Great Western Coffee Shop

Switching for a day or two from data output (i.e. writing about travel and transport) to data input (learning about it) ... also visiting with family, etc.  Bearing in mind yesterday's "deep" server outage, I will be online occasionally.

(http://www.mrug.org.uk/lib/nyarrival.jpg)

Grahame, if you haven't done the trip on previous visits of yours to New York I would recommend the conducted tour of the United Nations complex. I certainly learnt a thing or two about the organisation and how many of the particular 'rooms, halls, assemblies, exhibits' were funded by various nations and it is not widely known that posting of cards, letters etc., from the UN Complex attracts its own UN postage stamps, sets of which are prized in stamp collectors hands.

I think I saw comment that the UN is in session and closed tourists - but will check. Not done that before; much on this trip depends on family.

Greetings from M50 bus

Even in session, tourists, when I was there, could visit the complex but todays security arrangements / post 9/11 might have changed all that but even a visit to the souvenir shop is worthwhile, well it was when I was there even though the shop was out of stock of an item I wanted and that was, a Bahrain patch, to sew onto my 'round the world' jacket but I've since cheated, got one run up by a local embroidery badge making business.  :)

Bus services in Bristol don't run up as high as m50 yet. only m1, m2, m3 and m3x but in the case of your greetings from I would assume your are riding around Manhattan.

I've never been to New York (though I'd like to) but as chance would have it I'm doing some work for a UN agency today. I know a little bit about staff cars, taxis and air services (including the UN Humanitarian Air Service – not the agency my work is for) but nothing about buses or trains, though there is a railway station in the particular city I'm focusing on. Definitely no cruise ships though as it's about 900 miles from the coast and a war zone!

Edit: It's 3' 6" 'Cape Gauge' with a once a week passenger service to the nearest port taking 40 hours – about twice as long as driving, but you can get a fully air-conditioned sleeper with restaurant car! And once there, you could visit NYC...

https://insight.wfp.org/maiduguri-a-city-of-camps-4bda98350ab5

No new thread today - just a couple of pictures gathered yesterday in the Big Apple.

(http://www.mrug.org.uk/lib/ba_ex_01.jpg)

(http://www.mrug.org.uk/lib/ba_ex_02.jpg)

Reminiscent of a well loaded 153 shuttling between Swindon and Westbury calling at er the station in a village called Melksham.

 :) :) :) :)

As no one else has had a stab at this whilst I have been out and about I'll take a stab at this one and say its The Big Apple's Apple Store. Lovely building.

It's amazing ... it's in Grand Central station ... many more pictures and comments over the next 2 weeks as we wend out way home.   A long day with family in New York today - thats yesterday to you folks in the UK

(http://www.mrug.org.uk/lib/rock01.jpg)

Lovely view of the southern part of Manhattans New York Skyline with the Empire State building and its TV transmitter atop. Just to the right of the telescope and above the eyepiece you can make out the iconic Statue Of Liberty standing on Liberty Island.

Was this taken from the Rockefeller Centre Building ?

I intentionally included Lady Liberty for those (such as yourself) in the know - did some angle wangling as I took the photo.  Indeed from the Rockefeller Centre, where we did the NBC Studio tour and queued and waited in line for hours for standby tickets to the Seth Meyer show ... which we eventually got into and watched a recording for transmission later in the evening.  Also, yes, did "Top of the Rock" - some wonderful photos, with no real outlet to do much with them ...

Off from New York ... and I'll writing up somewhat over the next week or two

Pictures that may be of general interest such as ...

(http://www.mrug.org.uk/lib/ny_water.jpg)

Pictures likely to be of interest in public transport circles such as ...

(http://www.mrug.org.uk/lib/ny_rail.jpg)

Is that top-contact LIRR or bottom-contact Metro North?