The Big Apple

We have been in New York for 6 days and I love it! The city is so cool because there are lots of different people and things to do. We have been doing lots of bus tours around the boroughs (Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens) which is awesome because you get to listen to all of the cool facts and history. A lot of famous people came from New York or Live in New York. I love it and do not want to leave. Here are some pics from my stay in the Big Apple.

 

Lee, Mum and I on Liberty Island - You can see Manhattan in the background

 Manhattan Skyline View from Liberty Island

 Times Square - such a cool place with lots and lots of people

I finally got to try a gyro that Mum and Dad had talked about when they came to New York by themselves. It was yum.

 I flew from LA all the way to New York which took 6 hours after our 12 hour flight from Auckland. It took us about 30 hours including stops in Auckland and LA to get to New York

 Flying into New York at night time. The city is beautiful.

 A man called Andrew Bogut was on our flight and he made my dad look short. He was over 7ft tall and is a basketball player from Australia who plays for the Golden State Warriors. 

 An American Schoolbus

Mum and I up the One World Tower. You can see all of Manhattan from up there.

 Arrival into JFK Airport New York City

 Mum and I up the Rockefeller Building - very windy and cold!

 We went to the Broadway show for one of my favourite Roald Dahl books Matilda. It was amazing.

 The Fords Theatre in Washington DC is where American President Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed. He was a very famous and important president because he helped stop slavery in America. We visited the memorial to him in Washington DC too and it was a beautiful place.

 My brother Lee, Dad and I in Times Square

 A Knish which is a potato thing - it was not that nice but it was good to try another new food

 Radio City where there are lots of concerts

 This memorial is across the road from the World Trade Memorial. The World Trade Centre used to be the home of the Twin Towers but on the 11th September 2001 some terrorists hijacked planes and flew two of them into the towers. On that day over 3000 people were killed. This memorial is on the wall of a fire station that lost most of their team on that day . It is a very sad place but a peaceful one too for people to come and pay their respects. There is a museum there and the New One World Tower is awesome. 

Mum, Me and Dad on our way to LA. Lee was with Nanny and Papa who went to San Francisco and we met them in New York. 

The World Trade Memorial Pools. These pools were built in the footprints of the Twin Towers that came down on the 11th September 2001. All of the names you can see are carved right through and at night the light reflects through them. The names represent the thousands of people who were killed on that day.  Many of the people who were killed were fireman and police who came to help the others. You have to go through a lot more security at the airports now because of that day.

 Lee, Mum and I up the Rockefella Centre

 Museum of Natural History

 The One World Tower - built next to the old Twin Towers site and World Trade Memorial. We went up to the 102 floor. When you go up in the elevator it shows you a film of what New York looked like from long ago until today. It was sad seeing the huge Twin Towers there and then they had gone. Americans are very proud of their country and they have their flags everywhere. Maybe New Zealand should have their flags everywhere too.

 It was a cold and wet day in Washington DC but we still got to see this Washington  Monument dedicated to the old American President George Washington. It is in a lot of films so I am glad I got to see it for real. 

 My papa, nanny and I at Bubba Gumps in Times Square. This restaurant is based on tthe movie Forest Gump and is awesome. I went to one when I was 5 in Anaheim which is where Disneyland is.

 Columbus Circle by Central Park

 A typical New York Street

 I had to help my brother in his wheelchair. He broke his ankle the week before we left but he has been awesome and we get to skip all of the lines. Mum said she is lucky to have Oliver in her class so she knew a little bit more than normal about managing with a wheelchair. The people here have been very kind to Lee in his wheelchair which is good to see.

 The survivor tree at the World Trade Memorial site. This tree survived from September 11th and was pulled from the area and looked after. It also survived through Hurricane Sandy which was a massive storm in 2012. It is a a symbol of hope.

My delicious Choc chip cookie sundae from Bubba Gumps. 

 Lee at Battery Park where you catch the ferry to go to the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island.

Dad and Me waiting for our flight

 Yummy Pretzels

 Hershey World in Times Square. Cool but very expensive so we got some chocolate from the supermakerts instead.

