FAMILY HOLIDAYS TORONTO & NEW YORK DESTINATIONS
Sephora (‘Where else?’) and cool vintage were the apparent priority, while Joseph demanded his insatiable appetite for processed meat, artisan pizza and anything deep-fried was satisfied, to ease the shopping fever. The Empire State Building is an
impressive introduction to New York, since the view from the top underlines what an enormous experience lies ahead, with a lot of the highlights free. Times Square at night, Brooklyn Bridge, Gantry Plaza with its historic Pepsi sign and the High Line elevated park – tick those off quickly.
Our apartment in the Prospect
Park neighbourhood was a perfect base. The first full day in the city took us to Brooklyn Flea, the acclaimed second-hand market that draws New York’s seriously trendy. One vintage T-shirt and one
colossal brisket sandwich later, we were off again, zipping in to Manhattan for Canal Street’s finest fakery. Later, we joined shoppers on the free Ikea water taxi across the East River, which delivered us right to the door of Brooklyn Crab, a fun-packed spot full of twentysomethings, for the best seafood (and views) you’ll
The Beast pirouettes around the Statue of Liberty, soaking everybody on board
find outside of Grimsby. CityPasses proved a great
investment and opened up a world of options. Who wants to see New York from the boring Staten Island ferry when you can
blast along the Hudson River on The Beast, a supercharged speedboat that pirouettes around the Statue of Liberty and soaks everyone on board? We also set aside a day to head south to Coney Island. The wide sandy beach is the perfect place to recharge after the city’s bustle, before tackling the legendary Luna Park carnival rides that have entertained New Yorkers for a century. The Nathan’s hotdog certainly
lived up to its claim to be the best in the world, adding another belt notch to our food odyssey that also included Tom’s Diner for a traditional pancake breakfast and Suzanne Vega fix; the king of pastrami sandwiches at Katz’s Delicatessen (where Sally shocked Harry); and John’s off Times Square, a former church that’s made pizza a religious experience. Our final day was given over
to yet more shopping. The thrift and vintage stores of Prospect Slope and East Village this time, yielding a stack of last-minute buys that sent us over the British Airways baggage limit. So did they have a nice time?
ABOVE: Grimaldi’s
LEFT: Coney Island
What was the best? Surprisingly, the answer was the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Sensitive, touching and serene, it cannot be faulted. “And I didn’t want to take pictures, it’s not right,” said Evie. Now that’s a holiday I’ll have to tweet about.
OF THE BEST ADD-ONS PORK THIS WAY
3
Why is Toronto sometimes called ‘Hogtown’? Find out with the When Pigs Fry tour, a
three-hour trek around the city’s porcine past and present. Teens might not love the history, but there’s plenty of bacon, pork and sausage to sample en route. £45 with Urban Adventures
urbanadventures.com
A PIZZA THE ACTION Getting a table at Brooklyn pizza joint Lucali is famously tough (we couldn’t get in – no surprise, given David Beckham and Beyonce are
regulars). Your best bet is to take The Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour, which looks at the food, history, landmarks and
movie locations in the borough, from Dumbo down to Coney Island. It includes two slices of Brooklyn pizza, from Grimaldi’s brick oven, and L&B Spumoni Gardens’ Sicilian pizza.
Adults £66, under-13s £58 with Travelcube.
travelcube.com/uk IT’S A RAP
Baz Luhrmann’s hit Netflix series The Get Down has
sparked renewed interest in the
roots of hip-hop. Go back to the old skool on The Birthplace of Hip Hop Tour. Taking in the most important sites in street music, the three-hour bus trip calls at secret rap-battle venues, historic clubs and the Graffiti Wall of Fame in Harlem. There’s even a
‘show your skills’ segment. Tours are led by legends including
Grandmaster Caz, Kurtis Blow and Rahiem. Adults £60, five to 14-year-olds £46
viator.com/uk
20 October 2016
travelweekly.co.uk 57
PICTURES: NYC & COMPANY/JOEBUGLEWICZ; TOURISM TORONTO/ CLIFTON LI /JULIENNE SCHAER
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