New York was amazing. Full of inconsistencies: noisy, bustling, peaceful, huge skyscrapers, brownstones, yellow cabs, huge trucks, subway, museums, parks, famous sights, broadway, pedal taxis, fast food, huge portions, luxuries beyond imagination, people sleeping on the sidewalk in sub zero conditions, the ubiquitous 'have a nice day', the money that looks all the same [well, nearly!], the grid pattern of Manhattan, the wonderful jumble of streets downtown, the gaping hole at ground zero, the rangers on Liberty and Ellis Island wearing hats that the ranger in Yogi Bear wore, driving on the wrong side of the road, the strange road signs...
We stayed in a YMCA [hey, they were mainly university students, it kept the price down for them!]. Haven't slept in a bunk like that for years. One minor problem - no ladder - so had to climb up over the end - scary!! It was very hot in the room, but we had a good view out over the street, and had a fit of giggles watching a truck trying to back into the underground garage opposite, and failing completely - hitting the posts, making a big dent in his fender, and eventually, unhooking his trailer and let it just roll back into the bay, then driving off at high speed. Eventually we found how to open the window and operate the air conditioning, as there was NO way we could turn the temperature control down. Good gym, swimming pool, sauna and steam room in the basement, so I managed to swim every morning - so glad I checked out the website and took my swimsuit. Found a diner round the corner to eat breakfast - I think they found it amusing that I only had a tiny breakfast - it was so small [to them, I thought it was reasonably big] - it was classed as a child portion. The one morning when I tried a waffle, I was asked how many? One please. Only one? most people have three. No, just one thank you. When it arrived it filled the plate - how CAN people eat so much? The diner was open until 2am, so was useful to go and get a last coffee before bed, but I felt sorry for the staff having to work such long hours.
Rode the subway and buses a lot - got a Metro card which worked out at about $5 a day - it was fun. The maps are a bit confusing, and you HAVE to know if you are going up or down town, but a good way to see the place. Grand Central station was just like it is in all the films - so impressive.
Saw a show on Broadway - Chicago - great fun. Superb seats, close enough to see the sweat on the chests of the male dancers... Went in a pedal taxi from Lexington to Broadway - SO exciting dodging the potholes, racing the yellow cabs off the lights and getting there faster than the other group who caught a yellow cab! The driver was full of what we were passing and was a fascinating guide - well worth the money.
Statue of Liberty - she has got BIG feet!! Shame you can't go up her any more, but good views of Manhattan from there, and from Ellis Island. I think they could do a lot more with Ellis Island but it was interesting. Ground Zero was moving, didn't feel like taking photos there, but did take one of the temporary memorial in Battery Park.
MOMA was incredible - I could have spent all day in there. I want to go again, and to see some of the other galleries museums. The problem with going with others, is that you have to give and take, and museums and art galleries were not high on their list...
Central Park was cold and windy. The snow was gone except for the remains of a few piles - but the ice skaters were having fun on the rink, and the ice on another pond was starting to melt allowing the ducks back into some water at least. Hard to imagine when you are in the park that you are in the centre of a metropolis.
5th Ave was full of rich bitches in dead animals. Why do they have to wear fur? Some of them looked as if they had done nothing more strenuous than file a nail in their life...
Bloomingdales was having a sale - so I looked at some nice Calvin Klein - decided it was an OK price, and had a pleasant surprise at the till, when there was another 40% off the sale price! Macys wasn't that exciting either - or perhaps it was that I didn't need anything...
Empire State Building was incredible. Out on the observation deck it was SO cold and windy, it was hard to take photos - so most of mine are very wobbly - abstract! The views at night are mind blowing.
Yellow cabs are not my favourite mode of transport, having been involved in a high speed race with a large SUV down Lexington. The driver was foul mouthed, cut people up, swerved in and out of traffic lanes, jumped a red light and eventually kicked us out of the cab way past our street and roared off before we could get his number - he wouldn't let us out until we had paid though - even though we were nowhere near our YMCA. Bastard, I hope he gets done by the cops... or that the SUV driver, who was videoing him as they tore down Lexington, complains, using the video as evidence. At one stage I was thinking a gun would be pulled out, and I must confess that at times I was hiding behind my hands and praying very hard!
The conducted tour of the United Nations was fantastic. I really enjoyed that, and the views out over the East River were incredible. I deffed out of the trip to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York [I am not a business student and it was eating into my jeans for Patrick purchasing time]. Some of the students went to a basketball game, but couldn't really tell us much about it, as they got so drunk... typical really!
Time went very quickly - and I was glad to have a window AND a seat at the front of the cabin on the way back so I could stretch out my legs. Having successfully taken all the students to NY and back without incident, we then couldn't get out of the carpark at Heathrow.
Still suffering a bit from jetlag, as I have had a busy week back at work since I returned - with 5.30am starts and long 12 or 13 hour days. But it was worth it - and I would like to go again one day - and see the more cultural side and stay in a decent bed!
