Day 5: New York

Another early start, which I took full advantage of by sneaking down to the breakfast buffet. A much smaller crowd awaited than yesterday but I was still timid in approaching the unfamiliar waffle iron. My fiancé scooped waffle mix into a paper cup then spread it inside the circular implement. He closed it and flipped it 180 degrees.

Two minutes later, the machine beeped so I turned and opened it. A large two-pronged fork released my surprisingly complete and perfect waffle onto my plate. I grabbed two packets of “waffle syrup”, intending on the full experience. My breakfast was too sweet and yet too bland. I managed half of it before my fiancé assisted. I absently heard that a parade was being announced on the TV but foolishly gave it no thought.

A quick duck outside revealed a relatively cool morning, one my Ghostbusters shirt would be able to stave off. After all, today we were going to ghostbusting HQ. Still, when we left before 8am I crossed my arms over my chest on the subway, self-consciously aware that it marked me out as a tourist. There were delays on the South Ferry loop for unknown reasons (ha!) but we made it after one lengthy station stop.

This time when we left at South Ferry, we went straight to the nearby terminal for the free ferry to Staten Island, dodging the Liberty Cruise spruikers and unloaded passengers from the ferry. When we went through the gateless turnstiles, my fiancé suffered an impromptu bag check. We ignored the bathrooms, keen to board the just-arrived ferry. A man at the turnstiles had announced that the best views were to be had on the right side of the ferry. He was correct!

"Best views" indeed!

Then we were on our way, coasting past the Statue of Liberty (yet to be filled with crowds). I went to the left to take photos of the distant Ford Wadsworth which looked tiny even on my camera screen. I resolved to use the telescopic lens on the return trip.

We coasted into Staten Island after the ferry came in at a worrying angle (it seemed as though we would crash into a wall of wooden pylons!). Then we were unleashed. We ventured out towards buildings, crossing over subway tracks. The Staten Island subway system is isolated but is considered an unbroken journey if you go from them to South Ferry.

My fiancé wondered why the ferry was free. My guess? “To say sorry for the lack of subway tunnel!”

I had wanted to go to Fort Wadsworth but the subway bent away from it, towards the south of the island and buses would take half an hour to get there. A taxi could deliver us but we’d have no reliable method of returning which we were not keen on. I would have to be content with the photos taken from the ferry.

We attempted to cross the road to the courthouse but a bus and truck trundled through a red light to the curses of the locals beside us. This was now an unsurprising sight to us - traffic signals are merely a suggestion in NYC. We ambled through a couple of streets until we discerned that the comic book shop we’d caught sight of definitely wasn’t opening until 10am, much later.

The only interesting thing we found near the ferry.

Finding nothing else of interest, we made our way back to the water. I enjoyed the breeze scattering the sunshine on my skin and my fiancé noted how everyone seemed much more relaxed here. If I had to work in New York City, I’d definitely choose to live on Staten Island. My fiancé spotted a Wall Street which seemed to line up with the one in the far distance - it dead ended at the water. I noticed that the island had a very prominent view of where the Twin Towers had been - a very sombre thought.

Back on the ferry! We joined a much bigger crowd (I guess more people want to go to the city than Staten Island?) to board. Everyone crowded on the left so we joined them. I switched out to the telescopic lens and, as we got underway, I staked out a spot on the railing beside another keen photographer - he had a “cell phone”. Hmpf.

The money shot

We enjoyed ice creams bought at the Manhattan terminal before heading towards the famous Bull of Wall Street that we had missed earlier. I was to miss it again on this, our last full day in New York City.

Crowds. Barriers. Police. We walked along the street, unable to get close to the bull. I snapped a poor shot, frustrated that this was one day that no one wanted to get on the bull and that I was unable to get close enough to unleash my artistic energies on it.

)@($*#)($*#)(!!

People were handing out biscuits “endorsed by the soccer champs!” which I thought odd at first. Suddenly, I remembered that I’d heard the dreaded word “parade” on the TV that morning. Oh dear. A later Google search revealed that this was the “Canyon of Heroes” where all ticker tape parades in New York City are held. Today the canyon was playing host to a parade celebrating the US win at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

We went the long way around, trying to get at the bull, but to no avail. We gave up. Then we were moving west, passing the huge queue for the One World Trade Centre observatory. My sore feet could move just a little longer for our destined location.

