Viva!!

Sometimes, you just know you over planned something - and as we came in to land at Las Vegas airport, and I could actually see where my hotel was, it occurred to me that renting a car from the airport on day one might not have been totally necessary. Landing I quickly collect my luggage, and queue to get the car, and then drive the short distance to my hotel, the Imperial Palace.

I have my GPS and the map and I know where it is - only when it tells me we are there I can’t actually see it, and drive on past. There is no time to stop in this traffic so I turn into the next hotel and then have to go round the back of the main strip, with my GPS giving me crazy instructions every 30 seconds. Eventually I find my way into the Hotel car park, and find a vary rare thing in my experience so far of travelling in the US, a genuinely unhelpful person! Now, I can’t be unique in not having stayed at this hotel before, but maybe I am unique in asking for help in finding where to park my car - in any case I’m huffed at and told I can’t park there (when I’m stopping - not parking - to ask him where I can park). So I drive on and try to sort it out for myself. Only later do I realise that most people get their cars valet parked - the signage for this was obscured by a tall vehicle when I drove in - but I somehow managed to park it myself.

Then off to find the front desk to check in - one might think that this would be simple too - but at the Imperial Palace it seems nothing is simple! There are endless corridors and lifts that only go to certain floors - all very confusing for someone arriving for the first time. However, I check in, too early to get into the room, but I can do the paperwork, and leave the bags at the desk. Then it’s out into the Nevada sunshine for first impressions of this famous town.



And it is BUSY! Bustling with people in the bright sunshine - I walk along past these amazing hotels with fountains and waterfalls and pirate ships - even knowing what to expect I was still being the gawping tourist! I walk for what seems like ages, and then come to a more “normal” strip of shops and restaurants, so I stop for a late lunch in a really nice Tapas place, and just enjoy the atmosphere - and the food!



By the time I’ve walked some more it’s late afternoon when I get back to the hotel, so book in, find my room, which is excellent with a balcony at the back of the building (quieter) and views out over the desert. It’s probably a combination of travel, an early start, the change in temperature and altitude, but I’m really tired, so lie down for a short sleep. When I wake it’s 2am and my stomach is growling for food! And then it suddenly strikes me - this town is supposed to be open 24/7 - there must be places to go eat, even at this time of the morning.

So I go out of my room, instinctively being as quite as I can coz it’s early morning - but when I get to the ground floor and out through the casino I see that indeed it is still buzzing with people at the machines and the tables. Not thinking what might be in my hotel, I head out onto the strip, and mingle with the crowd. You know, in most places I know, a crowd of people at 2 am would be mainly drunks, but here, though there is certainly noise and high spirits, they all seem to be really well behaved! There are places open to eat, but most are of the fast food type, and so my meal is a subway! I wander for a bit then head back to the hotel, and succumb to playing a few slots, and walk around inside to see what there is - and this includes a “teahouse” that is open all night, which would have been better than the subway - ah well!

Before I came here I’d been to one casino in another state, and I’d needed to fill in an application form, show my passport, and then I was issued with a player’s card. I was not allowed into the casino without showing my card, and I also had to use it on the machines. It recorded what I spent, and warned me if I was spending too much. Here the attitude was very different - yea, I could get a player’s card if I wanted, and if I felt like it I could register some details about me. So I did, and have the cards to prove it!

An interesting thing my hotel did was to have tables set aside during the day where you could learn to gamble - you’re given chips to bet with and a croupier shows you what to do, So I sat in with the blackjack lesson, and even with “play” money I lost, so I tried roulette too - a real gamblers game with no skill involved at all. It was at the blackjack table I learned the expression about playing to the eye in the sky - they have cameras watching every move everyone makes, and so you play to the camera. This was interesting, but I don’t think I’d want to play “for real” - not enough of the gambler in me to be interested in doing that.

Although you can spend a load of money here - and I did! - it’s also amazing how much free stuff there is. On one occasion I set out to visit Circus Circus - this is a longish walk from where I am, and one can get a monorail ride there, but I decide to walk in any case. Most of this walk is fun, and I go past the place I had Tapas in the first day I was here, and now it doesn’t seem so far away! Going past this the sidewalk goes alongside a building site, and the wind makes the dust fly - this is not the best place to be walking! But then I get to the Circus Circus entrance, and make my way into the casino, and up to the show area. Here they have real circus acts - for free - every half hour a different act. I stay and watch 3 acts, and in the time between go out and spend some money, so maybe the term “free” is open to interpretation!