The Rockefella Centre. In the winter this is turned into a skating rink and a big huge Christmas tree can be seen. 

 Me on Liberty Island

 Can you spot me in the yellow poncho. This is at the Lincoln Memorial and you can see the reflection pool and Washington Memorial in the background. Martin Luther King said his famous 'I have a dream' speech here in 1963 which was to fight for equal rights for black people. There is a memorial to Martin Luther King near the Lincoln Memorial. It is a very peaceful and beautiful place. I have also seen this on a lot of movies including The Winter Soldier.

 The Korean Soldiers Memorial - I saw New Zealand's name here because we sent soldiers to fight in this war.

 Natural History Museum. One of our favourite exhibits was on the American Indians.

 There were heaps of dinosaur bones at the Natural History Museum. It was cool.

 A gyro stand - yummy street food

 Harlem - home of another very famous person Malcolm X who also fought for equal rights for black people.

 The Jefferson Memorial - A memorial to another American President Thomas Jefferson

 Dad and I in the hop on hop off bus in Times Square

 World Trade Memorial

 The Met Museum where lots of art is placed

 Manhattan from the One World Tower - 102 floors high. Can you see the Empire State building?

 Outside our hotel in Times Square on 47th 

Nanny and I outside the One World Tower 

 We had a delicious lunch at Kat'z Deli. This is a famous deli that has been on Bizaare Foods America. I had a brisket on rye sandwich and Lee and Dad has a pastrami one. They were yum and they came with fries and pickles which was a bit weird. There were lots of pictures of famous people on the wall who come to Katz's.

 Mum, Lee and I at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC

 Bubba Gumps

 My nanny, papa, Lee, Mum and I on Liberty Island

 Harlem

 Up the One World Tower you got these tablets so that when you looked at the view you could tell exactly where different landmarks were like the Brooklyn Bridge, The Statue of Liberty and The Empire State building.

The Empire State Building 

Katz's Deli  

 The Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge

Lee and I in the hop on hop off bus 

 At Ronald Regan Airport in Washington DC

 Natural History Museum. These feathers were on a chiefs headress and it explains how brave he was by the patterns on each feather.

There is a ferris wheel inside this shop. Mum and I had a ride. 

 A T-Rex Skull in the Natural History Museum

 Hop on Hop off Bus in Washington DC on a wet and cold day!

 Air and Space Museum Washington DC

Rockefella Centre - 'Top of the Rock'. Spot the Empire States building in the middle and the tip of the Chrysler building to the left.

Chicken on rice from the gyro stand.

This is the US Capitol building where President Obama and the other members work. It is like our Beehive but cooler. Washington DC is a very pretty city and the buildings there are amazing. We also saw the White House where President Obama and all of the other US presidents have lived. When we were there a huge motorcade went past and we thought the president was on his way past but the driver said his vehicles would be different and would also have the presidential seal on the cars. It was pretty exciting but just a normal thing for the bus driver and tour guide.

This Pataka (storage house) was in the Maori section in the Museum of Natural history. It is a cool feeling seeing things from home so far away. This pataka is from Rotorua and is beautiful. 

Times Square

There's a Starbucks on almost every corner

Air and Space Museum

Inside our NY Hotel lobby - Hotel Edison

This is one of the top 10 pizza places in New York. We walked all the way from our hotel on 47th Street to 31st Street right by Madison Square Garden and Penn Station so Dad could get these slices. 

Abraham Lincoln Memorial

Cream Cheese and Jelly NYC Bagel ..this was Mums and my favourite but Dad and Lee liked the onion and cheese one better. The best part is the bagel.

The Harlem Shake

Above Times Square

Cheese and Onion bagel

The pizza place we walked to

I love to bake and one of my favourite baking shows is The Cake Boss. This is his shop Carlo's and is very busy you have to take a ticket before you order. It was cool because you could see the bakers working out the back while you waited. We got a peanut butter, oreo and chocolate with vanilla frosting cupcakes and a strawberry tart.

Some of the treats at Carlo's

Dad and I waiting for our flight to LA