US here we come

This is continuing the post about our final weekend in NYC. I’ll add some photos later, when we’re free from the need to pay 50 cents per minute for internet at the hotel. (If our laptop was working, it’d be free wireless high-speed connection in our room).

Despite getting to bed around 2.00 in the morning, I was wide awake and out of bed around 7.00. This is a life-long condition of mine – no matter how late I go to bed, I’m always up early. Wide awake.

Sunday 18th was our last full day in NYC so we were keen to make the most of it and that meant going to the Metropolirtan Museum of Art, on Central Park. I’ll leave it to Joan to fill in the details of this magnificent institution, as it was very high on her priorities.

At first we went to the Guggenheim but it is being renovated and the wonderful design by Frank Lloyd Wright was concealed by tarp and scaffolding. We kept walking till we reached the Met on 5th Avenue, the exclusive upper east-side. You could spend a full week in the Met and still be awe-struck and wandering around the finest examples of various civilisations. It’s just stunning. I like modern art and stood close to works by Leger, Picasso, Dali and Matisse like I could never in Australia – also, while the building was crowded, the indiivdual galleries were large and so you weren’t ever cramped or rushed.

On leaving the Met in the late afternoon, it was drizzling rain outside and we went quickly to a subway station, but stopped at a deli in this very wealthy part of NYC. The deli had exquisite offerings. I can’t imagine what it must be like being a multi-millionaire living on this side of town.

On the subway, we became confused – or rather, I did – when we had to change lines at Grand Central station (itself another magnificent building). We ended up on the wrong train but even this was a good thing as we were heading to Brooklyn and from the train window we saw the vast warehouses covered in graffitti, known as the graffitti living museum. Anyway, we made it back to W42nd Street, or ‘home’ as we were calling it by now.

I wanted to ‘chill’ for the evening but the irrepressible Joan was considering the idea of going to the Empire State Building, which we could see from our hotel window. However, Hannah and Joey and I won the day and we stayed ‘home’ to recuperate from a full day of walking and adventure.

Yesterday I mentioned how I’d dropped off the laundry on Saturday morning. Well, we experienced our first case of losing something when I went to collect it on Sunday. Two of my shirts were missing – and there was a white vest belonging to someone else. We returned the vest but the shirts had simply gone – luckily they are old ones. Perhaps they have been returned – we can’t know as we left NYC on Monday 19th for San Francisco.

I’m writing this from Frisco. We’re all in love with this Bay city. It’s the best. We must come back one day. When I leave here, I’ll really be leaving my heart in San Francisco.

Will write again, and post some photos to exisiting reports.

Barry

We left NYC for San Francisco on Monday 19th May. Here are some notes about our final weekend in Manhattan.

Saturday 17th:

Early morning. Took clothes to laundry on 10th Avenue. They charge by the pound – 12 lb cost $12. Good value.

Joey keen to go to a flea market to search for bargan second-hand rap CDs. We catch a taxi to the Chelsea/Gramercy area. On the way we notice a huge street party near us, on 9th Avenue, which has street stalls but still decide to go downtown. We find an Op-Shop and then a garage sale – a vast underground flea market with a wonderful variety of old stuff – collectables, antiques – all at great prices. It was very exciting to stumbvle upon it but, unfortunately, Joey and Hannah were both feeling alienated and Joan and I were under pressure to move on. I can’t believe this but I actually didn’t buy anything!!! We then found a flea market next to a church – this is where Joan found a stall selling ‘genuine’ mink.

We walked to Madison Square Park and saw a street procession of ethnic dancers – it went for miles, along Broadway. Hannah was very tired – gee, she’s done well for a 12 year old – and so we took her back to the hotel on W42nd and then headed off – just Joan, Joey and me – to Harlem by subway. Joan and I have already posted on this memorable experience. We gaain walked and walked for many miles to Central Park West, the extension of 8th Avenue. Joey is an excellent walker – he trucks long with his PDA earphones – but Joan and I were feeling zonked so we returned to midtown by subway.

After all that walking, I don’t know how joan and I managed to revive and head off – at 9.30 that night – for the famous Blue Note jazz club in the Village. The sky was remarkably clear and the moon shone upon us. We had stamina through exhilaration. The act – saxophonist Gato Barbieri – was good – a type of Latin Charlie Parker – but not great. After the gig, Joan and I walked 38 blocks back to W42nd Street. We went through some seddy areas but felt safe the whole time. We were back at our room at 1.30 Sunday morning. Joey nad Hannah were fast asleep in their respective beds. It was great to see so many people out on the streets of Manhattan so late at night – mostly young folk celebrating their youthfulness!

Sorry I must sign off for now – still having to use hotel internet (50 cents a minute). Will continue another time. Sunday 18th was also an action packed day.

Barry

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Yesterday (Thursday 15th May) we were all up early to be at the ferry terminal at Battery Point, the southern tip of Manhattan, for the ferry ride to Ellis Island, the site where 12 million immigrants to the US were ... [Continue reading this entry]

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