Day 2: Manhattan and Jersey City

I don’t know how to put into words how amazing the day was. Small Irish’s Uncle easily ranked as one of the most interesting men you are ever likely to meet; another personality amongst a family of personalities.... Seen the world, breathed the world, knows the world through time his time sailing it, lives in the most beautiful seaside penthouse apartment (or condo as they say here) overlooking the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty (also home to that wank rapper Ludacris, if that matters)...him and his wife were the perfect tour guides for our first taste of New York City.

Spent the morning aboard the USS Intrepid museum. If you don’t know – it was a fully operational aircraft carrier between 1943 and 1970 something and now is a dedicated museum to the Navy, space and the Air Force. Those who know me well will know I am a bit of a plane buff at heart and just the sight of the A12 Blackbird and Concorde sitting on deck made my day in their own right. After that we were given our first look inside New York and downtown Manhattan proper. Fuck me, what a city. I don’t know what to say about the place without doing it justice, a complete sensory overload. The buildings flash by and change by the second, landmark by landmark shoots by, different cultures and different neighbourhoods await at every turn. If you’ve ever been to a city that scoops up your soul and juggles it round a few times before putting it back in your body, then you’ll know where I’m coming from.

After that we went back to Small Irish’s Auntie and Uncle’s condo. You don’t need to know what lies within, but I doubt I’ve seen a more fantastic home or location. Took a walk around the district with Small Irish’s Uncle, gazing out at that famous skyline and the Statue of Liberty as the beautiful sunshine beamed down hard on our heads, calmed by the tranquil sea breeze by the harbour – I can’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed.

Ended the evening with the best meal I have ever, ever had in my life. No hyperbole, no bollocks, It simply was awesome. Felt a bit of a twat in my jeans though, dining amongst what appeared to be New Jersey’s elite (chinos and Ralph Lauren shirts, don’t affluent American’s know of any other fashion combinations?). It was all good, Small Irish’s Uncle just said “It’ll be fine if they know you’re with me.” Ace. I don’t know how much the food costs in there, but if you’re willing to splash the cash, definitely head for the Porto Leggero in Jersey City if you fancy a splurge. On returning to the hotel where we said our goodbyes, we were confronted by two African American crack addicts outside the hotel. Nice. Small Irish’s Uncle gave one an undisclosed fee, who then skipped heartily back into downtown Newark with her unjust reward as her fat toothless crack addict friend mocked the undeserved generosity that was handed over. I don’t know why we stayed in Newark. Nice architecture, but a fucking poverty-ridden hole would be a fair conclusion. More NYC tomorrow though, I can’t wait to get stuck in again.

Day 1: Newark, NJ

Welcome to America eh!? Today was a strange day of mixed emotions, somewhere between optimism, intrigue, fear and excitement. That Heathrow Terminal 5 is fucking massive, but nowhere near as big as that JFK..... immense place. After a long (but top notch) flight, poor old Small Irish got the full U.S Immigration treatment (bar rubber glove I must add), ending up with no less than three officials scrutinising her reasons for being here! Took the Subway into Manhattan and stood out like a sore thumb amongst them New Yorkers. To say I felt vulnerable was an understatement; carrying $300 odd in my pocket, a £600 camera, 400 fags in a see-through bag, passports and all worldy goods....fucking hell , spot the tourist! Anyhow, finally got to Newark and caught tantalising glimpses of New York’s skyline.....much to be discovered in the week ahead methinks. Ventured out of the hotel for half an hour and did what any true Brit would do: live home from home. We headed straight for McDonalds (there’s one under our flat in the RM1) before retiring back to watch Friends and other repeats we always watch on English tele. Fuck it, after the looks of “what on Earth are you doing round here?” from the extremely culturally diverse community in downtown Newark (and even one joker who laughed at me and said "hello" through sarcasm carrying aforementioned look), I needed a quick blast of home comforts, even though I’d only been here five minutes. Meeting Small Irish’s Uncle tomorrow who’s lived out here for a long time, who’ll show us the ropes. That’s handy, because I feel a little against them after a long day, so both looking forward to that. I wonder what happened in Eastenders tonight? I’ll have to get the BBC iPlayer rocking and rolling. By the way, those that called and texted today; don’t expect much more of that over the next month as I’ve already run up £15 from a small handful of texts and phonecalls I've sent! I see Obama and his wife are over in our fine land in the minute. Kind of negates the pathetic title of this rather narcissistic blog. Laters.