The fire engines strewn about the streets were our first clue. Then it appeared, the dinky little fire station used in Ghostbusters. I geeked out. A nearby fireman smoked, watching us with amusement. I indicated my shirt. “Dressed for the occasion!”

"We got one!"

He very kindly offered to take a photo of both of us - then told us that the sign from the movie was inside on the wall. Holy crap! Awesome! We went inside to have a look. My mood was much improved as we left to seek out a nearby subway station. At least something had gone right!

How cool is that?

The subway station was hot and stifling, as all of them are, but my sore feet and parched mouth made the 3 minute wait endless. Then it really was endless. 1 minute passed - still 1 minute to go. The second train’s ETA was simply “DELAY”. An announcement informed us that no trains were stopping near City Hall “because of the parade”.

Eventually, a train arrived to relieve the filling platform of its disgruntled passengers. We were slow on our way back towards 50th Avenue. But get there we did. Then we enjoyed a true New York hotdog from a vendor, each sausage bearing a ketchup line layered beneath mustard. It was a very satisfying meal.

“The taste of regret,” I joked.

Back to the hotel. My fiancé booked a car to take us to the airport tomorrow - hope things go well! God I’m glad to leave this place.

Bought a Yorkie to try - like a Mint Pattie but less chewy.

Packing now…

Day 4: New York

Last night I discovered two things - 1) the cumulative effect of eating Hershey Kisses (the almond variant) is that they start to taste like vomit and 2) 3-4 hour naps in the middle of the day are not going to cure my jetlag! We suffered another early morning, though I hoped this meant it would be quiet enough for me to use the waffle iron.

Alas, no. Armies of Americans sequestered both irons, leaving me munching passive aggressively on my Philadelphia bagel (actually a nice combo) and wishing they’d let me try the breakfast treat. I then was glad, because the waffles they were walking away with were huge, covering entire plates.

A much cooler day awaited us - 81 degrees Fahrenheit. I was unsure the tank top from the previous day would be warm enough (we’ve all re-worn shirts on holidays, admit it!). As we walked to Central Park at 8am, the rain began as spiteful spitting before upgrading to a mild downpour which made me fear for the camera in the backpack. I begged my fiancé to find shelter so he guided me down into a subway walkway that smelled strong of pee.

Deciding a bit of rain would be alright and that Central Park was the only thing to do on such a day, we escaped Eau de Urine and headed for greenery. It was too early for horse drawn carriages (I was tempted by this on our first day when we saw them from the taxi, one that had chipped hooves had stumbled on the road beside us) and the rain meant that my fiancé had to field the raindrops from me - and the SLR - by expertly waving the umbrella around.

My sour mood evaporated when I saw squirrels. I was thankful I’d had the foresight to attach the telescopic lens to my camera. But these critters are so fast - I mainly caught squirrel-shaped blurs bounding over the grass but managed some passable shots. What amusing little things, always in a hurry, though I discovered that some will take the time to pose close to the fence for an adoring audience.

"SQUIRREL!"

Lawns are closed in Central Park until 9am and some areas are fenced off completely with nearby signs begging us to save American elms by not lunging at them. There are signs declaring the presence of English elms - I did not see much difference between them. We saw a handful of Central Park’s many arches and discovered a fair amount of bathrooms (though one had comically tiny doors that revealed head or knickers, depending if you were standing or sitting).

A fairytale in the heart of NYC.

The smell of horseshit was very fresh on some paths, but mostly we had a lovely time, finding an area devoted to chess, normal-sized and giant-sized, as well as the diary which used to serve fresh milk to children. We also passed carnival rides. Central Park seems designed for whimsy.

Near a fountain - the Angel of Waters statue, designed by a woman and featured in an episode of Forever (they found a body at the fountain). Here we encountered a guitarist singing over and over “it’s raining in New York” though by now it wasn’t. We spotted some tourists posing in fake yoga positions on the wall for a photo.

Not a bad place to find a body.

I chose to use the smaller lens to document the rest of the park. There were small areas to fish, including little lakeside shelters, but signs warned of the bright green algae blooms. I was quite taken by a park bench (a lot of them are dedicated to the living and dead) with a plaque that mentioned a name followed by “Will you marry me?”. I wondered out loud if she had said yes - my fiancé asserts it would have been taken down if she had said no.

