New York state of mind
September 28th 2009 07:22
New York never sleeps. The ideal place for a girl who has become accustomed to late nights, cocktails and neon lights.
In Washington DC and San Francisco, I felt a little nervous on the streets after dark but not in NYC. The place is teeming with people. Business takes place around the clock. I had my nails done at 10pm on a Sunday night for $12.
That's the other conundrum about New York. Some things are cheap, others very expensive. The nails might have been a bargain but the waxing cleaned me out.
There is so much to see and do in New York it's overwhelming. It is tempting to just sit down at a diner and eat till you die. I was still sticking to my American diet, however, where you only ever eat half your meal.
The highlight of New York is Central Park. They say it's the lifeblood of the city and I agree. It is the heart of it all - and no matter where you walk you seem to end up there. I began my New York visit with a run through the park in the rain. The next day, I saw it at a more leisurely pace, from the back of a pedi-cab. The place captured my heart.
I'm sure I will be pilloried by cultured folk from around the globe for only going to one Museum - the Metropolitan - but the truth is, New York is one big museum. Just riding around on the subway is a cultural experience. In any other country, buskers this good would be on scholarships at the Conservatorium of Music or winning Australian Idol. I saw gospel singers, one man bands, hip hop artists, acrobats and much more.
The Met was indeed impressive. Part art gallery, part history museum, I could have gone back every day for a month and not seen it all. My favourite was a modern Italian painter called Modigliani.
The rest of the time I spent wandering around - Staten Island, over the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn's Dumbo area, and downtown.
The luckiest moment of my trip came when I was ambling through the West Village. There was a crowd of people jostling for position, a street was blocked off and NYPD was swarming. "What's happening?" I asked.
"President Obama is having lunch with President Clinton," came the reply.
"Cool," I thought to myself. A brush with celebrity. I walked on, sure that lunch would take hours. Indeed, a few hours later, after another lunch where I left half of it on my plate, I was walking in Greenwich Village. Suddenly, I was trapped by metal barricades and couldn't cross the road. "What should I do?" I asked the policeman.
"Just wait," he said.
A few minutes later, 18 police motor cycles drove down the street, followed by two black secret service cars. Then, two limousines with US flags flying.
I looked through the window of the limo, three metres away from me and there's Barack Obama, waving to me as if I'm the only one there. Unforgettable.
Later in the week, I saw Mamma Mia at the Winter Garden Theatre. Standing room cost $20 a ticket. The view was excellent and each person had a numbered place to stand. I laughed and cried, especially at the bad Australian accent assumed by one of the actors. A truly memorable evening.
At first I stayed on the Upper Westside, a comfortable residential neighbourhood with good value hotels. The Hotel Belleclaire gives you a large room for New York with new furniture and a decent bathroom for about $250 a night.
I am a magnet for scaffolding though. Cafe Claude in SF was literally encased in scaffolding while I watched on. When I arrived at the Hotel Belleclaire I was unsurprised that the exterior was completely obscured by metal.
The next hotel I went to, The President in mid town, near Times Square, was also being renovated. I managed to rent the smallest room ever, with the worst shower in the world. Every day I would stand in ankle deep in water during my shower, while the water refused to do anything other than trickle down the plug hole. All this for about $300 a night. But it was right in the heart of things, so I put up with it.
On my last night I splurged. The Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue. What a night I chose. As I checked in, reception informed me that the hotel was hosting the 64th UN Congress. They also upgraded me to a suite which was four times the size of my room in the last hotel.
The place was full of politicians and royalty from around the world. African women looking regal in colourful outfits and hundreds of security guys talking into their sleeves. The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd was speaking there a day after I left.
So, I pretended I was famous too, just for one night. I was convinced, even if no-one else was.
In Washington DC and San Francisco, I felt a little nervous on the streets after dark but not in NYC. The place is teeming with people. Business takes place around the clock. I had my nails done at 10pm on a Sunday night for $12.
That's the other conundrum about New York. Some things are cheap, others very expensive. The nails might have been a bargain but the waxing cleaned me out.
There is so much to see and do in New York it's overwhelming. It is tempting to just sit down at a diner and eat till you die. I was still sticking to my American diet, however, where you only ever eat half your meal.
The highlight of New York is Central Park. They say it's the lifeblood of the city and I agree. It is the heart of it all - and no matter where you walk you seem to end up there. I began my New York visit with a run through the park in the rain. The next day, I saw it at a more leisurely pace, from the back of a pedi-cab. The place captured my heart.
New York across Central Park
I'm sure I will be pilloried by cultured folk from around the globe for only going to one Museum - the Metropolitan - but the truth is, New York is one big museum. Just riding around on the subway is a cultural experience. In any other country, buskers this good would be on scholarships at the Conservatorium of Music or winning Australian Idol. I saw gospel singers, one man bands, hip hop artists, acrobats and much more.
The Met was indeed impressive. Part art gallery, part history museum, I could have gone back every day for a month and not seen it all. My favourite was a modern Italian painter called Modigliani.
Italian modern artist Modigliani, at the Met
The rest of the time I spent wandering around - Staten Island, over the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn's Dumbo area, and downtown.
The Staten Island Ferry
The luckiest moment of my trip came when I was ambling through the West Village. There was a crowd of people jostling for position, a street was blocked off and NYPD was swarming. "What's happening?" I asked.
"President Obama is having lunch with President Clinton," came the reply.
"Cool," I thought to myself. A brush with celebrity. I walked on, sure that lunch would take hours. Indeed, a few hours later, after another lunch where I left half of it on my plate, I was walking in Greenwich Village. Suddenly, I was trapped by metal barricades and couldn't cross the road. "What should I do?" I asked the policeman.
"Just wait," he said.
A few minutes later, 18 police motor cycles drove down the street, followed by two black secret service cars. Then, two limousines with US flags flying.
I looked through the window of the limo, three metres away from me and there's Barack Obama, waving to me as if I'm the only one there. Unforgettable.
President Obama drives by after lunch with Bill Clinton
Later in the week, I saw Mamma Mia at the Winter Garden Theatre. Standing room cost $20 a ticket. The view was excellent and each person had a numbered place to stand. I laughed and cried, especially at the bad Australian accent assumed by one of the actors. A truly memorable evening.
At first I stayed on the Upper Westside, a comfortable residential neighbourhood with good value hotels. The Hotel Belleclaire gives you a large room for New York with new furniture and a decent bathroom for about $250 a night.
I am a magnet for scaffolding though. Cafe Claude in SF was literally encased in scaffolding while I watched on. When I arrived at the Hotel Belleclaire I was unsurprised that the exterior was completely obscured by metal.
The next hotel I went to, The President in mid town, near Times Square, was also being renovated. I managed to rent the smallest room ever, with the worst shower in the world. Every day I would stand in ankle deep in water during my shower, while the water refused to do anything other than trickle down the plug hole. All this for about $300 a night. But it was right in the heart of things, so I put up with it.
On my last night I splurged. The Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue. What a night I chose. As I checked in, reception informed me that the hotel was hosting the 64th UN Congress. They also upgraded me to a suite which was four times the size of my room in the last hotel.
The place was full of politicians and royalty from around the world. African women looking regal in colourful outfits and hundreds of security guys talking into their sleeves. The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd was speaking there a day after I left.
So, I pretended I was famous too, just for one night. I was convinced, even if no-one else was.
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