A perfect day for flying

Our second (and final) day in New York dawned with brilliant blue skies and sunshine. A perfect day to go flying; which is exactly what we did. At 9:45am our helicopter tour of New York departed from the Downtown heliport at the southern tip of Manhattan. For the next 20 minutes we flew past almost every conceivable New York landmark including the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Centre construction site, Central Park, Yankee Stadium, the George Washinton Bridge and even the Queen Mary which had docked overnight in Brooklyn.

We then took a quick taxi tour of Wall Street and the NYSE before making our way through another of the city's ubiquitous security mazes into the 9/11 memorial. The memorial opened on the tenth anniversary of the infamous terrorist attack last year and so it's a new and rather unique landmark in the Big Apple. It was also my first visit. The memorial is superbly done. I was moved by its simplicity and the wonderful calm oasis it creates in a city that never sleeps.

Our final tour stop for the day was a ferry ride out to Liberty Island to stand in the shadow of the mighty lady herself. The island is also the perfect place to look back across the Hudson River for a classic view of the Manhattan skyline. While waiting to board the boat we also stopped for while in Battery Park to enjoy another New York classic;. A hot dog from a umbrella shaded street vendor.

All in all we've enjoyed an absolutely magnificant day in New York. Dad came off the ferry with a smile from ear to ear. We're now safely tucked up in our lavish hotel in Montreal after a short, uneventful flight. Sadly the weather in Montreal is forecast to be rather damp for the next few days, clearing later in the week as we slowly make our way back toward Toronto via Ottawa and the scenic Thousand Islands district.

The Big Apple

Mum and Dad have enjoyed a wonderful, but exhausting, day in New York. We taken a horse and carriage through Central Park; soaked up the colour and lights of Times Square; rode the New York subway; stood on the roof of the Rockefeller Centre, 70 floors above the streets of New York; and then finished the day with a show on Broadway!

Evita was a real hit with my parents.  Dad could not believe the quality of the choreography.  Ricky Martin was fabulous, receiving most of the audience's accolade during the final curtain call. I felt for the female lead given that she was playing the musical's namesake role.

It's been an incredible day of memories. Mum even met Spongebob Square Pants wandering through Times Square. Dad cannot believe he's finally seen the Big Apple with his own eyes. Both are simply awe-struck by the colour, sights and sounds of Times Square, having now seen it by day and by night.

  

We spent an hour touring Central Park by horse-drawn carriage.  I arranged with our driver to stop several times so that we could explore some of the park's more famous landmarks.  We visited the Mall lined with statues of famous literary figures, Bethsheba's Terrace which overlooks the boating lake and finally the Lennon memorial located at the park entrance closest to John Lennon's apartment.  the crowd that's always gathered there never fails to amaze me.

Our hotel, the Casablanca on West 43rd Street has also turned out to be a real winner.  It's located less than 100 metres from the heart of Times Square, far closer than I'd imagined.  It's one of those rare travel gems where the facilities and amenities have proved better in real life than the photos and descriptions on its website.

• Posted from my iPhone

• Location: W 43rd St,New York,United States

Niagara Falls

No guessing where we've been today! Mum and Dad have had a fabulous day at Niagara Falls. The weather has been superb after yesterday's damp conditions. As a result it was almost impossible to take a bad photo.

We started our tour at the Canadian Horseshoe Falls where you can literally stand at the lip of the falls and watch millions of litres drop more than 50 metres into the gorge below. Dad simply couldn't get over the fact that he could stand so close to the edge of such staggering power and beauty.

We then caught the Maid of the Mist boat to the base of the falls. It's an awesome experience as the spray soaks you and the falls thunder ominously overhead. Mum and Dad loved every moment of it.

We then capped off our day with a leisurely late lunch in the Skylon revolving restaurant. There's nothing like smoked baby back pork ribs and a glass of wine as Niagara Falls glides past your window. Just ask my Mum!

447 metres? Not so high

We've survived our first day of inclement weather in Canada. Fortunately most of our scheduled sight-seeing today involved mainly indoor activity. The rain subsequently cleared this evening just in time to provide a spectacular sunset.  From our hotel window we were able to watch its dying rays light up the shores of Lake Ontario.

We started the day with a taxi ride through Downtown to the Royal Ontario Museum (known locally as ROM). As we entered the building we were greeted by the extraordinary sight of a 30 metre long "brontosaurus" type dinosaur skeleton towering overhead. This display was promoting a new dinosaur exhibit at the ROM with dozens of impressive skeletons on display.  I've never seen anything quite like it and I know my parents surely haven't.

Once we'd had our fill of Jurassic encounters it was off to visit the CN Tower. At 553 metres this was once the world's tallest free-standing structure. However, its height has since be surpassed by at least three more recent structures in Asia and the Middle East. Despite its relegation from the record books my father was particularly keen to see it.