We discovered, thanks to a map, that we weren’t even halfway through the incredibly long park - and I still needed to find Belvedere Castle, a folly dating from the 19th century and also seen in the TV movie Prince Charming.

I was soon to discover why characters in the movie were putting on a Shakespearian play. As we hunted around, we found the Shakespeare Gardens which were twisty and full of flowers. Then we happened upon a theatre that only presents Shakespeare. It had a lot of pink signs. A map promised the castle was nearby. After a detour where we discovered an ice cream vendor we liked the sound of, we managed to get to the castle (it is very hard to find anything by line of sight in the park!).

What folly.

The folly was small and quaint and boasted a gift shop as well as a tiny narrow staircase reminiscent of the one in Stirling’s Wallace Monument. But here there were mirrors on the corners to ascertain when it was safe to move down a level - this didn’t always work!

I was annoyed by the clusters of people populating my photos, but it was later in the day now so many people were in the park. I managed to get photos of us in the “turret”.

We headed back south, somehow taking a different path and lost track of the ice cream vendor. We really were not keen to explore further  and the castle had been my real desire, after all. In The Ramble, amidst its winding ways apparently favoured by those looking for a hook-up, we encountered an American who pulled out an earbud and asked, “Do you know where you are?”

“Sort of,” my fiancé replied.

The man then asked directions of us, for a road to the north-east. We were able to help him. He thanked us and left. Imagine that, Australians giving an American directions in New York City!

The only place in NYC where I didn't feel grumpy.

We made our way back to where we started. We began seeing many horse-drawn carriages crammed with families. The guides would point out the sides at some item of interest. We happened upon more squirrels, these ones more daring. A man stopped abruptly and said “SQUIRREL!”, just like the dog in the Pixar movie Up. He did this three more times much to my amusement.

We finally escaped the park and various rickshaw drivers who kept trying to take us for a ride - literally and figuratively! Some charged $3 a minute. We bypassed M&Ms World again then went back to the Cosmic Diner for Milkshakes Part II. I then hunted down a Butterfinger from a convenience store, having been craving one.

Back to the hotel room after lunch to relax. My fiancé has massaged my poor feet but I fear they will never stop throbbing!

Day 3: New York

After managing to stay abed until 6:50am, we decided on breakfast. I wore my shiny mermaid leggings, praying the heat would not seep through them. A brief visit outside revealed that last night’s rain had scrubbed away the oppressive heat, leaving us with humidity instead. The leggings were thin enough to make it manageable.

This item of clothing also drew attention as we took the subway to Penn Station. I pulled out the chunky SLR camera and went to town with the skyscrapers while we made our way towards the Empire State Building. We walked over more of those ground grates which shoot up hot air - suspect they vent the subways?

We had to use Fifth Avenue door to enter the Empire State Building then went up some escalators where we discovered that the 102nd floor, which had the highest observatory, was closed so we’d have to get a refund. Our express tickets had us darting down passages ahead of - well, not much of a queue at 8:30am! Loved the Art Deco interior.

A little bit fancy

One lift to the 80th floor. Then another to the 86th. The air-con gave way to a cool windy observatory deck. Smog smothered Manhattan in all directions. Beneath the smog lay skyscraper after skyscraper, an urban sprawl that blanketed the land. It was frightening to see. Even the rivers were unable to keep the sprawl at bay.

It just goes on and on and on and on...

We walked around and had a look out at all sides - I don’t think we missed out on much with not being able to go up to the higher deck. The romanticism of the movies was missing, given how the smog obscured the view but it was a nice reprieve from the heat.

We attempted a selfie but the wind flung my hair all over both our faces! I was very careful when taking photos as I had to push the lens through the fence to avoid weird whirring and blurring. Not much else to see or experience - it is just a viewing platform - so we went inside. First, though, a bathroom stop - a guard followed me into the room, asking where I had got my pants as her daughter needed mermaid ones for a play. I pointed her towards eBay.

We passed by the Empire State gift shop which had a lot of King Kong paraphernalia. Then we meandered over to Macy’s which was still closed (they open at 9:30am) so we went in search of Harold Finch’s library from the television show Person of Interest. This was on the corner of East 30th Street and Lexington Avenue, a 15 minutes stroll away.