At night the strip is alive with lights and the people, and it’s worth just walking and being. Undoubtedly the highlight for me was the water fountains at the Bellagio - not just a simple (or even complicated) fountain, but a fountain show choreographed to music and - well - quite amazing with shifting patterns of lights against the dark background. This too is different each “show” - I stopped and watched one show, then walked on around the lake, and I’d gone only half way round when the next one started. And the hotels are worth seeing and taking in - I was really taken with Paris, and its Eiffel Tower!
It is what it is, and Las Vegas has some great stuff, and some nice people, but also some rude and officious ones. And the amazing thing was - it was EXACTLY like it looks in the movies!

The High Life

I’m in Albuquerque, New Mexico and today is a day out - I get to take a trip up to the Sandia Mountains that are just outside of the city. A group of us from the hotel are going, and we assemble in the early morning to get the tour bus. Albuquerque is on a plateau, and it looks from the city as if the mountains just come straight up out of the plain. As we get closing it seems that they really do - it’s very flat, and then suddenly there are the mountain peaks. The area around the base of the mountain are Native American lands, and, we’re told, they also have the areas best casinos, which will arrange to come and pick you up from the hotel if we are interested.



The tour bus drops us at the Sandia Peak Tramway - the world’s longest passenger aerial tramway. All I can say from the bottom is that it looks long and steep and really impressive. Albuquerque is itself about 6,500 feet above sea level, and the tram - a cabin holding around 50 people suspended on a tiny wire - take 15 minutes to take us up another almost 4000 feet.



We get our tickets and board the “flight”, and that is not a bad description of the trip, as we sour up over the peaks and boulders that make up the face of the mountain. Down where we have been it’s the start of another warm and sunny day, but up here we’re told to expect cold. I’ve got a sweat shirt to put on, but some - who have done this trip before - have the foresight to bring blankets and coats, and real walking shoes. And others, who maybe have not read the information about the trip too well, are travelling in just their summer clothes and sandals.



A number of us take off in different directions - the other side of the peaks are the winter ski slopes, but a few of us take to walking into the hills. The first sign we see tells us that bears and other wild animals inhabit this area, and we’re warned not to approach them - don’t worry! If I see a bear the last thing I’m going to do is go up and try to shake its hand! We walk uphill and soon form into 3 groups - the leading pack who have done this before and/or are incredibly fit, and well prepared for walking. I’m not in that group! Then there are some reasonable walkers who are a bit less sure of their footing/less well prepared - you’ll find me in that group. And then finally a trailing group bringing up the rear.



And there is snow!! Even this late in the year there is snow in between the trees, and then as we go further up, we are walking over snow tracks. After a while we come to a clearing, and the more adventurous go right up to the edge of the cliff face.



I am getting over my fear of heights, but I won’t go that close to the edge, just close enough to see that it IS a cliff and a long way down. And I get someone to take my picture, to prove I did it!



The views from here are truly stunning, and some of the group decide to stay here and relax, whist others (me included) decide to carry on up, and maybe try get to a small cabin that is perched on a peak way in the distance. So again we set off, and again I’m in the second group, and we soon lose sight of the leaders. As we go up and further into the trees, the snow on the ground becomes thicker, and before long, snow is all we can see. At this point it becomes important to watch one’s footing - I walk a bit off the beaten track, and suddenly the snow cover gives way, and my left leg is thigh deep in snow. I try to get out, which causes my right leg to follow suit, and I’m soon covered in snow. But I get out and back onto the path, feeling sheepish for my stupidity. This happens a number of times, both to me and to my companions, and we are not even sure we’re on the right path anymore, so we take a group decision to turn back - we have after all, had a long and strenuous walk.



Climbing up a snow covered path is one thing, it’s actually much more difficult to climb down one! All goes well, until we come to a particularly muddy piece of the trail - I now know better than to go off the track to the snow, or I will certainly fall in. So I stick to the path, slip, and end up sliding a good way down the slope - but by now, I’ve got over being embarrassed, and it’s actually very funny! On our way back we meet the leading group, and we’re soon all back at the cliff face, where we sit for a while talking about our adventures, before heading back to the Tram.



