Welcome to New York! One again it's been a while since the last blog so I may have to gloss over some smaller details, but they'd probably be boring anyway... Here we go!
The Greyhound arrived on Sunday afternoon and i bundled up my bags and headed for the subway. I'd been told this was an incredibly easy and comprehensive system and being a veteran of the London tube i figured i'd have no trouble. Although not being too difficult i spent some time catching the wrong train and changing at a number of stations, backpack in tow, before i made it to my hostel in Brooklyn. A number of people have asked what part of Brooklyn i stayed in, i tell them the bad part. I'm not sure if my area was actually dangerous but it was probably the largest culture shock i've had since arriving in the states. The hostel itself is alright, although two bathrooms catering for four floors has been an interesting situation.
The next few days i spent wandering around Manhattan trying to get to know my way round the city. When i first stepped out of the subway i was amazed! High rises literally as far as you can see. I think it's crazy that Manhattan is only 3 miles wide and 11 miles long and yet it has the population of Queensland and seems soo much bigger, i think, just because you can't see where the high rises end. It's very impressive. In my wanderings I've seen the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station, Broadway, 5th Avenue, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall... It goes on... Times Square was also one of the first places I visited. It's crazy! Like super busy all the time, neon lights everywhere, even the police station has a flashing sign. I wonder if it's a rule in Times Square. I also caught a glimpse of Will Ferrel exiting the theatre where they shoot the Late Show with David Letterman. New York so far is massive and has a distinctive energy, i understand why some people never leave this island.
On Tuesday the Super Fags were reunited when Justin arrived in New York. He stayed in a different hostel in a nicer area of Brooklyn. We went out into the city and had a walk around and then hung out in the park and discovered the joys of bouldering!
That night Justin headed home and i met up with James and Jake (for those who know them) we hit up some bars in the East Village, known also as Alphabet City because of the streets Avenue A through D.
Next day Justo skated into the city and we checked out Soho, a really kool area, a little more built up then the East Village. We looked at a bunch of little galleries which was interesting and also a great way to get out of the heat. It's soo hot here right now and humid to the max! That evening we headed back to the East Village and visited a couple of cafes (we walked past but haven't stopped in yet at the Life Cafe from Rent) and had dinner in a kool little Italian joint where the waitress sat down with us to discuss 4th dimensions and hypercubes... Oh, i forgot to mention that we saw a movie (Friend with Benefits) filming a fake flash mob in Times Square that evening starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, who were there amongst the crowd of dancing extras...
Next day i headed off by myself and spent some time in the park. Then i headed down towards the West Village. The more suburban areas are lined with brownstones and trees. I even wandered past Carrie Bradshaw's stoop, where they filmed Sex and the City, apparently they had to pay $60 000 every time they shot there. Her fictional address is actually on the Upper East side. The West Village, also home to Washington Square, is a little more upmarket than the East, but still sooo many little bars and restaurants. I love it here... Is that obvious???
Next few days we hung around in different areas eating at number of places and we even went out one night in the West Village. We visited to Stonewall Inn which is important, as it is the birthplace of the gay rights movement after the Stonewall riots occurred...
sometime. Another highlight so far has been the Bethesda fountain... It's in a few movies and things and is really pretty and quite tranquil, it's become one of my favourite spots. I also explored the High Line, a park that has been constructed on old raised railway lines. Also fun places are the Hershey's store and M & Ms World, the latter is three floors of shopping most of which is merchandise and not chocolate.
On Monday we both checked out of our hostels and made our way to our new place in Woodside Queens... This area seems a lot nicer and we spent the afternoon exploring. That afternoon Julianne arrived! The official hag of the super fags! We had dinner at an Indian restaurant in the area and then had a small day out in the city the next day, where we visited F.A.O Shwartz toy store home of the famous 'big piano' from the movie Big... So many places that I've seen in movies, which as I've said before is how i know what to look at when being touristy. Our new place is nice enough although a little cramped and very warm... Now that everyone is here we can finally start doing fun touristy things... New York is ridiculous in the best way and I can't wait to start seeing shows and visiting museums and eating at lots of kool places... That i'm sure you'll hear about...
It's a hell'uv'a town...
Josh... (w. Justin and Julianne)
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