Our Tour Begins!

9^th October 2012

Our Tour Begins!

 

Our tour guide Doug had left instructions for us to meet the rest of our touring companions at 9.20am in the hotel lobby.  There are 33 of us, all British apart from 1 Canadian couple and indeed there WAS a story to explain their late arrival the night before!   Their flight was delayed on the tarmac for 2 hours because a dog travelling in the hold had become distressed and had to disemBARK!  It took 2 hours to locate its owner’s luggage!   Our travelling companions seem a pleasant enough bunch.

Our city tour by coach took us to the usual tourist haunts, Central Park, 5^th Avenue etc.  We also drove through Harlem, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Tribeca, before stopping at Grand Central Station, a very impressive building.  Having been used to travelling speedily on the subway, our progress by coach seemed slow by comparison but it enabled us to have a really good look at the city from a great height.  Throughout the tour we had a guide, Tim a native New Yorker and a natural comic as well as an incredibly knowledgeable guide.  His humour kept us entertained and I can honestly say I have seen a lot less funny stand-ups.

At 1pm we took a 1.5 hour Circle Boat Trip to the Statue of Liberty & back, passing Ellis Island and Ground Zero on the way.  

In the evening we met our friend Peter in Times Square, a ‘buzzy’ place, for drinks and dinner in a bar just off the square.

Grand Central Station

Columbus Day Parade 8th Oct

8^th October

Columbus Day Parade

On waking this morning we discovered that there had been not one but two murders last night both within yards of where we had been in Greenwich Village, it just shows that NY can still be a dangerous place!

Today was Columbus Day, a Bank Holiday, on which there was a parade up 5^thAve.  Apparently it is the last of the season of parades that extends from Easter to this day and that during this time there are no less than 140 different parades, each causing 5^th Ave to be closed, disrupting traffic and having to be policed.  Anyway we decided to take a look and although considered one of the minor parades, it really was quite impressive.  It started at 11.30am and didn’t end until after 2pm.  Overall it was a celebration of Italian Americans and their role in the public life of the city.  Police, Firemen, schools, universities, citizens groups, you name it, including the department of sanitation.  Many of these groups were accompanied by bands, dancing girls and majorettes.  Scattered through the whole event were numerous Italian supercars carrying beauty queens and other dignitaries including the Major and the State Governor.

 Anyway after 200 or more photos we decided we were cold and had had enough so had lunch, visited St. Pats Cathedral and then hit the shops most of which like Bergdorf Goodman’s and Macys, were well beyond the means of the likes of us, so to ensure honour was maintained, can’t go to the shops without shopping, we made purchases in Gap.  Just like Milton Keynes!

 

Before going out to eat we waited for our tour to arrive but gave up when they were two hours late, they eventually arrive three hours later than expected, there has to be a story there.  

Blog 6^th October

 Last night at the Beacon Theatre, next door to the hotel, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull was appearing, sold out for the past six  month so no chance of tickets!  However we did see his equipment arriving, no I don’t mean as in the late 1960s photo of him on one leg in very tight trousers!  His amps and stage stuff, delivered from a truck half a block long, they don’t do half measures here.

This morning travelled down to Greenwich Village and walked through the market resisted the record stalls despite rare 60s albums and went for a coffee at Reggio’s   the oldest café in New York.  They claim to have invented the cappuccino here,  great coffee however.  Then on to China Town, some spiritual rejuvenation in a Buddhist temple and lunch at the bar of a trattatoria in Little Italy served by the surliest bar man I have ever met.  I don’t like stereo-types but if you were looking for a surly  New York American-Italian he was everything you could ever hope for.  “Ya wanna drink”  then when asked if they did sandwiches, “No”  then after I found a menu and asked can we get a pizza “yeah  but you’ll have to wait I’m busy” and so on.

In the afternoon we walked the Brooklyn Bridge, certainly one of the best free things you can do, great views all the way across.  In the evening we met up with Mike and Linda.  Bad start as instead of waiting at the Trump Tower precinct on 5^th we waited at the Trump Hotel on Central Park, should have realised we were wrong when we saw that it was a 3* Michelin restaurant! Ended up eating fish in an excellent diner.

5th October 2012

First day in New York and the temperature has been in the high 70s, cue to do too much walking.  Central Park was amazing in the autumn light.  All the lakes covered with a green weed but far from detracting from the beauty it combined with the other greens of the trees to create almost unreal tones.  We saw the Dakota Building & John Lennon’s memorial in Strawberry Fields.

Also walked the High Line, a park created out of a raised disused railway line running through part of Manhatten, a great way to see unusual views of the city and a clever way of using what in some places would simply be seen as an eyesore.

Had dinner sitting outside at an Italian restaurant,  people watching.  New York really has a buzz about it.     

 

 

Romance in Central Park!

 

 

 

 

The power of advertising!

New York to San Francisco October 2012

4th October

Just about to leave the house, flying to New York (Newark) later today!  Just the cat left to feed!

29 March 2011 - Disembarquation

We are leaving our lovely ship today. On leaving the ship, another first. A row of officers lined up, including the Captain, to wish everyone a safe journey (I even got a kiss from one of the young officers, so much for not spreading disease by shaking hands)! I'm not complaining however! Took a taxi to the Regal Hotel which is a linked by a walkway to the airport terminal, our flight is not till 11.15pm. The hotel is very large with 1200 bedrooms and half a dozen restaurants. We sat by the pool during the morning and then had fish and chips (you can take the girl out of England but can't take England out of the girl)! After a bubble bath and back, neck, shoulder and head massage we are ready for the flight home.

28 March 2011 - Hong Kong

We are back in Hong Kong, having docked at the prime position in Kowloon overlooking Hong Kong Island. This morning we went to Hong Kong Museum of Art which is a fantastic modern building right on the waterfront. Finally the sun is out and it's pleasantly warm, so we took the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong Island, travelled in style on the top deck which cost us a whole 40p extra! It's 13 years since we have been on Hong Kong Island and the amount of change is simply staggering, not only the office buildings but also mall upon mall, each one full of expensive designer shops, there is little cheap to buy these days. It does make you appreciate the amount of wealth that there must be in Hong Kong to support so many retail outlets. As the sun was shining we decided to take what was only our second opportunity to sit by the ships pool on our return. .After an early dinner, we went back to our cabin and had front row seats on our balcony for the laser show. A fitting end to our trip.