I can see for miles and miles

2 A.D.

First off, I need to take back what I said in the last post about the YMCA guests - they're not that bad. No sooner had I completed yesterday's entry than I found myself in the lift with two lads (possibly German, possibly from who-knows-where) who were keen to show me a picture they'd only just taken of popular music singer Rhianna, who they'd they'd just spied in the street. That's all it takes for whole swathes of people to go up in my estimation!

Back to today - we were up at 7 like good little boys, keen to get on with our sightseeing. That morning we hoped to beat the queues for Empire State Building or Rockefeller Centre - it depended on how cloudy the skies were. They turned out to be a bright blue so we got the subway to 34th Street and headed for the Empire State. As expected, there were already people there when we arrived just before 9, but there was none of the dreaded hour-after-hour of queuing that we'd feared. In fact, we got through in no time at all, only pausing at security for my "multi-tool" to be temporarily confiscated. We were herded into the lifts and sent up to the 80th floor for the background info on how the building came into being (which we paid little attention to), then up a little further to the 86th floor and the viewing observatory. Said views were absolutely superb, given how clear a day it was, and we were able to see everywhere in the known universe, even Southport. We also realised just how much ground of the five boroughs we'd covered in only a couple of days. We stayed up there for a little under an hour until I got told off for standing on the viewfinder to gain a little extra height.

After retrieving my multi-tool, we realised that something was missing - coffee! Straight to Starbucks we went, before returning to the YMCA to book our accommodation for when we're in Washington D.C. We found a reasonably priced hostel with a room for four people...of mixed gender. Now, this would be our first time doing the sharing thing with 'others', so it could either be a culturally enriching experience in which we get to make new friends who add knowledge and fun to our lives...or it could be a complete nightmare. We'll see. The time spent back at base was also used to skype our parents for the first time, which was everything it should have been, despite the ropey internet connection.

As the afternoon arrived, we took the train downtown to find an Irish bar (where we knew "soccer" was guaranteed to be shown) in which we saw England's mighty victory over Sweden - take that, Sven! We shared a lunch portion together, expecting it to be a fabled over-sized American meal...but it wasn't - it hardly touched the sides. Is the need for doggy bags a myth? I was hoping to use them to slash my food budget in half!

 Being downtown, we decided to have another crack at finding Wall Street, which we did, though there wasn't a great deal to see. It took us a while to find the bull statue at the end of Broadway which, if you don't know, you're supposed to touch the testicles of, presumably for good luck rather than a cheap thrill. There were loads of people taking photos, so it was difficult to get good shots, but I thought I was quite innovative doing my best James Herriott impression.

Given we were in the area, we checked out Chinatown and Little Italy, both of which seem to have shrunk since decades gone by. However, I got to walk down Mulberry Street, which I'm pretty sure is the street in which a lot of the Godfather Part 2 was shot. Now it's all restaurants and we didn't get shaken down by the mob, just bothered by patrons insisting we stop to eat with them. Little did they know that we'd already bought some ready-made sushi meals from a nearby Japanese deli - take that, all those people who thought I wouldn't be able to deal with exotic cuisine!

Come this evening we were going to do the "Top of the Rock", but lethargy has kicked in and it's all we can do to lie on our bunk beds and drink beer. And why not? it's Friday night after all...

(Still) living in America

1 A.D. (Continued) 

We ambled down to Grand Central Station to take in the art deco (or is it nouveau? I can never remember). The place was vast, bustling with commuters, with stunning architecture, only ruined by the presence of an Apple I-shop overlooking it all like an evil electronic emperor. I put on my Ipod and kept walking. Because it was still early and technically rush hour there was no way we were prepared to risk the crush of the subway so we decided to walk it to Times Square – the morning’s mission to decide whether or not to buy a New York City pass, which gives sizeable discounts to the main attractions.

