Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland 14.07

On the streets of Philadelphia...

Hommikusöögilauas suutsin väikese apelsinimahla uputuse tekitada. Eks ma sattusin kõigist nendest süsivesikutest elevusse. Aga jogurtit oli. Ja juustu. Best Western Plus Philadelphia-Pennsauken (et kõik ikka teaksid, et nad on parimad) tundus selline läbisõidu öömaja, mis asus mitte kuskil. Samas, meile seekord asukoht ja hind sobisid. 

Päevaks oli siis plaan 3 osariiki juurde saada. Osariik 3 - Pennsylvania. Selleks, et Camdenist (N Jersey) Philadelphiasse (Pennsylvania) jõuda on näiteks kaks võimalust. Otse üle Benjamin Franklini silla, makstes siis 5 dollarit (nüüd 6.50) tolli või teha nii 1h 15 min ring. See oli ainuke kord, kus tolli kasuks otsustasin. Sularahas sai maksta ka. Ja see oli kahe nädala jooksul ainuke kord, kus sularaha vaja läks. 

Avise rendiautodega on see, et tolli ise maksta ei saa. Suurel enamikul tolliteedel ei ole seda kohapeal võimalik maksta. Eriti kiirteedel. Kohalikel on äpp/konto vms aga rendikaga makstakse see läbi rendifirma. Seekord otsustas maps meid Floridas tolliteelt läbi saata ja ma märkasin seda liiga hilja. Toll sellel teel oli 1 dollar sentidega aga kuna oli rendiauto, siis läks asjaajamistasu juurde ja saime maksta üle 13 euro. 

Niisiis. Pennsylvania. Üks 13st algupärasest kolooniast. Osariik, kust Ameerika Ühendriigid said alguse.  Meie sihtkohaks oli Pennsylvania suurim linn, Philadelphia, kus elab eestitäis inimesi. 

Philadelphias, riigi esimeses pealinnas, allkirjastati Ameerika Ühendriikide Iseseisvusdeklaratsioon. Philly on olnud USA pealinn 5 korda ning seal asub mitmeid riigi esimesi (nt raamatukogu, meditsiinikool jms). 

Ajaloo juurde tagasi veidi hiljem. Ehk siis tagasi päeva algusesse. Sõitsime üle Benjamin Franklini (kes ei olnud kunagi president, lihtsalt mainin) silla, maksin sularahas 5 dollarit, parkisime auto ja asusime teele. Siis vanemad veel ei teadnud, mida me vaatama läksime. Õues oli juba hommikul 100 kraadi.  

Ümisesin eelmisel õhtul ja sellel hommikul omaarust üpris hästi ühe filmi tunnusmeloodiat, mida kumbki vanematest ära ei arvanud. Philadelphia kunstimuuseumi juures asub nimelt Rocky Balboa pronksist kuju ning sama muuseumi trepid on filmis kajastatud treeningpaik. Tänapäeval on see üks Philly suurimaid turismimagneteid. 

Kuju juures tegime kohustusliku pildisessiooni. Siis veel suhteliselt inimtühjalt. Lugesin trepiastmed üle, sest internetis olev info ei pidavat olema usaldusväärne. 72. 

Tegime väikese jalutuskäigu parki Ovaal väljakule ja imetlesime Washingtoni purskkaevu. Vaatasime mitmeid jooksjate seltskondi, kes olid otsustanud kuumuses trenni teha. Üks kõvahäälne motiveerija oli neil ka, ei tea, kas lihtsalt entusiast või treener. 

Philadelphias ei piirdunud ainult kujuga vaid liikusime Iseseisvuse hoone juurde, kus allkirjastati USA iseseisvusdeklaratsioon ja põhiseadus. Samast hoonest sai alguse Rahvaste Ühendus.

Iseseisvushoone kõrval asub praoga Vabaduskell, mis kuulutab vabadust kogu maal ja kõigile selle elanikele ning mida sai täiesti jahedas õhus vaadelda. Sissepääs tasuta, ainult kotid valgustati läbi. Loomulikult kuulub sinna juurde ajaloo tutvustus.  

