I Love NY!

---

What can I say...New York certainly does not dissapoint! New York was definitely our favourite city in the whole of the States! There are so many things to do, and every different part we saw is just so different - and that's without leaving Manhattan Island!

We arrived at La Guardia airport and caught a bus to Harlem and had our first experience of the New York Subway into Chelsea where we were staying. The Subway is just great...so easy to use and you can go everywhere. And the whole time we were there, we only got on one train that was like a sardine can. The rest were just like catching a train in Melbourne.

So we arrived in Chelsea and didn't think all that much of it, but once we got walking around it was a really nice neighbourhood and had everything we needed. Heaps of restaurants and bars...although the bars weren't quite our scene (Chelsea is the gay area of New York and basically EVERY bar was a gay bar). Funniest bar name we found was around the corner from us: it was called 'Rawhide' - quite appropriate we thought! 😊 The billboard and bus stop ads were all directed at gay guys...not that that was a bad thing mind you, as they were all pics of hot boys with no tops on. 😊

So the first night we had a guy at the hostel with a friend who lived in NY give us in the know information on which good bars to go to. So we went down to the Meatpacking District which is a really cool area near the docks, with cobblestone streets, and at night it is just clubs and bars and people in the street.

We were told to go to a rooftop bar at the Hotel Gansevoort which had great views. So we went up there, the bar was called Ono and it was very swank, and so so packed on a Wednesday night. It really is the city that never sleeps! So we went to the bar and asked what beers were on tap - "No beer". Oh, ok we thought, so I asked which ones were in bottles thinking they just didn't have any on tap. NO!! They just don't sell beer full stop! So I couldn't just say I'd have nothing coz I felt a bit dodge seeing as I was already at the bar. So I asked for a Vodka Cranberry and a Bourbon and Coke. Um, that would be $28!!!! WHAT THE?!?!?! I had to ask him again how much it was, and you have to friggin tip in the States, so I ended up paying $15 for each drink!!! I was shocked!! Matt, who had taken us out felt so bad because he hadn't ordered yet. So we savoured our one and only drink at Ono and took in the views from the rooftop as we'd certainly paid for it. It was only $1 less than what we paid to go up the Empire State!

The next day we got straight into the sightseeing by heading to Battery Park for a ferry trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. She's pretty big that Lady Liberty...and looks much different up close than just from the boat. We had to wait over an hour in line to get on the boat, but it's something you have to do hey? It was good though.

Once we got off the boat we walked through the Financial District of New York and had a look at Ground Zero, where there is obviously not all that much to see there. But it is a huge area and even not having been to New York before; from the boat and walking in that area, you can tell something used to be in that gap - it just looks like something's missing. They're in the middle of constructing something on the site, I think the Freedom Tower. More interesting, was a Chapel across the street from Ground Zero - St Paul's - which had survived the disaster, except for a large sycamore tree which fell down. The tree fell in such a way though that it didn't damage one headstone in the church's graveyard, and no windows or anything were broken. The church a couple of blocks down though, was damaged on 9/11. St Paul's was then used as a refuge for all the workers and everyone, and they have heaps of information on it and pics and shrines. It was pretty sad really.

After that we went to the South Street Seaport. Again another pier area (seems like there's one in every city!) with restaurants, cruises etc. Before you get to the pier there's shops and bars etc. on these cobblestone streets which looks really pretty. It looks very 'Gangs of Neew York'. After that we walked into Chinatown...New York has the best Chinatown I have ever seen. And they sell so many fake handbags, hats, watches and DVD's, that you feel like you're in Bali or something. Our favourite was the McDonalds in Chinatown (see pic).

We then went to Times Square to have a look around. We got off at Grand Central Station, and that place is amazing!!! Inside it is just beautiful, and it's just a train station. Flinders Street doesn't have anything on Grand Central! Times Square was certainly something to see as well, but you just get hassled by tour bus people etc., trying to sell you things. Slightly annoying!

We then had a quick look at the Rockefeller Centre and Radio City Music Hall (would be way cooler with the ice rink and the Christmas Tree) before we made our way to the Empire State Building.

We had to wait about 40 minutes to get up to the top, but it really is beautiful up there. We had been told to go just before sunset so we could see both day and night of New York. It was a great time to go and I was a little snap happy. But I couldn't work out the best way to take pics of the lights...sorry about the blurry shots!

