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After another very efficient rail journey of only just over an hour we arrived at Penn Street Station in New York. Finding our way to the exit was entertaining but once out on the street we were ushered into an actual Yellow Cab and on our way to our hotel. Within minutes we were walking up 7th Avenue with Times Square to one side and Central Park to the other. To say this was an exiting introduction to the city was an understatement, but which way to go first? Bill had booked us on a walking tour of Central Park to start in just over an hour so we headed off in that direction, fending off swarms of guys trying to sell us bike rental as we walked. As Central Park is about 80,000 acres getting around it by cycling might appear an attractive option but at $20 an hour we thought better of it.Our 2 hour walking tour of the park covered approximately 1/3 of the Western end. To be honest it's really difficult to describe Central Park - it's just SO immense. The story goes that it fell into a period of neglect in the 1970s, becoming a no-go
area for most people. Since then it has been transformed into an area which is totally family friendly. There are multiple children's play areas and areas for musical performances. Our guide, Michele, was lovely and very informative. Telling us she was an American citizen she undoubtedly originated from France, maintaining a strong accent rivalled only by Arsene Wenger and punctuating her narrative with "donc" and "alors" - a fact which seemed to flummox our American co-tourers. We concluded our tour at Strawberry Fields just across the street from the Dakota building where John Lennon was assassinated. The area was bought by Yoko and is landscaped in the shape of a teardrop as a memorial to John. It's a beautiful area and fitting tribute indeed. I have to admit though, due to Michele's pronunciation, it took me quite a while to work out the name of the building she was talking about. Once I finally got it everything fell into place!The park is also full of entertainers and artists selling their wares. Michele told us that all performers have to undergo auditions prior to being granted a license to perform in a particular area and on a specific day of the
week and that these licenses are reviewed annually. For the past two days we have navigated this city using the good old tourist bus. We had planned to start our first full day with a walking tour of Wall Street but, for reasons too boring to mention, we weren't able to make the meeting point on time. Ever resourceful we navigated ourselves around the area from the massive statue of the ever present George Washington to the sculpture of a large bull. Obviously a hugely popular attraction judging by the crowds around it. It's a good likeness of a bull indeed but to my mind there are more interesting things to be found in this city.We concluded our visit to the financial district with Ground Zero - the memorial to the victims of 9/11. I have no personal connection with the terrible events that happened on that day in 2001 but like most of us of a certain age I'm sure, I can recall the precise moment I learned about it, right down to the smallest detail. There was a moving tribute in the Newseum in Washington. The one in New York is just breathtaking. Two large pools each representing one of the twin towers. They are boardered by engravings of the names of all who lost their lives there that day with additional notations for firefighters and other rescue workers. The area around is planted with trees with benches for visitors to sit and reflect and is an oasis of tranquility in an otherwise frenetic city. We both found it an incredibly moving experience.Once we'd emotionally regrouped we headed off for Battery Park from where depart all of the ferries for Liberty and Ellis Islands. The queues for the ferries looked daunting but actually moved along well. At the end of one queue earlier in the day a member of staff suggested the city's motto should be "Welcome to New York - now get in line!" but I'm not sure it's that much worse than other major cities and tourist destinations.Anyway, we were packed onto our ferry and off we went. We eagerly climbed to the top level for a better view of the New York skyline and Lady Liberty both. Fat chance. Better a view of the selfie sticks and large cell phones more like! There appeared to be a collective obsession with taking selfies throughout the entire voyage. We got off at Liberty Island feeling slightly miffed, but no need. On the island itself there were beautiful (and uninterrupted!) views of the New York skyline and excellent views of the statue - I'd been concerned we'd be too close on ground level but the island allows for a good perspective. Tickets to visit the Crown, i.e go up into the statue, are limited and as neither of us are particularly keen on heights we gave that a miss.Another short ride took us to Ellis Island where all immigrants were processed for about 2 decades up to the late 1920s. Another interesting visit before we hopped back on the ferry for more fantastic views of the skyline on our way back to land.Today has been another full day, with bus trips around the North and Middle areas of New York. We made a brief visit to the Cathedral, the biggest in the world and our rides took us from the exteriors of the homes of the rich and famous to Harlem. The latter area is reported to be experiencing a period of prosperity, with property prices soaring, but from the top deck of the bus it looked rather unloved and anything but prosperous. We also made a stop towards the northern end of Central Park at the Jackie Onassis lake as was recommended by another tourist on our walk around the southern end of the park. It turned out to be an excellent recommendation with beautiful views across the park and well worth a visit.Finally we felt no trip to New York would be complete without a look at Grand Central Station. It's just such an iconic building and truly impressive in the flesh with its high ceilings and huge atrium. The food court made an excellent lunch stop with foods from around the world on offer. With very few suitcases in sight I don't think we were the only ones just paying a visit to have a look!Tomorrow will be our final day here which we will navigate without the bus. All of our guides on these buses have been informative, but what a diverse group of people. We've had guides ranging from ebullient West Indian to laconic but dryly humorous young local guy with Eastern European and somewhat curious guy singing random songs (apparently to himself!) in between. Oh yes, there was also a lady with a strong local accent who was obsessed with recommending places for lunch and couldn't understand why we didn't want to go to the Irish Pub for ours! My favourite, for all the wrong reasons, has to be the rather elderly German lady who was a dead ringer for Julie Walters' Mrs Overall, complete with eerie fixed smile. It wouldn't have surprised me in the slightest if she hadn't offered us a macaroon as we left! (Needless to say she didn't!)Ok. So it's that time of day when I must drag my weary body into the shower. An exiting night at a Broadway show lies ahead - no doubt Wicked will keep me awake. Over to our sponsor then - ready and waiting as always...! What to say about New York? Mad, eccentric, pushy and brash? Or, stunning, beautiful, fascinating and extraordinary? Take your pick. Central Park is a tranquil oasis in the middle of the madness. Talking of madness the city teems with the UN of tourists armed with phones and selfysticks which seem to be needed to affix an ugly mug to a iconic view. Lastly I will share an insight into the lower depths of tourist behaviour. There is a famous statue near Wall Street called The Charging Bull. It is life size and anatomically correct. Most people were having photos at the head end but a few were at the other end being photographed holding the pair of ample......... You can fill in the blank. Unbelievable!!
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Andrew Smith
non-member comment
Poetry & prose
As usual your reports have a nice poetic quality and are fascinating to read. Where there’s a juxtaposition of poetry & Grand Central Station there is Elizabeth Smart - "By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept" is a classic memoir in poetic prose. I filled in the blank - in our language it’s barrabilak and not at all rude.