#such a memorable night. we ended up going to an irish pub after the game and sang along to karaoke

[hjarta]

toronto won against montreal and we broke the world record for most attendance at a women’s hockey game (19k+ in a stadium which is crazy and exciting bc nobody usually cares about women’s sports)

[bluevelvetcat]

I’m finally back from my four-week holiday in Ireland, Scotland and Italy. Since I can’t go back in time, blogging is a nice way to relive the trip.

Originally I wanted to go to Iceland, but in the end I swapped one letter and decided to book an organised trip with Intrepid Travel to Ireland instead. I always wanted to go anyway. My trip began with a couple of hiccups: I left a book at the Melbourne Airport, and because of flight schedule change my luggage got delayed in London. Then I somehow managed to lose one of my socks during the night at the hostel in Belfast; at least I had a spare pair in my carry-on backpack. Speaking of hostels, I’ve decided that I’m officially too old for this shit. Not necessarily hostels themselves, but sharing a room with a bunch of strangers and climbing up a bunk bed? No thank you!

You never know what your group will turn out to be like, but we had a really good one, just seven people including myself, a mix of Aussies and Americans. Also, it made a big difference to have an Irish group leader; I loved my time in Scotland and Italy, but it was great to explore a country through the eyes of someone who knows it well.

Favourite meal: rich Irish home-style stew I had on our farewell dinner in Dublin. Also, full Irish breakfast with sausage and black pudding is pretty awesome, if mighty filling.

Fridge magnet count: 4

Favourite pub: Crown Liquor Saloon in Belfast, fabulously ornate establishment decorated by Italian craftsmen.

Most valuable wardrobe item on the trip: down parka I borrowed from my Mum. I sorta knew that northern Europe wasn’t going to be warm in June, but the cold still came as a bit of a shock.

Did the trip make me like Guinness: No

Belfast

I really liked Belfast. It’s hard to explain its appeal; it’s not a pretty or showy city, but it has a very distinctive vibe and a sort of edginess, perhaps the stamp left by its very complicated past and present. Titanic Museum is a fairly recent attraction there and it’s a genuinely impressive exhibition, telling not just the story of the ill-fated ship, but also Belfast, where it was built. There was an unexpected theme park-style ride through the “shipyard”, and a giant auditorium dedicated to the haunting underwater footage of the shipwreck.

Titanic Museum

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones has given a big boost to the tourism in Northern Ireland. We visited a couple of locations from the show: Ballintoy Harbour, which doubled for the Iron Islands, and Dark Hedges, an eerie avenue of beech trees seen in Season 2.

Lannister family stained glass artwork in Belfast

The Dark Hedges

Ballintoy Harbour

Giant’s Causeway and Cliffs of Moher

Irish coast boasts some truly spectacular spots, and these two were the big standouts for me. Though I realised that I had the Cliffs of Moher and the Cliffs of Dover in England all mixed up in my head; my first reaction was, um where are the white cliffs? On the way to the Giant’s Causeway, we stopped at Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which is also very scenic (and a tad nerve-wracking to cross in windy conditions).

Giant’s Causeway

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Aran Islands and Galway

I’ve never heard of Aran Islands before, but it turned out to be a great day trip out of Galway, made even better by fine weather and bright blue skies (funnily enough, our best weather in Ireland happened in a place where it almost never happens). On the Inis Mór island, there are 14 tiny villages, colonies of seals, and about 4,000 miles of endless rock fences. The main attraction is the prehistoric stone fort Dún Aonghasa, which offers great views and zero OHS measures, with a terrifying sheer drop that’s completely unfenced. I won’t lie, it was kinda nice being in a scenic place without the usual hand-holding. Aran Islands are also famous for their unique knitwear, which was a tad too expensive for me and did absolutely nothing for my figure either.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend much time in Galway, but I liked what I saw of its artsy, funky centre, with loads of street performers on every corner.

