25th - The day of the Devil

After leaving the hotel the course was set towards Grand Central Station so see the fabled interior. Obviously the classic shot with sun rays coming in through the windows did not occur at this point but we had a walk around and still managed to get quite a few shots.

Seen from the outside. 

Inside.

The ceiling.

Continued south again this time to visit the 9/11 memorial museum. On arrival at the location we found that there was a 30-45 minute queue outside, and not knowing anything about the museum (quality, what it showed etc.) it was quickly decided to leave and maybe try some other time instead. Took the subway north to Central Park where we had a short walk before starting to return to the hotel.

Before arriving we stopped by a diner that according to several top-10 lists had amazing cheesecakes. I decided for the one called Devil’s Food which was defined as a chocolate cheesecake. It sounded good so I definitely needed a piece of it. I was not prepared – at all. Imagine a layered chocolate cake in three layers which a layer of heavy icing and chocolate shavings. The layers are thick; every layer (cake and cream in between) app. 1 inch thick. The cream was best described as a mix between chocolate mousse and marshmallows. The second cake layer was maybe a 1½-2 inches thick layer of cheese. It was heart attack on a plate. It was horrific. It was absolutely amazing. The best thing I have had in a very long time. And I must shamefully admit I could not finish the entire piece.

That cake was a heart attack on a plate. Exactly how I liked it.

The strawberry milkshake was a massive letdown; horrifically synthetic and had never seen a strawberry in it's life.

Thanks to Lisa for taking the shot.

Coming back to the room at the hotel we spent an hour to recover after that monstrosity. Next step was taking a train to New Jersey where we had tickets for a hockey game between the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals. Outside NFL season we might as well go the second best. Not knowing much about hockey (“You get that black thingy into the goal of the opposing team, right?”) it was still fairly entertaining to watch. Despite it being horribly boring – not because I didn’t know anything but when a game goes into overtime because the score is 0-0 the action throughout a game has been limited.

We returned to Manhattan and the hotel where we picked up cameras and warm clothes and next step was Empire State Building and their observation platform. It was cold and windy but the views were magnificent from 88^th floor.

Looking east.

Looking north.

The spire of Empire State Building.

Looking south.

Came back down and arrived safe and sound at the hotel around 0130. A bit of a long day today.