We passed an area that, along with the usual constant stench of garbage, smelled of smokey BBQ sauce (this was suspiciously outside an animal hospital). Coming upon Finch’s library was…wow. I had to crane my neck to make the connection, as the building looks different on foot. There were shops visible on the lower level which I think Finch would have disapprove of!

"You are being watched..."

Filled with the anti-climatic realisation that it was only a building and had no history of housing The Machine, I allowed my fiancé to lead me back towards Macy’s. We pushed through the doors into the first level of a giant department store that leaves David Jones in Sydney to shame. Macy’s had seven levels full of trinkets, clothes, gifts, toilets and eateries, including a McDonald’s.

Beside the ground escalators was a boarded up floor which blocked off the LG level. Amusingly, Shark Week took advantage of the disused escalators by making it seem as though sea, sand and sharks were encroaching on it. Bought Mum a Macy’s teddy bear before we navigated our way outside - destination: Grand Central Station via the New York Public Library.

We ran into Bryant Park at the back of the library. Here we found a grassy area rimmed by scattered tables and chairs (some had cupholders!). A screen was set up in front of the grass. On it were dates for the screenings of certain films. My fiancé pointed out that Ghostbusters was on that list which we found funny.

It was no coincidence that Bryant Park was much cooler than anywhere else we’d been on the ground - it had trees and a breeze.

We headed around to the front to take in the two marble lions that guard the library (but not from ghosts, evidently!). Then we entered and discovered the foyer was made of smooth marble as well. People seemed to be there to do things other than sight-see. Had to tear myself away from the gift shop which was selling my favourite brand of notebooks.

I ain't 'fraid of no ghost!

“Library Walk” led us down to Grand Central Station. It would be crazy trying to get in there during peak hour - each individual door (quite a few of them though) had to be pulled open. Then there was another row of doors to get through. We slowly walked into the expansive station, awed by the immense size, the pretty lights, the streams of people, the 100+ platforms (!!) and the inconspicuous military men on duty. They faded into the beige walls, adorned in desert fatigues and solemn expressions.

More marble. The station was cool and large and had very aesthetically pleasing lighting. I could have stayed there longer, simply to take it all in.

Wowsa.

“I like your leggings,” a woman said to me as she leaned against the wall, phone in hand.

“Thanks!” I said, very pleased to be causing a stir in new York City with my mermaid leggings.

It wasn’t until we left that A) I realised I should have found a bathroom and B) I had no flashback to that scene from Unbreakable.

We then hunted down the Rockefeller Centre which looked very strange from ground level - less impressive, I think. We passed NBC Studios before wending our way to Eighth Avenue. Bought some stamps for my postcards.

Lunch was had at Cosmic Diner. They served what could be the best chocolate milkshake…in the world. Divine. I had this along with curly fries and a panini which I failed to finish. We stuck the printed stamps onto my postcards then posted them.

Relaxing in hotel room watching TV. Some of these ads have peculiar segueways.

Day 2: New York

We woke at 5am, unable to sleep, and had to wait until 6am when we went down for breakfast. The doors were not yet open so we tested the temperature outside - balmy and sticky already!? Then we retreated to the air-conditioned breakfast room where I wasted time looking for Vegemite to put on my bagel. Alas, I was unsuccessful. I was bemused to see that there was a bucket of waffle mix next to a waffle iron!

We left at 7am, striding for a nearby subway station. On either side of the road were stairs to a platform. Crossing the road was the only way to change from “uptown” to “downtown”. The station was dark and warm, the barriers were very narrow and the platform was tiny. Sydney's peak hour crowd at Wynyard Station would not fit in there!

Have fun getting to the other platform...!

My fiancé ran a MetroCard through at the barriers then handed it back to me. Apparently it is fine to share train cards here - the balance is what matters. Every trip costs $2.75, no matter where you’re going.

The train hurtled in then waited long after we’d sat down before the doors closed with a beep. Blessed air-conditioning once more. I looked around for manspreaders but found none. The seats were marked out by painted suggestions on the benches.

Each time I thought we were going to skip a station, the brakes would be reefed on and we’d slam to a stop. It was as if the driver was waiting for the last second to brake. The speeds that the trains travel up to could cause serious injury.