Galway

Seven Churches cemetery

Views from Dún Aonghasa fort

Fences, fences everywhere…

Galway

Ring of Kerry

County Kerry is considered to be the most “Irish” part of Ireland, less influenced by the English than the north and with one of the most impenetrable regional Irish accents. We weren’t as lucky with the weather on this day trip from Killarney, but it was still a memorable day that had a bit of everything: lush green countryside, sheepdog demonstration, ancient stone forts, and delicious Baileys hot chocolate. In the evening, we enjoyed Celtic Steps, a show of Irish music and dancing with a refreshingly casual vibe.

Leacanabuaile stone fort

Small town of Sheem

Kilkenny National Park

Torc Waterfall

Dublin

Our train journey to Dublin was an experience; every carriage was full of loud chattering girls and women piling on make-up. As it turned out, they were on their way to Dublin to see Spice Girls reunion concert. I was offering thanks for my noise-cancelling earphones, that’s for sure.

I was glad to have an extra day in Dublin after our tour was officially over, because there’s a lot to see. I got talked into going to the Guinness Storehouse, which was a very well-organised attraction whether you have any interest in Guinness or not. I also spent quite a bit of time around the Trinity College, where you can see the Book of Kells, a beautifully illustrated 9th century manuscript, and the Long Room, the most amazing old library I’ve ever seen.

Ha’penny Bridge

Famine Memorial

The Long Room at Trinity College

Trinity College

Guinness Storehouse

Europe Trip: Ireland I'm finally back from my four-week holiday in Ireland, Scotland and Italy. Since I can't go back in time, blogging is a nice way to relive the trip.

[uterusclub]

As any Native Chicagoean can attest, the winter never fails to destroy our souls – at least temporarily so. But as that weary tail-end concludes, one gradually regains hope, energy, and enthusiasm. These are the trappings of no more woe. 

Our first expedition involved a visit to the Otherworld Theatre Company to see a choose-your-own adventure style production of ‘Quest for Thrones.’ We were beckoned to make several decisions for the Game of Thrones characters which mostly involved death or killing and to no surprise of mine, our crowd was an outwardly, murdery bunch. So we got along just great. The only downside to the show was the mold-induced smell of the lobby area where I quite literally gawked around the room to see if anyone else was just as disturbed as I. They did not appear as such which daunts me even more. Following the very short but delightful show, we made our way home but the night just didn’t feel complete. So we made a stop-off. Well, 2, actually. Sharon had demanded a hot dog the entire day so we stopped at my beloved Susie’s and then headed a few blocks down to my treasured karaoke joint, Sidekicks! It had been quite some time since my last sing so it was well-overdue. Upon arrival, we noted several people already singing which took me by surprise. While Sharon hit the bano, I was met by my long-time waitress friend who’s name I can’t completely remember – Christine – Christina? Christy? Something like that. I’m horrible. In any case, she offered me a mis-remembered test-tube shot (Sex on the Beach) to which I declined (my favorite is the Buttery Nipple) and ordered us a few drinks. I immediately trolled through the song book to figure out my agenda which, let’s be honest, is usually the same couple songs. Due to low attendance, I was announced very quickly. The night continued much the same aside from several interruptions from ‘the mutants at table 9’ who attempted to Facebook us (we DID give them Uterus Club as our contact but perhaps they considered this a joke as nothing ever came of it). We had met our end all be all of interactions with these folks when one of them dedicated a song to me. It was at this point, we slipped out, past the bouncer and I quite literally ran to my car even though Sharon had my keys and fumbled around for horror-movie record time. Surely, we would have been killed. Regardless, wonderful, hilarious night.

