New York..new york.. I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps...
Hello from Grand Rapids
Well, Ive been in the States for just over a week now and Im loving it... I really didnt know what to expect when I came here and I must admit Ive fallen for this country..
Where do I start? Where else but New York... I flew in from London (loving the fact that I can be in NY in just over 7 hours!!) Touching down in New York, I had to pinch myself that I was in America as Ive been wanting to come here for years and I feel like I flew into a movie.. I got in the early afternoon and instead of taking an airport door to door bus (which charges way too much) I decided to make my way to the hostel via the public transport system.. always up for a challenge.. well, I think I should have done a little more research into this approach as it was heaps harder than what I thought.. thankfully for me I met a New Yorker on the public bus and she could tell that I wasnt from here and asked where I was going (103rd street) and funny enough she was going there as well.. she couldnt believe that I was trying to get there via the public transport system from New Jersey as its a little more complicated than how I planned.. she was a singing teacher who was born and bred in New York and was such the stereotypical New Yorker you could ever meet...
With parts of the subway system down she managed to get me to my hostel.. thankfully!!! So, I got to my hostel and met a couple of guys from my room and we decided to go out for some drinks..seeing it was Saturday night!! This was my first time I had to deal with the whole 'tipping' culture over here.. after a week of it Ive got it downpat..
The next morning I took a walking tour of Harlem, which ended in a Sunday afternoon session at a gospel church, we then went to have some 'soul' food... I should add I think I nearly froze on the walking tour.. it was that cold!!! Unbelievable... didnt really prepare myself very well!
Later in the afternoon, an Aussie girl that was on the tour and I checked out the Goggheim Museum ( I know thats not how you spell it!!) Im not a huge art fan but I did enjoy it and even I recognised some of the artists and pieces of work they had on display.
That night a couple of us went into Times Square.. thats a place and a half.. lights..people..advertisements and a vibe that is pumping.. loved it! We then went to check out a show off Broadway, which was a guess who done it thriller... actually really enjoyed it.. but the highlight of the evening was when we were walking through Times Square and this guy asked us if we wanted to go to the Dave Letterman show.. is the pope catholic?? Of course we do.. we had to get one question correct.. which we did after 7 guesses so we all had tickets to tomorrow's show.. how cool is that!!!
The next day I checked out Empire State Building, Rockfeller Centre, Trump Towers and basically cruised down the famous 5th avenue.... you do feel like a millionaire when you walk down 5th avenue.. there is money everywhere you look... later in the afternoon we met up at a cafe (where the scene from where Harry met Sally was filmed.. you know the one.. I dont want to make those noises!) Then we headed to the Ed Sullivan Theatre for the Dave Letterman show.. in line we met a bunch of Americans from Connectict who have been trying for 10 years to get tickets and they asked us how long we have been..ummm last night... they were so friendly and thats the thing about America that has already stood out is how friendly everyone is and they love to chat about anything and everything.. makes you feel really comfortable... they also love to commiserate us about Steve Irwin..
So, we waited in line to get in and once we were in we were told that the one and only Jerry Seinfeld was appearing tonight.. can you imagine my excitement!! Im a huge Seinfeld fan and I couldnt believe that I was metres from him and Letterman.. once again I had to pinch myself! t was a funny show, he is pro when it comes to a talk show Letterman.. funny..insightful.. witty and knows when to sit back and listen to the guests (Sharon Osbourne take note!)
This was up there with one of my highlights of my trip so far... loved it.. as we were all on high we decided to check out a comedy club.. (seeing we are where many of the faces we see on tv started in this country) We found a really cool place and even though it wasnt full the comedians were good value.. after getting some dinner I hit the sack for the end of an action packed day!
The next day I was up bright and early as I wanted to check out Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty.. I took the subway down to the south ferry (Ive managed to get the subway system) and took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty..
Luckily for me the Gods were smiling at me as it was a beautiful clear sunny day in New York..
The first stop on the ferry was Statue of Liberty.. what a monument this is the first thing that nearly arrived immigrants see when they hit America.. a sign of prosperity and freedom for many people!
I then took the ferry to Ellis Island, which is where they housed the nearly arrived immigrants.. in the space of a few years millions of people arrived, with 98% of them given the green light to enter America.. really interesting trip and shows how this country was built on immigration..
In the afternoon I checked out whats left of the World Trade Centre site and I must admit I was disappointed that more progress hasnt been done on the sight.. and talking to a few locals this was a common view... they say its only been over the last year that things have returned to normal for this city after the horrific events of 9/11 .. on a positive the city has found a new spirit that is stronger than before 9/11 ...
