The red cups are out in force in Starbucks, the thanksgiving parade was fantastic and I get to channel Carrie Bradshaw for four whole days.
So I have been sale shopping, eaten out in the meat packing district and even managed to be staying in the same hotel as one of the Jonas brothers (whom I don't really know and I only found out as the crowds of people waited outside the lobby for him to go out.)
However; I did break from Carrie's likes yesterday morning and went on a running tour of the city. It was an early start especially after the gallons of vodka I had ingested at NYC's second oldest bar the night before.
It was a beautifully sunny crisp morning (-2 degrees) and would prove to be the best way to blow away the cobwebs. It turned out I was the only person booked onto the tour which was a real treat. My guide was called Stefanie. She was an actress and had lived in NYC for 9 years. Along with us was another trainee guide called Dina who was born and bred in NYC. We started at Chambers street on the edge of the financial district. We began our run and went through the area where the book and film Gangs of New York was set. Historically it was a very dangerous area both in terms of violence and disease to live in but now it boasted some of the oldest impressive buildings in the city as well as a view of the newest and tallest building (One World Trade Center.) I haven't read the book before but have bought it yesterday post run so my knowledge of the area will improve over the coming weeks.
We carried on through Chinatown and then made our way up to Manhattan Bridge to cross the East River. The views across to Brooklyn Bridge as well as the Manhattan skyline was awesome. The subway trains were also running right by us across the bridge which certainly gave our run a truly urban feel.
About a mile later we arrived in Brooklyn. Well specifically we were in DUMBO. despite connections with a certain elephant it actually stands for Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass. We only had a few minutes this side of the river before reaching Brooklyn Bridge. It is a fantastic bridge and I never tire of visiting it every time I am in the city. Being early in the morning it was pretty empty. The sky was blue above us and as we crossed back to the city I could see all the iconic buildings in the city. The Chrysler building, Empire State building and the statue of liberty.
I didn't want the run to end but soon we reached the shores of Manhattan and were back where we started.
The 4 miles had gone all too quickly and it was time for me to head home for a shower.
I would recommend the tours to anyone in the city and I look forward to trying them again in another city too. Check them out here:
Check out the site here: http://www.cityrunningtours.com/
And here are my pictures:
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