UN, crowds and Jew Arabs

Walked from the hostel across the park and then down the east side to the UN plaza, something I'd missed on my previous visit to NY. It was a little disappointing - I was expecting it to be a little more monumental, when it really just seems to be a somewhat uninspiring government building.

Walked next along the low 40 streets to Times Square to check out the arrangements for new years. Crowds crowds everywhere, all tourists. A convoy of 6-10 police cars with sirens on flies past.

Began to walk up broadway to find a subway station, but got tired rapidly of fighting through all the people, so went over to 8th Ave and walked that way up to Colombus Circle. The Colombus Circle station seems mazelike - the route from the entrance I usually use to the uptown 1/9 platform twists and turns a poorly signposted route, up and down stairs, along platforms for other lines.

In the evening, chinese again, read start of next book 'First Person Plural' in hostel, then sat in Abbey Pub for an hour or so writing down memories in notepad. Then down to Ciao to see if anything more interesting was happening there. At Ciao at about 2320. No Noelle today but many other interesting people. I occupy the end of the bar, looking across at the faces of the people sitting in the stools.

Firstly, a drunken man from Czech republic. He has had two shots of tequilla (and seemingly much more). He orders wine, samples that offered by barman, says he does not like but takes a glass anyway. He invites me to go to another pub with him. I decline. He asks where I am from. I say London. He refuses to believe, insisting that I am clearly a Jew Arab (from the accent and the nose). After failing to drink his wine, he leaves the bar failing to pay. He is chased down the street by two men from the restaurant who bring him back to pay.

Jeff from previous night is here with a girl at a table. He waves across bar and asks if I will be there for NY. We make polite smalltalk to a minute or so, and then I leave him to his girl.

An older turkish lady (Sevestet) talks of how she has been coming to 'Ciao!' and the predecessor to it for the 33 years that she has lived in New York. She is a painter and a sculptor and has a nearby shop.

Two boys from Bristol arrive - John and Dave. One asks where I am from - he comments clearly not New York but I am not sure that he realises that I started off English.

The english boys leave to be replaced immediately by three glaswegian couples. They have difficulty grasping the concept that the beer taps do not work and that if they want beer, they must have from bottles. One asks if there is draught cider instead.

By this time, I have moved around the bar to sit in the middle of the long edge, leaving my possessions (navy coat, hat, gloves and tin of mints) at the far end in my earlier corner.

A group of about 10 people comes in - they cannot all stand at the bar. At least two get beer, but it is not clear what happens to the rest of them.

The barman apologies that he has just restocked the corona and so it is not ice cold. I joke that because of my national origins, I do not mind it a little warm. Then I take a sip and realise that I do.

In the back of the restaurant, a family with a bored looking girl dines. The owner and his henchmen fawn over a table of five pretty blond girls drinking martinis.

The scots leave and the bar for a minute or so is occupied by just me.

Two more scots arrive - these two from Edinburgh. I impress them with my use of the word 'weejie'. On the other side of me, a couple (Patricia and boyfriend) arrive. Patricia writes a happy new years greeting and her name in my notepad in mirror writing. We hold the page up to the light to see how well formed the writing is - very well done.

The scots decide to move on, and I go with them. On the steps outside Ciao, we find a couple of pretty irish girls. They are on a smoking break from their friends who are inside '1849', the next bar down from Ciao. We share cigarettes with them and then go into 1849 for a beer. Meet their other irish friends. One asks if I am Australian. I tell him London. He then asks the Scots which part of London they are from. Fun with accents.

We move onto the Red Lion, the furthest down Bleeker Street that I have managed to drink. $5 cover charge. I queue for a beer but just as I am about to order, the scots appear, having purchased one for me. A band plays 'Brown Sugar'. They are cool.

At 0347 the band finishes, the Red Lion closes and we must all leave.

The Irish write pages of drunken greetings into my book, then drive off to wherever. The Scots walk me to the station - one intends to get a taxi back to hotel, the other wants to take subway. At the subway station, the first gets into taxi, but the second refuses. After much drunken rambling at ticket office staff, we acquire a one trip card for him and get on the 1 heading uptown. He does not know which stop. As far as I can work out, Penn Station would be best for him. He has no choice but to believe.