While on our way to to the tower, I arranged for our cab driver to take us on a brief circuit of Downtown. As he weaved his way through traffic I furiously pointed out landmark buildings and locations including the graceful, curving towers of City Hall.  This proved the perfect compromise to a walking tour I'd previously recommended before light rain began falling as we left the ROM. 

The CN Tower delighted my father. The view from the Skypod observation deck 447 metres above the street is rather breath-taking and the glass floor section is an unnerving battle of mind over matter. Like millions before us we were mesmerised by the experience of looking down on commuter airplanes coming in to land at the nearby Toronto Islands airport.

We then finished our day enjoying an evening performance of Cirque de Solei under its temporary, custom-built big top tent. This was a first for my parents. They loved every minute of the colourful spectacle. This is live entertainment at its best as a cavalcade of elaborate costumes, sights and sounds dazzled our senses for almost two hours.

• Posted from my iPhone

• Location:Harbour Square,Toronto,Canada

Hello Toronto!

Not a lot to report this evening. Today was largely devoted to travel.  The day began with an airport transfer from Banff to Calgary where we caught a flight to Toronto. The drive to Calgary gave us a final glimpse of the Rocky Mountains that you can see in the photo posted here. It was spectacular farewell before the broad, dry plains of the midwest opened up before us.

We caught a brief glimpse of Winter Olympic Games facilities on the outskirts of Calgary before eventually reaching the airport. As we checked-in we were advised that our flight was oversold and we'd been placed on stand-by. However I successfully paraded my weary father in front of the gate staff and soon had confirmed seats secured on our preferred flight.

Four hours later we found ourselves safely on the ground in Toronto just as the sun began to set. I've hired a car to get us around which initially seemed a rather bold move as we struggled to find our way out of the airport and on to the correct freeway.

We made at least one unnecessary loop of the airport before finaly heading in the right direction. However, Dad kindly thought I'd flawlessly navigated my way to our hotel and so my record as a tour guide remains intact.

The evening ended on a high note when when we learnt that the hotel had upgraded our rooms to those with a view of Lake Ontario. Dad also thought the tomato soup he ordered at dinner was simply divine, resulting in the broadest smile so far this trip.

Tomorrow we're off to see the spectacular (and recently refurbished) dinosaur gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum before making our way up the CN Tower to take in the view. Tomorrow evening's entertainment will then be provided by the famous Cirque de Soliel.

 

Life is beautiful

Every so often a picture paints a thousand words...

One postcard moment after another

Lake Louise is considered the Rocky Mountain's jewel in the crown. After today's rental car expedition from Banff along the Bow River Parkway to Lake Louise, I'd have to agree. The lake and its vista are truly postcard manna.  Once again our photos simply don't do justice to the real thing.

Highlights today included a detour to view Moraine Lake, framed by soaring granite mountains, a light lunch in the Fairmont Hotel at Lake Louise, and a late afternoon ride up the cable car at Banff to soak in breathtaking panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains. Mum and Dad loved it all, as did I.

More details later. For now, here are a few images from our day in the Rocky Mountains.

Rocky Mountain Wow!

The first of the autumn colours are just starting to appear as we cross the Rocky Mountains. This bodes well for our road tour through Ontario two weeks from now. Garry and I saw some spectacular colours seven years ago so I'd love my parents to experience the same sight.

Our second day on the train kicked off just as the sun was rising. It made the rather plain town of Kamloops look quite dazzling. We traced the shores of several lakes for the first three hours before venturing into classic pine-clad mountain glades. The view then grew progressively more stunning as we slowly made our way east.

The rest of the day was filled with an endless progression of breath-taking emerald lakes, iridescent powder blue rivers and towering snow-capped mountains. We caught brief glimpses of spawning salmon and even a few adventurous white-water rafters.

Sadly, my photos barely do justice to the scenery we've enjoyed. A combination of passing trees (lots of passing trees) and elbow-welding SLR camera enthusiasts made it impossible to capture more than a few fleeting images.

Highlights today include the engineering marvel of the spiral tunnels that carry the train up and over Kicking Horse Pass. The tunnels twist through the slopes of Mount Ogden rising as they turn. This allows the train to rise more than 150 feet in less than a kilometre without exceeding a gradient of 2.5%.

Despite plenty of an ethusiasm we also failed to spot any bears today. We'll try again tomorrow when we hire a car and drive to Lake Louise.

• Posted from my iPhone

• Location:The really Rocky Mountains

Dawn in Kamloops

A couple of images that capture our first hour of travel on Day 2 of the Rocky Mountaineer.  Our train departed Kamloops at 7:00am just as the sun was rising. Yes; that's a bald eagle! It flew along side our carriage for almost a minute as our train headed east towards Banff.