Yesterday I went to the Empire State Building in the morning for a good view from the observation platform on the 86th floor. When I arrived at about 09:00 AM it was still relatively empty. I don't want to know the wait time when all the lines are full...
From the ESB I went north to 42nd Street where the Grand Central Station is located. The main hall is really huge and impressive. Then I went west on 42nd Street to 12th Avenue where I wanted to do a three hour boat cruise around Manhattan from Pier 83. On the way I passed Times Square (also on 42nd Street) and took some photos.
The boat cruise was very informative and we could take photos of all major sights including the Statue of Liberty of course. The captain has been working on the boat for 48 years already. That's a long time...

After the cruise I went back east to Broadway and 44th Street where the biggest toy store in the world is located. They even have a ferris wheel inside the store that goes from the ground level to the second floor.
The next stop was Coney Island in the very south of Brooklyn where I could ride Cyclone, another historic coaster built in 1927. Next to it is a small amusement park with two other coaster. After the three counts I went back to Manhattan to see the illuminated Times Square. It's really awesome at night with the huge ad screens everywhere.