Welcome to New York

Okay, here's the story.

My older sister Sarah was studying abroad in France, and we had planned to pick her up in Paris. However, the best laid plans of mice and family didn't work out for us.

My mother, Katie and I flew from Houston to LaGuardia, then took a shuttle to Newark, hoping to get a plane to Paris. While waiting, a series of storms hit us. We couldn't get out. That night, we discover that all the flights leaving Europe were overbooked until Tuesday. Mom was in tears. Katie thought the best thing to do was to stay in New York, so we did.

We stayed in a hotel in Carteret, NJ that night. Mom got us a hotel in Downtown Manhattan, so we didn't have to go back and forth.

We took a train from Rahway, NJ to Manhattan.

I got the train while it was moving.

We got off at Pennsylvania Station, which is near Madison Square Garden. This is the first thing you see when you get out.

Our hotel room was a block away from the Empire State Building. You can't get a better location at the price we got.

We had lunch at the Europa Cafe at the base of the building then went to the Observation Deck located on the 86th floor.

What a sight.

Hello, down there!

Twilight Cruise

Mom thought it would be cool to take a tour boat around Manhattan Island. I thought it would be a great photo opportunity, especially at night. I was right. New York at sunset is something else.

The U.S.S. Intrepid.

Katie doesn't quite have her sea legs yet.
Imagine two giants standing here.
This is the world's largest clock.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the highlight of the tour. The symbol of New York: Lady Liberty herself.

Katie took this one herself.

You could see SoHo from here




oldest Pepsi-Cola sign.


I consider this one a framer

you ever have the feeling that you were intoxicated? This is what New York looks like after drinking...

Times Square

After the Twilight cruise, we went to check out the lights and sights that made up Times Square. And boy, was it a sight.

Times Square is a giant billboard. Every turn there was advertising. Many billboards were actually LED screens that moved. It was really cool.

We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe over at Times Square. And I thought the Hard Rock at Biloxi was something...

They had actual stuff from the Beatles, such as their costumes.

Mom was trying to be emo...

Subways, Churches and Grounds

The Subway. We've never ridden one, so we went. It was just an easy target for artistic shots.

The New York Stock Exchange has been closed to the viewing public since 9/11. What a concept. With the free time we had, we checked out Trinity Church, the same church in National Treasure and where George Washington was sworn in.


a tribute to Alexander Hamilton.


Who would have thought that two giants once stood here?

again, an easy target for artistic shooting.

Grand Central Station.