Onward. Sharon has been madly obsessed with a man by the name of Max Frost whom she played a few songs of a little while back. She missed a previous concert of his as my schedule wouldn’t allow it but recently discovered he was once again, back in Chicago! Naturally, she grabbed tickets and demanded (or rather, asked super nicely) we go. The last time we had been to Subterranean in Wicker Park was for Allison Weiss which was a blast! I recalled our hanging out on the upstairs area and peering down at the entire performance. Max Frost was equally rewarding in this sense. Unfortunately, getting awesome seats around the threshold of the upstairs area meant getting there early and listening to the opener – a girl we had already pre-researched and were not impressed with. Ironically, she ended up sounding way better live. Further irony kicked in when we discovered there was an ADDITIONAL opener who no one knew! THIS guy? Oh man. This was your stereotypical, dirty hipster trying-to-be-real with the ‘people’ who attempted to be deep and introspective while sitting on stage without shoes on. Absolutely horrendous! It should come as no surprise that we were a tad bit ecstatic when Max Frost FINALLY showed up on stage. Yes, we were ecstatic for approximately five songs and then all fizzled out into exhaustion. Capping the night and our very classy ride home via the most wonderful CTA, we listened to a homeless man reflect on his rejection of a plus-sized lady whom he compared to several, large animals. Always an adventure.

But wait. There’s more. ‘March madness’ couldn’t possibly be complete without a little festive shout-out to the Irish. And we went all out people. Having said that, I believe I’m some ridiculously low percentage Irish but I’ve also BEEN to Ireland so I think I get a free pass on that one. In any case, Sharon suggested we hit up the downtown dying of the river in the morning since neither of us had actually seen it live. Sure, the videos are fun but it couldn’t possibly be the same. So bright and early, we headed downtown to park and walk over to one of them many bridges to catch a peek. I had no goddamn idea shit was going to be that cray! Seriously, it was college town USA and like, early. The only good part of the situation is that everyone was very merry but not obnoxiously so (yet). The bad part of the situation is that the color saturation hadn’t exactly made itself evident enough from our viewpoint and therefore, we saw a little bit of green far off in the distance. Major fail. Our follow-up idea was to hit up Public House for their themed

cake shakes, however, we later realized it was already privatized for some wrist-band drinking event all morning and not open to the public! So we hit up the ‘poor man’s’ Public House ie. JoJo’s Milk Bar. The place was small and unimpressive to say the least. Sharon ordered us a ‘shake’ which was sad. We took a few obligatory sips before headed out. Next stop? Milwaukee! That’s right!

There’s absolutely no musical I love more than Phantom of the Opera. I legit have this shit memorized. On our way up to Milwaukee, I googled us a place to stop and eat nearby before the show. The Internet gods brought us to Ale Aslyum Riverhouse. It’s difficult to explain the complete awe of driving from a crazed downtown Chicago to a completely abandoned downtown Milwaukee. Streets were desolute! We had apparently come to the right place. Upon grabbing a quick lunch and Sharon randomly bumping into an ex-client of hers, we made our way to the Marcus Performing Arts Center. As usual, I had completely forgot what sort of seats I had purchased us but apparently I did well since we ended up in the back row on the end of the aisle. The performance was most enjoyable – although some of the singing was a bit inconsistent and I think we both spent a questionable amount of time wondering what the race of the Phantom was. We stayed long enough to hear by favorite trio part before seamlessly ducking out and venturing over to one last stop before home: Mars Cheese Castle. To say this place is anything other than completely overwhelming would be a lie. We came away with a few bags of curds and not much more due to ambivalence. Next time I’ll do some research.

St. Patrick’s Day! The OFFICIAL! Our festivities for the day mainly included eating and drinking. Oh yes, we also threw in a little Boondock Saints as well and some Pandora Irish playlist to accompany our cooking. Menu included Guinesse drumsticks, spinach puff-pastry shamrocks, mashed cauliflower and corned-beef eggrolls. Don’t forget, topping off our day-drinking of Magners Hard Cider which was doused with a few drops of green food coloring! We completed the meal with alcohol cupcakes purchased the night before at the previously mentioned Mars Cheese Castle. And that’s a wrap!

