods that we have been neglecting for several days due to bad weather and we want to see both day and night, we decided that the time has come to meet them, so we take the subway and approach there to spend the last Hours of the day in two of New York's best-known neighborhoods.
We take line B and stop at the Grand Street station, from where we just get off the subway, we enter the Chinatown neighborhood and in China itself and it is that as much as we had read it, until we have not been and we have Seen with our own eyes, we have not understood what people meant when they told us it was like being in China.
Chinatown
One of the things that attract our attention is that we believe that we are the only tourists that we are in the neighborhood right now, so between the surprise of what we are seeing and the memories of our trip to China, we enter one of the main streets of Chinatown, Mott Street, where we begin to see the whole atmosphere that really reminds us of the days we were in the country, not only because of the people we are crossing on our walk, but also the cartels, the shop windows and Even the banks, which are Chinese.
Pharmacy in Chinatown
Chinatown with the Empire State in the background
The large number of Chinese currently living in New York have caused Chinatown to grow so much that today it has practically absorbed Little Italy, which is right next door, and much of the Lower East Side.
If you like Chinese food, Chinatown can be a great option to dine in and there are currently over 200 restaurants specializing in Chinese cuisine, many of them specialized in different regions.
Chinese restaurant
If you want to go to one of the most important and famous we recommend that you look on Tripadvisor and focus on the areas of Mott Street and Canal Street, which is the street that separates Chinatown from Little Italy, although in recent times many Chinese shops have started to establish itself also in the Italian zone.
After a good walk through Chinatown we approached Mulberry Street, which is completely Italian, where we can even see the typical mouths of New York, but with the flag of Italy.
Little italy
Here you will also find the best Italian restaurants and coffee shops, for example at number 195 on Grand Street, we find Ferrara Bakery, one of the most important and well-known bakeries in the city, where it is not bad to stop and try some of its products.
Little italy
As we mentioned earlier, today Little Italy can say that it is only a street, so there is not much to see and almost without realizing it, we are back in Chinatown, where we approach a park, where we see groups of Chinese playing Mahjong as we saw in China a year ago.
It's almost 9 at night when we decided to take the subway again to approach Times Square and look here for a place to have dinner and finish one of the most complete days of this trip to New York during Holy Week.
The idea is to approach the Bubba Gump so we approach there but we find that there are 50 minutes of queue, so we change the option and look for another option in TripAdvisor that we have less waiting for. The initial idea is to go to a Japanese that we have about 400 meters from the hotel of which there are very good opinions, but we just passed Red Lobster, where we were a couple of days ago and where we have to say that we ate very well already We get fed up with lobster, so seeing that there is not much tail, we ask and they tell us that in 10 minutes we will have a table, we cannot resist and there we are going to eat two huge lobster dishes with soda plus water for 92 dollars.
Lobster Tacos in Red Lobster
With this dinner we end our incredible day today in New York entering through the door of the Holiday Inn Times Square when it is almost 11 pm, a moment we spend to review our incredible day in New York, with the incredible views of the Empire State that accompany us every night.
Day 7: New York: Soho, China Town, Little Italy, Financial District, New York by helicopter, Central Station, Sunset on Top of the Rock
