We decided to walk along the Fifth Avenue, the famous thoroughfare often ranked among the most expensive shopping streets in the world. Indeed, the street is lined with luxury department stores and prestigious boutiques, but I was more interested in a number of famous landmarks in the neighborhood (plus, my credit cards do have a limit!).
The Empire State Building – On Top of NYC
Our first choice was the mythic Empire State Building, the 102-story skyscraper located on Fifth Avenue (Plan B was the Rockefeller Centre). Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Empire State Building is again the tallest building in New York, and I couldn’t wait to see it up close.
Foodie Review – Yummy Sushi (Somerset Street, Ottawa)
Our first choice was Sushi 88 but it was closed for the day, so we went next door to Yummy Sushi, an all-you-can-eat sushi place I had never tried.
NYC – Wall Street and the Site of the World Trade Center
From Wall Street, we walked to the site of the World Trade Centre, where the Twin Towers stood until 9/11. Like most people, I still remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard about the attacks—I was living in Hong Kong at the time, thousands of miles away from the U.S.A. geography and culturally-speaking, but yet the events affected me.
Arriving in New York City
We arrived in Times Square, the first place I wanted to see with my own eyes. Like most people, I caught glimpses of NYC in movies. Over the years, books and songs from famous NYC artists helped me draw a mental picture of the place. But of course, seeing it turned out to be quite different.
Albany, NY State
On the first day of summer, we loaded the car with traveling gear: our backpacks, a stack of road maps and cold drinks. A spontaneous road trip, for a few days. We will see where we end up—as usual, we have no plans. We just need to relax for a few days.