We meet up with the non-walkers, and, it being well past lunch time, talk about what to do for food. There are two options - there is a restaurant up here at the top of the peak, and one at the bottom of the tramway. One of our party was talking to some locals last night, and was told that the place at the bottom has a wider menu, so after some discussion we all get into the tram for the trip down the mountain again. And one assume that this was to be the end of our adventures - but not so!



We get off the tram at the bottom to discover that the restaurant there is not open today! And out tour bus is not due back to collect us for another couple of hours. And our tram tickets only entitle us to one round trip! What to do?



A couple of our better negotiators go and talk to the people who operate the tram, and eventually persuade them, as a gesture of goodwill - and as they are not too busy - to give us free tickets to ride up and back once more, so we can go eat in the restaurant at the top. So we get another trip up over the peaks - how cool is that! Lunch is fine and then a scramble to get back down and onto the tour bus, and back to the hotel.

A physical and spiritual adventure indeed!

On top of the world (2)

It’s Saturday when I decide to go to the top of Sears Tower, and the “skydeck” that we hear so much about. So I have breakfast in a restaurant along Michigan, and then walk the few blocks to Adams and along there to the tower. Being Sunday, down town is quiet and only a few hardy souls are out and about this morning. But the wind still makes its presence felt - the sign outside the Tower advertising the skydeck is being bent over by the strength of the wind!



This starts off as a hurry up to wait occasion - first we wait to get into lifts that take us down - yes down - to the first basement. Then we wait in line to but our tickets. Then we queue up to get into the lifts that will take us up to the 103rd floor. This observatory is totally enclosed, and with somewhat annoying music playing when I went. But it also has some interesting exhibits about the history of Chicago around in the middle.



This is not a totally clear day, and the horizon from up here is indistinct, but the view gives me a different perspective from being on the ground. Down there it feels very built up and crowded, but from up here there seem to be many open spaces and lots of green. And lots of water too - not just the mighty Lake Michigan, but also the jetties and waterways. I watch fascinated as a boat, one of the water taxis I assume, but looking like a small toy, moves along the river and under the bridges.



Further round and I watch a freeway intersection - all connected and crossing roads, and having a beauty, somehow, in its simple grace. All around you see sparkling new office buildings, and the incongruously, even among these, you can spot the occasional old building, often a church, still standing proud.



An interesting effect that we can see is the shadows of the occasional cloud passing by, making dappled dark and bright areas over the city.



While I’ve been here the deck has filled up more, and there is a really long queue to get the lift back down. As well as the normal collection of tourists, there are a number of young looking soldiers here, sightseeing with their parents on their last leave before departing for a tour of duty. Waiting in line does give me the opportunity to look at all the pictures that are here about Chicago history, and then eventually I get the lift back down to the basement. This leads us through the inevitable souvenir shop, before getting the stairs up to the ground floor, and out once more into the windy city.

Where are the sailors?

I’m on my way to Chicago’s famous Navy Pier, and the route from my hotel looks simple on the map - along Michigan, cross the Chicago River, and then a right to Grand, which leads to the pier. Indeed it probably would have been simple if I’d followed that route, instead of following my instincts and deciding that a walk along the bank of the River would be nicer. And it was a nice walk - just a long one, with a lot of turning back when I got to dead ends; eventually, even nice architecture and river views pail when your dogs are barking.


(Navy Pier entrance)

But I get there eventually, and there is a kiosk for the open top bus tour people - so I stop and get a pass for that, which comes with a free tee shirt and a book of discount vouchers. The shirt is interesting; I’d assumed that anything given away by a tour company would make me into a walking bill-board, or at least have their logo prominently displayed. In fact, these have a design of a building on the front, and on the back it says that this is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park - very nice!


(Looking back to land)

Having walked this far, I walk some more and out onto the pier itself. It is another blustery day, and before long the rain comes sweeping in and I take refuse inside. Here I try on my rain coat - and it’s not the most elegant thing I’ve ever worn, but it will keep me dry.


(A wet Navy Pier and Chicago Skyline)

Going further down the pier, I see a bus with a face looking at me; no, I'm not that mad, it is a promotion for toilet tissue, themed around being “kind to your behind”. They give out vouchers, but also invite you in to have a massage - although I’m not sure I totally see the connection, a free massage is not to be turned down, so I take them up on the offer.


