Manhattan - a dream comes true

“All dreams can come true if we have the courage to follow them.” (Walt Disney).

For Madlin, a big dream comes true - New York in the run-up to Christmas. We spent the last few days visiting Manhattan in bright sunshine.

On Sunday (November 19th, 2023) we drove to Manhattan for the first time. Since the sky was bright blue, we spontaneously decided to go to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building. From here we had a gigantic view over New York. Of course, a hot dog is a must in New York. We then got a hot dog from one of the many street stalls and strolled through Times Square.

On Monday (November 20th, 2023) we were out and about in Manhattan again. Due to the low temperatures that we are no longer used to, Madlin wanted to buy gloves - so we went to the department store. An hour later, Madlin still had no gloves, but a new jacket with a matching scarf and hat 😂😁. Shopping in New York can be ticked off your bucket list. After the shopping tour, we strolled through Times Square to Central Park. Continue along 5th Avenue to Trump Tower and then back to the subway. That day we covered almost 20 km on foot.

On Wednesday (November 22nd, 2023) we were at the fire department museum. This was particularly exciting for Chris, but even Madlin, who finds museums rather dull, found the visit interesting. We learned a lot about the history of New York. The room in which the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 is remembered was poignant. The events are shown chronologically on a board. In addition, pictures of the deceased emergency services remind us of this terrible day and their tireless and brave efforts. After the museum we visited the World Trade Center Memorial. Overall, we had an exciting but also very moving day.

Thursday (November 23rd, 2023) was a special day - Thanksgiving. Here we got up early to watch the parade. We stood with thousands of other people in Manhattan and admired the huge variety of large and colorful balloons and marching bands. A great experience! We also visited Wall Street and Battery Park with a view of the Statue of Liberty.

Today (November 25th, 2023) we drove to Manhattan one last time. We strolled through Central Park again and enjoyed lots of great street musicians playing Christmas music in perfect winter weather. We also visited Highline Park. The special thing about this park is that it is located two floors above the streets of Manhattan because the park was built on an old elevated railway line. Furthermore, Madlin actually bought gloves today (really just gloves 😂).

Chris can now understand why so many people want to go to Manhattan in the run-up to Christmas. Not only is the city beautiful and diverse, but the people are all very friendly and helpful. In addition, the pre-Christmas atmosphere is very special.