So guess what? We loved Milwaukee SO much that we decided to visit it AGAIN! But THIS time, we really meant business. First stop? Plato’s Closet. It’s tradition after all. Next stop? A little Milwaukee Burger Company. Ginormous, Deep-fried cheese curd cubes, anyone? Stomach – my apologies but worth it. Where to now? Our most beloved Lost Valley Cider Co. where we met an Irish wolf dog who was HUGE and wonderful! We also got our hands on a peanut butter and jelly cider as well as a Hibiscus cider we enjoyed so much we ordered some to go!

Catching a nice buzz now, we made our way to Swing Park where a bunch of hoodlums roamed and I tried to do fancy moves for photographic integrity. Sharon captured what appears to be a child abduction in progress which is absolutely priceless. Our journey now took us to the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum which, not gonna lie, I didn’t know anything about and frankly, still don’t. But it was pretty and had a cheap Groupon and had a fantastic view! Finalizing our self-guided tour here, we finally headed to our haunted (that’s right), Bed and Breakst: Brumder Mansion.

We were met by innkeeper, Tom who was an absolute joy! Unfortunately, he didn’t give us much intel to go on as far as ghosts were concerned – only to say there were 13 and none sounded menacing (how very disappointing). He also mentioned there being some children that tend to fidget with items left out if you ask them to which Sharon left out a ridiculous amount of things. I’ll save you the suspense – nothing was moved. In any case, we hung out for a little while before heading out for our dinner reservation at the Pasta Tree. This has always been a favorite of mine, however, both service and food was mediocre at best for some reason. We followed up dinner with drinks at a nearby Irish bar by the name of Paddy’s Pub which ended up being one of my favorite parts of our trip! Decor was beautiful and sweet and the employees were homey and gracious.

The pinnacle of this trip was our finalized stop-off at the Oriental Theater to see a viewing of the Room with actor/director/writer, Tommy Wiseau present! The line for this event was literally down the street and around the corner! It took me a second to realize that Tommy was signing autographs and taking pictures BEFORE the actual showing so we jumped ship from our spots in line to meet the man himself who was kind and sweet (and apparently dug my tattoos). After re-joining our original line, we eventually made our way back into the theater and  headed up to the balcony for anti-social viewing. Oh! And I mustn’t forget the spoons. While we had been in line outside, someone was passing out handfuls of plastic spoons which we didn’t take out of confusion – only to research and later discover it was a ‘thing’ that went along with the movie. Our bad. Next time! Show was scheduled to start at 9:30pm. Show started at, I’m going to say 10:45pm after all the delay and opening shenanigans. We were tired as all hell. And made it just about 15 minutes into the movie before calling it a night. Unfortunately, leaving out of the theater, Sharon predicted Tommy might be hanging out in the lobby and of course, lo and behold, there he blew! Goddamnit! So we attempted to casually saunter out only to be met with a very saddened, ‘Where you going? Home?” It actually broke my heart. Poor Tommy. Heading back to the B&B, we both eventually passed out and roused for our adorable breakfast. Parting fairly quickly after our meal, we had a final, triumphant stop off at the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino and endeavored in a little morning Bingo. Again, I’ll save you the suspense – we didn’t win. And I’m sure I demanded vengeance per usual.

Wrapping up the wonderful month of March was our visit to the United Center to see Mumford and Sons! I had purchased tickets for Sharon for her birthday back in February. She had been talking about wanting to see them for as long as I can remember. It was only after I had purchased said tickets that she vocalized her hatred of their latest album. Fortunately, they didn’t play much of it. As a precursor to the show, we stopped

off at Viaggio for some Italian dinner. Twas splendid! We then took a buzzed walk over to the show and awed over the comfort and view of our seats! No one in front of us and at the end of the aisle! Cat Power was the opener who I am familiar with but don’t know much about. I described her as ‘more depressing than Aimee Mann’ which Sharon could barely wrap her head around. Crowd became super anxious as a result but as soon as

Mumford showed up, the energy was electric! I’ve never been the hugest fan of theirs but I will say they put on a damn, fine show! Again, left after a handful of songs but know, I would have stayed til the end. And as we left, drenched in the cold rain whoring our make-up, I knew that this and everything else had all been worth the wait.

