New York - Day 4

Today, no bus tours - Thank God!!!!  I had enough.... actually 48 hours bus tours would have been sufficient!

Today I want to walk and explore... Again.. my routine: coffee and bagel at the coffee shop, then I start walking toward the Hudson River - I am not sure how far it is to walk, but I just keep going. I am actually looking for the High Walk, my friends recommended. Finally, I reach the river - it is beautiful, there is a walkway where people walk, run, bycicle etc... and for once there are public toilets - impossbile to find usually around New York....especially frustrating when one has a problem!....

I walked about 15 miles today.... wow....with lots of breaks of course!

A dogy park... cute...

 Aah... a street market, but I am not allowed to shop... so I keep going...

Hudson River Park is a waterside park on the Hudson River that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park. Bicycle and pedestrian paths, including the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, span the park north to south, opening up the waterfront for recreational use. The park includes tennis and soccer fields, batting cages, children's playground, dog run, recreational piers, and many other features.

I walked along the Hudson River, sat for a while in the sun and just chilled.... wonderful and relaxing to be away from the tourists!!!

Then, there it was: the High Line!  They made a path and gardens along an old rail track - very very nice and tranquille!  That's the nice thing about New York - it has all these lovely spots of tranquille around - like parks, squares, river fronts and this place!  These give you a refuge from the heavy traffic and people....The High Line Walk passes through the Meat District, I believe a popular spot for eating out these days....I only saw it from the top.

The High Line is a 1-mile (1.6 km) New York City linear park built on a 1.45-mile (2.33 km) section of the former elevated freight railroad spur called the West Side Line, which runs along the lower west side of Manhattan; it has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway. The High Line Park currently runs from Gansevoort Street, in the Meatpacking District, up to 30th Street, through the neighborhood of Chelsea.

The High Line opened to trains in 1934 and the last train ran in 1980 with three carloads of frozen turkeys. In 1999, the non-profit Friends of the High Line was formed residents of the neighborhood the High Line ran through. They advocated for the Line's preservation and reuse as public open space, and city funding was allocated in 2004. The southernmost section, from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street, opened as a city park on June 8, 2009. The middle section opened in June 2011, while the northernmost section's future remains uncertain.

These parking lots are all over town - where you stack the cars - quite fascinating and neat!!!

I exit at the end of the Walk and find a post office - hurray I can get some stamps!  I pass by Madison Square Gardens and see a 'Tim Horton'... and next to it Lindy's - the most famous cheesecake shop in New York  according to locals... so I decide rather than going Canadian, Igo American and I'll try the cheesecake.  I had lunch, a cup of tea and the cheesecake... - very dissapointing! My mother's cheesecake is 100x times better than this one!  Ah well - welcome to America I guess....

Lindy's Deli is famous for their legendary cheesecake, from New York and beyond. A New York City icon, it was opened by Leo "Lindy" Lindermann (who died in 1957) and his wife Clara on August 20, 1921.

I kept walking to the UN headquarters on the other side of town, friends recommended I'd go and take a tour.  Again, heavy security checks, even had to throw out my water bottle - I hate that!  The tour was very interesting and enlightening.. we had a good tour-guide who was passionate about the humanitarian cause!  We were now on UN territory NOT Us territory - interesting!  Oh and if you want to do something good? go to http://freerice.com/ and play the game - for every correct answer you donate rice (it's free!).

The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon. With its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft (443.2 m) high. It stood as the world's tallest building for 40 years, from its completion in 1931. (of course it no longer is that) It has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. and was constructed in 1949-1950 beside the East River, on 17 acres (69,000 m²) of land.

 The United Nations has three additional, subsidiary, regional headquarters or headquarter districts. These are located in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi. These adjunct offices help represent UN interests, facilitate diplomatic activities, and enjoy certain extraterritorial privileges, but only the main headquarters in New York contains the seats of the principal organs of the UN, including the General Assembly and Security Council. All 15 of the United Nation's specialized agencies are located outside New York at these other headquarters or in other cities.
Though it is in New York City, and part of the United States, the land used by the United Nations Headquarters is under the administration of the United Nations, while also being subject to most local, state, and federal laws.

The tour was eye opening - every day children die of hunger, whereas we have a surplus of foods in the Western world, which we throw away.... Education, war, women's rights, poverty,.... the list goes on.... it is sad to see that we have evolved so far as civilizations, but we still have wars and hatred and discrimination - whereas we should be able to communicate, love and understand and embrace the differences and help each other.  No matter where we are from and what we believe in, we all want the same - a good and happy life and a good future for our children! 

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA/GA) is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. Its powers are to oversee the budget of the United Nations, appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Council, receive reports from other parts of the United Nations and make recommendations in the form of General Assembly Resolutions.

The General Assembly building holds the General Assembly Hall which has a seating capacity of 1,800. At 165 ft (50 m) long by 115 ft (35 m) wide, it is the largest room in the complex.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security.  Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter. include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action. Its powers are exercised through United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The Security Council held its first session on 17 January 1946. Since its first meeting, the Council, which exists in continuous session, has travelled widely, holding meetings in many cities.

There are 15 members of the Security Council, consisting of five veto-wielding permanent members and 10 elected non-permanent members with two-year terms. 

I walk back to Central Station to take the subway back, got off at the wrong street exit and got lost... Not one of my best days! I had to go back down to the ticket office and ask where to go.... so frustrating and tiresome!

I found this great gourmet food market at Central Station... quaint...

Back at the hostel, I discover that there is no hot water for my shower - I go and complain...  about an hour later - finally I can have my hot shower and wash my hair...  I go to bed exhausted - put on socks and a jumper.

Good night! My last night!!!!

S & D