Day 12 – A park and a river cruise

We were a bit slow this morning.  Our goal was to look at the Highline Park which is between midtown and downtown Manhattan.  There was nothing on the maps that indicated where it was so by using the internet it gave a location by street and avenue.  That meant by the reading the map we could find it.  The Highline is a park that was created using the old elevated railway that ran between downtown and the piers.  In the early days it was used to transport lots of freight but as trucks became the preferred way of moving goods the line had become redundant.  It was closed in the nineties and the idea was to dismantle it.  However the cost was prohibitive and also some locals decided they wanted to keep it and create a park.  Their efforts were rewarded with the park that is still under development.

Highline Park

Railway lines, a nod to the park's previous use

With my excellent navigation skills I found the beginning of the park (or was it the end).  In the meantime I found a salad bar where I got a nice salad for lunch and then sat in the park to eat and watching the people walking past.  We walked the length of the park and it was a delight.  There are trees and shrubs and flowers and being spring there are currently daffodils and tulips and bunch of other stuff a gardener would know the names of.  There are plenty of places to sit, and people were doing just that  as it was a lovely sunny day with the temperature in the late teens.  We walked the length of the park around 3 kilometres perhaps.  It has been done brilliantly from planting to the design

Our next excursion was exactly that, we took a river cruise down the Hudson River and then into the East River.  I found it really useful as I finally got my bearings and a better understanding of the geography.  The map gives an idea of Manhattan, which is one of the five boroughs of NYC.  The trip took about 90 minutes and because the weather was so good it was great for taking photographs. 

Cecile and friends had recommended an Indian Restaurant in an area called Murray Hill  or Curry Hill due to the number Indian restaurants there.  The food there was very good and the service great. The quantity was more than satisfactory and in fact neither of us could eat it all. 
After our meal we went to Times Square to look at the lights.  They are stunning at night.  The crowds were huge and I cannot imagine what it must be like in summer during the peak tourist season. 

Financial District NYC