29th december

Not so hungover on the 29th (although was a bit). Sat in Starbucks for an hour or so and read the first half of 'Girl, interrupted'. It is an easy and quick read. I couldn't find my 256mb flash card on my person - my hope was that I'd left it at the hostel, and after trying to walk around the upper westside taking pictures for a few minutes I found myself drawn back to the hostel to check. It was there, on my bed, having fallen out of trouser pocket. After that, walked around upper westside some more. I felt like eating some fruit for a change, and in the next block found a grocers. Unfortunately it was being picketed by protesters so no apple for me. I walked up past Colombia university, taking a picture of the restaurant from Seinfeld, then onto subway down to Wall Street (it exited into the lobby of a bank (?Chase) rather than the street). Walked up the eastern side of the island, where I found a collection of big old sailing ships, restored/preserved and placed on exhibit. Then further north to wander around Chinatown and Little Italy - found "la mela ristorante", which I had been instructed to go to by Julie in Chicago. I did not feel like Italian food, though, so did not eat there.

Back to hostel, chinese takeaway ($5.90) from a restaurant a couple of blocks up Amsterdam Ave from the hostel, sat in starbucks on broadway / 102nd street and finished 'Girl, interrupted' - could hardly stay awake, but the book was quite enthralling so I forced my way through to the end.

Back to hostel and asleep by 2300.

Bad Hangover Day

Failed to drink water before bed and woke with a terrible terrible hangover. I almost made my usual hangover mistake of leaping out of bed and embarking upon some adventurous but ill-fated activity (in this case, I had been intending to run around in Greenwich Village in the daylight).

I stayed in bed for most of the day, aside from an incident where the hostel fire alarm sounded, three fire engines arrived, fireman trooped through the building, and I eventually realised that the fire alarm had sounded and got out of bed. Grabbed a kebab (which I could barely finish) and some blue gatorade (blue drinks always seem good for hangovers) and then back to bed spilling water on my sheets in the process.

By 1800, I had recovered sufficiently to have dressed and showered myself and set off to see some of the city. First to 'Strand' bookstore at Broadway/12th St. I got a couple of books from the $1 stand - 'Girl, interrupted' and 'First Person Plural' - not my usual fodder, but worth the risk of $2. I was tempted to buy more, but realise that I only have finite time in NY and do not want to carry more. Interesting erotica/sex section - a book of fascinating penis facts, and a photo chronicle of the sex industry in NY. The latter something I would buy for my coffee table if I had one.

Next to a diner/restaurant 'University Restaurant' at University/12th. Chicken pot pie. Tasted good, but was a little cold in places - they need to get a turntable for their microwave oven, perhaps.

Next took a long spiralling route that led me to 'Ciao!', featuring:

* Noelle - tired today. Sits on my lap for photo!

* Kerry and Sleepy Joe - lawyers, old college buddies. Kerry from Las Vegas, sleepy Joe from Virginia(?). They both aspire to be writers. Sleepy Joe is either tired or drunk or both and falls asleep at the bar. Kerry orders a round of shots of Jack Daniels for him, sleepy joe, me and a girl at the other end of bar they are talking to. We all imbibe, apart from Kerry, the instigator of the round - he gives his shot to me.

* Jeff - presents part of a television programme and also a stage manager. Will be back on Friday for New Years Eve. A regular at Ciao, he reveals that the beer taps have never worked.

* Some girls from Bristol - very drunk. One is called Claire, according to the page she has written in my notebook. They are told there is only time for one drink, so they make that one drink a bottle of wine...

At Ciao until closing time - 0130 or 0200...

Chris Rock

The evening of the 27th went to a standup comedy club at 78th Street, 'Stand Up NY' with Martin from the hostel. The show had about 6 different comedians, some better, some worse - the highlight of the show was a surprise appearance by Chris Rock.

Afterwards, went for a quick pint with Martin at 'The Abbey Pub'. At the bar, met 'Gabe' and 'Marcus', and a couple from San Luis Obispo in California.

Ended up staying and drinking with them fairly late -- my notepad suggests that at 0354 I was still in the pub, listening to 'Disco Inferno' on the jukebox but was back in hostel by 0417. Martin kept to his promise and left after a pint, as he had a plane to catch the next day.

