Early Sunday Morning In New York City

New York Before the City Woke Up

New York is famous for being busy, noisy and full of people rushing somewhere. So naturally, we chose early on a Sunday morning to see it at its quietest.

The streets were almost empty. The sun was shining, but the cold had a proper bite to it, so we wrapped up warm and set off. For once, there was no need to dodge crowds or keep checking which way to go. We could just wander and take it all in.

And there was plenty to see. We spotted the Empire State Building, passed through Grand Central Station and made our way towards Central Park. New York seemed to change around every corner, from grand buildings to quieter streets, with the morning light catching the stone and glass.

We giggled and laughed our way around the city. There’s something about exploring a place on foot that makes it easier to notice the little things: the sounds drifting from open doorways, the smell of breakfast, and the occasional New Yorker already hurrying through the morning as if the day were running late.

Breakfast, though, was a financial lesson in two parts.

First came Starbucks. We treated ourselves to a drink and cake, which cost about $10. Then we found a 99-cent two-egg roll.

The order of events was not our strongest work.

“Perhaps we should have had breakfast first,” one of us might have observed.

That was the last time we needed to be reminded that Starbucks could blow the budget before the day had properly begun.

Walking was the best way to see New York. We could stop whenever something caught our eye, wander down another street and enjoy the city at a gentler pace. It was cold, but the sunshine made it a lovely morning to be out.

We even passed the Waldorf Hotel and checked in as we walked by.

Well, we walked past it. That’s almost the same thing.

It certainly looked as though it might have been a more comfortable place to stay than the “Grosstel” Carter. We could only admire it from the pavement and carry on, pretending we hadn’t noticed the difference.

By the time the city began to fill up, we had already seen some of its best-known sights, shared a few laughs and discovered that a 99-cent breakfast could follow a $10 breakfast. New York was off to a good start. Our budget was still recovering.