Kell, mis valmis 18. sajandi keskel, purunes juba esimesel kasutusel. See sulatati ning valati uuesti. Praeguse prao tekkimise aeg ei ole kindel, arvatavasti 19. sajandi keskel, aga praegusel kujul on pragu  tegelikult parandamise tagajärg. 

Seejärel tegime väikese jalutuskäigu Reading Terminali turule. Teel sinna märkasime esimest korda Rossi poodi, mis võiks kuskil lähemal ka asuda. Kuna tahtsin vältida sama teed pidi edasi ja tagasi liikumist, nägime kohale minnes natuke tagasihoidlikumat tänavat. Turg ise on suur, keskendudes peamiselt söödavale, nii tooraine kui toidukohad. Sõime lõunat, mina clam chowderit. 

Tagasi jalutasime mööda suuremat tänavat. Käisime Rossis sees ja imestasime odavate hindade üle. 

Edasi sõitsime osariiki nr 4 - Delaware, jap, üks 13st. Sihtkohaks olin valinud armsa New Castle (Inglismaa??). Vahetult enne kohale jõudmist leidsime koolibusside kuurorti. Parkida saime mugavalt keskväljakule. Linn ise tundus peaaegu inimtühi. Pärast nägime, et paljud olid kai ääres pargis. 

New Castle ajalugu on seotud nii Inglismaa kui Hollandiga. Paljud hooned on algupärased ja hästi säilinud/renoveeritud. Vaatasime üle William Penni (inglane, kes rajas Pennsylvania) kuju, meid kutsuti ühte eraomandis relvamuuseumi ning jõudsime kaini.  

Tagasiteel tutvusime the Strandil olevate hoonete ja Packet Alley-ga, mis tähistab kunagist tähtsat teed suhtluses põhja- ja lõunaosariikide vahel ja kus tekkis täielik Suurbritannia tunne. Selle lähedale jääb William Penni maabumiskoht. 

Ehk siis armas ajalooline linn, mida turistide hordid ei ummista.

Enne pikemat sõitu tegime veel väikese poepeatuse ning siis asusimegi juba viienda osariigi ehk Marylandi suunas teele. Maryland on 10 tuh km2 väiksem kui Eesti ja seal elab 6 miljonit inimest😁 

Meie öömaja asus Marylandi pealinnas, Annapolises, Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis Downtownis. Annapolis on samuti olnud USA pealinn, seda 18. sajandil. Parkisime oma Jeepi ära, registreerisime sisse ning jalutasime vanalinna keskusesse, meist ca 1km kaugusel.

Õhtusöögiks valisin Iron Roosteri, burks ja friikad. Õhtul istusime veel vee ääres ning nautisime kohalike muusikute esinemist ja siis oligi aeg seada sammud tagasi majutuskoha poole.

On the streets of Philadelphia...

I managed to cause a little orange juice flood at the breakfast table. I got a tad excited with all the carbs, I guess. But there was yoghurt. And cheese. The Best Western Plus Philadelphia-Pennsauken (just to make sure everyone knows they are the best) felt like one of those drive-through hotels in the middle of nowhere. Still, the location and price suited us. 

The plan for the day was to tick off three more states. State 3 — Pennsylvania. To get from Camden (New Jersey) to Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), there are two main options. You can go straight over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and pay a toll of 5 dollars (now it’s 6.50), or you can take a detour that takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. This was the only time I opted for the toll. You could pay in cash as well. And it was the only time in two weeks that I needed cash.

With Avis rental cars, you can’t pay the toll yourself. On most toll roads, you can't pay it on the spot, especially on motorways. The locals have an app/account or something, but with a rental, the toll is paid through the car hire company. This time, the map directed us onto a toll road in Florida, and I noticed it too late. The toll on that road was 1 dollar and some cents, but because it was a rental car, there was an admin fee, and we ended up paying over 13 euros. 

So, Pennsylvania. One of the original 13 colonies. The state where the United States of America was born. Our destination was Pennsylvania's largest city, Philadelphia, with the population of Estonia.

Philadelphia, the nation’s first capital, is where the United States Declaration of Independence was signed. Philly has been the capital of the USA five times and is home to several of the country’s firsts (e.g., the first library, medical school, etc.).

