New York

New York 2004

A chance to trip the light fandango in the city that never sleeps was not one to be missed.

The internet relinquished two cheap flights to Newark, NY. The hotel reviews were very hit or miss so we decided to book only 2 nights accommodation.
Despite my previous citation for speeding (& unpaid fine), we breezed through US customs and caught a bus to our hotel. Initial impressions were not good - a rubbish strewn ethnic area in the 'wholesale' quarter of 28th street. However, this was deceptive. The lobby was well manned, the room was clean, large, cool, quiet . .and being on the 11th floor, gave wonderful views of the Empire State Building. Result.

The nearest subway was 20 yards away and was definitely the way to negotiate New York. A MetroCard, all of $21, gave us unlimited travel for the week - and boy did we milk it.

Guggenheim Museum.

We immediately took the opportunity to 'explore'. Times Square was garish eye candy, hectic and definitely not the place to shop or eat. Instead we headed to West Village on 19th Street. Being near the University, it was far more earthy and eclectic, but just as lively.

This area was home to some excellent shops, bars and restaurants and we loved it.Ignoring jetlag, we started the

Times Square at night.

holiday proper on Sunday. Wendy was keen to kick off with the culture, so we visited the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim. Sadly, both were below par.

The MOMA is temporarily located in Queens while its usual site gets a refurb, and it was clear that many of the better exhibits were still in storage.

Adjacent to Central Park, the Guggenheim was impressive architecturally. But like a Kinder-egg, the inside was very disappointing - very light on substance and heavy on self indulgence. Perhaps I am a heathen, but I like art to be something that I could not do myself. To me, an all-black canvas next to an all-white canvas . . . . . is just that. From the 'explanation' of the piece by the artist, it was clear that he had been shooting-up.

Despondent, we headed into Central Park, and were not despondent for long. What a wonderful park. In bright sunshine, we walked all the way to the southern end - passed the reservoir with the running track, people playing baseball, the zoo and strawberry fields. Great way to spend an afternoon.

Other than sightseeing, the other motivation for the trip was shopping. At 0830 the next morning, we were in a bus heading for Woodbury Common Outlet Mall. With over 300 shops, we quickly split up to begin the marathon. Meeting up for lunch, I have never seen Wendy so burdened by so many shopping bags, or so agitated - so many shops, so little time !

Wolfing down her lunch quicker than a starving chihuahua on a pork chop, she was off again.

However, there were bargains aplenty - Guess jeans, Ralph Lauren shirts and several pairs of Timberland boots that now have air miles.

That night, we headed out to Shea Stadium to watch our first baseball game proper - the Mets vs Philadelphia. What a great experience. The subway ride to the stadium (in air conditioned carriages) was easy, entry to the Stadium flawless and our seats on the second tier gave us a great view of the game.

Central Park.

Relentless hot-dog vendors kept us replete and a home win was the icing on the cake.

Ticket for the game.

The exit to the subway was again well organised and we ended the evening with a few too many cocktails in an Irish Bar.

Over the next few days, we explored New York. A trip by boat around the island of Manhattan was good value and gave us another perspective on the city.

We window shopped 5th Avenue (twice), and also managed to take in a Broadway show - 42nd Street on 42nd street.

We were able to extend our stay in the hotel for another 2 nights, but they were fully booked over the last 3 days. Reluctantly, we found alternative accommodation on the internet - it said 5* but was suspiciously cheap at $100 a night. With trepidation, we checked in.

All we could say for several minutes was 'WOW'. It was a large, plush apartment aka Friends, superbly located on 34th street, with aircon, ensuite, kitchen, living room - and all beautifully decorated. Someone was smiling on us.

View from Ellis Island.

The cafes and bars nearby were tip-top and we enjoyed some quite outstanding meals.

A trip to the top of the Empire State, prop for so many films, was a must. However, the queuing in dingy corridors was very oppressive and the SkyRide (fairground- type ride over New York) was a total and utter waste of time.

Empire State.

Still more queues before we finally emerged at the observation deck. The views were fantastic (obviously), but the clouds came in quickly and we were forced to cut short the experience. And more queues to get down ! It had to be done, but was not as good an event as it could have been.

On the last day, we headed to the south of Manhattan to see Ground Zero. A building site. Then by ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, which was smaller than I expected, but no less impressive.

St. of Liberty.

And onto the big finale. Huge. Convincing Wendy to go to Times Square one more time, we emerged to the usual hurly-burly. Then, on Friday 28 May 2004 at 5 pm in the middle of Times Square, on bended knee and with a very shiny bling, I finally asked Wendy to marry me.

. . . . . . . . . . . she said YES !

We left New York in high spirits but were still pleased to return home to Bristol, the city that sleeps, and a reunion with 'darling', otherwise known as Minnie the Cat. She was delighted with the good news.