Mayhem in Manhattan

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So after 3 wonderful days in Mexico, we finally decided it was time to move on to New York. Wistfully said goodbye to our georgeous hotel, as we knew that we were heading back into Hostel Hell after this :) We were looking forward to going back to a country where everyone spoke English, and the usual amenities would be avaialble again, and people did things 'just like us'. It's funny how you start to crave things like that
after a while.

Even was looking forward to the flight, which was a first. By now, I was well and truly sick of planes, early flights, airports, would you like the
chicken or the fish, please fasten your seatbelt, blah blah blah blah
blah!! But this was the first time we'd be flying American Airlines, having
flown Lan so far, and was looking forward to English speaking staff
and good food!

Ha. It wasn't until I got on the plane that I remembered that going back to Western civilisation also meant poor service, unfriendly stewards, and bad food. The people on Lan were truly friendly (or at least were great at fooling us into believing that!) and food was fabulous, and well presented. AA on the other hand - well, the smiles just didn't reach their eyes if you know what I mean, and the food isn't worth mentioning. Or the seats. Or general condition of the plane.

Anyway, enough whinging about the plane. We were going to New York after all! Yes, the brave intrepid world class travellers were off to conquer another continent!!

Landed at JFK rather jubilantly. Was a bit less jubilant when we entered the airport and discovered it was even more run down than the South American ones. All elation faded when we suddenly remembered the other hallmark of western civilisation - expensive prices!! Refusing to pay the $50 US for a taxi into the city, we elected to catch the train instead. So off we went, sitting on the train watching everyday people do everyday life again (yay!!), and all for the wonderful fare of $10US total (double yay!). You can't be an intrepid world class traveller if you don't do things on a budget :)

Train journey was great (recommended for future travellers), but we did have this slightly neurotic guy that walked up and down the cabin, sat at different places, and either sang or tried to chat up the girls in a loud voice. A bit scary really, although Catherine was offended he didn't try to chat her up!! Must have been our backpacks.

The hostel was dreadful. Given that we paying more than 3 times what we'd been paying so far (about AUS$90) we were hoping for something ok, But especially after the Sheraton, this place was a complete dump. It was clean, but tiny, painted a horrible green, and basically had a very sorry looking bed in the room and nothing else. Yuck yuck yuck. At least the sheets were almost clean.

At this point, between the nasty man on the train, and the dreadful hostel, Catherine was hating New York, and wanted to catch the next plane out. But we decided to see how we felt in the morning.

Glad that we did!! New York is an amazingly beautiful city! Georgeous
streets, with apartments on either side, just like in the Cosby Show,
Seinfeld, and all the other NY sitcomes that we are force-fed back home! And you've got amazing history in the city as well, it has been around for a while after all, and as you go through the different segments, you can appreciate the different architecture and the patterns of evolution of the city!

Did all the NY things to do - bagels in Central Park, a NY hot dog from the hot dog man, jaywalking... (apparently Rudy Giuliani tried to ban
jaywalking but everyone still ignores that rule to the day).

You do have the crazy drivers, insane taxis, horrible traffic as well
though. But it's nice to be a traveller, especially a world class intrepid
one, and be above all the petty little worries of the people :) We strolled down 5th Avenue, visited Tiffany's (did NOT buy anything there), saw heaps of swanky shops... headed into central manhattan, and saw Times square (very unimpressive), and continued our mad marathon across the city.

Manhattan is huge!! It's well connected with a highly efficient (ha!)
subway. However, if you catch a bus, or a taxi, you are completely stuffed, as you move on average 2 metres every minute! But it's certainly walkable - ie: about one and a half hours to go from end to end. Of course we didn't do that, as wanted to experience the subway. Certainly not as harrowing as Mexico City, but definitely complicated!! Lots and lots of train lines, and you can go down the stairs into a station, only to discover that you've got to walk 10 minutes underground to get onto the correct line!! Still, very nice system, which I guess they need since it's the only working way to get around!

Saw the statue of Liberty. A tip for future NY travellers - the queue to
get onto the Ellis Island ferry is disgusting beyond belief. We're talking
something like 2-3 hours! But hey, we adapted - caught the staten island ferry instead, which goes past the Statue, and even better, is FREE! Couldn't believe anything in NY could be free (we were still reeling from the prices after South America). Guess there is such a thing as a free launch!! (sorry bad pun but had to be done)

In an attempt to educate me further, Catherine took me to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now this was a truly amazing place. It was massive!! you'd need a week to see everything properly. The Egyptian section alone was bigger than our museums back home. What was truly astounding was the modern art section. Now I have never been a proponent of modern art. Always seemed a bit dumb to me. But I have had a conversion. I have included several of the more interesting pieces for your enjoyment.

Saw Times square again at night, and suddenly the magic of NY became apparent to me!! There's something really cool about all those bright lights, crowds of people, major hustle and bustle. Very much like what you see in all those movies. Catherine of course hated the crowds, but I was definitely in my element.

We also thought we should eat food that was culturally appropriate for
America, so we went to McDonalds :). The verdict - still tastes as bad as
it does back home, except they give you even more food.

It's hard to put into words what NY is. I guess I could talk about all the
things that we saw, describe the people, etc, but in the end, there's just this vibe about the city that we really enjoyed!! The cool crisp air in the morning as you stroll down the busy walkways, grab a coffee and newspaper, enjoy the amazing scenery (it's not all skyscrapers!) - there's something quite magic about it all.

By the end of our trip, we both had decided that this was definitely
somewhere we could live, and who knows, we even may do that one day!!

We're off to the UK next, so stay tuned!

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