New York New York
So after a long train journey that seemed to take forever i finally arrived in New York’s Penn Station. We did have a couple of smoking breaks through the journey and i met a cool guy from Caracas in Venezuela. I grabbed a cab – well im in New York i have to take at least one right its part of the touist thing. Well to me anyway. Fiund the hostel which really is just a few steps from the hustle and bustle of Times Square. It was now past 10pm on a saturday night and this definately is the city that never sleeps as it was packed out with people. You instantly pick up on the vibrancy of this city and it makes the place call out to you and makes you want to explore. The owner of the hostel wasnt in but i was let into the small place by some Brits. Sarah from Newcastle who is the only person i have ever met from up there who doesnt have a geordie accent!! and Steve and Matt from St Helens. I dumped my bags and started chatting to the guys who were hanging out drinking wine. We decided to head out to a bar and jumped in a cab and then Sarah felt ill and told us she had to get out of the cab. What i didnt realise at the time is that she suffers from seizures and the flashing lights through the cab had set it off. I have no idea what to do in a situation like this but common sense kicked in and the three of us got her out of the cab and onto the ground in the recovery position. Steve had hold of Sarah’s head and Matt called 911. if you are ever told that New Yorkers are rude and unhelpful then in my mind its a complete lie as within minutes we had several people come up and help us and some also called 911 also so we ended up with two ambulances and a fire truck. So i got to meet 6 of the very finest firemen frm NY fire department!! Obviously i wasnt concentrating on them but on Sarah!! well maybe a little. Matt ran back to the hostel to check out if he could find any insurance details and Steve and I got into the ambulance – i had the joy of riding in the front seat. Sarah was more stable now and we were told that we had done everything right. Its scary when you try to help someone and are in a new country. We whizzed down to St Vincents hospital and ino the ER. Now im still a tourist at heart and was happy to see it looks just like in the tv show ER – except without Mr Clooney.
Sarah bless her was upset that she had caused us to ruin our night. We assured that of course it didnt matter and that as long as she was ok was all that mattered. We had to spend a few hours in the ER before they would discharge her and had to fill in several forms. We eventually go out of there about 2ish and headed back to the hostel where Matt was waiting for us. I was certinly an unexpected way to spend my first evening in New York but i felt that i had made some new friends and we all now had a connection that was different from just meeting and going to pubs together.
On sunday Sarah was wanting to do a hop on hop off bus tour which is a two day ticket so i decided to join her on it as it would be a good way to see a lot of Manhatten. We caught the bus in Times Square and went and sat in the open top part glad that i had brought several layers with me. We stayed on the bus until Ground Zero and went to pay our respects, Sarah more so than me as she had lost her uncle in 9/11. It really is a building site now and progess is being made to move on and rebuild, but definately not forget. The small church opposite really i amazing. It managed to escape without any damage to it even though it was right next to where the towers fell. Inside the church is dedicated to remembrance and at the ground zero ae boards with everyones name on from that tragic day. Having paid our respects Sarah and I continued on and lightened our mood by going on a hunt for hair straighteners!! Not for me though, i really dont have room for them. We spent the whole day on the bus taking pictures and getting an overview of both Manhatten and also went through Harlem. We saw all the usual tourist spots and had some really good guides. Saw the empire state building, rockerfeller centre, central park, brooklyn bridge, chrysler building and times square and countless other landmarks. There is so much to see and do here that you could be here months and still not see everything. Sarah and I by the end of it were absolutely freezing and walked back to the hostel where we said our goodbyes to Steve and Matt and then headed to Applebee’s for dinner. The evening was spent hangin out at the hostel and Sarah was heading off early in the morning to Niagara. It was a shame we were headed different ways as we got on really well and i would have like to travel some more with her. I know she will have an awesome time in Niagara though.
On monday i headed out bright and early and used my ticket to get back on the bus and head down to Battery Park so i could catch the Staten Island ferry. For those not in the know this is a free ride which takes you past the Statue of Liberty and gives you a great view of the skyline on the way back. I took my pictures and didnt stop on Staten Island but headed back and walked up to Wall Street to see the New York Stock Exchange. I continued walking around up to City Hall and then got onto the Brooklyn Bridge and walked across. The day was bright and clear and quite warm and i was in just a t shirt – no layers yay!! I walked around Brooklyn for a bit and then headed back across the bridge and back on the bus through Chinatown and lower east side and up to Rockerfeller centre. The christmas was still up and i took a few pictures before heading into the NBC studio. I didnt take the tour but wandered around the store and checked out the ER memorablia for sale. I was very tempted to buy but resisted. I headed up to Central Park which is beautiful and then back to Times Square before being absolutely dead on my feet and wandered into Dave and Busters for something to eat, This was pure reminising for me as i used to work in the one in Bristol a very long time ago. But i have never forgotten what a great place it was and how the staff were like one huge family. I also missed playing on Daytona and the kentucky derby. Ok enough rambling it was almost as i remembered it being in Bristol i guess they are pretty muchof the same standard across the US. I indulged in a philly cheesesteak which was always the bomb and still the best i have tried.
On tuesday i stayed around the times square area which is always pumping – maybe its the lights that effect me but it always has such a great vibe although i see now that i so would have not enjoyed being here on New Year. I knew that i would like being in New York but i didnt realise just how much i loved the atmosphere there. I felt safe at all times and loved how diverse it was just by walking a few blocks you came across almost another world. And as mentioned earlier New Yorkers were some of the friendliest people i met and not at all what i had been lead to believe – just goes to show you should never listen to stereotypes something im learning more and more as i travel and encounter new things. But i am definately gonna come back here and spend more time checking out the city. I also think i will just come on a holiday from England and bring an empty suitcase as i could really shop til i drop here.
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