(A “soft and comforting” bus)

Then on to the end of the pier, and a hazy view out across Lake Michigan. Out here, on this wet and windy early spring day it’s easy to believe that I’m really on my own out here, and my only companions are some nesting birds, who seem surprised to see a person way out here.


(At the end of the pier)

Back inside the buildings I get to peek into the grand “family pavilion”, closed at the time I visited, and to look round the many shops and exhibitions there are. It’s odd sometimes what you see where - and here there is an exhibition of stained glass, very pretty, but I don’t see the connection.


(Looking out to the lake)

You can get boat rides from the pier, and on a whim I get a ticket for the “skyline” tour - a short ride that just goes out into the lake to allow a different view of the Chicago Skyline. This is exciting - but very VERY windy, to the extent that I’m actually glad this is only a 30 minute cruise.


(on Lake Michigan)

I like Navy Pier, and go back a few times, but get the bus there and back for the rest of the occasions. I make a particular point of going back one evening to see the funfair lit up and working. It’s still off season, and so not that many people are about, but it’s exciting and I decide to ignore my fear of heights and go on the Ferris Wheel. This is an experience - it is in continual motion, and so you get on and sit down as it moves by - and then off you go up and out over the water. They tell me it takes 7 minutes - but the strange thing is it seems timeless - suddenly from the noise of the funfair you’re in the inky blackness of a windy Chicago night, with just the noise of the Wheel turning for company.


(The Ferris Wheel at night)

I like this sort of place - I think it’s the combination of water and land - the not quite knowing which this is part of. Navy Pier is certainly one of my favourites.

A City lives up to its reputation

I arrive at Chicago Union Station around mid-day, got my bags off the train, and eventually found my way out of the building - every place I go I have to try to work out the way their particular signage works, plus I don’t know the things that are obvious to a resident.

But soon I’m outside and quickly find out just why this is called “the windy city” - all the time I’m there it seems to be a gale force wind. It’s not far to my Hotel, but walking through a busy city at lunch time pulling a suitcase and carrying a backpack is not that easy. The first thing I see as I cross the Chicago River is one of the bridges opening to let a boat through, so I stop and watch like the tourist that I am.


(Chicago River traffic)

This allows me to stop and see how the buildings here are right on the river, and it’s an interesting contrast between the ultra modern office blocks, and the older, more solid bridge. But it’s too windy to stay here long - plus being annoying to those business people who want to get on with working - so I move on am soon walking into “the Loop” - that area of down town that is circled by the elevated railway. My Hotel is just the other side of the Loop on East Harrison, and I manage to find it without too many wrong turns. I book in and get a nice room on the 11th floor with a small kitchen and lots of space - and with a view across the street to a parking garage. The phone rings as I’m looking round, and it’s reception to ask if everything is OK - I say that I like the room, but have they got one with a view that is worth looking at? Seems not, but it IS a nice room, and at least I can see more than my New York Hotel!

After some food and a rest, I really want to try the elevated railway system - The EL - so go down to the station, get a ticket and join a train - by now it’s after 4 and the trains are crowded, so I need to stand, but this is fine actually as you get better views that way. I get off at Merchandise Mart to investigate this building, and the first shop I see is a kitchen goods store - so I go investigate!

After a while of browsing, I’m asked if I’m there for the cooking demonstration - I admit I’m not, but ask if it would be a good idea to go. It turns out the shop - along with them all in the Mall - is about to close to the public, but that they are opening to a special demonstration, as it’s the start of the “Artopolis Art Show” and tonight is the International Antiques Fair preview party - all the great and good are going to be here for the opening at 6pm, and a number of the stores are putting on special events. But not open for normal browsers like me!

Since I’m there, I start to walk along looking at the shop fronts, and notice that more and more people in formal ware are arriving all the time - guests for the opening I assume. There are areas where you need to show a guest pass to get in, but the main areas appear to be open to the public, so I carry on walking. Soon, I get to a very crowded area, where there is a drinks reception being held, I think it’d be really easy to just grab a drink from a passing waiter and join in - but my travel clothes do not seem to fit in well with the rest of the guests, so I decide to beat a retreat.