Oh Hi, March As any Native Chicagoean can attest, the winter never fails to destroy our souls - at least temporarily so.

[vickybarwick]

  ~ Visiting New York City for the first time! ~

  I thought, following my first visit to New York, it would be worth sharing some of my experiences with you. As much as you can research for yourself, which I did prior to leaving the UK, and also take on recommendations from others that have been before, there is still a lot I would like to share with you. I think it would have helped me a little if I’d known some of this beforehand – hindsight is a wonderful thing!

This is the real deal, no rose-tinted glasses. I speak as I find. Just know this is my opinion and anyone’s NYC experience is going to be different.

  I wanted to journal my trip daily for prosperity, so hopefully these shared memories will not only be of interest to you but will serve as “My Diary of NYC ~ Oct ’18”. Just to let you know the reason behind the trip  was to celebrate my silver wedding anniversary – 25 years married – that’s quite an achievement and my husband and I wanted to celebrate the occasion by visiting New York and taking in the sights!

We visited the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, The Empire State Building, Ground zero, Central Park, The American History Museum and Times Square – the whole shebang! and more!

I hope you enjoy!

  DAY 1# Mon 08 Oct

Arrival via Heathrow, London – JFK at 12:10. Picked up by My Sedan (pre-booked through Virgin Atlantic). 10/10 for this service.  With its easy pick-up at JFK in a huge 6 seater SUV, by an amazing driver, called Antoine.  GO Link NYC Antoine talked us through our route explaining we were driving through Queens, through Queens Midtown tunnel and on to Manhattan. I found it interesting that one car has to pay over 8 dollars per trip to go through the tunnel, to get into Manhattan. Antoine answered any questions, pointed out some landmarks and we talked about the American economy and the American way of life. It was really interesting to get such an insight into Manhattan. After about 40 minutes we arrived at

The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Midtown Manhattan/Penn Station

    Lobby

  Reception

  The lovely large lobby area with complimentary hot drinks (side note to self: forget your good old English cup of tea; wait ’til you’re back home).  This served us well after a long day, a welcome seat and good WiFi is always a must.  The rooms were a fair size with plenty of storage/hanging wardrobe, lovely large modern shower room and very comfy bed.  All you need for your short stay.

  Post Office

  At the time the Fairfield Inn & Suites had some construction going on across the road, on the Post Office, albeit a stunning building, the maintenance started up most mornings around 04:00, we, thankfully stayed on the “dark” side of the hotel, (room 508), which was quieter but received little daylight, hence this dimly lit shot! However, I cannot fault the staff from reception to daily house-keeping, to the concierge service.

  Double Room

  After briefly settling in and unpacking we set out on our first adventure on foot, not in any particular direction. We could actually see The Empire State Building straight down East 34th Street, about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. We headed north and before long entered Times Square. Times Square is what it is, very busy, noisy, very fast paced. A lot of traffic coming from all angles, but that’s what I imagined it to be like, so I wasn’t particularly surprised by this atmosphere.

    Times Square

        We needed food by now and quickly realised you weren’t going to get much of any quality in Times Square so headed back in the direction of our Hotel and found The Ragtrader and Bo Peep Cocktail and Highball Store on 70 West 36th Street and ate a delicious pizza.  The House-made Sausage with marinated broccoli Rabe, ricotta, arugula, grana padano and chilli flakes got my vote for uniqueness and taste.  Paradise for my taste buds.  After this we wandered back to the hotel for a restful sleep in our extremely comfortable bed.

