I got my bags and jumped in a super shuttle for my mates place on Lexington. Funks had only just moved into a sweet apartment between 96th and 97th in Manhatten. I hadn't seen the Canberra clown since my long roadie to the Oz capital in April 2006. After the usual catch-up, we made tracks for Central Park, only a few streets away. We watched a few amatuer teams playing baseball before heading out for a meal and beer.
After getting to bed a little late, I was glad to have Monday morning to recover from drinking and jetlag. Not so lucky for Funks as he had to work the whole week and sickies weren’t an option in your first months work in NYC.
It was strange, I was so keen to see New York but I knew my body needed some recovery - my heart was pulling and my head was pushing. I eventually made it out of the apartment and took the subway to Grand Central. Not knowing NYC, I thought this would be where the most exciting section would be. There was a subway performer imitating Michael Jackson as I left the underground. Of course, Grand Central is famous in itself but I was ready to see more than a train station.
I began walking down Broadway for downtown. The street was lined with shops but I later discovered that 5th Ave is the best for shopping. If I have the time, I love exploring places without a map. At the end of my stay, I usually check to make sure I’ve done all the tourist attractions. This was day 2 of 7 and the longest (along with Barbados for the cricket) I’d be visiting a certain city.
When I got as far as I could walk, I came across the Statue of Liberty. It was getting past 3pm and the tours were finishing up for the day but I would definitely return.
Then it was my turn to see where the world changed. I looked through the fences and mess to see some construction of the new Freedom tower and tried to imagine how tall the Twin Towers would have been. For another moment I tried to comprehend watching them fall but I don’t think it’s within my conception. Even to this day, I am still shocked when I see the footage of the towers crashing down in the middle of Manhattan. I found a timeline description of the events that took place on that day and still couldn’t believe how it would have been on that fateful day. I took a walk through the Financial Buildings surrounding Ground Zero before heading back to Mark’s to get ready for the another worldwide famous site… Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
On the subway, I began thinking to myself if the Yankees would be the most well-known sporting team in the world. What would come close? Manchester United? I’ve seen Man Utd play twice in 2004. The game itself was entertaining but the beers were expensive. They have a hotdog company called ‘Nathans’ which got plastered all over the stadium – although they were fairly nasty. Unfortunately, the Yankees lost.
Afterwards we went to Funks’ self proclaimed local, the Parrot Bay. He'd already gotten to know a few people including a former Chicago Bears football player, Rich. We were out till the early hours of the morning... again.
On Tuesday, I managed to see the Empire State Building on 5th Ave. Construction was completed in one year and 45 days, working 7 days/week including holidays, at a rate of 4 and a half stories per week. 7 million man hours later, it was the sight we see today. Imagine that happening today... the Freedom Tower will take 5-6 years to complete by 2011.
I made a silly mistake of going up around 4pm in the afternoon. After I'd taken all my photos in the sunlight, I felt I needed to stay and see the lights of New York too. Therefore, I needed to wait until around 8:30pm in the cold wind. They do have a souvenier shop at the observation desk but not much else. I bought a print of the New York skyline when the twin tower lights were shining in the evening. It should be a good reminder of my time OS when I get back to Oz but I was worried about carrying extras all through my travels (Mum and Dad have since taken it home when they visited). I was eventually treated to some amazing night views but couldn't seem to get the camera to justify the scene. Funks was tired, so I decided to pass through Times Square on the way home, having a drink in a Sports bar by myself.
I figured it was time to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on Wednesday. The photo on the left was taken from the ferry to the island where the lady stands.
