This chapter is mainly photographs of the last two places we visited on this epic journey - New York and Hawaii.
We arrived in Newark airport having flown from Quebec city and took a shuttle into the very middle of Manhattan - the Hyatt hotel next door to Grand Central Station. We bought 2 tickets that made our time in Zoo York easy - a 7 day unlimited journey Metro Pass and a 5 day New York pass. Both these proved to be fantastic value. We were soon out touring and visiting the city's many sites and attractions.
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| Grand Central Station in all its glory |
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| Some random tourist in Times Square |
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| Original structural beams - 9/11 Museum |
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| Original communications tower - 9/11 Museum |
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| Original external support beam - 9/11 Museum |
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| Wrecked Ladder Truck No.3 |
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| Part of the exo-beam where the plane struck the tower |
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| A melted and bent structural beam |
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| One of the two reflection pools at ground zero |
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| The new World Trade Centre building disappearing into the mist |
Walking across Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan
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| The Brooklyn Bridge from the DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) |
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| Denise on the Bridge |
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| Just another big statue! |
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| Looking towards Manhattan from our Circle Line cruise |
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| The United Nations General Assembly building |
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| The Apollo Theatre |
A stroll through Central Park one afternoon
Madame Tussaud's - one of the attractions included in the New York Pass
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| Not sure who the bloke on the left is! |
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| The girls posing with the celebrities |
The Intrepid Air Sea and Space Museum
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| The aircraft carrier Intrepid |
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| Blackbird Aerial Surveillance aircraft |
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| The original space shuttle - the Enterprise |
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| The Concorde supersonic passenger airliner |
Top of the Rock - the Rockefeller Centre Observation Deck and Tour
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| Another big blow-up lady |
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| From the top - apartment high rise tower and Central Park |
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| The Empire State building |
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| Soon to be the tallest apartment building in the world |
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| Atlas holds up the heavens in front of the Rockefeller Centre |
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| The water feature outside the Rockefeller Centre |
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| Inside the Rockefeller Centre and its gold leaf ceiling |
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| St Patrick's Cathedral |
Central Park Cycling Tour
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| Central fountain |
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| The intrepid cyclists in Central Park |
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| The girls |
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| The Boathouse in Central Park - we would have loved to have eaten there but ran out of time! |
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| The gang of Four |
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| The bridge over the boating lake |
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| Strawberry Fields - John Lennon Memorial |
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| Plaque remembering John Lennon |
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| Belvedere Castle in Central Park |
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| The Guggenheim Museum from 5th Avenue |
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| Up the spiral walkway and past the brilliant artwork |
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| The ceiling of the Guggenheim |
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| The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York City |
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| A little work by Van Gogh in the MOMA - The Starry Night |
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| The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (the MET) |
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| T-Rex in the Museum of Natural History |
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| Brilliant preserved fossil fish - Natural History Museum |
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| The General Grant National Memorial |
Leaving JFK airport, we flew to Phoenix, Arizona and then on to Hawaii and to our hotel at the eastern end of Waikiki Beach. Our original accommodation in a 2-bedroom condo had fallen through just 2 weeks before we were due to arrive in Hawaii so the Aston Beach Hotel was a last minute replacement which served us well but wasn't as convenient or flexible as our first accommodation.
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| Sunset from our hotel room |
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| Waikiki Beach in the early morning |
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| Statue of Duke Kahanamoku on Waikiki Beach |
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| 'Our' own beach - note the impressive swell |
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| Waikiki Beach - high summer |
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| Cocktail happy hour in some bar in Hawaii The Pearl Harbour and USS Arizona memorial |
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| The anchor of the USS Arizona |
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| US Naval ships at anchor in Pearl Harbour |
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| All that remains of the forward gun turret of the USS Arizona |
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| BB39 - The USS Arizona's berth and an oil slick still rising to the surface even today |
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| Remnants of the Arizona with the USS Missouri in the background |
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| Model of the USS Arizona Memorial |
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| USS Missouri |
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| The exact spot where the Japanese Imperial Forces surrendered to the Allies thereby ending the war in 1945 |
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| Plaque commemorating the signing of the surrender by Japan in 1945 |
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| Anne in front of the 16" gun turrets of the USS Missouri |
Downtown Honolulu
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| Soldiers Memorial Cemetery, Honolulu |
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| The Honolulu skyline |
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| The Justice Building and Court precinct |
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| The Kings Palace - downtown Honolulu |
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| The entrance to the Diamond Head State Monument |
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| The switch-back path to the top of Diamond Head |
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| Looking out to sea from the headland |
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| Looking northwards back into the caldera and the park compound |
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| Waikiki Beach and Honolulu |
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| The western end of Waikiki Beach and its high rise development |
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| The lighthouse and reef below the headland |
Pretty soon our six days in Honolulu come to an and and it's time to board that big Qantas bird and wing our way back to Sydney.
It has been a fantastic and memorable seven weeks away where we saw many fabulous places for the first time. Shared with great friends, this escapade will long live on in all our memories for the camaraderie and the truly remarkable sights and adventures.
Travel on!