Back to the history a bit later. Let’s rewind to the start of the day. We drove over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (who, by the way, was never a president, just saying), paid 5 dollars in cash, parked the car, and set off. At this point, my parents still didn’t know what we were going to see. It was already 100 degrees outside that morning. 

The night before and that morning, I had been humming what I thought was a fairly good rendition of a famous film theme, which neither of my parents recognised. Adjacent to the Philadelphia Museum of Art stands the bronze statue of Rocky Balboa, and the same museum steps are featured as a training spot in the film. Nowadays, it’s one of Philly’s biggest tourist attractions. 

We took the obligatory photos at the statue, which was relatively crowd-free there. I counted the steps because the information on the internet isn’t always reliable. 72. We took a little walk on the Oval Piazza and admired the Washington Monument Fountain. We saw several groups of runners who had decided to work out in the heat. They even had a loud motivator — not sure if he was just an enthusiast or a coach. 

In Philadelphia, we didn’t just stop at the statue but headed to Independence Hall, where the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. The Commonwealth of Nations also has its origins there. Next to Independence Hall is the Liberty Bell, with its famous crack, proclaiming liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. We could view it in wonderfully cool air. Entry is free; you just have to go through bag screening. 

The bell, cast in the mid-18th century, cracked on its very first use. It was melted down and recast. The exact time the current crack appeared isn’t certain — probably in the mid-19th century — but the crack in its present form is actually a result of an attempted repair.

Afterwards, we took a short walk to Reading Terminal Market. On the way, we noticed a Ross shop for the first time — I wish there was one closer by. Wanting to avoid using the same street twice, we saw a slightly quieter street on our way there. The market itself is large, focusing mainly on food — both raw ingredients and eateries. We had lunch; I had clam chowder.  

We walked back along a larger street. We popped into Ross and marvelled at the low prices. 

Next, we headed to State 4 — Delaware. Yep, another one of the original 13. I had chosen the charming town of New Castle (England much??) as our destination. Just before arriving, we found a bus depot for school buses. 

We were able to park conveniently in the town square. The town itself seemed almost deserted. Later, we saw that many people were in the park by the pier. 

New Castle's history is tied to both England and the Netherlands. Many buildings are original and well-preserved/renovated. We checked out the statue of William Penn (the Englishman who founded Pennsylvania), were invited into a privately owned arms museum, and made our way to the pier.   

On the way back, we explored the buildings on The Strand and Packet Alley, which marks a once-important route for communication between the northern and southern states, giving us a complete Great Britain feel. Nearby is William Penn’s landing site. So, a lovely historical town not overrun by hordes of tourists. 

Before the long drive ahead, we made a quick stop at a shop, and then we set off towards the fifth state — Maryland. Maryland is 10,000 square kilometres smaller than Estonia but has a population of 6 million. 

Our accommodation was in the Maryland capital, Annapolis, at the Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis Downtown. Annapolis has also been the US capital, back in the 18th century. We parked our Jeep, checked in, and walked to the old town centre, about 1 km away. 

For dinner, I chose the Iron Rooster — burgers and chips. In the evening, we sat by the water, enjoyed a performance by local musicians, and then it was time to head back to our hotel. 

New York -> New Jersey 13.07

Start spreading the news... 

Kui meie teisel hommikul sööma läksime, olid vahvlimasinad kadunud. 

Siis me seda veel ei teadnud, aga saime viimast korda rakett-liftiga üles ja alla kimada. Eelmisel päeval uurisin järele, kuidas me auto kätte saame. Selleks oli vaja oma soovist ca 30 minutit varem adminnile teada anda, mida tegin pärast süsivesikuterikast hommikusööki. Kas keegi on veel tähele pannud, et reisil olles süüakse hommikuks umbes 3x niipalju, kui tavapäraselt? 

Välja registreerides ootas meie Jeep juba välisukse ees, kuhu ma ta saabudes jätnud olin. Pakkisime oma kolm kohvrit pagassi (Jeepil on see üüratu) ja kulgesime Battery pargi poole, kust kl 10 ootas praam Liberty saarele. 

