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Published: April 19th 2010
On Broadway
Mum, all those music lessons finally got me to Broadway....New York, New York.
I didn't really know what to expect of New York before I arrived - somewhere between crazy and scary as often depicted in TV and movies. Well, I was pleasantly surprised it was, well - normal - and will definitely be coming back here again.
I was kindly asked to stay with my brother-in-law Amaru's family The Medina's in New Jersey for my stay in the USA, just a train ride away from New York city, which was a nice change from Hostels. I was picked up by Amaru's dad Emerson from the airport, given a local tour of New Jersey and caught up with the rest of the Medina's - Gunilla, Dennis, Rene and Amanda. And as is tradition in their household, visitors have to experience Times Square in New York City on the first night of their stay. Right to it.
So, Rene and Amanda took me on a personal guided night tour of Times Square which is now partly closed to vehicles and has gone 'al fresco' and pedestrian friendly. Wow, how amazing is this city at night. All the lights, shops, Broadway shows and people are incredible, as is the
Top of Rockefella
Me and the view of Central Park from up top of Rockefella Plaza NYPD presence - it is so noticeable of having 3-4 cops on EVERY corner (my Commissioner should take note this gives the impression of feeling pretty safe, and less Detective work to do). Here you can visit the worlds largest Toys R Us and McDonalds store any time of day - I chose instead to eat enormous pizza slices and walk around the brightly lit streets where for the 2nd time in a week I was offered some drugs (must be something to do with the backpacker look I've got going at the moment).
Anyway, it was now time to tackle the big city of New York after a short lesson on the train and subway system, again, not as scary as first thought. It is a very well planned city, it's just that it is HUGE! I got myself a map, a coffee, me bearings and sat in Central Park to plan what to do. It was a cold and overcast day so I headed first to Rockerfella Plaza to see the view which was fantastic. Because I only really had 2 days to see all that I wanted, I got on one of those hop on/hop off
Don't jump
On top of Rockerfella Plaza looking to Empire State Building (maintenance guy - I was slightly jealous of his job) buses for the Downtown area which also gave some great history along the way. So, I explored (not shopped) the world's largest store Macy's, Greenwich village, China town, 5th Avenue, Wall Street (where I met my new SWAT cop friends), Battery Park (where the Statten Island Ferry leaves from and where you can see The Statue of Liberty), and Ground Zero (formerly World Trade Centre where one building is currently under construction - not sure I like what it is being replaced by as seen at the 9/11 memorial).
The big buildings just go on and on, and although it was easy to catch the bus and subway, I often chose to walk off the hotdogs and pretzels on offer on every street corner (I could seriously eat my way around this city - no wonder Americans often do). The city felt kind of deserted and tame which I didn't expect, and it was nice going back to a home cooked meal every night in a Spanish/Swedish speaking house hold and met more of the extended family who have labellled me 'Suzie no. 2' (not sure if that's a good thing). Unfortunately my Spanish has not extended beyond 'Hello'
SWAT
My friends who I exchanges patches with outside the Stock Exchange - they love their guns and countdown the day til their pension kicks in and my Swedish not past 'You are so dumb' - Thanks Amaru.
Day 3 was a contrast, another trip to the city but with sunshine this time - the city now transformed into the busy district I imagined. Another wandering around time with my coffee, I took a tour of the Upper East side and general uptown area on the bus, this time exploring the likes of many of the Universities, Cathedrals and Museums like the Guggenheim and Natural History, and some of the dodgy areas of Harlem. Since it was such a gorgeous day, I hired a bike in Central Park, rode off my hotdog and around the many beautiful gardens (so glad i was here in Spring) and met some of New Yorks finest who let me play in one of their golf-cart like bikes (fairly sure I would roll them given my driving style). Central Park, like Manhattan, is HUGE, but well worth exploring. I highly recommend riding a bike through it, and just sit down under a tree or watch a baseball game.
I then made my way to the 'Magnolia Bakery', made famous from Sex and The City for its cup cakes -
Times Square
The city that never sleeps and it was worth the 10 block walk each way - they were fantastic. But feeling ever so guilty for indulging I walked a futher 30 blocks to 42 street, checked out the Army guarded Grand Central Station , down to Empire State Building for more scenic viewing, and just explored the city on foot which I could never get bored of doing. And just as I was on top of understanding the subway system, the main subway station of Pennsylvania station became closed causing havoc on the street and trains due to an 'incident' (read 'dead body'). But I eventually made my way back to New Jersey, met more extended family members and talked into the night.
Last day (well, supposed to be -but more on that later). Having seen all I really wanted to in New York, I packed my backpack ready to depart that afternoon to the UK (but mother nature had other ideas), and Rene offered to give me the 'real city tour'. So he took me around The Bronx, Harlem, Brooklyn and the beach area of Coney Island, known for their boardwalk and World Hotdog competition. I saw the many diverse neighbourhoods and communities
Central Park
Gorgeous by day not advertised on the popular tourist trails, and got the local's perspective which was great. Thanks again Rene.
It was now time to say goodbye to the USA and the Medina clan and head to the airport, but as you all know some stupid volcano in Iceland cancelled my flight for at least a week and I became a temporary resident of Fair Lawn, New Jersey and continued my stay with my new family.
But, that's in part 2.
Next stop, more USA!
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OMG
How awesome is New York. I LUV NY