I did some shopping at Century 21 (famous for their discounts on name brands) and then I went to UN head office.. I took a tour around the UN and kept thinking to myself how I would love to work here one day.. It was strange to think I was standing in the General Assembly, which you see on tv all the time..
That night a few of us checked out a local jazz club as NY is the home of jazz.. it ended another huge day in NY!! Everyday in this city is huge.. there is just sooo much to see and do in this place!
Wednesday was my last full day in New York, so I wanted to check out as much as I could as there was still heaps of stuff I wanted to do... but saying that I will definitely be back in this city.. could easily live here! In the morning, I checked out Central Park and ate a giant pretzel before embarking on some ice-skating in Central Park.. for those that have read my blog over the last few months would know that Ive been ice skating a couple of times to get into practise when I get to New York.. so I pulled on my skates and made my way around the ice..
I wasnt having the 'best' skating day, and managed to fall on my arse a few times.. two of the more notable times was when I went around a corner too fast and flip into front of the watching crowd.. it produced a oooohhh for the audience.. I got up and said I was ok.. (in actual fact I had a seriously sore elbow!) that wasnt the worst bit, I was cruising around and I couldnt stop and there was this Dad with his young kids and unfortunately I brought him down with me.. I frantically apologised and he said he was ok... after that it was time for me to get off the ice..
After that I went into Times Square to buy some 'I love NY' t shirts and a jumper and generally look around before I checked out the NBC tour in the afternoon.. I went back to the hostel where I met a couple of old time limo drivers who had more advice on the world than anyone I know...funny guys.. I then went to Toms Diner that was made famous from Seinfeld! Had a big hearty meal and a sundae before going to bed as I had an early start to get to Chicago.. (I love it here how meal sizes are still large.. )
THen I left NY early the next morning.. it was sad to say goodbye but I will definitely be back..
Im now in Grand Rapids visiting some friends of mine before I go back to Chicago for a couple of days...
Anyway, hope everyone is well.
Post a comment
Cheers
Troy
Well, Ive been in the States for just over a week now and Im loving it... I really didnt know what to expect when I came here and I must admit Ive fallen for this country..
Where do I start? Where else but New York... I flew in from London (loving the fact that I can be in NY in just over 7 hours!!) Touching down in New York, I had to pinch myself that I was in America as Ive been wanting to come here for years and I feel like I flew into a movie.. I got in the early afternoon and instead of taking an airport door to door bus (which charges way too much) I decided to make my way to the hostel via the public transport system.. always up for a challenge.. well, I think I should have done a little more research into this approach as it was heaps harder than what I thought.. thankfully for me I met a New Yorker on the public bus and she could tell that I wasnt from here and asked where I was going (103rd street) and funny enough she was going there as well.. she couldnt believe that I was trying to get there via the public transport system from New Jersey as its a little more complicated than how I planned.. she was a singing teacher who was born and bred in New York and was such the stereotypical New Yorker you could ever meet...
With parts of the subway system down she managed to get me to my hostel.. thankfully!!! So, I got to my hostel and met a couple of guys from my room and we decided to go out for some drinks..seeing it was Saturday night!! This was my first time I had to deal with the whole 'tipping' culture over here.. after a week of it Ive got it downpat..
The next morning I took a walking tour of Harlem, which ended in a Sunday afternoon session at a gospel church, we then went to have some 'soul' food... I should add I think I nearly froze on the walking tour.. it was that cold!!! Unbelievable... didnt really prepare myself very well!
Later in the afternoon, an Aussie girl that was on the tour and I checked out the Goggheim Museum ( I know thats not how you spell it!!) Im not a huge art fan but I did enjoy it and even I recognised some of the artists and pieces of work they had on display.
That night a couple of us went into Times Square.. thats a place and a half.. lights..people..advertisements and a vibe that is pumping.. loved it! We then went to check out a show off Broadway, which was a guess who done it thriller... actually really enjoyed it.. but the highlight of the evening was when we were walking through Times Square and this guy asked us if we wanted to go to the Dave Letterman show.. is the pope catholic?? Of course we do.. we had to get one question correct.. which we did after 7 guesses so we all had tickets to tomorrow's show.. how cool is that!!!