Sa ei käi New Yorkis Vabadusesammast külastamata😁Parkimismajas nuputasime, kuidas kõige paremini auto asukohta meelde jätta. Tagurdada on jätkuvalt lihtsam kui nina ees parkida. Laz parkimismaja asub Battery pargile mugaval kaugusel, kui kellegi vaja😉  

Meie sealoleku ajal parki renoveeriti aga leidsime õige tee kiiresti üles. Väike tualetipeatus ja Castle Clintoni selfie (proovisin iga päev vähemalt ühe aarde logida, kes teab, see teab. Geopeitus). 

Praami väravas tekkis meie piletitega lugemisega millegipärast probleem aga õnneks oli see ajutine. Ostsin need ametlikult leheküljelt. Hoiatatakse libapiletite müüjate ees nii netis kui kohapeal. Aaa.. ja seekord alahindasin masse. Kui paar kuud varem pileteid ostsin, siis krooni piletid (Vabadusesamba kõige kõrgem vaateplatvorm) oli kuni septembrini välja müüdud. Niipalju, kui aru saanud olen, ega sealt miskit vaadet ei ole aga saaks vähemalt öelda, et käidud.  

Läbisime kohustusliku kottide läbivalgustamisega turvakontrolli, mõtlesime, kas oleks pidanud vihmakeebid kaasa võtma, sest tibutama hakkas. Varsti olime praami pardal ning ca 20-minutiline sõit Vabaduse saareni võis alata. Kui juba seal, siis pildistasime maailmakuulsat rohelist daami iga nurga pealt, nii lähenedes, saarel olles kui lahkudes. 

Vabadussammas ei olnud algupäraselt loomulikult roheline vaid vasetooni, kuid oksüdeerumine on andnud sellele tänapäeval tuttava tooni. Kuju on kingitus Prantsusmaalt ning konstruktsiooni pani kokku Gustave Eiffel. Vabadussammas, kelle inspiratsiooniks on Rooma vabaduse jumalanna, hoiab käes tahvlit numbritega 4.07.1776.  

Eks see ole tänapäeval turistimagnet, kui koroona-aastad välja arvata, külastab saart iga-aastaselt vähemalt 3.5 miljonit inimest. Saarel on kuju, mille platvormi hetkel renoveeritakse ja muuseum. Krooni piletitest jäime ilma aga platvormi treppidel saime ronida. Ja sa ei käi New Yorkis, ilma et sa saarel käiksid. Lihtsalt ei käi.  

Vihma tibutas vahelduva eduga praktiliselt terve saare külastuse ajal. Pildid saime tehtud. Saarele ring peale ja edasi Ellise saarele. 

Kui Vabadussammas on vabaduse sümbol ja märk, mida miljonid immigrandid riiki sisenedes nägid, siis Ellise saarelt sai immigrantide riiki lubamine alguse. Saarel saime uurida ruume, mida immigrandid esimesena nägid ning kust kaudu nende ametlik teekond USAs alguse sai.  

Ellise saar kuulub nii New Yorki kui New Jersey osariiki. Alguses oligi plaan NJ osariik sellega kirja saada aga kuna ma ei uurinud korralikult, siis hooned, milles meie ringi kõndisime, kuuluvad N Yorkile (York... Inglismaa).  

Tagasiteel loomulikult järjekordne pildisessioon. Auto leidmisega probleemi ei olnud ja sõit New Jersey (osariik 2) poole sai alata. Selleks ületasime Hudsoni jõe, läbides 2.6km pikkuse Hollandi tunneli. Jerseysse jõudes tegime toidupoe peatuse ning asusime lõunasöögi jahile. Läänerannikul reisides sai tavaks aja (ja raha) kokkuhoiu mõttes lõuna poest haarata. Ohh.. soe oli. Sooja õhu pahvakas tuli näkku, kui autost väljusime. Lõunaks siis salat ja beebiporgandid. 

Öömaja oli Camdenis (Inglismaaaaa), New Jersey, Best Western Plus Philadelphia-Pennsauken Hotellis. Vahetult enne kohale jõudmist ületasid teed mingid suured linnud. Liiklus seisis. Registreerisime sisse, lift ronis teisele korrusele, lühike värskenduspaus ning liikusime edasi Cherry Hill kaubanduskeskusesse.

