Anyway, rant over. Today was the day we started to get really amongst it in Manhattan. Started the day by taking the PATH train out of Newark Penn Station direct into the World Trade Centre site. Obviously I realised the immense size of the structures that tumbled on 9/11, but to see the amount of space they once covered is hard to put into words. Work is well underway to rebuild a new World Trade Centre. At the moment the foundations are laid and about 50 foots worth of height has been installed already.
Moved from there on to the brain frazzling advertising magnet of lights and sights which is Times Square. What a place! My mind couldn’t come to terms with the amount of input available at every blink of the eye. It’s places like this that bring on a bizarre sense of optimism about something you can’t even put your finger on. Exciting anyhow.
We walked from there as far as the Circle Line Cruise ship terminal that takes you around Manhattan. An excellent trip that helps explain all the various monuments and buildings that characterise the mesmerising skyline. Saw Small Irish’s Uncle’s ‘condo’ again from the boat, but I don’t think she was concentrating on that.... because it was absolutely fucking freezing. Kind of took the edge off the visit in a way as we couldn’t stand on deck with the cold rain battering our faces. It was all worthwhile when we got the Statue of Liberty though. I can’t think of a single country’s monument that perfectly captures a nation’s culture and promise so emphatically. Think we’ll go and do the cruise by night before we go, as long as the weather keeps like.
After getting on so well with the New York Subway system we ended up getting ourselves completely baffled by it when trying to get to the Natural History Museum. I think we took the wrong train about five times in the end up, to the point where the toys came out of the pram for the first time! I just couldn’t work their train lines out...impossible. Some woman who told me she’d lived in New York all her life even asked me about which train to get. Unreal.
Gave up on the Natural History Museum as we’d gassed too much time to get the best out of a visit. Plumped for the awesome Museum of Modern Art instead. Good choice it was too. I’m not an art expert by any stretch, but you couldn’t help but be impressed by the Monet’s, Liechtenstein’s, Warhol’s, Pollock’s (I saw Jackson Pollock's Number 5 pf Roses interest) and more that lined the walls. Not much of a fan of those installations and the like though. There was that much needless bollocks in there a mon avis, that I was surprised people weren’t taking pictures of the vending machines, mistaking them for art. Ace museum nevertheless.
Had dinner in the Rockerfeller Centre to end the day. What a place that is too. NBC studios is in there (we’ll tour that tomorrow maybe), some truly exquisite shops, ace black marble design and of course the ‘Top of the Rock’ skyscraper observation deck. Didn’t get to do ‘The Rock’ as the shit weather dropped visibility to 0%, although a huge noodle dinner for $8 more than made up for it in my expanding waistline’s opinion. The taxi driver was massively pissed off when we asked him to take us to our hotel from the station (it’s 0.5 miles). Like I give a fuck. I prefer my arse and wallet intact boss. Ooh, I see England won 2-1 tonight. Not much chance of seeing the goals, what with the Obama show being on 24/7. Not to worry.
