New York, Harlem and Central Park

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Couch Surfing again!! This time in the New York district of Harlem. Garth's apartment was wonderful and just a block and a half from two subway lines. Harlem has a bit of a reputation but we felt perfectly safe there. It was interesting to be in an area with such a different vibe to it.

Our first port of call after getting ourselves settled in was a walk around the Northern section of Central Park. It was very busy with people of all walks of life coming and going. We even got to see some Mexicans performing in traditional costumes and their witchdoctor carrying out a ritual of some kind.

Walking around the park was lovely. We took a small diversion out to have a look at Spanish Harlem where we saw some great murals and even got to see a breakdancing competition! Back in the park we enjoyed the views of Manhattan and stood to watch some kids' baseball which was great. It got too hot though and we sat in the shade watching the world go by before heading back to our couch.

The next day we began by walking down 125th Street, the heart of Harlem. Again there were some excellent murals and graffiti, but the highlight was probably seeing the famous Apollo Theatre. It's just a shame we weren't there to see a show.

The number 6 subway then took us down to the Flatiron district downtown. There we marvelled at the Flatiron building, surely one of the strangest in New York with it's thin wedge-like shape. Nearby we saw a series of statues by Anthony Gormley, creator of "The Angel of the North" near Gateshead in England. Apparently he'd done this in London before, and you look up at the rooftops to see statues of Mr Gormley himself looking down from high above. Our walk ended in Washington Square where we sat to watch a free comedy show. Sadly, it just wasn't funny and the poor comedienne was dying a death in the hot sunshine. I doubt we'll see her on Saturday Night Live!!!!

And that was it for New York for us. We've had a great time in the Big Apple but it was time to push on up into New York state.

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Photos

The Apollo Theatre, Harlem
Launching pad for many stars.