Ema otsis uut Guessi kotti ja seal oli Guessi pood. Aga kui keegi arvab, et koti leidmine nii lihtne on, siis mõelge uuesti. Kotil ei tohi olla seda praeguse moe nõmedat käepidet. Käepide ei tohi olla ka metallist kett. Käekott ei tohi olla liiga suur ega liiga väikene. Nõme värv ei tohi olla. Kandiline ei tohi ka olla.

Jersey on siis jälle üks 13-st algupärasest kolooniast. Suurim rahvastikutihedus (487in/km2 vs Eesti 30). 

Õhtusöögiks olin välja valinud kaubanduskeskuse juures oleva toidukoha aga see oli täis ja maabusime vahemereköögi ja Blue Fig Gardenisse. Tuli välja, et meie teenindaja oli pärit Euroopast. Õhtusöögiks šašlõkk ja friikad.

Start spreading the news... When we went for breakfast on our second morning, the waffle machines were gone.

We didn’t know it then, but it was the last time we'd get to whizz up and down in the rocket lift. The day before, I checked how we could retrieve our car. We had to inform the front desk about half an hour in advance, which I did after a carb-loaded breakfast. Has anyone else noticed that you tend to eat about three times as much for breakfast when travelling compared to usual?

When we checked out, our Jeep was already waiting outside the main entrance, right where I had left it when we arrived. We packed our three suitcases into the boot (the Jeep has a massive one) and set off towards Battery Park, where a ferry to Liberty Island was scheduled for 10 am. You can't visit New York without going to the Statue of Liberty😁 The Laz parking garage is conveniently close to Battery Park, just in case anyone needs it😉

The park was undergoing renovations during our visit, but we quickly found the right path. A quick stop at the loo and a selfie at Castle Clinton (I aimed to log at least one cache every day — those who know, know: geocaching). There was a problem scanning our tickets at the ferry gate for some reason, but fortunately, it was only temporary. I bought them from the official website. There are plenty of warnings about fake ticket sellers, both online and on-site. Oh, and this time, I underestimated the crowds. When I bought the tickets a couple of months earlier, the crown tickets (for the highest viewing platform on the Statue of Liberty) were sold out until September. As far as I understand, the view from there isn’t much to write home about, but at least you could say you've been there.

We passed through the obligatory bag screening at the security checkpoint and wondered if we should have brought raincoats because it had started to drizzle. Soon we were aboard the ferry, and the roughly 20-minute journey to Liberty Island began. Once there, we took photos of the world-famous green lady from every angle — while approaching, on the island, and as we were leaving.

Originally, the Statue of Liberty wasn’t green but copper-coloured; oxidation has given it its familiar hue today. The statue was a gift from France, and its framework was assembled by Gustave Eiffel. The Statue of Liberty, inspired by the Roman goddess of freedom, holds a tablet inscribed with the date 4th July 1776.

Nowadays, it’s a tourist magnet; if you exclude the pandemic years, at least 3.5 million people visit the island annually. On the island, there’s the statue, whose platform is currently under renovation, and a museum. We missed out on the crown tickets, but we did get to climb the platform stairs.

The drizzle continued intermittently throughout most of our visit to the island. We took millions of photos, walked around the island, and then headed to Ellis Island. You can board any ferry.

While the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom that millions of immigrants saw as they entered the country, Ellis Island is where the admission of immigrants into the country began. On the island, we explored the rooms that immigrants first saw and through which their official journey in the US started.

Ellis Island belongs to both New York and New Jersey. Initially, we planned to tick off New Jersey with this visit, but as I hadn’t done my research properly, it turns out the buildings we were wandering around in actually belong to New York (York... England). Fortunately, I discovered that soon enough.

On the way back, naturally, we had another photo session. We had no trouble finding the car and set off towards New Jersey (State 2). To get there, we crossed the Hudson River through the 2.6 km-long Holland Tunnel. Upon arriving in Jersey, we made a stop at a supermarket and went on the hunt for lunch. While travelling on the West Coast, we got into the habit of grabbing lunch from a shop to save time (and money). Oh, the warmth! A gust of hot air hit us as we got out of the car. Lunch included a salad and baby carrots.

Our accommodation was in Camden (Englaaaaand), Best Western Plus Philadelphia-Pennsauken Hotel. Just before we arrived, some large birds crossed the road. Traffic came to a standstill. We checked in, the lift climbed to the second floor, we had a short freshen-up, and then we headed to Cherry Hill Mall.

