New York - 5th July till 8th July.
En route to the Big Apple!! (and yes, I know that's a Fuji apple. I like.) I've never been to the US before this, so I was kinda excited. Well, as excited as I could be on a 12 hr train journey that was ever-so-slow. Amtrak needs a revamp badly, methinks.
After FINALLY reaching New York at around 8pm, we took the subway down to uh Icannotrememberwhatstreet to get to our hostel. Well. hs was complaining about chest pain which didn't go away after taking deep breaths right after we climbed out of the station. I suspected lung collapse because the dr at the clinic I used to work at described a case to me before but then again that guy looked quite bad while hs still looked normal then and since it wasn't the first time he was complaining about it... he suggested muscle strain or smth since it almost always made its appearance after carrying heavy luggage and I wanted to believe it wasn't serious too. SOMEONE didn't want to see a doctor...
Since the pain was aggravated every time he carried anything heavy, I became the donkey for the rest of the trip... hee haw. (Apart from the luggage - then again, the heaviest stuff was dragged along in the roller bag so the rucksacks weren't too bad. And I didn't dare put too much weight on my back too since I haven't exactly been strenghtening the back muscles after that wonderful strain in february... it still feels sore, sometimes.)
I sidetrack too much. After resting for a while, he felt much better and was all ready to explore NY. I, on the other hand, at 9pm at night, just wanted to sleep. (Gives energy for the next day!) So, we slept.
Zzz.
Bright and early (okay, not very much) the next day, we had breakfast at Macdonalds (you can't blame us.. it was between dunkin' donuts and Macs and Macs had BAGELS), then headed to South Ferry station. I was silently wondering why there were so many announcements about passengers having to be in the 1st 5 cars if they wanted to get off at South Ferry but I (unwittingly) got my answer in the end when hs happily pointed out that the platform was curved - only the 1st 5 cars entered the station. There were quite a number of tourists, a bit too many - ALL the time passes for entry into Lady Liberty (Okay this sounds a bit obscene) were sold out by 10.30 a.m. All the same, we got tickets for the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island after queuing for some time (I did the queuing... he stayed in the shade... I eavesdropped on the German couple behind me).
After the horrendous queuing, we joined yet ANOTHER queue for the ferry... and there were so many people and the ride was pretty miserable really because I couldnt see much and it was so hot and there was so many people. And hs also looked very miserable by usual standards and I learnt that to ask if he's okay will always draw a "yes" answer and the only way to determine if he's REALLY FINE is to ask "is there pain?" or "can you breathe properly?" or "do you want to rest?" The guards told us to savour the "immigrant experience, folks! Squeeze a little so that these people at the door can enter! Move along there! Huddle together a little more.." Except that MY ancestors stepped off a slow junk in SEA...
At any rate, when we saw the Statue of Liberty, out came the cameras!
Liberty Enlightening the World.
We crashed a Ranger tour - these are great! And they're free anyway... The ranger told us a lot of interesting stuff about the statue, like the story behind its existence (because some guy in France wanted to give the US something to demonstrate their common ideals of freedom and democracy), the sculptor (can't remember his name), the engineer behind the structure used to support the statue (Mr Eiffel - yes he was behind the Eiffel Tower), the Hungarian Jewish journalist who raised funds for the statue's base using his newspaper (Mr Pulitzer), the poet Emma something whose lines are now immortal: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... (I typed the lines by memory, so if they're wrong you know why.) And that the 7 spikes on the crown represent the 7 continents and 7 seas enlightened, torch brings light and knowledge and the tablet has the date of America's independence and there are broken shackles on her feet to signify freedom from oppression. Its all very amazing, really. Every now and then in NY I'd pause and think about all the weight of history right in this city and marvel.
And that the statue was as shiny as anything when she was first erected but over the years, well, copper oxidises to GREEN, doesn't it? Apparently along the years the ranger was asked this question "Hey, why did you guys PAINT THE STATUE GREEN?" and when he's feeling like a smart alec he'd say "Oh, we had an excess of green ARMY PAINT some time ago and we just had to use it somewhere, so there it is."
-_-"
Of course we took many other pictures but I shan't bother you with the 8 failed self shots, or the n number of angles of Lady Liberty (although hs seemed quite keen on taking UP her tunic... really!) (I'm kidding, but he did want to get really close to the base as possible...) Of course, after a while we ended up goofing around and unfortunately, I have proof of it.
