The one with the Aussie Neuroscience Students
I left DC on the express Greyhound to New York. It struck me as weird that this maybe the last time I sit on a Greyhound in America with Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’ in my head. There always seems to be songs that can sum up events in life, and sometimes songs influence the events in life. That song was in my head most of the time on most of the Greyhound trips I took.
Nearing New York, I found out why New Jersey gets a bad rap for being an ugly state. It seems as if New York City has literally sucked the life out of the surrounding area. There’s pits, wastelands, rubbish tips, heavy industry and a complete lack of beauty which was so abundant in the golden leafy south. Soon enough though, the city’s famous skyline grew and grew and suddenly I was surrounded by the iconic brick and block towers of New York City!
As I left the port authority bus terminal, I saw a couple of Sept 11th murals made by local school children. I asked directions to my hostel and asked a Brooklyn cabbie if it was quicker to walk or take a taxi. “Its just a cuppla blocks, up der. You gadda wark it. Dis is New Yoik City!” It turned out to be more like 10 blocks which meant I turned up all sweaty as I was carrying (and wearing) my life for the last 10 months, but I didn’t mind that much. New York is a city you really do have to walk through.
By the time I was settled, night had fallen and I went for a wander. I was only in town for a couple of days before heading off to Vancouver so I figured I’d scope the place out now, then do everything next week. It took me about 5 mins to walk to Time Square Information centre where I checked my emails and found out the Macy’s day parade was happening the next day.
I went back to my dorm and found I was staying with 4 Aussie Neuroscience students which was interesting. I started picking their brains about consciousness, it’s a fascinating topic…
Anyway, next day was the Macy’s Day Parade which runs from Central Park, down Broadway, all the way to Macy’s. It was really amazing to watch all the hundreds of dancers, performers floats and marching bands. There was also some B/C list celebs on some of the floats. I saw Joan Rivers, some rock band trying to look hard, and Kool and the Gang on a Giant crocodile for Animal Planet!
Looking south from Central Park, NYC reminded me of Milford Sound in NZ, where its great monolithic mountains appear and rise vertically from the sea to the sky.
I’d agreed to meet Sarah, a top bird who I used to work with in London, (She was over to do some Christmas shopping with some friends) on the corner of Central Park. I’d been told by a couple of Americans to always ‘Look like you know where you’re going’ in New York. I’d taken this advice and was wearing my Philly UGTR baseball cap and I’d grabbed a cup of coffee on my way to meet Sarah. It obviously worked as I was standing in front of her saying ‘OI! HELLO!’ and she still took a couple of seconds to register it was me. Apparently it was the way I was holding the coffee!?!
We went for a wander around the Rockerfeller centre and a couple of different places before heading up to the Marriot hotel, 8 floors above Times Square and had a drink. They’d booked tickets for the Empire State building but the queue was massive so I left them and went back to the hostel.
The Aussie’s were there and we ended up going out for a meal. Which turned into a drink. And soon enough we ended up back heading back to the Marriot bar. Via some side street where steam was coming out of the pavement for some reason?
We all ordered Martini's.
I had 'The Big Apple.' Obviously.
We bought some beers and ended up back at our hostel until very early in the morning. And with my trusty 'World Travellers' hat on, it is true what they say about Aussie women :D
I was gonna meet Sarah the next day so she could help me with my Xmas shopping, but I was too knackered. That afternoon I caught my flight to Vancouver.