Back outside I trace my way back to the station I arrived at - but it’s an exit only, and I can’t get in that way. A friendly local tries to direct me to an entrance, but we do have some communication difficulties, as he is Chinese and I’m English! The entrance is actually back in the Mart building, so I go back the way I came. It’s started to rain, and I stop on the way back to the hotel and buy a rollup plastic rain coat - it’s way too windy for an umbrella, and way too wet not to have any protection from the rain.

So that’s enough for one day - found the hotel - used Mass Transit - got windswept and wet - and had a fantastic day!

To travel, hopefully

When I was planning my trip to America, I had this romantic notion of doing a lot of travel on Amtrak - visions of seeing the sun rise over the plains; of craggy mountain passes; of eating dinner and watching the ocean go past.

Then I found out about the time and the cost, so most of my travel was by plane, but I did do a couple of Train trips.

My first Amtrak experience was when I was getting the train to Chicago, and to get the best (that is cheapest) ticket, I was up at 3.30am and made my way to the station to join the dozen or so sleepy people waiting for the train to be ready. I'm used to UK trains, where you walk along a platform, and step nicely across into the train - if you have luggage you just roll it over into the train, as we've on the same level as the carriage floor. But not so here - I walked along at wheel height, which is really allows you to see the size of the machine you're just about to try to climb into. And "try" is a good expression, when you have a wheeled suitcase and a bag over your shoulder - as I lift the suitcase, the bag falls off my shoulder and before you know it everything is jammed in the door. But I get help and stow the bigger bag on the lower level, before climbing more steps to the carriage proper. Getting a seat I have the strangest sensation - I want to put on a seat belt!! I do this so instinctively in cars and on planes that I feel somehow strange to be sitting without buckling up! Isn't it odd how something becomes so ingrained in us, that we only notice its absence.

We head out slowly at first - maybe a speed restriction on leaving a big city? - and then we are out and racing along through the dark early morning, and the lights are dimmed to let us sleep. But a lot of it isn't dark out there, I am amazed how many lights I can see, even on the apparently empty plains we are travelling through, you will see a light here and there from solitary buildings, the lights of cars on the roads, and then the occasional town with its street lights and road signs make for a sudden oasis of lights in the middle of the ocean of dark.

They kept the lights dimmed until something like 7am, and there were no announcements either, although we made a few stops. But 7 was the official wake-up time I guess, and the lights went on, and we were all welcomed and from then on we were told what stops we were coming to.


(passing a town)

I did doze on and off, and can't say I actually saw daybreak, but pretty soon it's kinda light, and I feel the need for breakfast, so go along to the "cafe". This is run by one of the most wide awake and outgoing people I think I've ever met! She tells me all about the great things I can do in Chicago, which is her home town, and is so bright and chatty and - well OK, I'll say it - loud:) that it really wakes me up as much to just talk to her as to have the coffee she serves!


(some freight cars, on their sides - why?)

We pick up more people at the stops along the way - the stops are amazingly brief actually and people must be really attuned to getting up and onto the train - we seem to simply pause at most places, but still people get on and off. Never do we get really crowded, but I'd say 75% of the seats were taken by the time we arrive.

We had started out really well - left on time and scooting along fine - but then we started to have delays - we went through sidings at one point, and we had to stop at each crossing, the guard would have to get out and ensure there were no people on the crossing, and then we'd go on. And we got stuck behind other trains and ... well there were many announcements, and we ended up 40 minutes late arriving. But somehow, that was not as frustrating as it is with planes - I think that because I was not restricted in a tiny space, and could still get up and move around if I wanted - at one point, I even went to my luggage and got out my laptop and played a computer game - not something it'd be possible to do whilst stuck on an airport runway.

But my lasting impression of that trip is of the steward in the cafe and her announcement that "we will be closing in 20 minutes, so come see me if you want to get coffee or food, or just to have a talk with me" :)

I also left Chicago by train, and here I was actually able to see the Illinois countryside more as we sped past it. Once again the towns came and went, each one seemingly with it’s store and gas station right there on main street. But the main impression of Illinois from the train is of the space and the sky - a storm developed and passed us as we travelled, and the sky went on forever.