  DAY 2# Tues 09 Oct

This morning started early, waking around 04:15 but feeling rested. The hotel offered breakfast. This is rare to find this included but it worked to our advantage as this does save time in the mornings.  Not having to search for a descent breakfast at an additional cost and time is of the essence when you only have 4.5 days to conquer NYC. The weather was kind to us at 73 degrees plus, albeit a little humid, making for frizzy hair days!

As it was our 25th Wedding Anniversary today we wanted to do something memorable so we set out to walk the hour to 9/11 memorial & museum to start the day. We walked down 8th Avenue, joining Greenwich Avenue and headed south. This route took us through West Village, and this was actually a really nice area, with a very different atmosphere to the previous night!

      Abingdon Square

  A little bit of celebrity spotting had to be done didn’t it  – passing Justin Timberlake carrying two coffees back to his hotel! was no joke!

Ground zero was stunning, extremely tasteful and larger than expected. We walked around both the North and the South towers before going into the museum. Again a very unforgettable experience, learning a lot, from the happy to assist advisers. Reading up on the individual stories of the victims of this tragic event was very humbling and I felt privileged to be able to read some of the personal stories the families had shared about their loved ones, and from some of the survivors who wanted their story told. The artefacts salvaged from the twin towers was unforgettable. The fact that the museum is built under the south tower and we were standing on the actual foundations was unbelievable.  Photo walls of all the 2,996 victims made you remember that this tragedy actually changed our modern world and the way we live in it today.

The sky line surrounding you is stunning, the extreme vastness of all the buildings around you is something I had never experienced before.

        Ground Zero probably took 2-3 hours to complete and following this we walked over to the World Trade Center shopping complex. This is worth a glance but you are talking  very expensive shops, so not particularly a place to part with your dollar!

        We were starting to flag so headed to a no-nonsense Irish Pub (you will get a feel that Irish pubs fare quite well for us Brits. The grub suits our holiday-eating style and budget) Beekman’s Irish Pub at 15 Beekman Street, was located perfectly for us, as we wanted to head for Brooklyn Bridge. This friendly pub offered the usual burgers, wraps and a lot more and gave us the energy to walk over Brooklyn Bridge.

    Brooklyn Bridge was iconic, busy but not too busy, photogenic and historic. I would have loved to have explored the Dumbo area, but knowing we needed to walk back over the bridge, made me reconsider this.

    The views from the bridge were amazing. The grey skies made the Manhattan skyline pretty striking.

Traders sold memorabilia from fridge magnets to some pretty cool artwork. I brought these 3 prints for 20 dollars, I tried to barter but he wasn’t having any of it!

    memorabilia

  yellow taxi

  As there is a Starbucks on every corner (no joking) we stopped for coffee before embarking on our journey back via Broadway so we could take in The Flatiron Building. Before the Empire State Building took over it was the Flatiron that was the most synonymous building in New York.  We found this just on sunset.

    Broadway took us through the edge of Little Italy and Soho and touching Greenwich Village. There were some good shops here including & Others Stories (first time in one of their stores) Maria Tash, famous for her unique jewellery and piercings, was here as well and a lot more. Unfortunately by then my “shopping feet” were done. We stopped for a Wagamanas on 210 fifth  Avenue, West 26th Street. This was a well-earned rest and lovely meal.

Once feed we decided it would be a good idea to go up The Empire State Building that night. So that’s what we did. There was a bit of a queue but we managed to do it and the views at night-time were amazing. After limping back to the hotel my whole body knew it had walked around 13 miles that day! and experienced so many poignant, and amazing memories.  I wouldn’t have changed a thing ….