Narnia

All through the night it snowed - every time I looked out of the window, orange street-lit flakes were falling past the window. I laid in bed until about 1300 but finally dragged myself out to walk in Central Park in the snow - something that I'd been hoping to be able to do this holiday. The lakes were frozen... squirrels burrowed into the snow (although one decided to chase me rather than burrow)... fewer joggers today but many nuclear families out and about with 2.4 children sitting on 2.4 sledges.

The park has black-painted old fashioned iron lamp-posts all over the place, and in the snow that rather reminded me of Narnia under the White Witch's rule.

Now, laundry...

New Jersey

On Boxing Day, headed to New Jersey on the train (NJ Transit, North East Corridor line, NY Penn Station to Princeton Junction). Busy busy train. I realised that Jeff and I hadn't met for a few years, the last time being at a conference in San Diego in early 2003. First, back to Jeff's house, where I commenced to eat and drink my way through his kitchen. Three thick slices of fresh bread baked by his lovely Swedish wife, ham (thick chunks, not deli style thinly sliced stuff), cheese (real cheese smuggled in from Sweden), Negro Modelo, Fullers ESB.

Next to 'Cue and Brew', Jeff's local pool/dive bar which (because of the strange style of New Jersey suburbia) was 40 minutes away. It was pretty quiet although the bar itself had all seats taken, mostly with people watching the various TV screens of american football. Jeff's team from Buffalo was playing so we watched that awhile; played a couple of games of pool (at which I am, of course, terrible); chicken wings, hot dog and kraut (no hot dog rolls left so burger bun instead - an interesting construction).

Then back to Jeff's house, for some swedish drink (Glög) made from red wine and vodka, heated up and then mixed with raisins and almonds. Several glasses of that and idle chitchat with Jeff's Swedish brother in law and then back on the train to NY where I fell sound asleep after all the warm red wine. Luckily NY Penn Station is the last stop so would have been reasonably difficult for me to miss.

It had been snowing a little at Jeff's house, but as I emerged from the subway by the hostel, the sky was filled with thick falling snowflakes and there was plenty of snow on the ground.

Sleeping and drinking on Christmas Day.

Woke up, sat round in front of TV, fell asleep in hostel TV room - turns out I had become quite tired from all this walking and drinking. Awoke around 1500, walked a couple of blocks for tea. Called Jeff in New Jersey to arrange to visit (transport permitting - there is a train line but unsure of the Christmas schedule). Drank my tea and watched darkness fall over Broadway.

Back at the hostel, I discovered a couple of the lads from the night before (Doug, Martin), ready to head out looking for bars - we went down to 14th street in search of 'The Village Idiot', a place that sounded fun from their guidebook but turned out to be gone / closed for reconstruction when we actually got there... went into some bar on the corner of 14th St and 9th Ave... a little dressed up for our tastes... they charged me $7 for a beer, the other two only got charged $6 for the same :-(

After that, we walked some more, found 'Rhone' a quiet cocktail lounge. We commented that we probably weren't dressed appropriately, but the bouncer insisted that we were quite welcome. Mojito, $10. Yum.

We headed further south and found 'Ruby Fruit', a quieter, less pretentious bar. As we entered, the barmaid informed us that she had just called last orders but that we could still have a beer. We did. By the time that round was finished, the barmaid had changed her mind and was prepared to serve us another round. And then another. And them some tequilla. We put money in the jukebox. Customers gradually drifted away until left were the three of us, a couple of girls and the barmaid's boyfriend. A fun cozy way to end Christmas. Eventually the girls wandered off and the barmaid quipped that she had never closed her bar with just four men at the bar, the place being a lesbian bar.

At 03h, we tried to go to 'Spice Market', which we'd seen on the way down but it was all closed up (as was, it seemed, everywhere else in the area) so we gave up and headed back uptown.

Christmas Eve in New York

The weather was good enough for a proper walk in the park today - I took a meandering route past a pond of ducks, up stairs and down poorly paved woodland trails. Lots of animals... ducks, squirrels, the usual suspects... more interestingly quite a selection of brightly coloured birds and some kind of black squirrel like creature. A babbling brook through the park lined with golden brown leaves reminded me very much of the woods near my parents house.

Once I reached the east side of the park, I found myself on 5th Ave, labelled 'Museum Mile' at that point and indeed walking southwards revealed a number of museums, none of which I went into.

