Canada/New York Trip - July 2015





This week is a very busy week with a business trip in Toronto and New York. The first one is in Toronto with a late arrival with almost makes us miss dinner as the hotel restaurant closes at 11 and we arrive at 10:45. The hotel is nice with good views over the Toronto area and we even catch a few great sunsets in the few days we stay in the city.

Toronto view from hotel roomZoom of the downtown area
Sunset over TorontoAnother view of the sunset

There are also some good views from another skyscrapper that we visit with some beautiful views of the downtown area. Walking around during lunch breaks it is quite a residential area with no landmarks and only a few more interesting buildings.

View of downtown from another buildingAnother close up of downtown
Older buildingNewer building




With a very busy schedule there is no time to visit and soon we leave towards New York. Or we want to but when we arrive at the airport and want to pick up our boarding pass we find out that the plane is cancelled. After that there is a scramble across multiple counters as other flights are also cancelled but finally a plane is found and we arrive again really late even though we were supposed to arrive around 7 pm. The hotel is really central however the rooms are a bit small as expected in a central New York location.

New York hotelRelatively small room for the price

After two days of work meeting we are exhausted so it is great that we leave only on Saturday and have a few hours to sightsee on Friday evening and Saturday morning. Starting from the hotel we plan on going down to Battery Park and see the sights. First we pass City Hall Park where to our surprise there are even squirrels besides the throng of people.

New York streetTypical building
Manhattan borough President buildingNear City Hall Park
Inside City Hall ParkThey even have squirrels

There are lots of interesting skyscrappers to look at but the most interesting parts are where there is an interplay of the old buildings with the new ones as well as modern sculptures framing the buildings behind them. After some walking we arrive at the well known bull on Wall Street where it is impossible to take a picture without a lot of other tourists in it.

Interesting skyscrapperOld church lost between modern buildings
Red cube in ManhattanMurphy's Tavern - older building
The well known bull on Wall StreetNational Museum of the American Indian

After that we enter Battery Park with its seaside path and great views over the water. Ellis island is the first place we see we have been there before and there is no time on this trip but it is an impressive visit to see the place so many immigrants have come through.

Eagle in Battery ParkClose up of eagle
Battery Park seaside walkEllis Island in the distance

Of course you can also see the Statue of Liberty far in the distance. It is difficult to get a sense of its size but we have been there before when it was easier to get to and it is quite huge.

View from Battery ParkStatue of Liberty close up
End of Battery Park walkThe Sphere

In Battery Park is also Castle Clinton which is closed however as we walk around it we walk into a recreation of a period play that we watch for some time before starting our return to the hotel.

Castle Clinton NMRecreation in front of the fort

There are some great buildings on the way however our eyed are attracted by the new World Trade Center right ahead and we walk towards it to take a few pictures.

Nice buildingDecoration on the building
One World Trade Center in the distanceCloser look of the new WTC

To our surprise the road is closed - you cannot cross from one side to the other, there is a big line of cars all honking and asking around we find the reason - President Obama is in town (to go on the Jon Stewart show). We stay for a while and see the motorcade pass before moving on again towards the waterside.

Streets blocked for President Obama visitOne of the cars from the convoy

From the waterside we have great night views of the area especially of the Jersey shore and the Statue of Liberty.

New York at nightBoats in Manhattan - must be expensive
View of New Jersey shoreStatue of Liberty at night

AS everything starts to close we decide to enter a mall to get some food but the food court closed just a few minutes ago so we get lost in the mall trying to find an exit closer to the hotel and walking through the corridors and passages is surreal with almost no one else around. In the end we find a McDonald for the late dinner and then it is off to bed.

Inside a mall in New YorkInteresting columns
Underground passageAnd then this scary looking one

Saturday morning we have a few more hours and as such decide to the take the ferry to New Jersey and see the skyline of New York from that side of the channel. It is easy to get on the ferry and after a 5 min ride we are on the other side and are treated with some great views of the New York side. The major skyscraper is the new World Trade Center that dominates the Lower Manhattan skyline. We are surprised to find on our walk a memorial to 9/11 with a girder from the old trade center.

Ferry between New York and New JerseyView of New York
New World Trade CenterGirder from the Old World Trade Center

The walk is quite nice on the side of the river with new views at almost any step but soon we must return back to the New York shore. We decide on a different transportation method - the Path subway which is unluckily closed on one of the tunnels so both directions go on one track only. Even so we arrive in time at the hotel to pack before the check out time and then we catch a taxi to the airport where the plane after a few false starts takes off and brings us back to Phoenix.

Boardwalk along the New Jersey shoreWalking along the shore
Path stationGoing down to the station


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