Mum was looking for a new Guess bag, and there was a Guess shop there. But if anyone thinks finding a bag is that simple, think again. The bag mustn't have one of those annoying handles that are currently in fashion. The handle mustn’t be a metal chain, either. The handbag mustn’t be too big or too small. It can’t be a horrible colour. And it definitely shouldn’t be boxy.

For dinner, I had chosen a restaurant at the mall, but it was full, so we ended up at a Mediterranean place, Blue Fig Garden. It turned out our waiter was from Europe. We had an ok barbeque with chips.

New York 12.07

In njuuu joook..... 

Hommikusöögil üllatasid ühekordsed nõud. V.a. noad-kahvlid, muu oli ühekordne. Meie siin rohetame ja hoiame iga hinna eest loodust ja mida kõike. Ja see jätkus terve reisi jooksul. Igatahes, toiduks selline tavapärane valik. Palju valget saia aga isegi mõned puuviljad. Ma ei saa siiani aru Belgia vahvli vaimustusest.

New York oli meie osariik nr 1, olles üks 13st algupärasest Uus-Inglismaa kolooniast, millest külastasime kokku 9 (Florida nende hulka ei kuulu). 

New Yorki linnas elab peaaegu 7 eestitäit inimest ehk ca 8.8 miljonit. See on USA suurima rahvaarvuga linn aga mitte pealinn (viimati 18. sajandil). Kokkuvõttes külastasime 4 mingil ajaperioodil USA pealinnaks olnud linna, k.a. . Ehk nüüd ma olen sõitnud USA suurimas ja suuruselt teises (Los Angeles) linnas, lihtsalt mainin😁 

Kuna meie aeg New Yorkis oli piiratud, siis proovisin päevaplaani pikkida meie jaoks huvitavaima ja nii palju, kui kiirustamata vaadata jõuab. Vabadussammas ja Ellise saar jäid teadlikult järgmisesse päeva, muidu ei oleks midagi muud jõudnud. 

Esimeseks peatuseks Rockefeller Center. Kuna meie külastus algas alles 9.45 ja meie majutus asus sellest mugava 1km jalutuskäigu kaugusel, jõudsime enne paarist poest (ainuke kord, kui 16 päeva jooksul eesti keelt kuulsime) ja Times Square'ilt läbi põigata. Hommikul igatahes mingit melu ei täheldanud. Saime teada, et Times Square on relvavaba tsoon. 

 

Rockefeller kompleks koosneb 17st ärihoonest. 260m kõrge Top of the Rock pakub võimalust linna kõrgemalt vaadelda. Valikus olid veel Empire State Building ja Edge (tehniliselt veel Summit One Vanderbilt ja One World Observatory). Viimased kaks välistasin juba varem, SOV tundub rohkem keskenduvat Instagrami suunamudijatele ja kuna see mul siiani õnnestunud ei ole, siis ei jah. OWO vaade linnale ei pakkunud päris oodatut. Top of the Rock'ist on näha nii Empire State kui Central Park, pilet natuke soodsam kui Empires (40 dollarit vs, 55 dollarit) ja 360° vaateplatvorm, siis kujunes valik selle kasuks. 

Top of the Rocki turvakontrolli läbides selgus, et meil on kotis nuga. Nagu mis mõttes, nuga!? Ei ole ju? Aga ei, minu vanemad leidsid suveniiripoest minunimelise noa ja sünnipäevani oli veel paar päeva aega. Valik kas loobuda noast või muul ajal tagasi tulla.  

Liftisõit 67-korrusele möödus laes olevat minifilmi vaadates kiiresti. Kokku on võimalik linna vaateid nautida 67., 69. ja 70. korrustelt. Kahju ainult, et nii pilvine oli. Tegime igal korrusel fotosessiooni ja vaatasime kaugustesse. Alates välisuksest kuni väljumiseni läks umbes tund. 

Edasi jalutasime Grand Central Terminali (1.1km). Selleks ajaks oli juba soe. Ameerika soe, mitte Eesti soe. 

Maailma suurim rongijaam, Grand Central avati rohkem kui 100 aastat tagasi, 1913. 