Only the first five carriages open onto South Ferry. I jolted in my seat when I heard this, but a nice Asian lady sitting opposite me held out her hand and smiled, nodding, indicating that we were in the right carriage. We disembarked at South Ferry. I had noticed the ground near the tracks was wet as we pulled in - no surprise, this close to the water.

We passed the Staten Island ferry, fumbling our way through Battery Park which seemed a bit tired but they were fixing it up. It was still balmy and the sun threatened to slip above the dense clouds and fog hiding the tops of skyscrapers. We fretted as we had assumed the overcast day removed the need for sunscreen.

We picked up our Statue of Liberty tickets at 8am at “the round stone building” (as a sign called it!). This turned out to be Castle Clinton, a fortification built in the lead up to the War of 1812. We weren’t due to go to Liberty Island until the time stated on our tickets (9am) but my fiancé brilliantly decided we should try anyway.

Dat skyline.

We were waved through to “airport style security” which had a sign telling you which knives you were allowed to carry on you (!!). The queue wasn’t bad as most people had already boarded the 8:15am ferry. Once aboard, we stood on the deck and snapped pics of the Manhattan skyline and the rapidly approaching Liberty Island.

All around us people were doing the same thing. Out came the selfie sticks. Out came the family poses. Up stood a guy with a camera on a seat even though we had been told not to stand on the seats. The onboard recordings told us that new immigrants arriving by steam ship to New York used to cheer at the sight of the statue. Lady Liberty still causes a stir.

Damn majestic.

She’s smaller than I expected, but very majestic. I had no idea she was erected on top an old fort! What a great reuse of a building. After docking, we joined what I thought was a considerable throng that lead towards the audio guide shack. This area gave us a view of the back of the statue. We then joined the Crown & Pedestal Only ticket queue which saw us whipping out passports and tickets (which had our names on them) to confirm that we were allowed up. The guard became the first American I have met to pronounce my name properly.

$2 in $1 bills hires a locker for 2 hours. Your fingerprint unlocks them. We had to stow everything in our locker as we were only allowed to carry water, phones and one camera per person up into the statue. High security!

The stairs to the pedestal seemed to take forever - more ominously, the steps to the crown were far higher in number, according to a sign. These wide steps took us to the pedestal where we rested by walking around and taking in the view.

Then we attempted the crown. The stairs were steeper and narrower than those found in medieval castles. We climbed them as they spiralled into eternity. My legs were sore as we finally approached the crown where two people were enjoying the view. A guide distracted us from spoiling the others’ special moment by showing us where to look down on the tablet the statue held. Then it was our turn!

The crown’s windows were tiny and curved. You couldn’t get 6 people standing there in a row. We had our photo taken then I went berserk with my own shots - no one came to disturb us.

Inside the crown!

The guides joked to themselves about difficult guests. One had liked how a little boy had tried to use the buttons in the lift downstairs.

“How old are you?” she’d asked.

“Three,” was the answer.

“Well, you have to be fifteen years older and work here to touch those buttons,” she’d told him.

Apparently the boy had looked very thoughtful as he said, “Okay.”

Going down the stairs was worse. I gripped both railings as I lowered myself - my fiancé bounced down. The guides had told us that on the way down we’d be able to see the inside of Lady Liberty’s face. It resembled a chocolate mould.

Down, down to the fort level we went. Now a real throng had arrived at the Crown & Pedestal queue. I was so glad we’d come early!! It was bedlam getting back to our locker and my fingerprint only worked on the second go to unlock the door.

Bought souvenirs and water - so badly needed after that climb, though the interior had been air-conditioned. Onto the ferry, which unleashed a full cohort of passengers baying for blood and their time with Lady Liberty. Very pleased to be leaving.

Then onto Ellis Island for 20 minutes. There’s not much there but the old immigration building/museum. I liked being told what room I was in (i.e. where the luggage was matched to passengers) and marvelled at the original tiling in the room for those heading elsewhere in the US between 1890-1920.

Probably sees as many tourists now as it did immigrants!

A registry was there to peruse - I could find no one with my surname but I later ran an online search which revealed how many of my brethren had passed through there. We ran onto the boat after a souvenir stint. 10 minutes later, we were back at Battery Park where another crowd loomed.