We were melting, but we were(okay at least I am - hs visited NY previously) happy to be there!
The Manhattan skyline.
Photographer hard at work. I think that butt just screams out "KICK MEEEEEE." -looks ard-
After that, we (queued some more and) took a ferry to Ellis Island. A great percentage of Americans can trace their ancestry to a forefather whose first foot on American soil was on this island. No doubt this place holds great significance to America's history. I (obviously) cannot say the same for myself, but it was impactful (Well, especially after weeks of listening about Koenig I've never heard of before until I stepped into their castles... At least this was something I've already heard of before.)
The entrance to Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
After some time, we decided to return to Manhattan, so we queued for 45minutes (do you see a pattern here...) before we finally boarded the ferry back. By then it was LATE AFTERNOON and we stopped for lunch at PJ Clarke's where I apparently stunned the hapless waiter by asking him "what's in a hamburger?" Well. To my knowledge, hamburger = meat patty and vegetables and cheese in between 2 buns, so I was quite taken aback to see prices for addition of vegetables and cheese and bacon! For the record, hamburger in the United States = beef patty between 2 bread buns. Finis. The waiter must be wondering which slow boat from China did I just step off from... hs thinks I should have given him a bigger tip for asking him to define something from what must be his staple diet. HMPH. Its not as though he did a lot better - not knowing what corned beef is like, he asked for a corned beef sandwich, which was essentially a SMOKED MEAT SANDWICH. Why would anyone living in Montreal who has access to SCHWARTZ nearly every day (if you brave the queue) eat a corned beef sandwich in NY is kinda beyond me.
After being fed and watered, we crossed the road and looked at the hole in the ground where the Twin Towers once stood before September 11, 2001.
We visited the WTC Memorial Centre (at least, if I don't remember its name wrongly) where there were accounts of survivors, the recording of walkie talkie communication between the firemen who went up the stricken towers, personal effects recovered from the site that was donated, a wall full of pictures of those who lost their lives in that single act of terror... (and strategically placed tissue boxes)
What disgusted me was these 2 Asian females (Obvious tourists) who were taking pictures of every single exhibit with their posing smiling self. There's a place for happy touristy photos, and there's a place for subdued photo taking and respect.
After that decidedly sombre encounter, we walked down Liberty street (I think - I'm terrible at street names), took a turn somewhere and came upon the junction of 2 of the most famous street names in the world.
And although I'm not an Economics/Finance person, I couldn't help my glee at laying eyes on this place: The New York Stock Exchange!
Of course, security is paramount - there were 2 commando-like guards in black toting around rifles in a corner, and the entrance is barricaded off.
Taxi galore in NYC! I think taxi drivers round the world generally practice really reckless driving: we saw a taxi trying to overtake an ambulance. Well, maybe it isn't a big deal in sg where nobody really gives way to emergency vehicles, but it sure is a different thing in US (and Canada) where vehicles come to a halt at the sides of the road so that the ambulance/fire engine can shriek on its merry way.
hs' bright idea. We were just short of a red cape. The Bowling Green bull doesn't look too happy huh...
Why does he even bother...
Bull: 1, hs: 0.
Where George Washington was sworn in as the 1st President of the United States!! I'M STANDING ON HISTORIC GROUND~~~
I just liked the way the sun rays are angled between the 2 buildings.
After a lot more walking and looking at buildings in the financial district we got hungry.
Okay, laugh at us if you must. For dinner we headed to Chinatown/Little Italy where there was a Malaysian restaurant which was garnering rave reviews in a few guidebooks to NY and since a little taste of home won't harm anyone... hs insisted that there's no Hainanese Chicken Rice in Malaysian crusine but soon ate his words. Literally. We ordered Chicken Rice, Fried rice with salted fish, bak kut teh, soyabean with grass jelly and lychee drink. Mmm.
Well, nothing was hurt, except our wallet. Bill was US$27.
Times Square Times Square!! We took the subway down and hs pointed out the announcement that he found funny on his last trip to NY. Apparently they got some broadway actor to record "Stand Clear of the Closing doors, Please." It sounds... ridiculously cheerful =)
Anyway, Times Square was really crowded and there were so many bright lights everywhere! Even the sign for NYPD was bright blue and red and FLASHING omg. The novelty quickly wore off though, because of the overwhelming hustle and bustle. I shudder to think what the New Year countdown must be like.