  Views from The Empire State Building at night

  * Following our first day my 1st impressions of New York would be – don’t have high expectations of the city. For all its amazing landmarks and historic buildings, it is at the end of the day a huge tourist magnet. Everything is over priced, from the food to the shopping.  Understandably so, because running a business in Manhattan is not for the faint-hearted. Even though I live in a large city in the UK, this concrete jungle was a different ball-game, from the smells (not always pleasant either), to the amount of homeless people, many with obvious mental health problems which was sad to see but also an ever-increasing problem around the world.  All that said, one thing I did feel at all times was safe, I never felt threatened by the crowded streets, no-one unnerved me, the atmosphere was pretty chill… *

    and made me smile!

    Day 2# Wed 10 Oct

Today we set out to stroll to Central Park via the Rockefeller Centre (Top of the Rock). After a lot of searching we finally found the TOTR. You’d think one of the tallest buildings in NY would be quite easy to find wouldn’t you, well let me tell you, it was surprisingly hard to find. This particular morning, although it was around 10 am, we were told the observatory was still under some cloud and that we should come back later! Little tip the Radio City Building marks the street that leads to the Rockefeller Building.

  Outside the Rockefeller  /   Ice Rink

  Radio City 

  This area was very glamorous and wealthy.  It was a beautifully sunny day so we walked on up to Central Park following 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas). We passed the building where the Tonight Show is filmed.

  starring Jimmy Fallon

      Central Park was never going to be tackled in a day and certainly not this day! My feet were almost dead but we needed to make it to The American National History Museum. I desperately wanted to see Pocahontas and Theodore Roosevelt, just like in the movie The Night of the Museum ….. alas they weren’t to be found and we searched that museum let me tell you!

    Lunch was courtesy of The Amsterdam Ale House on 340 Amsterdam Avenue, another Irish pub. The meal was okay but the waitress was rude and arrogant. I have never experienced such a bad attitude in hospitality before, so I wouldn’t recommend this place. We taxied back over to the Rockefeller to be told there was a 4 hour wait to go up to the top!

Shame about this ticketing service for TOTR. We had pre-purchased vouchers which needed to be exchanged for tickets, which was fine, but I wasn’t aware of the scheduled timings to enter the Top of the Rock, so again we failed to get to the top.

After a brief rest back at the hotel we headed out for dinner. You would think this mission would be quite easy in New York won’t you, but weirdly it wasn’t! We went to John Sullivan’s. I have no idea where this bar was (at this point my body ached so badly) I just wanted food and rest. After supper we wandered through Macy’s. I can’t say this was my favourite store. I didn’t actually rate the quality of clothing very much, it was quite old-fashioned I felt. Apart from some the designer brand names, but I really wasn’t that interested, if I’m honest.   Knowing that everything in New York is overpriced, I really wasn’t compelled to buy anything. No-one is walking around laden with shopping bags, as I’d imagined; its like no-one was actually buying anything.

  Day 3# Thurs 11th Oct

Okay so today, to save our little feet, we succumbed to buying a hoppa bus ticket for 2 days. We managed a little haggling and paid $55 each to travel on any Top View bus, hop on and off service, over the next 2 days.

  Top View bus

  In principle this is good, it does save your feet. However, I found we were wasting some time finding the right bus stop, on the correct side of road to travel on the route we wished to take. You get given a map which shows the routes the bus travels on, so you need to get on the correct bus.

It’s not just a case of jumping on any bus! It definitely helped us out though, as we wanted to go back to lower Manhattan and the Financial District and then on to the ferry to go see the Statue of Liberty and as there was a high chance of rain today, time was of an essence.

  One World Trade Centre in the distance

  After strolling around the Financial District we stopped for coffee and cookies and sheltered from the rain. We then walked in the direction of 9/11 and sheltered further in The Brookfield Shopping Centre.

  Brookfield Shopping Centre

  Again a very expensive, vast open space of tiled foyers all beautifully presented. The lunch queue was pretty impressive! If you only have 1 hour lunch break – good luck with that! Once the rain eased off, we jumped back on the bus to travel 4 blocks to Stop 13 which was the ferry crossing to the Statue of Liberty.  However, we were advised to walk back the way we had come basically, to Stop 12 and then walk for about 20 minutes more to the ferry crossing. This was slightly frustrating, so if you ever use the Hoppa buses, get off at Stop 12 for the Staten Island Ferry!