On the way home, I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into Queens which was the longest bridge for over 20 years when completed in 1883 and considered the 8th wonder of the world at the time. Catching the subway back, I was on the west side of Manhatten and Funks' was on the east. I'd heard Tom’s Diner from Seinfeld was in the area so I went off to find where the classic sitcom was mostly filmed. The outside looks a lot like the set but the inside is nothing like it. I ordered a soup and sat in the booth where an old cashier man told me they always used to sit. They had an autographed photo of the group but it wasn't as much of an attraction as I think they could make it. By this time it was getting dark and I still needed to cross Central Park. Funks had told me a story where a kid running through Central Park in broad daylight was stabbed 3 times in the back all for a gang initiation. I don't normally get freaked easily but I was making an exception this time. I began following paths through Central Park in the dusk and got a little disoriented (it's a big park). I finally found the other side and made it to Funks' with sweat running from me.
On Thursday, I managed to score tickets to David Letterman (thanks for the advice Jock). They usually reserve tickets for out-of-towners but made it difficult for people working like Funks. We had to line-up to get our tickets at lunch on the day of the show. Then had to come back a few hours later for the show. Funks told work that he had a dentist appointment and met me at the David Sullivan theatre (where Nirvana and many other famous bands have played). They tried to pump up the audience to give Dave the energy which makes the show successful. Although, there wasn't much to get excited about with Dr Phil and Jack Hannah as guests.
At the start, Dave interviewed a guy in the audience a few rows in front. We could see ourselves in the background on the live studio feeds. The guy happenned to be from Adelaide too. To be honest, I wouldn't normally watch Letterman unless I bored at home. I can't really see why he's so popular but celebrities seem to love him. I guess that might be because he asks some different questions from the typical interview.
While Funks went back to work to see if he still had a job, I went to Madison Square Gardens. There wasn't anything much to see but I just had to visit the famous arena. Around the corner was Macy’s, the worlds largest department store. It didn't seem to be much bigger than others I'd shopped at before but it does have the reputation. I bought a pair of jeans and a shirt before meeting Funks in Times Sqaure. We took some photos before being back at the Parrot Bay... again.
The following day, I strolled along 5th Ave through Washington Square and Little Italy. I was looking for a Yankees cap as a souvenier and a haircut. I got both.
Friday night, Funks could finally relax. We arranged to met a girl he used to work with and two of her friends at the Parrot Bay. I was totally sick of beer and alcohol in general so ordered a strawberry daquirie much to the amusement of Funks. At about 4am we caught a cab to the meatpacking district to find another bar. We could find anything open and went home wondering why it was 'the city that never sleeps'.
Waking up late, we went to nurse the hangover in Central Park. Afterwards, we met the girls for a tour of Wall Street and the bull. They hadn't been to Ground Zero, so I went along again. This time the security was evident with machine guns and dogs out the front. Apparently, they beef up security at random hotspots around NY (when will they stop calling it Ground Zero).
My last night, we went out for dinner at Thai restaurant. The meal was nice but it was back to the Parrot Bay for more drinks. At 4am, I looked at my watch realising I had a flight at 8:30am. Back at Funks pad boozed to the eyeballs and my stuff everywhere, I handed my phone and flight details to Ali and said, "Do your best". She pretended to be my sister and managed to change to flight for Monday morning. With a massive relief, I passed out on the matress.
Sunday was all about recovery. I stepped out in the afternoon to walk the streets and reminisce about my travels and consider what was next. I was ready for the next leg but vowed to return to NYC. I grabbed some pizza and headed back to Funks' place to watch TV and have an early night.
Return rating: 10 (Probably the only place left in the world where I'd like to work. However, considering the rent, I wouldn't be able to wing it like I had in London and Vancouver. I needed a professional job offer which meant I needed a career.)
That's it for North America... until I get back to Canada. I'm hoping to see and do a fair bit more in my 12 month working holiday.
In the afternoon, I made a visit to the Washington Mesuem of Space and Aviation. The most interesting pieces didn't have much to do with flying but included Stars Wars robots, Edison's first light bulb, Abraham Lincoln's tophat, Muhammad Ali's gloves, Babe Ruth's signed baseball and Seinfeld's puffy shirt. Also, touched a piece of the moon if you believe man has ever been there.