At the end of the museums in the corner of the park there was a zoo which appeared from my external inspection to be dominated by goats, although I did here the oink of a pig from somewhere as I walked past.

Immediately as the park ended and shops started, the quiet tree lined promenade scattered with the occasional dog walker turned into a heaving sidewalk packed with the thronging masses of humanity all apparently shopping. I only lasted a block or so before heading off down a side street to get a nice cup of tea.

In the evening, watched 'I am Sam' and many episodes of 'Law and Order' in the hostel TV room; then as midnight drew near, a group of pubgoers formed - we found ourselves in a bar at about 102nd and Broadway that seemed to be just called 'Tavern'. Talked to a couple of girls from Manchester who had been travelling for over a year and planned to travel for a year or so more... fun!

Broadway in the evening (NY day 3)

I went out for a kebab and ended up walking for 2h or so along Broadway towards downtown. I walked from 103rd Street all the way down to where the numbers seem to run out, around Houston Street. It was interesting to piece together the various places that I'd been to into one continuous strip - from the hostel down to the glittering lights of 42nd Street and Times Square, various other circles and squares on the route, and eventually into Greenwich Village (I got a little bit lost at the end as I did not realise Broadway went so far to the east of the island). I probably would've gone further on, but having reached the village, I stopped for a beer at 'Ciao' (still Noelle, still no nitrogen to serve beer on tap) which rapidly turned into four and that was the end of that.

New York - 3rd Day

I had planned to spend the day walking around Central Park; I ventured out upon this mission, but it fairly immediately began to rain harder and harder so after only an hour or so I gave up and headed for shelter.

The time I did spend in the park was pleasant, even though wet. Despite the rain, there was a fair amount of activity - peoplewise, an abundance of both joggers and dogwalkers, and animalwise, ducks in the ponds and squirrels running about the place. I was able to get some good photographs, even without the snow that I had been hoping for.

An algorithm Chase taught me once for finding MacDonalds applies here for finding Starbucks: 1) pick road 2) proceed along road until you find Starbucks; so shortly after leaving the park I found myself with a large cup of coffee in dry warmth at 86th and Columbus. I spent some time going through photographs of the previous three days (several hundred, but with many duplicates and blurred ones) and writing notes in travel journal.

On the way back to the hostel, around 99th and Amsterdam I found a bakery which sold me a delicious generic-meat pie; the thought of this makes me feel hungry again, and I wonder if I should venture out in search of another meal.

New York - 2nd Day

Slept restlessly - the others in my dorm had left the noisy but ineffectual air conditioning unit on right by my head, the room was far too hot and I was quite dehydrated after previous evenings adventure. At 07h, got up for iced tea from vending machine and passed out again. At 10h finally gave up on hopes of sleeping soundly and went to look for James - found him in his room rather worse for wear. He was staying in a room full of girls, on a floor seemingly also only girls - surely some mistake (in his favour)?

Eventually both he and I were up and awake and ready to set out on a whirlwind tour of the city. We started at coffee shop, where I ordered "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot" with a splash of milk and sugar - I realised after I had said it tht I had ordered in the style of Captain Picard. We walked down Broadway from 103rd to about 86th drinking our tea, then got subway to 42nd/Times square. Times Square reminded me quite a lot of Leicester Square in London. Cinemas, shops, tourists tourists tourists. Even the actual shops seemed to be the same (a Swatch shop on the corner, for example...)

The Empire State Building - queue length to go to the top signposted as 75-90 minutes, so we did not. Instead, wandered around in the lobby area a while. Noticed the flight path of many planes was pretty much directly over the building so spend some time attempting to get tasteless 'plane+empire state building' photographs.

WTC/Ground zero - I've previously visted this place, when there was actually a WTC there. Now it is mostly a giant concrete-lined hole, a hive of construction activity. We walked all the way round looking for some kind of information/memorial area - on the fourth side almost back to where we had started we found an information post with plans for new development on the site, posters of the history of the site from the 1950s onwards and a big cross formed from the twisted girders of the wreckage.

Wall Street - NYSE decorated for Christmas with illuminated American flag lights and a large pine tree. Also decorating Wall Street were a number of heavily armed NYPD officers.

We walked down to Battery Park at the southernmost tip of Manhattan. Most of the park seemed to have been dug up and under construction, but we were able to get to the waters edge and look out to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the distance.

