On my way to the bus stop

The following day, Thursday (the 19th), was the day that I would be traveling by bus to VA to visit my girlfriend and her family.
I had a few errands to complete before heading off, so I decided to travel early on the train with my friend on his way to work.
One of my errands was a promise to a friend, to collect a wallet from the Coach store on her behalf.
This was no problem, since I had lots of "time to kill" until lunchtime, when I would meet back up with my friend who would accompany me to the bus stop.
As per his expert directions, I walked to 57th street and then three blocks over to Madison Ave, and there it was......the Coach store. I collected my package and headed back out to enjoy the hustle and bustle of downtown Manhattan.

 A lovely origami arrangement in the Coach store

I spent the morning walking around downtown admiring the buildings, storefront displays and enjoying one of my favorite past times...people watching.

It was almost lunchtime. Time to head back to The Atrium for lunch.

I ordered a slice of vegetarian pizza and a bottled water and headed over to the food court to have my lunch. The pizza was made with all fresh ingredients with no added tinned items.  It was so good....so very very good.

Jazz trio band

Fortunately for me, there was a jazz trio band playing during the lunch period.

I thoroughly enjoyed their smooth renditions of some of my favourite tunes.  Maybe that's why I enjoyed my pizza so much.

I realised it was getting late, and it was time to leave if not I might miss my bus to VA.

My friend and I hopped a train for a quick trip to travel further downtown, where we got off and walked a couple more blocks.

On the way to the bus stop, I passed some interesting sights.

 The Empire State Building

The first building in the world to have over 100 floors. It was built in only 14 months during the Great Depression.
Visit here for more info.

Next, I passed by a gorgeous old building with huge columns reminiscent of the Roman temples of years ago.

Sun seekers sitting on the steps of this grand old post office. 
Yes, I said Post Office....can you believe it?

I love architecture, and I couldn't help but shoot a few more photos of this magnificent structure.

A lovely sunny day to linger outside on the steps of the post office.... I'm sure none of these folks had any postal matters to take care of.

The detailed work on the ramparts...just beautiful

I also passed Pennsylvania Station on the way to the bus stop.

Pennsylvania Station
Penn Station as it is affectionately known is a major train and commuter hub, and is one of the busiest transportation stations in the US.

I was enjoying the sights around me so much, that I didn't even realise when we arrived at the bus stop.
New York City, especially downtown Manhattan is filled to capacity with a melee of sights, sounds and smells that envelop you constantly, bombarding you from every direction, and you never know what you'll see, hear or smell next.
What I saw next was my bus pulling up to the curb....yeah!