After a busy day yesterday, day 6 was unfortunately my last day of the trip. I had packed up all my things after I got back from Top of The Rock, so I could use what little time I had left in the city to use the rest of my 24-hour pass, and visit again!
I made a swift stop for some breakfast, at The Comfort Diner, a retro 60s styled diner on East 45th Street. From the street, the diner is unassuming, and doesn't appear too busy. However, trying to find a seat was near impossible, the place was packed already. I sat at the bar, as I was alone, and got to talk to some of the owners, as well as the regulars. The staff were very curious to know about where I was from - "its like English... your accent?". This was after the ladies weren't sure if they should be speaking to me in Spanish. This happens all the time in the Forrest family! I ordered my food, and tackled what I could from the absolute mountain of food that arrived. I'm sure one portion could have fed a small family.
I waddled down to the Rockefeller Center to try and beat the queues... obviously that didn't work. The queue was huge, and this time I was on a bit of a tight schedule. Luckily, I already had my ticket from the night before, meaning I could bypass a great deal of the people patiently waiting in line - very British.
I headed straight up to where I was last night, the 67th floor. While visiting at night was incredible to see the city all lit up, seeing it in the day was even more awesome. You could see for miles and miles into the distance, and I was far more aware of where I was - no more guessing where Central Park was, it was so clear that I wondered how I couldn't locate it last night!
The views were incredible up there, and yet again, I made my way up to the 69th floor (with those annoying reflective glass panels). In the daytime, however, the glass was no problem for taking photos - my main concern was getting random elbows, and the tops of peoples heads in my photos! The most alarming thing to me, about being that high up over the city, was not being able to see the ground until I was looking miles away from the building I was in. Absolutely not for those of you with vertigo, or a fear of heights!
Last night, the 70th floor open air observation deck had been closed due to high winds. Today, however, it was open and seemingly not many people were aware of it even being there. A small and narrow set of stairs leads you up to the uppermost level of the Rockefeller Center, and onto an open deck. While only one floor up from where I had just been, the 70th floor seemed significantly higher.
The views are even more incredible up there. While the distance you see remains largely the same, the perspective you have over the city is completely altered. Being a lot taller than most of the surrounding buildings, you look down over rooftops of the whole area - not something I can do in Falmouth!! After a while taking photos at the Top of The Rock, it was unfortunately time to head back to the YMCA, and get the bus back to Newark.
The bus went straight through Times Square, and the heart of the city out the other end to New Jersey. It was lovely to see the hustle and bustle again one last time before I would head back on an 8 hour flight.
As with everything Falmouth, after landing back in the UK, nothing was on time, and nothing went according to plan. I honestly feel like I spent more time waiting around at the airport, than being processed through. All I wanted to do was get back to my house, and sleep, but a coach from London to Falmouth was still between me and my bed. This bus, OF COURSE broke down on Bodmin Moor. I mean, why not, after travelling all day, and having not slept since who knows when! Eventually, we pulled up at Woodlane, and I made the short walk back to my house.
It's been an incredible trip, and I've learned so much about my work from the feedback in my meetings. I plan on making contact with these people to thank them again for their time and the impact their feedback has had on my work. Having this outside perspective had forced me to see my work as it is, rather than as I see it, and the product of my process.
If there are any questions you might have on my trip, or anything I've discussed in these NY travel blogs, please done hesitate to contact me via email, or any of my social media links below - I'd love to chat!
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