An Englishman In New York... Again...

Ello there folks!! It's been a while hasn't it?? I apologise for that, though i have two very good reasons... 1) New York is just TOO ace, and i've got way too much to cram in before i fly back home and... 2) Finding an internet kiosk here is a lot like finding a virgin aged over 14 in Coventry, aka, nigh-on impossible!

Nevertheless, New York is, suffice to say, awesome. Loads of hustle and bustle and i've done quite a bit, so be prepared for an enormo-blog post here - just warning you so that you can get a cuppa or some munch for the journey ahead. Ready? Ok, let's go.

Well, i left you in Chicago with me dreading the impending journey to NYC on the Greyhound (standard practice to have the fear over it!). That night i wasn't going to do much until three girls asked me to watch a movie with them (2 Brits and an Auzzie)... and you know me... how can i refuse a movie?? The fact that it was girls asking me is entirely inconsequential! Ha, as if! Anyway, ended up watching When Harry Met Sally, which i always thought was a chick-flick, but i gotta say - it's pretty damn laddy and had me laughing away - boys, check it out.

Skip a day, and i'm on that damn Greyhound again after walking all day in TORRENTIAL rain. That was NOT fun and soaked me to the bone - every layer was drenched. A lot like the NOLA rain, but a little lighter - still damn soaking! This time i decided against the non-waterproof kagool i had with me, and just braved it... again, in shorts. My legs are looking pretty bronze now - weathered too!

The Greyhound itself... was actually normal!! I gotta say, that's actually quite a shame considering that it was my last one. I could have at least had ONE nutcase on the bus shouting obscenities or rocking back and forth whilst foaming at the mouth... but no. Everyone was normal... so i slept... a lot, and crossed 4 states in the process (Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania if you care). Long trip, but worth it to arrive here in NYC!

So what have i been upto whilst here?? Well, i first of all met my mother out here, which was nice - good to see a friendly face, and someone who i can begin prattling to about my journeys! Hannerz got a 1/2 filled in journey story (as i was only half way), but now more can be elaborated upon... except the stricted X-Rated stuff... that's probably best saved for mates, and not your folks right?? Haha.

Spent Friday just wandering around NYC and Central Park, and stopping off to see a Broadway production in the evening - it's gotta be done! Again, Aaron 'The Blag' Everitt was on form - tickets were sold out except for crappy standing $21 room. So i made a point about my mum's jetlag and the guy perked up again and 'looked' for seats... he found them - 2 $50 seats in the orchestral area. Result right? Yes, and even more so when you consider that these seats are actually priced at $120 EACH. Yes, i will save you money! Seems you're not the only blagger in town Jay!! Haha. No free sangria though... you win there! ;-). Anyway, Chicago was pretty cool - i finally began to understand the plot (i'm not a musical buff), and the girls in it were stunning - ab's so defined you could grate cheese on them. Yum! So when my attention waned i could at least stare at them. I'm never off the ball folks ;-) haha.

Next day... i encountered hurricane number 2 of my journeys. First i had Edouard in NOLA, which was wet. NOW I had to encounter Hurricane Hanna as it hit New York. What is it with me attracting natural disasters?? Luckily i've had no tornados or tsunamis, but hurricanes are bad enough! I don't think you get our news over at home, but it's definitely hurricane season over here - one's currently destroying Cuba (called Irvine), which isn't cool! Anyway, before it started to drench me, we managed to navigate our way over to the Empire State Building - which i only associate with King Kong, and got upto the 86th floor to have a look... at cloud. Yes, it was like having cataracts! Still pretty cool though...

... and leads me onto Aaron's random rant of the post! People who take photos of photos. Ok, why on Earth do you go on holiday to visit these places only to take a photo of the photo of that place? Example: in my hotel's lobby there's a wall size photo of Time Square and i've seen people standing in front of it having THEIR photo taken. Oh, did i forget to mention that Time Square is ONE BLOCK away - literally a 2 minute walk?! Why accept a crap substitute when you can have the real thing?! It's like having sex with 'Molly the Blow Up Love Friend' when you've got a gorgeous girlfriend inviting you into bed - you're only cheating yourself (and probably gonna get some chafage off that doll!). Urgh, bloody tourists!

Anyway! Then we dove into Macy's, which is an awesomely big shop full of bargains. Didn't buy much, as it's too big, but it was cool... and then it started to rain... and rain... and rain... About 3 inches fell in an hour at one point! Again, i wore shorts... as well as this huge poncho that we got from our bus tour company. So i looked a bit like a member of the Ku Klux Klan who clearly has no sense of how to dress with his shorts and flip-flops on. Well, either a KKK member, or Captain Condom. I'll leave it to the critics to decide! Unfortunately the rain kinda washed out the day, as we couldn't go uptown or downtown, as it just wasn't fun anymore! But nevertheless... i had stuff planned for the night time!!

You remember the night previously i went to a Broadway show?? All very nice and chirpy. Saturday night i went out to a gig in NYC - from Chicago to a band called Carcass. Quite a contrast of styles here! I think the names of the support bands should indicate how non-'nice and chirpy' this gig was: Aborted, Suffocation, Necrophagist and er.... 1349 (decidedly less sinister sounding!). The gig was in Times Square in the Nokia Theater, and it was amazing. Such good fun to get out to a show whilst i was away, and what better location?! Though i gotta say that gigs here are timed VERY oddly - the headline band didn't take the stage til midnight and finish til 2am!! That's unheard of back home, but is apparently routine out here! It was funny though to walk outside after having my ears molested that people were still roaming around in droves! NYC really is the city that never sleeps!! Well, i do - i went to sleep straight after. Need my beauty sleep - you can't keep my perfect face and stature on no sleep! Haha!

This brings us to yesterday - the all out touring day - the aim to cover as much ground as possible. And was it achieved?? You damn right! (Sorry, listening to the song 'Shaft' by Isaac Hayes at the minute - so there may be a lot of this in the upcoming paragraph!). Got uptown to see Harlem... which was kinda normal looking, though i still don't want to hang around there after darkness falls. I'll pass, cheers. Saw all of Central Park, had the worse lunch in the world at some Chinese place and then went downtown, stopping off at Wall Street - which was really nice and SO quiet!, Ground Zero - which was saddening, but good to look at, just to put the whole event into context - you really can't imagine how BIG those things must've been!, and the big blue lady in the bay, yes - the Statue of Liberty. Went out on a boat to see her, though all i could think of looking at the statue was Ghostbusters I (the prequel to the scariest movie EVER). I swear she was taller in that film! Still a sight to see though, despite the typically patriotic music getting pumped into my ears whilst i gazed upon her visage! The US definitely love their country! That i cannot doubt!

That kinda sums up yesterday really, which then brings us onto today. What have i done?? Well, i don't know yet, as i'm not psychic (although sometimes i like you to believe i am!). It's 10am in the morning at the mo, so i've got a lot of time to do a lot of things! Bit more exploring and shopping methinks! No hi-jinks with the ladies, considering my mum's in town... but trust me folks... i've got enough stories to tell y'all - don't you worry ;-)

This may well be the last post you get from the US! Sob! I'm actually gutted to be leaving, as this trip has been sensational - but i'll gush more about that in my final posting. So, the next time i speak to you i'll probably be back in Nuneaton! There'll still be updates though folks, so stay tuned!

Speak soon, and i love y'all,

Aaron! x