Right outside the flashing subway station.
We walked around some more and saw this GIANT M&M STORE. I'm not a great fan of M&Ms, but the amount of merchandise available was simply mind blowing. And the amount of chocolate, of course.
The Great Wall of Chocolate!
Like I said, all kinds of merchandise.
I really like this plate. It has the "eh.. what's going on?" look of apprehension. NOTHING I SWEAR!!! -snicker-
We bought some chocolate (Resistance is Futile) and decided to troop back to the hostel because my legs were giving way after one full day of walking around. Exhausting...
The next day (not so early - couldn't get up) we went to the Empire State Building! (After breakfast at Macs again. We did know of great breakfast places but they were Downtown and just not worth the ride downtown and then uptown) My fondest memory of the Empire State Building from childhood is from Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach - the peach impaled atop the building! Hehe~ Of course, as with all touristy attractions in NY in the heat of summer, there was a great queue.
Uniformed guys go in for free, and we saw a bunch of british sailors in uniform.
Btw, as proof that we did a whole lot of walking the previous day (I was the Beast of Burden to cap it off, remember? Hee Haw.), I couldn't bear to put on the same pair of birks I wore, had to switch footwear so that different parts of my foot would be stressed. So I wore my trusty brown furry shoes which I've owned since pri6. (It makes for great wearing... until it rains. NOT waterproof, sadly) Unfortunately, hs thinks they look like teddy bear paws and I got beary rubbish like "beeear pawwww" and when putting on my shoes: "putting on your paws?", telling him I'm changing and will he wait a while: "putting on your bear skin?" -flashes claws- GRR.
Its worth it, though. The building is a great icon. Even the car license plates in NY have "The Empire State." More than one meaning, huh.
This is at the lobby, where the picture of the Empire State Building was placed along the 7 wonders of the world and (self) declared as the 8th Wonder. Right...
By the time we finally left the Building, it was LUNCHTIME. So we walked in the direction of the UN HQ (because I wanted to), with the general idea being that we'd stop by some random cafe/restaurant/eatery for lunch. Which we did. But we didn't get to the HQ very quickly - we kept getting sidetracked by souvenir stores, and THIS.
The State Library - I'm sorry.. I just love books.
This is the main reading room. WHY CAN'T WE HAVE LIBRARIES LIKE THIS IN SG?! I'd happily visit it more often
and pay back the $8.50 in fines I owe NLB...
They have SO MANY books! As was expected there was bag checks at almost all the entrances/exits.
By then it was 330pm and hs bet that we wouldn't reach the UN HQ by 4pm at the rate we were sidetracking (or rather, at the rate I kept stopping to look at things) We bet an ice cream and I WON but he has YET TO PAY UP.
So we finally finally reached the UN headquarters and promptly bought tickets for a guided tour!! While waiting for the English one (they had tours in quite a few languages, we heard the announcement for the swedish one while waiting) we viewed the exhibit on UN peacekeeping efforts. And there were stuff you could try on, too!
So hs decided to join the blue berets...
The working languages in the UN are English and French. (different from the official languages) I WANT TO LEARN FRENCH... nvm. Heh. What do they want with a LS major anyway...
But anyway, yes, the piece of land doesn't fall under NY jurisdiction, and the UN has its own postal service (and stamps). Currency, however, is still USD. Heh. The officer in charge of the tour we went on is from Peru.
This is where the Security Council meets.
And this is the UN General Assembly room! The representatives of the different countries sit right at the front where the tables are, the interpreters sit behind the black windows and translate furiously and any delegate who needs it in another language just picks up this telephone-like thingy at the side to listen. The "audience" seats are for the press.
Grand Central Station. hs said its a must see and while I think its really grand for a station, it wasn't anything really exceptional. Or maybe its me.
We sat down and ate a pretzel and I sorely missed the ones I ate in deutschland =(
We went to Brooklyn Bridge! The first of its kind.
There were loads of people (and peddlers trying to sell you drinks).
Well, we realised that we should have taken a train stop down, then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. The view would have been nicer, and we wouldn't be that tired either. (Remember that my stamina sucks in general, especially when carrying a load, and hs was lugging a collapsed lung around too.) We went to Times Square -again- for dinner I think (Its half a year ago!), at a pizza/spaghetti place where it was insanely crowded. I think it was also where this bunch of guys came up to us and asked us to decipher some advertisement in chinese for them. Weird, that was.