(The Horizon goes on and on)


(and on and on)

My diversion for this trip was when I had lunch in the restaurant car - a really nice experience, and got to share my table with a youngster who was travelling all the way from New York way down to New Orleans to visit family. He had a sleeper and was getting all his meals on the train - what an adventure for the kid! He was a really charming young man, and as well as being interested in my trip, was happy to share about his own life and his family. At one point when we were ordering he asked about the vegetables being served - he knew how important fresh vegetables were, and he wanted to make sure there were going to be some:)


(In the observatory car)

Travelling on Amtrak give you a new view of the world, one you don’t get from plane or a car - and isn’t the journey part of the reason for going anyway?

On top of the world

Can you go to New York without going to the Empire State Building? Well, very easily! But the tourist in me wanted to go, so I could say I’d been :)


(A solid Building...)

From street level, this is a seriously solid looking building, and gives the appearance of being fat and squat. But then you look up, and it narrows and zooms up into the blue sky.


(...that sours into the sky)

I made my way along 34th Street and jostled with the people going about their normal business. The bottom of the tower is being developed as I was there, and is surrounded by scaffolding, and although I turn onto 5th Avenue correctly, I actually missed the entrance at first, and had to double back on myself. But then I do find the way in, and walk down the ornate entrance way, and then into the queue for the inevitable security checks. Then I queue for the elevator - work is underway here too, and the area is screened off by wooden boarding. This is not a busy day, but still the line for the elevator takes about 15 minutes. But then we are in the elevator and up to the 80th floor. Here we get out, and have to queue again for the elevator to the 86th floor. As I’m queuing, an attendant tells us we can choose to use the stairs if we don’t want to wait. This is too good an opportunity to miss, so I take them, and so can honestly say that I climbed the stairs to the top of the Empire State!

And so, a bit breathless but undaunted, I emerge into the sun in the viewing gallery. Now I have this thing about heights - I found I was afraid of them when I emerged onto the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral one day, and had to cling onto the wall with fear. But this sort of height - even though it’s way higher than that is not frightening - and I’ve no idea why!


(A view from the 86th floor)

The day is bright and clear, and the views are sharp way out to the horizon, and is it my imagination, or can you see the curve of the earth from up here? I walk round the enclosed area, and then out and round the open area - and man it is cold out here! But it’s eternally fascinating to be to see things from this height - almost like being in a plane, but with more perspective and closer up and personal. We get a great view of the building which I think is my favourite one in New York in terms of looks - the Chrysler Building


(The Chrysler Building from the Empire State)

Looking out gives one a sense of space and light - but looking down is a totally different experience - this is more about how close together things are, and how high we really are.


(In the shadow of the Empire State)


(Are YOU happy?)

And then again, just when you are feeling at peace with the world, and part of it all, and are just lining up one more photograph, when someone else really needs that particular view too right this second....


(I need that shot, and I need it NOW)

And then the queues to go down and the crush and harrying to wait. And I wouldn't have wanted to miss that experience - maybe on another trip I could do it at night which would be totally different, I'm sure. But for now I'm happy to say I've done the Empire State experience, and actively enjoyed it:)

A tail of four corners

I like to walk. And when I walk I notice things.

So here I am staying in New York in the spring of 2008, and I just walk the streets randomly, and then I find The Perfect Intersection. It's just another place where two streets cross, but this particular crossing produces 4 very different corners.



The Church.
On the first corner stands an old and impressive church building - The Church of the Holy Name. In the 1800's they knew that this was what a church should look like - full of arches and pulling your eye up skywards, it was constructed as an exultation to God. The architecture screams that it is a church building - what else could it be?



The Bank?
Opposite the church is another building that shouts out why it was built. The solid upright stance and pillars show that wealth and stability were the main things on the minds of the people building it. Of course, appearances can be deceptive - although built as a bank, it's now a Pharmacy.



The Pharmacy?
The third corner has a oddly dated look that the previous two - although older - did not. A late 20th century built tower, with a retail outlet at the bottom. A local tells me that the shop was originally a pharmacy, and I can see how that would have fitted in with the architects view of the use of his design. However, in a strange twist to the way buildings are used, it now operates as a bank.

The Red Brick
To me, the red brick apartment block is the architecture that really defines Manhattan, and here we see one, complete with store at street level. And that store was a pizzeria, complete with ATM for those who didn't want to cross the street to the bank

I don't think you could get 4 more diverse looks and feels - and usages! on any street corner, but there it was. And in the background you can see even more styles, showing the real melting pot that is New York, NY.