Our final stop on the tour was nearby Fraunces Tavern where Washington said goodbye to his officers in 1783. The bar was deserted when we arrived at around 1530 aside from three attractive bargirls but as happy hour started workers poured out from the financial district and filled the place. One barmaid in particular appeared to command the attention of many of the males lining the bar (including James), fitted as she was with a slim body, chirpy personality, a skimpy top and massive breasts. Three pints there (and some free happy hour spicy chicken wings), and then we headed back to the hostel - James to get his bags and head to the airport and me to pass out on bed. Awoke again at 21h, found a nearby kebab shop (always good to find one of those by hostel), attempted to read in the hostel library a while, but soon found myself drifting off and so ended the day.

New York - 1st Day.

Got an earlier flight than I had expected from Chicago, to La Guardia. Landed just as the sun was setting - the plane flew right over downtown Manhattan, with a deep red sunset in the background, speckled with a few clouds.

In the row in front of me, I noticed a lone traveller (James) with a UK passport and a folded sheet of directions - I peering over his shoulder on the assumption that he was likely going the same way as me, and saw that his directions were to the same hostel as me. We took the bus (M60, $2, stops 2 blocks away from hostel) together.

I've stayed in this hostel before, in the summer of 1999... it looks pretty much the same... more internet terminals this time round, and a little bit more snow than in the summer.

James was only in town for that evening and the following day time, so we ventured out immediately to sample some pubs and bars.

We started by the hostel, at 'Tap a keg' at Broadway/104th. Drank Sierra Nevada (hardly authentic NY beer). A man at the bar had just ordered a round for the whole bar as we arrived, so free beer for us. It was not clear why he so ordered. Half way through our pints, another customer appeared with a box of cookies for everyone. Such a friendly place!

Neither James nor myself were entirely clear on the required etiquette when someone has purchased a round for the whole pub, so before we left we ordered a drink between us for the anonymous round purchaser.

At the same intersection, we moved to the 'Abbey Pub' - no free drinks here, but at least lager brewed by the Brooklyn Brewery (I've had that before, when passing through JFK).

Next to 'Eden', a cocktail bar (still at the same intersection, only a few hundred metres away from the hostel) - not a good selection of beers here - maybe would've been wiser to have cocktails. Corona. Spanish soap opera on the television.

To complete this portion of the crawl, 'Smoke', a jazz bar. It advertised itself as having no cover charge, but upon entering we discovered they claimed a minimum drink charge of $15 per person per set. We paid in cash without starting a tab, and so had no trouble leaving after just one drink (red wine for me). At this jazz bar (and the next) there was no live music until our beers were almost finished - lame timing.

After 'Smoke', took the 1 subway downtown to Greenwich Village - first another jazz bar by the subway station, with a raw fish selection behind the bar and a live threepiece that again did not start until just as we were leaving.

'Ciao!', an Italian restaurant and bar. Barmaid 'Noelle' who was most apologetic that her nitrogen tanks had run out and so was unable to serve us beer from her taps (and noted so in my notebook). This bar was fun -- Noelle was amusing to talk to, as were various other random people who were there for a 21st birthday party. A girl Robyn detected us as English and told us all about how she will go to City University in London in Febuary. At this bar, I violated a number of the fundamental rules of pub crawl:

i) no more than one drink per establishment [3 corona... ]

ii) no shots [... plus one mystery shot prepared by Noelle]

which put me in bad shape for our final bar, the name and location of which I do not recall.

At this final location, we encountered 'Igor', a Russian and 'Katie from Texas'. As I slumped drunkenly in a chair, Katie braided my hair (the knotted remains of which I was to discovered when attempting the shower the next morning) and wrote babblings about how a braid is a weave of life and descriptions of Taurus. Igor noted down for me a place to go on Wednesday evening, which I subsequently failed to go to.

By this point, I was barely able to remain awake, and James sheparded me back to the subway to head uptown. We were on the lookout for food the whole way but did not find anything appetising until directly across from the hostel, we found a 24h deli - they were only doing window service but we were unable to describe coherently anything that they would sell through the window, so they unlocked the door and allowed us to wander around the aisles. We still could not find anything, so one of the staff made us fresh sandwiches (ham and cheese for me). With that, to bed and the onset of hangover...