I wanted to visit the Disney store, but by the time we made our way there, it was closed. 15 minutes before we reached. All the same, we stumbled upon this! The original LOVE installation!
And then, it was our weary selves back to the hostel for a good snooze.
On our 3rd (and last) day there, we had breakfast at...... McDonalds. Again. Oh, and watched a bit of the Wimbledon showdown between Nadal and Federer.
Then it was the American Museum of Natural History! I LOVE THAT PLACE AHHHHHHHHHH~! -hyperventilates- It was a long sweaty walk down, but it was completely worth it! I was so enthralled and fascinated and excited, I completely neglected to take any sample pictures of the exhibits. -heartbreak- It wouldn't have turned out very well anyway, because of the crowds thronging the exhibit halls. The only place I avoided was the reptile section, which I managed to wander into by accident anyway because we got lost. But oh, the dinosaur bones! And the Hall of Planet Earth and the Rose Center for Earth and Space and all the Mammals.
After that we had lunch (which was, well, expensive. Trés cher! Sehr teuer!) where I really should have tried the Krispy Kreme donut just to taste all the fuss rather than balk and the price and regret it today.
This is me in the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall - I think its the main entrance hall, but we entered from the lower level. I think I've fallen in love with American-style architecture at that point in time. Heh. So long, Europe.
We visited Central Park but it was sweltering and generally not that charming on that day so we bailed out in a hurry after taking a short break away from the hustle and bustle that is New York, even on a Sunday. Speaking of which, I just actually might want to watch Enchanted, because its set in New York and I do miss that place. The trailer features some loony looking prince jumping off a bridge while singing, only to be flattened by a bunch of cyclists - and that scene of the bridge and a bunch of people, while probably ubiquitous in Central Park, did remind me very strongly of my few minutes in there. We got lost in there, too.
We set off to locate the Flatiron Building (Fuller Building), located (thanks to wikipedia because the guidebook is with hs now) at 23rd Street, Fifth Avenue, and Broadway. We spent several frustrating minutes trying really hard to figure out where the darned building was, because according to our trusty map and nearby signposts we
should see the distinctive building! Until we crossed the road and realised we were standing under the scaffolding surrounding the lower storeys. Whee.
I don't know, were they trying too hard to make use of a triangular plot of land?
En route to Times Square (again!), hs' intestines decided it had enough of his crap, so we had to locate a toilet in a hurry. Many thanks to a sports shop =P which had too many customers not to realise that we were in there just for the toilet. And my spectacle arm decided it had enough too - it fell out while I was bumming around the shop looking at stuff I'd never buy, and I only noticed it after we were several streets away. We also discussed plans to watch Ratatoullie in sg since we didn't have time to in Canada, but discovered that it wouldn't be shown in sg until he returned to Montéal. Bah.
At Times Square, we discovered that parts of the road had been blocked off because of this International Prayer Gathering that was taking place SMACK in the middle of it. Its very interesting to see how people worship in different countries - it inevitably varies because of different cultures and hence expressiveness.
How often do you get to pose in the middle of Times Square like this!
Not everyday, I'd say! So there's actually a series of us taking turns to pose, but because I generally looked like crap in most of them, here's one of hs. =P
We visited the Hershey's Store where it was CHOCOLATE GALORE. Not as huge and mind-boggling like the M&M one, but still enough for us to blow quite a bit of money.
Evening was setting in, and so it was back to the hostel to retrieve our luggage, and down to the bus terminal for the bus back to Montréal. It was madness there, because our tickets had conflicting information from the announcements, and the signs at the queues! The bus was eventually delayed, and we did get on the correct bus in the end. I conclude that I really hate overnight buses after the Toronto and New York experience. Gahh.
It was pouring when we reached Montréal, so we took a cab - and the taxi driver didn't speak English. Which wouldn't have been a problem actually, until he dropped us a street away and gabbled in French which hs deciphered to mean that some road somewhere was a one way street and there was no way he could drop us off properly at Ave des Pins. Thus, we ended up running back to 510 Ave des Pins in the rain, anyway, which kind of concludes the NY experience.
I love NY!