After a pleasant walk to Times Square, we were constantly accosted to take up the open top bus tour, which coincidentally was run by a firm called “Graylines”. An omen? Who knows – it was too pricey, so we didn’t bother. And we were too early for the ticket office to open, so we headed north to Central Park, pausing before entering to enjoy the first coffee of the day and a bloody tasty hot dog.

At first central Park just looked like any park you’d find in an English city, but then it went on...and on...and on...and so on. It was so gigantic that we just had to walk the whole length of it, occasionally veering from our linear course to take in such attractions as the zoo, the reservoir, a softball game and a bench named after “Madonna”. By this point the sun had come out and any memories of yesterday’s rain disappeared. Shortly after Tim did a photogenic jump across the top of a mini-waterfall, we decided that it wasn’t worth us spending $90 on a New York City pass as we only wanted to see a couple of the attractions on offer.

One thing we did want to see though, was Harlem, and once we exited the north end of the park, Adam Clayton Powell Junior Boulevard welcomed us forth. Ten minutes later and we were heading west towards the nearest subway station, given that we stuck out like two sore thumbs (with slightly sore feet).

Of course, by now we were seasoned pro’s at riding the subway, and we alighted at the Rockefeller Plaza to check out what time it was open `til. Our plan would be to go up either “the Rock” or the Empire State Building at night and view the city in all its neon-lit glory. But that’s tomorrow’s story. For now it was time to head back to the good old YMCA for a half time beer, then do lunch in the form of a $1 slice of pizza bought from a nearby parlour and eaten in the street, New York style folded over in hand.

An aside – it may be early days, but I find the other guests in the YMCA to be a bit standoffish. They come in all shapes, sizes, ages and nationalities, but I find my warm greetings in the elevator regularly falling flat. Maybe it’s that infamous New York crankiness kicking in? Let’s hope it never affects me!

Downtown beckoned for the afternoon’s adventures and we took the train south and alighted near Ground Zero. These days Ground Zero is a building site for the Freedom Tower, so the waterfall monuments were inaccessible behind construction walls. That aside, I still found a deep sense of feeling for an area where eleven years ago events took place that literally shook the whole world. But it was also pretty hot by now, and we needed to head for the shade.

Somehow we walked straight past Wall Street and got the Staten Island ferry to...Staten Island. This gave us a great view of Ellis Island (heard the museum wasn’t up to much), Liberty Island (very majestic, though I’d imagined it to be taller) and Noo Joisey (slightly smaller skyline than NYC and docks like Seaforth (from a distance, at least)). Once we’d stepped foot on Staten Island for all of two minutes and taken the return ferry back, it was off to cross Brooklyn Bridge to...Brooklyn. As splendid as this was (and it really was splendid), by this time we’d been walking for ages and something had to give. The pristine, high-end area of Brooklyn Heights only got a brief look before we were subwaying it back to Manhattan.

An aside – three times I have been sitting on the subway and a woman has gone to sit next to me, then thought better about it. The first time today she went to chose a another (presumably better) seat, but on the way back from Brooklyn she chose to stand instead! I’ve been spraying deodorant like it’s going out of fashion, so it can’t be my scent. I’d say I’m delirious and imagining it, but Tim’s backed it all up (and he claims I smell fine, but to be fair, if I smelt a bit off after all the walking in the sun then he probably would too!)

With 9 o`clock closing in, we went to get some pre-made sushi meals from the Korean deli across the road, but they’d all sold out, so we ended up buying a salad and some beers each. That’s right, we may be drinking, but we’ll damn well eat healthily while we do it!

Signing off from the second day’s fun!

Coming to America

0

All is well.

We were up around 3 in the morning for a trance-like drive through a deserted Merseyside at dawn. The fond farewell to our parents was brief, but that’s the way it needed to be. As Manchester airport’s terminal 3 gradually came alive, our initial arrangements went smoothly, despite me somehow ending up with some unknown chap’s boarding pass as well as my own (I hope that whoever John Fayer was, he managed to get to Paris!)