(Pictures taken 15 April 2008 at the intersection of Amsterdam and 96th, New York.)

On top of the bus

One of the nicest things to do in a city is to go on an open top bus ride. It’s also the best way to get overheated/cold/sunburned/wet/car fumes/dust in your eyes and whatever else the weather and the city in question can throw at you, but even so it’s a fun thing to do. This is about 3 rides I did in New York city.

I had pre-booked a ticket - there is little point in doing this, but I’d done it anyway - and went to the office of the coach company that was just off Times Square. There are a number of routes and companies, but I’d chosen one company, and paid for a ticket that would let me on and off on the Uptown and Downtown loops, and also on a “night” tour - actually, just about dusk time - but more of that later.

I actually collected my ticket the day I’d already been to Liberty Island, so it was getting late in the day, and I chose to go on the uptown loop, which would go nearer to my Hotel for when I was finished. The tour started off really slowly - New York traffic and road works meant that in the first 20 minutes of the trip we travelled only about six blocks. After a while, however, we got going at a better rate, and the tour guide was doing his job well - a native New Yorker, he told us that like many of his fellows he didn’t have a car, as there was no point in the crowded City - too expensive and easier to get around on the busses and subway.


(Central Park)

Our route took us up the West side of Central Park, and from the top of a bus, the park seems much smaller than when you’re in it - maybe that is just because you’re more aware of the surrounding buildings. Carrying on up Manhattan we come to the Riverside Park, and views of the George Washington Bridge and across the Hudson River to New Jersey - and the expected comments from our guide:)


(Washington Bridge in the distance)

Coming round in a kind of loop at that point, we find ourselves under the approach to the George Washington Bridge, down to the waters edge, and then up on the backbone of the island and suddenly looking down onto the subway tracks - this is disconcerting and difficult for me to work out what direction was are actually going in! The guide tells us about Harlem - his home is nearby where we are driving, and he has good stories to tell of the neighbourhood.


(Under the Washington Bridge)

Suddenly - and it as sudden as crossing an intersection - we are out of the area where normal people live, and into the exclusive and stunningly expensive East Side of Central Park. As we crawl along 5th Avenue we see the building of the Rich and Famous, and lots of Museums, which our Guide tells us are all closed or closing for the evening. Rounding the Park we start to travel back to Times Square, and I forget that I was going to get off nearer my Hotel, so in the end decide to carry on the the end of the route, and visit Times Square itself.


(Times Square)

Times Square is noisy, crowded, and full of advertisements and people. It’s fun just to be there and walk up and down, but it’s also the place I had the worse food item ever - a hot dog from a street vender which was totally tasteless and nothing - but at least I tried it!

I take the Downtown loop earlier the next day - this again means going to Times Square first on the subway and then waiting in the cool but sunny weather for the tour to begin. Our route takes us through the Square and the Theatre district, and along 34th Street past the Empire State building. From ground level it’s difficult to pick out that it is a particularly tall building, and it’s not (in my opinion at any rate) the most attractive building - the Chrysler building - with its sleek art deco look has to be one of my favourite buildings.


(Midtown view)

Carrying on through Greenwich Village and China Town we pass near to Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center. As we turn one corner, we see one of the many tributes around here - a fence full of tiles of many nations in memory of those who died.



The route takes us out to Battery Park, and a few glimpses of the Statue of Liberty out in the bay, before turning back up the island and near the start of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. We go past the United Nations building, and I was hoping to be more impressed than I was - well, it IS just a building, after all! Then back to the south of Central park, and so to Times Square once again


(Times Square)

The third bus trip I took was the “night tour”, although as I got it at 6pm, it was more an “evening” tour. This bus had the front of the area covered with a clear roof - which made it less windy, but more difficult to take photos. We set off again through the financial district, the Village and China town, but this time went over the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn. It is again very busy with traffic, but as the sun goes down, we get some pretty views of the Manhattan skyline.


(Manhattan from Brooklyn)

As we come back over the Manhattan Bridge the sun is really setting the western sky alight, and the colours are we cross the bridge makes me thankful that I can be here in this amazing city to see it.


(Crossing back into Manhattan at sunset)