Last night we grabbed a couple beers and some chips and headed down to a waterfront park to watch the city lights come on after sunset. As the lights came on the city skyline seemed to move closer to us. It was fun watching the skyline change as lights came on at various times soon after sunset. It was a spectacular way to view Manhattan from Brooklyn.

We slept in this morning after a late night for us early birds and we took the morning nice and slow. We enjoyed a couple coffees at the hotel and relaxed in the outdoor area before making a quick grocery shopping trip to the store just a couple doors down.

The plan for today was a bike ride to Midtown East, Central Park and then the Upper East Side in Manhattan as we make our way back to the hotel. We used the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge as our gateway to Manhattan.

The Chrysler Building, the tallest brick building in the world with a steel frame, standing at 1,046 feet was our first stop for a quick viewing. It was very prominent last night in the skyline and was even more impressive up close.

Grand Central Station was the next stop and we went inside to get a glimpse of this train station masterpiece. It has the most platforms of any train station in the world with 44.

The Empire State Building was the next ride by on our sightseeing tour this morning and it was very impressive and also has a nice Art Deco design. It was the tallest building in the world for quite some time.

Radio City Music Hall and the famous Rockefeller Center was the next two stops on our agenda and they were full of likeminded individuals. With NBC being a large presence in the Rockefeller Center, plenty of Olympic themed exhibits and viewing opportunities were available.

After a quick look at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, we made our way to Central Park with a stop at a Nathan’s hotdog stand for the flavor of New York. We did not try to win any hotdog eating contest today, but we did quickly devour our delicious and simple hotdog.

With our bellies filled with some deliciousness, we headed off to Central Park. It was pleasant to ride our bikes through this amazing and most visited urban park in the United States. We ended our time in the park by getting a good view of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. We then headed back to our hotel via the Upper East Side.

We made it back to the hotel safely and have both prepared our bikes for our journey that will continue tomorrow morning. Our bikes have been properly serviced and we enjoyed a quick happy hour in the outdoor area of the hotel.

New York City will take a while to fully digest. It is a spectacle to beyond to say the least. I am so happy we decided to spend a couple of days here so we could get a sense of what this city truly has to offer.

It was thrilling to ride our bikes through the city and become part of the flow of the city. All the horns blowing and the weaving in and out of vehicle and pedestrian traffic was simply an experience I will remember for a lifetime. Thank you New York City for being the over the top city you are and I hope to come back soon.