There is a quote I like that says the U.S. national flower should be the concrete Shamrock. Having just returned from a side trip to the Big Apple, I would have to agree. I am a suburban boy by upbringing, an English one at that. For all the advantages and disadvantages that status confers on me, it really doesn't prepare you for a city like New York.
Now don't get me wrong i am not a complete country bumpkin. My parents generation all come from London. I have visited the "smoke" on many occasions and even spent a year and a bit working there. But London is a different sort of city. It has grown like and infested boil on the buttocks of England. It has spread it's environs into the surrounding countryside bit by pestilent bit for over 1000 years. On the whole it is just urban. Built on rather than built up. It has a bunch of tall buildings dotted around the place but not all bunched together like they seem to want to do it across the pond. It's almost as if American city planners believe that all their tall buildings will get lonely and wander off if they are built out on their own.
New York has a good reason to bunch all the buildings up. The island of Manhattan (land of many hills in local native American dialect)is only so big and there is nowhere to go but up. And up!
The trouble with being a tourist in NYC is that you end up with a stiff neck. All the sites are way up above your head. The only relief is to head to Central Park and then at least the skyline is a bit further away. However this time it was to be a little different.
It was my last weekend in the States and my brother and Sister-in-law had managed to arrange some accommodation in the Big Apple. A friend of my in law had just purchased an apartment and had not yet properly moved in, so we were to squat down there for a night. When you consider the cost of accommodation in NYC it was an amazing show of hospitality on the part of her friends.
Now, unfortunately we had not set out from Boston as early as we should. It was all down to the demon drink as ever. We had a dinner in a local restaurant and for myself had been pretty washed up after the second Manhattan (appropriately enough). My sister in law had a new version and the bar tender had been game enough to have a couple of goes at it. He got it just right both times and on an empty stomach I was wasted for the rest of the night. What followed over coffee was a rather embarrassing love in as we told each other just how much we loved and respected each other. I had no recollection it was so embarrassing but my brother was the designated one that night and found it all highly amusing the next morning. Needless to say I was a little slow rising next day!
The journey was uneventful but after a halfway halt for hangover food I took myself into the back seat, ostensibly so that i could wave at all my subjects but mostly because the second leg would end in NYC. My brother and in law make quite a team when traversing a city full of traffic. The WRC rally drivers should take note. Anyway I didn't want to be caught in the crossfire, a casualty of friendly fire so i removed myself from the fray and stretched in the back.
We struck gold with the traffic and parking to be honest, pretty much sailing into downtown (well technically mid town) and straight into a parking spot that in London would have meant a small mortgage payment in congestion charges etc.
We met up with our hosts and landed our gear in the new flat. 2 bedrooms but light and airy great views down to central park and a place someone could feel very comfortable. close to all the amenities as I was to discover.
Without much ado though we were off on our odyssey. I liked this bit as i am an anorak over many things including trains and we started in the Subway. It was busy. And then we got halted for a good reason that was never imparted to us. What struck me though were the announcements over the PA. A short statement that were were being held by a dispatcher and to please be patient. It wasn't the words that affected me but for a recorded announcement it contained an air of mild panic, as though it was all about to kick off at any moment so just be patient pleeease!!
Now as an anorak i notice things about trains and i noticed that all the subway trains had asymmetric doors. That is they were offset from the ones on the other side of the carriage. I have never seen that before. NYC must have a lot of bother with people just leaping across carriages that is all I can say.
Our first destination was Brooklyn Bridge. As an anorak these things are interesting to me. The construction of the Brooklyn bridge is a drama in itself. Don't panic! I will allow you to find out that by yourselves. It was a clear day. In fact it was such a clear day that clear days would have to be impressed on just how clear it was. Not hot just blue sky. After some photo ops we hiked for battery park at the southern tip of Manhattan. From there we were to strike for home along a newly created parkway made up of all the dodgy dockside areas that no one had any use for anymore. Now my sister-in-law is an NYC-phile and found the prospect of said pathway to be terribly attractive. I guess when you know what lay there before you can properly enjoy the change. For me it was just another cycle path full of joggers of all shapes, sizes and near death appearance. The main advantage was that it had a pretty special backdrop. As i have said before the NYC skyline is just something else to a boy like me. I just have no experience to go by and find it quite overwhelming.
So we walked, and walked, and walked. There were some points of interest along the way. The Irish potato famine memorial, a well groomed Police horse, an aircraft carrier with lots panes (anorak time- i can name them all), Concorde and the farewell of a dirty great cruise ship. They say that your brain tries to protect you from times of great hardship by not allowing you to remember stuff.Well that is how i felt about this walk. Just as I thought it would never end it did.
I know I sound miserable but I am sure that the Hudson Parkway is indeed a splendid piece of urban regeneration for the good people of NYC but there was a quality about the water of the Hudson that just screamed Gosport. It was a light green pea soup with all the endearing qualities of a tissue you have just sneezed into. It is just the nature of the Hudson at that point. Not that Gosport has anything else in common with the Hudson. Save for colour and demeanor of sea water.
We joined with our hosts for dinner at a restaurant of indeterminate heritage. It was some sort of fusion but of what I do not remember. It as good though and the company was better. We strolled home and did yet more sigh seeing as we passed down Manhattan. We drank Tea at our hosts apartment and caught up with all the news and gossip that accrues when you haven't seen people for a while.
I finally turned in hoping to fall asleep the distant wailing of police siren's just like on the telly and was disappointed to find that our corner of NYC was having a rest for a bit. I slept the sleep of a person who had been marched around New York. I am sure I lost 2 inches due to friction with the sidewalk.
This was just day one in New York. I still had a whole morning to complete the next day. This in itself was an education and in the interests of brevity I will end this bit here and continue on another piece of paper as it were