After the hottest day of the year yesterday, we woke to rain this morning. By the time we hit the streets it had stopped and we were blessed with a much cooler day. Our apartment is on 42nd Street, so we just walk East and are soon among the crowds and the craziness. We walked to Central Station at Park Avenue and made our way inside. It was quite crowded as the trains had been stopped due to a police incident in the Bronx. The domed ceiling of Central Station is beautiful, decorated with celestial scenes. The main hall is large and indeed very grand. We had a coffee there before continuing our tour of the Midtown.

The architecture of these giant buildings is fantastic. The older facades are gothic and Art Deco and stand proudly alongside the gleaming glass of the new skyscrapers. We walked East, almost to the Hudson River before turning back and making our way to the Rockerfeller Building. We joined the queue, not very long, to go to the Top of the Rock. A fast climb up to the 67th floor in a crammed elevator, before alighting and seeing views all over this massive city. There are so many big buildings spread over a very large area. We could see the impressive Empire State Building,  the gorgeous Chrysler Building,  the Statue of Liberty and the green acreage of Central Park. We spent about an hour up there, it is really worth the cost of the ticket.

We popped into St Patrick's, a gothic cathedral, where we managed to arrive at the beginning of Mass. We had a quiet look around, sat for a while and then moved on. It is quite a lovely place, with amazing stained glass.

Saks on 5th Avenue was accross the street so we had a wander. We were accosted by a lovely young lady and soon we were both getting mini-makeovers! Ken wasn't sure what was going on, but he was hydrated and moisturised and told he was in great shape. We left looking years younger!

Lunch was calling and we found a salad bar to buy takeaways and enjoy sitting in the park. Actually, we managed to sit between 2 construction sites, New York is Noisy!

We made our way home, stopping at Uni Qlo in Times Square for a quick shop, a coffee at Romeo and Juliet and back for some R and R.

We are on the edge of the Hell's Kitchen area and there are a lot of restaurants to choose from. Choosing the right one is tricky. Tonight we followed the reccomendation of quite a few websites and went to Kashkaval Garden on 9th Ave. The streets here all run in one direction and the Avenues in the other. We managed to go the wrong way in both directions, so added quite a bit to our walk there. However, the food was fantastic and the walk was worth it. We shared dips and skewers. The room was noisy, New Yorkers are noisy, but it was fun and delicious.

Steps 23,834

Kms walked 18.7