The next day I checked out Empire State Building, Rockfeller Centre, Trump Towers and basically cruised down the famous 5th avenue.... you do feel like a millionaire when you walk down 5th avenue.. there is money everywhere you look... later in the afternoon we met up at a cafe (where the scene from where Harry met Sally was filmed.. you know the one.. I dont want to make those noises!) Then we headed to the Ed Sullivan Theatre for the Dave Letterman show.. in line we met a bunch of Americans from Connectict who have been trying for 10 years to get tickets and they asked us how long we have been..ummm last night... they were so friendly and thats the thing about America that has already stood out is how friendly everyone is and they love to chat about anything and everything.. makes you feel really comfortable... they also love to commiserate us about Steve Irwin..
So, we waited in line to get in and once we were in we were told that the one and only Jerry Seinfeld was appearing tonight.. can you imagine my excitement!! Im a huge Seinfeld fan and I couldnt believe that I was metres from him and Letterman.. once again I had to pinch myself! t was a funny show, he is pro when it comes to a talk show Letterman.. funny..insightful.. witty and knows when to sit back and listen to the guests (Sharon Osbourne take note!)
This was up there with one of my highlights of my trip so far... loved it.. as we were all on high we decided to check out a comedy club.. (seeing we are where many of the faces we see on tv started in this country) We found a really cool place and even though it wasnt full the comedians were good value.. after getting some dinner I hit the sack for the end of an action packed day!
The next day I was up bright and early as I wanted to check out Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty.. I took the subway down to the south ferry (Ive managed to get the subway system) and took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty..
Luckily for me the Gods were smiling at me as it was a beautiful clear sunny day in New York..
The first stop on the ferry was Statue of Liberty.. what a monument this is the first thing that nearly arrived immigrants see when they hit America.. a sign of prosperity and freedom for many people!
I then took the ferry to Ellis Island, which is where they housed the nearly arrived immigrants.. in the space of a few years millions of people arrived, with 98% of them given the green light to enter America.. really interesting trip and shows how this country was built on immigration..
In the afternoon I checked out whats left of the World Trade Centre site and I must admit I was disappointed that more progress hasnt been done on the sight.. and talking to a few locals this was a common view... they say its only been over the last year that things have returned to normal for this city after the horrific events of 9/11 .. on a positive the city has found a new spirit that is stronger than before 9/11 ...
I did some shopping at Century 21 (famous for their discounts on name brands) and then I went to UN head office.. I took a tour around the UN and kept thinking to myself how I would love to work here one day.. It was strange to think I was standing in the General Assembly, which you see on tv all the time..
That night a few of us checked out a local jazz club as NY is the home of jazz.. it ended another huge day in NY!! Everyday in this city is huge.. there is just sooo much to see and do in this place!
Wednesday was my last full day in New York, so I wanted to check out as much as I could as there was still heaps of stuff I wanted to do... but saying that I will definitely be back in this city.. could easily live here! In the morning, I checked out Central Park and ate a giant pretzel before embarking on some ice-skating in Central Park.. for those that have read my blog over the last few months would know that Ive been ice skating a couple of times to get into practise when I get to New York.. so I pulled on my skates and made my way around the ice..
I wasnt having the 'best' skating day, and managed to fall on my arse a few times.. two of the more notable times was when I went around a corner too fast and flip into front of the watching crowd.. it produced a oooohhh for the audience.. I got up and said I was ok.. (in actual fact I had a seriously sore elbow!) that wasnt the worst bit, I was cruising around and I couldnt stop and there was this Dad with his young kids and unfortunately I brought him down with me.. I frantically apologised and he said he was ok... after that it was time for me to get off the ice..
After that I went into Times Square to buy some 'I love NY' t shirts and a jumper and generally look around before I checked out the NBC tour in the afternoon.. I went back to the hostel where I met a couple of old time limo drivers who had more advice on the world than anyone I know...funny guys.. I then went to Toms Diner that was made famous from Seinfeld! Had a big hearty meal and a sundae before going to bed as I had an early start to get to Chicago.. (I love it here how meal sizes are still large.. )
THen I left NY early the next morning.. it was sad to say goodbye but I will definitely be back..
Im now in Grand Rapids visiting some friends of mine before I go back to Chicago for a couple of days...
Anyway, hope everyone is well.
Post a comment
Cheers
Troy
posted by Troy Aitken | 9:31 AM
2 Comments:
Troy you buggar, I am so very jealous! Give Katie Potatie a huge hug from myself and Ange, miss you guys xx
Hi Troy - fab pics of NY and stories - I know what you mean about the US sucking you in! Hey I went on the Harlem walking tour a few years ago - I remember the fired chicken & grits well! Enjoy Chicago it is such a beautiful city and with blues and BBQ ribs what more can you need!
XX viv
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