Disappointments – and ‘next times’
Our blogs have been overwhelmingly positive about our time in the US but there were some disappointments (for me). Also, there were heaps of things were didn’t do that were on our list. These I think of as “next times”, as I do hope I’ll visit the US again. We had a hectic schedule and still couldn’t do such things as:
– Visit downtown Los Angeles (from Hollywood)
– Visit the City Lights Bookshop in San Francisco
– Actually walk or drive across the Bay Bridge or the Golden Gate bridge in Frisco
In New York, I hope (on the next visit, if there is one) to do the following:
– Visit and tour the great sky-scrapers, including the Flatiron, Woolworth’s, Chrysler and the Empire State building
– Get up close to the Statue of Liberty
– Walk or drive across the Brooklyn Bridge
– Go to the Comedy Club on W53rd Street. We bought tickets from a street hawker but never got round to using them. (Joan ended up giving them away to one of the hotel staff).
– I had hoped to go to an “open mic” venue for stand-up comedy and to do a routine. I’ve done this in Canberra and went down very well at the RAW Comedy 2008 heat. (After bombing terribly at the 2007 contest). Anyway, I had a few addresses of such venues but didn’t follow up while in NYC.
– We didn’t make it to the Dakota Hotel or to Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Next time, for sure.
– I want to find a really good local blues venue, preferably with black American blues musicians. B B King’s club was within walking distance of our hotel but it hardly had any blues bands at all. It seemed to be trading on King’s name. Mind you, Bobby Bland was billed to appear there but his gig was postponed.
– Joan and I both want to do night tours of NYC, by bus and boat. Again, next time. I’m told the Hudson River one is stunning.
– I’d like to do a Hudson River day cruise, just going north for a couple of hours.
Anyway, you can’t do it all on one trip. Especially when there are four people involved, each with their own interests and desires.
As for general disappointments, I’d make two points (as always, subject to the dislaimer that I was only in NYC as a tourist for three weeks):
– New York (and LA and ‘Frisco) are very similar to Australia in broad way of life, architecture, standard of living, aspects of town planning, and local customs. Of course, the differences create the magic but, had I wanted a holiday in a totally different culture, I would have been disappointed with the US, and would have aimed for Mongolia next time. I guess there was a slight disappointment in the extent to which our two societies are so similar.
– New York City is not a 24/7 society! This disappointed me and I’m beginning to wonder whether there is such an economy/society anywhere on the planet. I’d say the trading hours in NYC are only slightly more extended than ours in Australia – where campaigns for restrictions on extended hours are led by the churches (and the pseudo-left). I’m philosophically in favour of the 24/7 society because it expands choice – and thus extends personal freedom.
Anyway, it was all a fantastic adventure and I might write again, if anyone’s interested, to talk about how (surprisingly) flat I feel being back home.
Barry
Tags: Travel
canberrians
Las Vegas comes the closest to being a 24/7 city in my experience.
Thanks driftwould – I didn’t think of Las Vegas. Must try to visit one day. I’m not much into gambling but it blows me away to think that such a city, with all those lights, can be built in the middle of a desert.
Barry
You have to get out of the tourist areas (go to actual neighborhoods) for real blues music. They may be what we call “hole in the walls” though.
Ask some of the hotel staff or people on the street for blues recommendations.
Hi Claudine,
Thanks for the advice. Next time we’re in NYC, or wherever else in the USA, we’ll check out the local neighbourhood scene. We didn’t go beyond the tourist thing, in the main. Will also ask people on the street and hotel staff. There must be some hot blues out there!
Barry