I was recently in New York for a brief trip, the first time I’ve been able to play tourist there for a few years (and we all know why that is). I’ve been there multiple times before and always thoroughly enjoy myself with the mass of things to do, which is hardly surprising in a city of that size! As quick a visit as this was though, we still packed a lot in and it was particularly sweet after the pandemic lockdowns. 

 New York is well known for its skyscrapers, especially around Manhattan, but there are also many buildings of very different styles intermingling with them that it’s fascinating just to walk around aimlessly to see what you come across. Plenty of architectural styles from neo-classical, to colonial, to gothic, to art deco and so on.. I was particularly interested in the Fraunces Tavern, both for its history as possibly the oldest building in lower Manhattan, and sometime HQ for George Washington, as well as the way its been rebuilt and repurposed. Using material from the original building it now acts as a museum as well as a restaurant/bar with lots of intriguing corners and corridors. Very entertaining! 

 On the downside (or maybe not, as we all need a break sometime!), I didn't take my camera with me. I did however, have my mobile phone so I made the most of that. As I was going walkabout I was struck by the all the lines and kept thinking, “look at the lines, look at the lines”! These images should give you a sense of what I mean by the lines I kept seeing. 

 Interestingly, we also came across an old sailing ship called The Wavertree that was docked at Pier 17 and is now a feature of the South Street Seaport Museum. That's it at the top of this page. It caught my eye as Wavertree is a district in Liverpool in the UK, where I’m from. Well, a few questions and a free tour confirmed that the ship was indeed named after that district when it was owned by a Liverpool company in the 1850s. What a small world we live in!  

Next time you're in New York, I recommend you take a look at Fraunces Tavern and the Wavertree, if you can squeeze them into your itinerary. Well worth it!