Rohelises laes paiknevad 12 kuldlehtedest sodiaagimärki ning saali keskel asub rongijaama ilmselt suurim vaatamisväärsus, opaalist ca 20 miljonit dollarit maksev kell. Rongijaamas on filmitud alatest 1912. aastast peaaegu 50 filmi.

Siis ca 500m kõndimist Grace hooneni, kust hüppasime hop-on-off turismibussile, mis pakkus võimaluse rahulikumalt vaateid sisse ahmida. 

Möödusime Sohost ja Hiinalinnast. Selline tunne, et käega ulatus liiklusmärke puudutada. 

Peatuse tegime Brooklyni silla, mis oli avamise hetkel 1883. aastal maailma pikim, juures, kust Uber viis meid Brooklyni linnaossa, Dumbo piirkonda. 

Dumbo ehk Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (Manhattani silla viadukti all). Dumbo peatuse tegime sellepärast, et turistid, noh. Meh lõuna, pildisessioon Manhattani silla taustal, maailma kallim (aga kindlasti mitte parim) jäätis ja elu üle mõtlemine Pebble rannas. Ilm oli sombune aga inimesi leidus piisavalt. Seejärel Uberiga äripiirkonda, Wall Streetile. 

Wall St, mis on äripiikonna sünonüüm, on rahanduspiirkonnas asuv, 8 ploki pikkune tänav. 17. sajandil asus seal linnamüür. 

Wall Streetil ootas meid 3-tonnine turismimagnet, Charging Bull. Ma ei oleks arvanud, et nii paljud inimesed tahavad sellega pildile jääda. Eraldi järjekorrad esi- ja taguotsa pildistamiseks. Nagu ikka, nina, sarved ja munandid. Tagupoolest loobusime aga noo, kui juba turistid, siis täiega. Seisime järjekorras. Kurjustasin ette trügijatega. Aga kohustuslikud pildid saime tehtud. 

Väike bussisõit viis meid päeva viimase peatuskoha, 9/11 mälestuspaigani. Mina olin 11.septembril 2001 aastal Türi Gümnaasiumi staadionil. Mäletan, kuidas trennikaaslane tuli joostes ja rääkis uskumatu uudise. Kaksiktornide asemel on basseinid, mida ääristavad hukkunute nimed.  

Edasi istusime uuesti bussi (saime iga kord ülemisel korrusel istuda) ning kulgesime mööda Hudsoni jõe kallast kuni peaaegu esimese peatuseni. Peaaegu, sest bussi tööaeg sai läbi😂 

Asusime Times Square läheduses, seega lühike jalutuskäik viis meid vaatama ühte esinemist. Heh. Täielik rahanurumine. Vaatemängu kutsuti naine ja mitu meest. Pealtvaatajatelt küsiti raha. Osalejatelt küsiti raha ja kui nad ei maksnud, saadeti vaatemängult minema. Ehk siis keegi hüppas üle kellegi. Väga mannetu sooritus kogu selle kära kohta. 

Õhtusöögi sõime AperiBar'is. Panin eelnevalt laua kinni. Meie laud asus baari tagaosas. Kõigepealt toodi lauda maitsev sai(?) ja vürtsikas õli. Mina sõin hernepastat (jumm) koos alkovaba kokteiliga, emal mereanni pasta ja isa sõi kana. Õnneks magustoitu ei jõudnud süüa. Arve 95 dollarit (ei tippinud). 

Siis jalutuskäik tagasi majutusse ja esimene New Yorki päev oli õhtusse jõudnud.      

In Njuu jooook .....

We were surprised by the disposable dishes at breakfast. Everything except for knives and forks was made of paper/carton or plastic. In Estonia, we are borderline forced to be green and make sustainable choices. Anyway, regular selection of food for breakfast. White bread or pastry, but also two types of fruit. I still don't understand the obsession over the Belgian waffles. 

New York was our state no 1, being one of the 13 original New England colonies, 9 of which we visited (Florida is not one of them).  

The population of New York City is about 8.8 million which is almost 7 times Estonian's population. It is the most populous city in the US, but not the capital (it was in the 18th century). All in all, we visited 4 cities that were once the capital of the USA. By now I've driven in the largest and second largest city in the USA (Los Angeles), just saying😁 

Since our time in New York was limited, I tried to include the most important must-see sites in our quality itinerary without having to rush. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were knowingly left for the following day, otherwise, we wouldn't have had time for anything else. 

