New York City Tour Part 2

Next the bus headed through the well-known theater and shopping district of Times Square.

We thought we might see the Naked Cowboy of Times Square but instead saw the Naked Cowgirl...or did we? Take a look at this article www.oanmedia.com/2008/06/naked_cowgirl_granny_in_times.php . What a coincidence we took this picture...too bad we didn't get a better one.

The electronic billboards of Times Square are a familiar sight to anyone who has watched the ball drop on New Year's Eve.

Our bus finally stopped at the corner of East 42nd Street and Park Ave. where we found...

a view of The Empire State Building...and we entered...

Grand Central Terminal. With 44, Grand Central Terminal has more platforms than any other train station in the world.

Although it is often called "Grand Central Station", that name actually refers to the nearby post office and a previous rail station on the site.

The station originally opened in 1871 and was then entirely torn down in phases between 1903 and 1913 and replaced with the current Grand Central Terminal.

The main branch of the New York Public Library is very near Grand Central. You may recognize it as a major location from the 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow.

A shortage of parking in Manhattan increases the need for these stacked parking structures...expect no quick getaways here.

Our next stop of the day was at the sobering construction site formerly occupied by the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

Constructed from 1966-1973, the Twin Towers stood 110 feet high and were the world's tallest buildings for one year after construction, when the Sears Tower surpassed them.

The occupants of the Twin Towers accounted for approximately 3,000 of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

This cross, known as the World Trade Center cross or the Ground Zero cross, was found in the debris of the buildings and stands as a memorial to the victims. It is temporarily located at nearby St. Peter's Church.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/june/new-york-city-tour/ pictures 93-170.

Look for the video of our New York City tour in the next entry!

To be continued...