USA 2017

Top of the Rock, Central Park and a little bit of Harlem

Being early birds, we leave the hotel around 8 a.m. and head for Rockefeller Center. "Top of the Rock" awaits us, offering us a fantastic view of the city from above. The sky is bright blue and the sun is shining beautifully on Manhattan. Since we bought our tickets online in advance and there are hardly any visitors at this time of day, we don't have to wait in line for the elevator and can go straight up to the roof. I think Rockefeller is best suited for the view during the day, as you have a great view of Central Park on one side, allowing you to see its size, and Manhattan on the other side. You have the Empire State Building right in front of you and can see past One World Trade Center to the Statue of Liberty. Only the ugly MetLife Building slightly obscures the view of the beautiful Chrysler Building.

Before we know it, an hour has passed. So we head back down to solid ground. After a quick breakfast snack, we take another stroll around the center, passing Radio City Music Hall on the way. From there, you can look down 6th Avenue. The street is sandwiched between skyscrapers and seems to stretch straight to the horizon.

We want to spend the next part of the day in Central Park. So we walk down 5th Avenue. Here, the posh shopping boutiques of Versace, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany's, Cartier, etc. line up. Before we enter the park, we risk a glance into the lobby of the Plaza Hotel (you know – Home Alone). Upon entering, the scent of fresh flowers immediately catches your attention. The entire lobby is filled with them, and you can immediately sense the special flair of this hotel.

Enough raving, let's head over to the park. After all, it's perfect summer weather. The first thing you notice is the absence of trouble and the typical big-city noise. Then it's amazing how hilly Central Park is. You wouldn't expect that. So we stroll through the park and take advantage of the many park benches to enjoy the surroundings.

A few places in the park are, of course, a must-see: These definitely include Bethesda Terrace & Fountain and Bow Bridge with its view of the buildings directly on Central Park (I'm just saying: final scene in Ghostbusters). Here you can also rent rowboats and race the ducks.

We leave Central Park at around 1:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Museum. If you want to visit the Metropolitan, you should plan on spending a few hours there. Opposite the museum are the very expensive apartment buildings of the Upper East Side, where you should take a look at the entrance areas. These are often lined with marble and opulently designed. Of course, the doorman is also a must-see.

We continue along 5th Avenue to the futuristic Guggenheim Museum. Unfortunately, it is closed on Thursdays, but for a change, there is no scaffolding outside.

Since we now have more time than planned, we move on to the next subway station to head towards Harlem. On Lexington Avenue, we enjoy a small sandwich before heading to Harlem via the Bronx. Via the Bronx, because the subways at Central Park only run north-south, so you can't get across under the park. Once in Harlem, we walk down Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd to the famous Apollo Theater. Since this wasn't planned in advance, I unfortunately didn't find out beforehand whether it's possible to visit the theater. According to a cashier, this is only possible on certain dates or during events – too bad.

But since we're already this far north, we take the opportunity to check out the Columbia University campus. Columbia is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the US, and the campus is laid out like a park dotted with historic buildings.
By the way, it's now almost half past five, so we take the next subway back to our hotel.

After freshening up and resting a bit, because we did walk quite a lot today, we meet up with our friend again and head out once more. It's only about a 15-minute walk from Madison Square Garden to the New York High Line. This is a former elevated railway line that was converted into a park over several years with donations and runs directly between the residential buildings in the Chelsea district. Afterwards, we take a quick look around Chelsea Market, which has various shops selling handmade goods and just as many small restaurants. Then we go out for a bite to eat nearby and head off to bed.