We headed back and had an early night that night as we were both a little sick (Jimmy more than me) and it was pretty cold on top of the Empire State.

The next day we went and had a look around the South end of Central Park (I don't think we even made it a quarter of the way up - it's 800 and something acres!) and saw the Central Park Zoo (didn't go in), the Bethesda Fountain and bridge which is in tons of movies, and Strawberry Fields which is a memorial for John Lennon. His last apartment was also just outside the park and it looks pretty fancy. We went back to Times Square to try and get tickets for Broadway, but we wanted a Saturday Matinee and so had to come back in the morning. So we went back to the hostel and started an early drinking session with other people at the hostel.

We ended up going out at about midnight, and we went to either Greenwich Village or the East Village - noone knows for sure. We went to a few bars and it was a really fun night...there were about 15-20 people from the hostel and they were all heaps of fun. Was a VERY big night!! The hostel we stayed at in New York was the best by far in terms of the people staying there, and being really social and doing things together. It's fun going out with such a mixed bunch...we had Aussies (yep, there were quite a few of us - all on our way to London), a few Dutch, Brits, a Korean, a Turkish guy and some Swedes. Really fun people, and we got a few numbers and emails to stay in touch with people who were heading to Europe as well.

We got up the next morning and headed straight to TKTS for the half price tickets to Broadway. We got tickets to Les Miserables for 2pm. We then filled in the time by going back up to Central Park, and having a look around the Upper East Side. Um...I REALLY want to live there when I'm rich! Madison Avenue was like a billion times better than Rodeo Drive. They had every single designer shop you could imagine, and you could see all these women coming out with 2 or 3 bags and their husband putting his wallet away. Now that's the way to do it!! Haha! 😊

So we went back to see Les Mis at 2pm, and it was really good. I think I was expecting a bit too much from Broadway, (I just expected it to be SO much different to seeing a show in Melbourne - but it's not really, I guess it just has to be done) but it was still great to have done it. The cast were brilliant. Jimmy wasn't much of a fan. He only liked one song - 'Master of the House'. But he was very good and sat through the whole thing and I don't think he complained once. What a good boy! 😊

We went back to the hostel and again had a few drinks and planned a big night. By the time we got out though (we went to Union Square this time), my back was REALLY sore and I had to drag Jimmy home pretty much as soon as we got there. I felt so bad because I really wanted to have a big last night in New York, and so did Jimmy and I ruined it. Oh well, we'll just have to go back won't we! 😊

On our last day we caught the subway up to Harlem and went to the Apollo Theatre, where the Jackson Five started out, and heaps of other great people have played. We had a look in the shops up there which were pretty good and different to the rest of New York, and just walked around the streets. Jimmy thought they all looked like Sesame Street with the brownstone exterior and stairs. We walked past a couple of Gospel Churches and you could hear them singing. It sounded SO AWESOME!!! We wanted to go in, and there were signs saying all welcome, but the doors were shut and they were half way through the service so we felt a bit bad walking in and so we just listened from outside. Oh, and Jimmy finally got to taste his Popeyes, (a fried chicken chain in America which is mostly found in the black neighbourhoods) which was one of his main tourist aims while in America. 😊 It was good though...

We then went back downtown and had a look in SoHo and what great timing, we went on the day they were having their annual Spring Festival, which was a big street market all the way down Broadway. It was fantastic and I ended up buying my $2100 Fendi bag (see LA entry) in a knock off version for $35. It's great!! 😊 Soho looked really great just in general if the festival wasn't there. They again, have tons of great shops...designer again some of them, and cool little cafe's and restaurants.

There were heaps of little areas on Manhattan we didn't get around to seeing, and we didn't go over the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn or get to Staten Island etc. We saw heaps, but you could stay in that city for years and not see everything. I would definitely like to go back at some stage in my life.

I LOVE NEW YORK!!!

---

Comments

[Fiona]

hi
hiii...wow loz the upper east side pic is so sex and the city! great blog and great photos...i've never heard of popeyes but jimmy you look pretty happy about finally getting it haha! i also like the pic with the squirrel lol...keep having fun guys xoxo