The flight from Manchester to Heathrow was uneventful, the most inspiring thing being the bacon and egg panini that BA gave us for breakfast. Waiting patiently at terminal 5 for our departure, it still hadn’t sunk in that this thing was finally happening for real, after all the aeons of planning.

Our Boeing 747 was stifling hot when we took our seats – because Tim claims to be a bad flyer I gave him the window seat (though he seemed fine at take off to me!) This was my first time flying inter-continental and I marvelled at the films and television shows on offer on the tiny screen attached to the seat in front of me. Even better was the free beer we had as an aperitif to our curry. Even better was the free bottle of wine we had after it (185 ml – don’t get too excited!) It was also my first time in an aeroplane toilet and I had to wonder if the Mile High Club really is possible. While standing around afterwards for Tim to retake his seat, I had my first conversation with an American, wishing to know if I was in the queue for the lavatory. It was brief, but it was oddly reassuring, as if my brain finally figured out that this wasn’t just another of my trips to Malaga, it was much, much more.

We arrived at JFK 30 minutes early – a good omen? However, it was actually bloody raining – a bad omen? The captain reckoned it was due to clear up by the evening, but starting the round the world trip in what was essentially Manchester conditions with a little more humidity was a bit of a downer! Not quite a “drowner” though. Waiting in line to be processed was another stifling experience, but once we got to the bit where they photograph your iris and take your fingerprints, it was plain sailing.  

The subway was interesting – we bought a 7 day pass and thought we were doing really well until we missed our stop by one station. You’d think it would be perfectly simple to cross the platform and come straight back in the other direction, but oh no, not in this sprawling metropolis. We got through more platforms than a 70s disco experience! We’d have been better off walking, but eventually we made our connection and got to Grand Central station. By now, with big backpacks weighing us down, we were getting a bit huffy and puffy, but then, as we walked out into the street it hit us – New York City in all its unmistakable glory! Skyscrapers, yellow cabs and a million and one people on the move...in that moment it really felt like we’d made it.

The walk to the YMCA was fairly brief and check-in wasn’t a problem. As for the room, well, we always knew it would be bunkbeds, but we didn’t know it would be bunkbeds and only about two square feet of floor space! At first I felt that infamous feeling that every traveller must get, i.e. “How the bloody hell am I going to manage like this for the next six months of my life???” But then we put the football on the telly, fired up the computer, went and had a shower, and sure enough my home-away-from-home-instincts began to kick in. Plus the accommodation includes a complimentary beer at O’Neills bar round the corner – wayhay!

And that’s where we’re off to now – to get some grub and just enough ale in us to send us off into blissful snoozies tonight. It’s only 17:30 here, but back home it’s gone half ten, and we’ve been on the road since 4.

And so, I repeat that all is well.   

It’s fun to stay at the Y…M…C…

23 B.C.E. 

…Gray!

That’s right, these two young men have found a place they can go when they’re short of their dough and they don’t want to get stung by inflated Noo Yoik prices. Here’s the link:

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Vanderbilt-YMCA/New-York/815?source=googleadwordshostelsbynamebroad&kid=466142&aid=2&gclid=CK29h7-hkrACFRQrfAodcSWDpQ

And here’s the location:

We chose the Vanderbilt YMCA because:

• We get our own room (bunk beds, just like when we were kids).
• There’s free wi-fi in the room (usually it’s just in common areas).
• It comes with cable TV (might get to see a LIVE police chase).
• The location’s half-decent (i.e. it’s in Manhattan).
• Virtually everywhere else is already booked up for our budget.

So, we’ve taken the room for a total of four nights…and let’s hope there’s no one else on the same floor and we get the bathroom all to ourselves (a highly unlikely scenario!)

It may be cheap and cheerful, and they don’t include breakfast, but at this stage of the game it would be a bad idea to get hooked on quality of any kind.

There’s a LONG way to go after we leave this metropolis…it’s likely to get a lot worse!