Howdy! Welcome to the third and final part of my big Canadian/American Adventure! I had finally reached New York City – the city that never sleeps! The Big Apple! I was so excited to visit and had so much planned. Arriving by train, I negotiated my way through Penn Station (I didn’t arrive into Grand Central which disappointed me so I had to make sure I visited later on the holiday and I did – what a place! My photo is below).

First stop, Times Square to join the crowds of people in this busy busy place. Street entertainers, the lights, it’s all amazing and while I was there, I was lucky enough to get tickets for Phantom of the Opera, one of my favourite musicals. The seats turned out to be pretty amazing and what better way to finish your first day in NYC than with a Broadway show, even if it did make me cry!

The next day was a big sight seeing day. I started at Trinity Church (I’m a Hamilton fan too – sucker for a musical, me!) before walking through the Financial District to Battery Park to catch the ferry across to Ellis Island. Having read a novel called ‘Ellis Island‘ by Kate Kerrigan in which the chaos of the arrivals hall was vividly portrayed, I was looking forward to seeing the actual place and it didn’t disappoint. With so much to see there, I didn’t have time to visit the Statue of Liberty too, through saw some pretty fabulous views of it and of NYC itself from the ferry.

For my final day in NYC, I packed in even more of the famous sights. Despite the weather being a bit gloomy, I scaled the Empire State Building (in the lift, not like King Kong), taking in the sights on all four sides. Being an old romantic, I imagined myself in a Nora Ephron movie for a few minutes before it was time to stride up 5th Avenue and visit the second library I was very excited to see – the New York City Public Library. I made some new friends with Lego lions and a huge friend with the giraffe that lives in the children’s library before plucking up the courage to meet ‘Patience’ and ‘Fortitude’ – the giant stone lions who have flanked the steps of the library since 1911.

After saying goodbye, I popped into Grand Central Station to see its stars and constellations before hot footing it further up the city to Rockefeller Plaza and the Top of the Rock observation deck. I timed it just right so saw the night draw in and the lights of the city come on. As I didn’t want the day to end, I finished it off in a bookshop (they open until 10.30pm!) – the perfect end to this book-filled library adventure.

Next day, it was time to get back on the plane and return home. I had had a busy holiday, seen lots of library and book-related sights and thoroughly enjoyed my time in Canada and the USA. The one thing I did miss, however, was a nice cup of tea so guess what I had when I got home – tea and toast!

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See you soon – I hope to be going on more adventures in the coming months so keep your eyes open for more tales of libraries, books and travels. Take care now.

Love Library Bear xx