Category: USA

The weather dawned bright and sunny, with a bit of a breeze.  Our room is still stifiling hot – the central heating is all connected and stays the same temperature.  We have had our window open constantly since we arrived, and it hasn’t cooled down.  Outside is 2-3 degrees, inside must be over 20.

We did the usual getting ready and headed out on the subway.   This time to the bottom of Manhattan, where we joined the masses going to Liberty Island.  If you ever decide to go to NYC, and want to climb to the crown of the Miss Liberty, make sure you book it well in advance.   Like  three months.  As soon as you know you’re going to NY.  Currently it is booked out until the beginning of July.
We went through the serious security checks again, and had people telling us which line to get in.  As if we can’t see.  Take jackets, scarves, hats off, all bags through xray.  Crazy.  The island itself was patrolled by various army guys, armed with various large guns.

Instead of going to the crown, we wandered around the outside of the island, with the rest of the thousands of tourists.  I was a little disappointed as we boarded the boat, but that is what you get for not planning far enough ahead.  We’re doing pretty well so far, with our turn up on the day and see if it works way.  I really did enjoy it, and all you would really get that is extra, is a view of the Manhattan skyline, for which there are many other buildings to climb anyway.   The Statue of Liberty was lovely though, plenty of views of it, and they have an audio tour, which makes your walk much more interesting.  Liberty is weathered green, and made of a thin copper sheeting, laid over a wrought iron frame.  Mounted on a large stone pedestal, the money for the pedestal was entirely raised by the American Public.

After the tour, we stood shivering with the crowds until the boat came.  We stopped over on Ellis Island for a bit, where the immigration museum is, had a brief look around, then took the boat back to Manhattan.

Back to our favourite subway again, and we headed uptown to Murray’s Bagels, where we ate some very delishuz bagels.  I appreciated the customer service here too – many places aren’t rude, but arent exactly smiley or helpful either.  Murray’s was smiley and helpful, and delishuz.

After eating all the bagels, subway-ed further uptown to a shoe shop, failed to buy shoes, and happened to go past Union Square, so we stopped for a look.  It is apparently where everyone hangs out, just to sit, read, relax.  It was bustling and cheerful, with squirrels in the trees, and some people filming something near one end, and  a vege market going on down the other.

The last stop of the day was Times Square.  We hopped off the subway at Times Square and 40th, and emerged onto the street.   We always find it hard to get bearings when we get out of the subway – who knows which way is which!  After getting our bearings, we found Broadway, and headed up it.  Into the seething mass of humanity.  It was ridiculous.  Masses of people walking everywhere.   Billboards all over everything,, advertising clothes, broadway shows, doughnuts.  Lots of people dressed up as Disney characters etc, that trick you into getting your photo taken with them, then expect a tip.   (NB: Don’t get your photo with the Batman or the Elmo hanging out at Times Square, not unless you want to pay them!).

We wandered up to the red stands, where we sat for a bit, watching the masses of people, and the constant stream of cars, that were mostly taxis.

In Canada (everywhere else but Vancouver), we liked to play the game of Truck.  You watch the vehicles going past, and say what kind they are (When I say truck here, I mean ute, still a personal vehicle but often with a tray on the back, and often quite huge).  It was usually: “Truck, truck, suv, truck, suv, truck, truck, oooh, a car! truck, truck, suv, truck truck…”  Most vehicles seemed to be large utes.   In NYC, the game turns into: “Taxi, taxi, HONK, taxi, car, taxi, taxi, service vehicle, taxi, HONK HONK, taxi, car, taxi, taxi”.  And they’re all yellow.  It is just like in the movies.

Lots of people trying to sell you stuff, especially tickets to comedy shows.  I’m pretty sure there would be a catch though, like its booked out for the next week, or you could only go on off nights.   We had no less than 4 different vendors try and sell us tickets.  We didn’t buy any.  Dale had to nom a burger from McD’s, then we headed home.  Dinner was back near the hostel, in Brooklyn.  Dale had scoped out some ideas he day before, so we headed to a place called Roberta’s, on Moore St.  It doesn’t look like a restaurant.  No signs, except for a the singular word “Roberta’s” hung above the door.

It looks like any other cheapish housing building in the area, and no indication that it is anything much, except a small group of people hanging out near it.  A door stands open, and you enter through a red curtain, to be greeted with another  plain, wood door.  Through that is like another world.  Dark and vibrant, there are people seated at all the tables, a few waiting for take away meals, and the pizza making crew working busily and precisely in the corner.  We ordered a classic, the margarita.  It was excellent pizza.