We walked towards Brooklyn Bridge but could not seem to get close enough to a pylon for my camera to take a good shot. We then followed Beekman Street which oddly vanished into a complex before appearing on the other side. Lunch was had here. Cream puffs! Mostly we stopped for air-conditioning and water.

"The greatest erection of all time!"

Down to Wall Street! We saw the church from National Treasure but I loved the Bank of New York building - very Art Deco and takes up a chunk of the skyline. It’s somehow not quite as forbidding as the Bank of New South Wales Building in Sydney. We wandered around looking for the famous bull statue but found ourselves at a loss (turns out it is closer to Battery Park!). We took a very fast express train in the subway to 42nd Street - again, no sane person with a back injury should ride this thing. Ouch. Sudden stops. Disaster around each curve.

Back to the hotel via Times Square. We were amused by M&M’s World and its three storeys of amazingness. We were accosted by people on the street trying to collect donations - their main tactic for grabbing out attention seemed to consist of saying loudly, “I like your shirt!”

We dozed in the cool air-con of our hotel. When we woke, we lumbered over to the Hard Rock Cafe where the gift store was as busy as any New York street. After descending stairs into the basement, we were warned of a 30 minute wait but 2 minutes later we were perusing the menu. Waaay too much food came out.

As we made our way back to the hotel, there were large crowds swimming in the thick heat. Youch. Times Square was doubly awful.

Now dozing off in a hotel chair.

Day 1: New York

At 6:15am myself and my fiancé were well prepared for our chauffeur-driven trip to Sydney International Airport. We checked in by scanning our passports and amused ourselves by watching a woman who somehow went over the 23kg luggage limit by 4kg. Her significant other was a broken record of “I told you so”s.

Then we went through customs - my occupation was “freelance writer”, a change for me - and had breakfast buried amidst construction work which made the wait less appetising than usual.

Gate 8 required yet another security check because we were bound for the US. Then we stood around in yet another construction zone until at last we were called to board. Once everything was stowed, I heard a flight attendant say it was not a full flight and free seats could be snaffled.

We waited. Waited some more. Left late when our last passenger deigned to show. Our plane joined an ever lengthening queue of others waiting to tear up tar.

Finally, we were airborne. Sleep proved elusive so I watched Interstellar which was very good. Darren and I lost the only other passenger in our set of four seats (he left us for greener pastures - a tempting exit row seat) so I stretched out on 3 out of 4 chairs, enjoying the space. Finished my book later.

Overcast and steamy, LA greeted us as we trundled off the A380 designed for long hauls and lurked in the quagmire of US customs. It was hell. I sweated in line, irritable and cranky by our late plane, the short transfer time and US customs being so damn slow. Eventually, we were rescued and transferred our bags then walked sockless through scanning machines. Noting how we laid out our jackets, laptops and liquids, a guard said we were well prepared.

More waiting. The Melbourne international flight was also late so we were hanging around for them. Then we were all shunted onto a smaller domestic plane. Feeling ill, I slept more of the trip away.

New York. Also warm. More waiting for bags. Then we grabbed a taxi. Our driver listened to a Colombian radio station and honked ferociously as he bore down on cars, passengers and horses. He was a bit of a hoon. We made it to our hotel, buried in the urban jungle that is Manhattan - so crowded, each building larger than the last.

We walked the streets before deciding on dinner in an Irish pub. It was strangely obvious that all the patrons in there were white - something I'd never have noticed back in Australia. My rare beef sliders were tasty. Could not finish!

We roamed in the dark, all the way to Times Square. The lights were amazing, turned night into day. Startling. Very cool to see the Square which has featured in many movies. Many people dressed as movie characters floated around.

9pm at night - Time Square is still tourist moshpit!

While it looks fascinating, New York smells of smog and garbage - there are bags of trash everywhere, rotting in the heat. We saw people digging through the bags as steam left the grate beneath them.

At one point I was amused to witness some typical New York roadrage - someone yelled “you fucking asshole!” out of their car at another driver.

Forget the smell, the sights are amazing!

Back to hotel. Tea was made by sourcing hot water in cups from downstairs. Managed to burn ourselves on our way into the room. Ouch.

Now clean and tired.

Night.