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Published: February 10th 2012
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Had a bit of a sleep in again this morning. I'm really glad that I've got so much time in NYC so I can take it easy while I'm here and just catch up on a bit of rest. Today I headed out to Harlem. I decided just to go on my own, since it was going to cost $60+ to do a hop on hop off bus tour, but only $2.50 to take the train there. I took the metro to 125th st, which is the main street of Harlem. From here I headed off to the Ulysses S. Grant memorial, general of the Union Army during the civil war, and 18th President of the United States. The memorial was more like a tomb, housing Grant and his wife. It is quite similar to Napoleon's tomb. It has oversized sarcophagi housing the bodies, and busts of generals that Grant fought with set into the walls of the mausoleum. From here, I noticed a large church right next to the tomb. It turned out to be Riverside Church, famous for its Neo-gothic architecture. It was quite impressive to be honest. It is the tallest church in America and the inside was
really beautiful.
Next I walked to the two main reasons I decided to come to Harlem: The Apollo Theatre and Sylvia's Restaurant. The Apollo Theatre is famous as the launching place for many music careers, such as Ella Fitzgerald, The Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey. Unfortunately I couldn't go in as they were preparing for an Amateurs Night tonight, the same kind of night that launched the careers of those I've already mentioned. For lunch I went to Sylvia's Restaurant, famous for its "Soul Food", and featured on Masterchef and Man Vs Food. I decided on some traditional soul food; fried chicken, mac n cheese and collared greens. It was so nice, even if it was super oily and unhealthy. But for $12 including tax and tip, I can't complain.
The lunch left me feeling totally unmotivated to do anything, but I pushed on anyway. I walked down to Central Park and started to have a wander around there. My plan was to walk the whole way back to my hotel, but I really had no motivation to do so. The park however, was lovely. It was easy to forget that you are in
one of the biggest cities in the world. Walking through the woods, you cant see anything around you, it is totally quiet except for the chirps of birds and the rustle of squirrels through the fallen leaves. I kept walking and came across the Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis Reservoir, which is just a huge lake in the middle of the park. It is here that you realise you are in NYC. With very few trees around, the reservoir has the NYC skyline as a backdrop. It is a little bit surreal, especially when you have just left what you would believe was a secluded forrest.
I was so tired by this point, but I decided to push on and get to Strawberry Fields, the tribute to John Lennon. Once I arrived here I was a bit disappointed in all honesty. It didnt look any different to the rest of the park, and the only reference to John Lennon is the "Imagine Mosaic", which is a lot smaller than I expected. Maybe it would have been nicer during summer or spring, but it just didnt seem that special. While I was here I wandered across the road for two reasons. Firstly, that
is where the subway was, which I decided to take home, but more importantly, it is the site of John Lennon's murder; the Dakota Building. It is a really majestic apartment building, home to many other celebrities, as well as Yoko Ono still owning 5 apartments. There is no sign or rememberance plaque showing the point where John Lennon was murdered, but I think I managed to take a photo of the right spot. Anyway I jumped on the subway and headed home, tired from my day of walking and unhealthy comfort food. For dinner I just grabbed a panini from the deli across from my hotel. It is really nice, convenient and cheap, so I'll be visiting here more often.
Later on tonight I'm going to head out with Moe and Robyn for the last time as they are both leaving tomorrow, but I'm definitely not going to be having a late or eventful night (I hope).
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