The first stop was Rockefeller Center. Since our slot was at 9:45 and our hotel was a convenient 1km walk away from it, we browsed a couple of shops (the only time we heard Estonian in 16 days) and Times Square. In the morning, however, it was rather quiet. We learned that Times Square is a gun-free zone.

The Rockefeller Complex consists of 17 commercial buildings. The 260m highTop of the Rock offers a nice panoramic view of the city. The Empire State Building and Edge (technically also Summit One Vanderbilt and One Word Observatory) were other options. I already ruled out the last two, SOV seems to be more focused on Instagram influencers and since I haven't been successful with it so far, I had to rule that out. OWO's view of the city was not what we were looking for. From Top of the Rock, you can see both the Empire State and Central Park, the ticket is a little cheaper than Empires ($40 vs. $55) and the 360° viewing platform is lovely, so I opted for that.

When we went through security at Top of the Rock, it turned out that we had a knife in our bag. Like what do you mean, a knife!? Someone was joking, right? But no, my parents found a knife with my name on it in the souvenir shop and my birthday was in a few days. The choice was either to give up the knife or come back at another time. 

The lift ride to the 67th floor passed swiftly while watching the mini-film on the ceiling. In total, it is possible to enjoy the views of the city from the 67th, 69th and 70th floors. It's a pity that it was nearly overcast for the most part. We had a photo session on each floor and marvelled at the city. It took about an hour from the front door to the exit. 

We then walked to Grand Central Terminal (1.1km). By then it was already warm. American warm, not Estonian warm. 

The world's largest train station, Grand Central opened more than 100 years ago, in 1913.  There are 12 gilded zodiac signs on the green ceiling, and in the middle of the hall is probably the biggest attraction of the train station, an opal clock costing about 20 million dollars. Since 1912, almost 50 films have been shot at the train station. 

Then we walked about 500m to the Grace building, from where we jumped on the hop-on-off tourist bus, which offered the opportunity to rest our feet (for them, not for me).  

 

We passed Soho and Chinatown. It was as if we could touch the road signs. 

We stopped near the Brooklyn Bridge, which was the longest in the world when it opened in 1883, from where Uber took us to the Dumbo area of ​​Brooklyn. 

Dumbo, or Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. We stopped at Dumbo because it was a touristy thing to do. Below average lunch, a photo session against the background of the Manhattan Bridge, the world's most expensive (but definitely not the best) ice cream and took some time off in Pebble Beach. The weather was gloomy, but there were numerous people around. Then Uber took us to the business district, Wall Street. 

Wall St, a synonym of the business district, is an 8-block street in the financial district. In the 17th century,  it was the location of the city wall. 

We headed to see a 3-ton tourist attraction, the Charging Bull. I didn't think so many people would want to be photographed with it. Separate queues had formed for the front and the back sides. We preferred the front. As usual, touch the nose, horns and testicles. We stood in line. I dealt with people who tried to cut the line. In the end, we got the obligatory pictures. 

A short bus ride took us to our last stop of the day, the 9/11 Memorial. I was at the Türi Gymnasium stadium on September 11, 2001. I remember a training partner came running and told us the incredible news. Instead of the Twin Towers, there are pools bordered with the names of those who lost their lives. 

Then we boarded the bus again (we were able to sit on the top floor each time) and rode along the banks of the Hudson River almost to the first stop. Almost, because the working hours of the bus ended😂 

We ended up near Times Square again, so a short walk took us to see one of the performances. Meh. A complete waste of time. A woman and several men were invited to the show. Spectators were asked for money. Participants were also asked for money and if they didn't pay, they were kicked out of the performance. Long show short, someone jumped over someone. An absolute lacklustre performance for all the fuss.

We had dinner at AperiBar. I booked a table beforehand. First, we were served delicious bread(?) and spicy oil. I ate pea pasta (yum) with a non-alcoholic cocktail, mom had seafood pasta, and dad had chicken. The bill was $95 (didn't tip).

Then a walk back to the hotel and the first full day of New York had come to its end.