American Museum of Natural History NYC

Filled with quality crafted dioramas, the American Museum of Natural History brings nature's wonders into the city.

We arrived in NYC 5 September 2016. Due to storm Hermine, we arrived a day early with no plans. We were required to disembark for passport control so we decided to take in a museum. It was a pleasant day so we decided to walk the approximately 2.5 miles from Pier 90 on the Hudson (near 50th St) angling east and north past Fordham University and the Met to the Museum, which is on the West side of Central Park at 79th Street.

I've visited the American Museum of Natural History a few times since my childhood but it had been several years. The dioramas and audio-video presentations reveal considerable improvements.

There really are a lot more to see than large mammals but it's hard to get good photos of gems and precious metals in glass cases. So more mammals.

I must say I was impressed with the anthropology room.

By mid-afternoon we had reached our limit but walked back to our ship hotel for the evening meal.

Tips and Notes

Public transportation stops are nearby.

You can purchase tickets online or from automated booths in the lobby area.

It opens at 10:00 daily- closes at 5:45 pm

The museum meals are expensive compared to nearby restaurants.

There are a lot of places to rest and watch videos or just have a long look at an interesting exhibit.

The toilets were clean and well maintained.

There are downloadable apps

Paper maps are available on entry.

We found the staff friendly and helpful.

There's a nice size museum shop with some reasonably priced gift items for people of all ages.

Parking is awfully expensive- check online- but why would you want to drive in Manhattan?

Connect

Website www.suttong.com
Facebook page Geoff W Sutton

Twitter @GeoffWSutton 

St Johns Newfoundland Labrador Canada

We arrived at St Johns in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 3rd September 2016.




It's a deep water port. The dock is near the city centre so we did not need local transportation. Maps are available from tourist kiosks.


After leaving the ship we walked up a hill within the park of the National War Memorial.


On Duckworth Street we turned right, connected to Signal Hill Rd, and ascended the hill.





And paused at a pond for pictures.



At the top of the hill is a small structure (Cabot Tower)  housing the story of Marconi's wireless signal reception sent from Cornwall, England 12 December, 1901.




Storyboards around the cool and windy summit tell about the history of the area.




Inside the tower is a gift shop inside and at the top of the tower there are opportunities to view the area.




After our descent, we stopped in a Tim Horton's for hot drinks, doughnuts, toilets, and free WiFi.

A variety of shops line both sides of the street.

Prinz Christian Sund Greenland

We entered Greenland 30 August, 2016 from the east following our visit to Iceland.

The view below is at the point where we left the Atlantic ocean to enter the narrow channel known by locals as Ikerasassuaq (the long channel) and to others as Prinz Christian Sund.






Cruising along the channel we see the southern tip of the Greenland Ice Cap.

Close to the point where we head south is the only settlement, Aappilattoq.




After a few minutes, the locals came to greet us in small boats. Adults and children waved at picture-taking cruisers waving from their balconies.

Here's a video clip from my YouTube channel.

At the end of the day we were moving toward our first port of call, Qaqortoq.

Tips and notes

If you travel by ship and enter from the east, the village is on the starboard side.

Whale watching: Some see whales at the point where the channels and ocean meet. We did not seen any here but on the next day, we saw a whale surface whilst having dinner.

The mountains by the channel rise to 1,700 metres.

Prinz Christian Sund is 58 km long and 350 metres wide at its narrow point.

Greenland is the world's largest island.
Capital: Nuuk
Time Zone GMT - 3 hours
Danish connection: A Danish possession since 1536 and independent since 1979.
Population: About 56 million and about 90% Inuit
Language: Greenlandic
Currency: Danish Krone (DKK)
Credit cards: widely accepted

Links to more

Greenland country site http://www.greenland.com/en/
iexplore


Connections
Website www.suttong.com

Hurricane Hermine- Heading to New York City

After enjoying our visit to St Johns, Newfoundland Labrador, Canada (September 3, 2016), we were to stop at Halifax, Nova Scotia; however, the effects of Hurricane Hermine were felt this far North so the ship's captain decide to head for our final destination, New York City.

The doors to the lower decks were closed. And the winds were too strong for us to open the door to our balcony so I shot this view riding up the exterior facing lift. We were at sea the 4th and 5th of September. The videos are from 5th September.

On deck nine, a roped off area was accessible for smokers. The jittery video represents the difficulty standing still as even that high up, the storm effects were noticeable.

The indoor and outdoor pools were drained earlier because of the wave action. Many people were seasick.

The wave-action eventually lessened as we neared New York City. We docked on 6th September.

Nanortalik Greenland Photos and Notes

Nanortalik is in southern Greenland. It's a small and friendly community on the world's largest island. My wife and I visited on 1st September, 2016.

When I reached the shore, the sky was blue and the sun was bright. But you will see a change in later photos.

Amidst small houses and building, you can find sculptures.

Fresh meat? Some sites are more intriguing than others.

Transportation by boat has a long history.

You can listen to a local choir at a small church. There's a small fee to go inside.

There's a small hotel.

 A restaurant...

An outdoor museum

And friendly people

Many coastal scenes kept me busy. The natural beauty changed as fog rolled in after I came ashore.

Qaqortoq Greenland

We arrived in Qaqortoq, Greenland 31 August, 2016 via small tenders. It's a small settlement with a Viking history. Most of the people of Greenland are Inuit.

The popular stone carvings called "Stone & Man" are not far from the dock. The project organised by artist Aka Hoegh attracted other artists from several Nordic countries.

Up the hill tourists perused items in the grocery store before checking out historic sites.

An old church has incredible views of the ocean.

As we climbed a nearby hill, we noticed a lot of teens gathering blueberries.

Here's a video clip of the Inuit gathering blueberries.

 We stopped by a cemetery on the way down and noticed how the community respects their dead.

It's a picturesque village and a great escape from the summer heat.

As others have observed...

Iceland is more green than Greenland.

The population of Greenland is about 56,000-- about 1/6 that of Iceland but

Greenland is much larger than Iceland.

Credits

My wife and I took all posted photos.

My web page is www.suttong.com

Budapest Hungary

We arrived in Budapest, Hungary 21 October 2015. After checking into our hotel for the two night stay, we visited a  restaurant featuring local entertainment.

The next morning was overcast but we enjoyed a walking tour of various landmarks including parliament, Heroes Square, and bridges over the Danube.

For lunch, we stopped in a small restaurant advertising goulash- a classic dish of Hungary.





















Castle Hill is an interesting area to explore.

In the evening we enjoyed a dinner cruise along the Danube.

On the next day, we spent the morning at the Budapest Market where we picked up some unique gifts and had our lunch at one of the many venues.

We were in Budapest on the 23 October, which is the memorial day of the 1956 revolution-- when the Soviet troops left Hungary. And the proclamation of the Third Hungarian Republic in 1989. Their were various activities around Parliament, including displays of historic importance.

























One monument we will never forget is the Shoes on the Danube memorial. This was created by Can Togay with sculptor Gyula Pauer to honour Jews killed by Arrow Cross militia during World War II. It was completed 16 April 2005. The Jews were ordered to remove their shoes and shot by the edge of the Danube so they fell into the river. It is located south of the parliament building. (wikipedia)