    However, the ferry crossing was stunning, with the Manhattan skyline behind you and the State of Liberty in front of you. Absolutely stunning. A day I won’t forget. Staten Island only took about 10 minutes to reach and we had 35 minutes before the last ferry left for our return journey.  This was plenty of time to take all the photographs we needed. Again amazing views all around you and with the crazy stormy sky made for some dramatic, moody photos. So pleased I got to experience this iconic landscape.

  stunning

    As we hopped back on the bus and the heavens opened. We did the very British thing of donning our ponchos and umbrellas and sat it out on the top deck (we weren’t the only ones, I want to add here). Had a right laugh, our feet had been wet most of the day anyway so it couldn’t really get any worse!

After a little rest back at the hotel we hailed a taxi back to Wagamanas, 210 fifth Avenue, West 26th Street, as we had a really nice meal on a previous night and it was raining! However, the service this time was appalling so the entire experience was a little lack lustre, so happy to leave and return to the hotel.

At this point I must say hindsight is a wonderful thing. We walked so many unnecessary steps, double backing on ourselves etc, and this was with google maps and a “map” – I loved this map.

    Purchased from Amazon before leaving for the States and it served me well. All the streets and avenues were clearly marked up making it easy to understand. I just felt, with not knowing where some of the landmark entrances were, you seemed to be walking around in circles sometimes, trying to find the correct way in! A little frustrating at times, especially with sore feet! Even so, another fantastic day making memories.

  iconic skyline / memory making

  Day 4# Fri 12th Oct

Checked out day, but not until 12:00 so that was good. Although the one good thing with travelling light, is packing and unpacking takes no time at all!. Breakfasted-up and luggage held for our return later in the day, we set out again, this time going north on the hoppa bus along the west side of Central Park. The bus took us past Trump International Hotel and Tower, actually a stunning building, almost gold and black, and huge obviously.

      (Apparently Steven Spielberg lives in these towered apartments)

  The sun was shining for us today but there was a chill in the wind.  The scenery was amazing so many stunning buildings.  We travelled on up through Harlem and stopped off at the Guggenheim museum for a brief warm-up in the shop!

    I was desperate to go up the Rockefeller Centre so after grabbing a coffee and more cookies we headed back to TOTR. Disappointment struck again! We couldn’t get up to the observatory deck for another 4 hours, taking us to 19:40 that evening, well as we were flying home at 22:00 this was another fail. Frustrated that I never knew how busy TOTR was and that these scheduled times existed!

Late lunch in O’Brien’s Irish Pub, 134 West 46th Street, just off from Times Square served lovely crab/shrimp roll with fries and the burgers were nice too.

    A hot chocolate was required before our final walk back to the hotel to collect our luggage. We stopped in Gregory’s, a high-end coffee shop with premium snacks and had coffees and the most amazing hot chocolate I’ve ever had. Smooth and not too sweet – delicious.  The decor was really modern and stylish.  The interior had a different atmosphere from that I had experienced so far in NYC. If I’m honest I can’t recall which Gregory’s we stopped in, probably somewhere in the Garment District, around 8th Avenue, but there are a lot of Gregory’s in New York and I’m sure they all have the same vibe. I would welcome this coffee chain coming to the UK, its interior was cool and stylish with delicious snacks for sale as well.

    Returning to the airport in our Sedan, our driver was Antoine again. He took us on a little road trip, as we had plenty of time, through Queens, showing us some amazing highly priced residences and showing us his driving skills. Put it this way I wouldn’t want to drive in NYC, they see a space and get in it, not at all like Britain, we are generally more polite and hesitant, sometimes!  “If you snooze you lose” would have been my motto for New York – you just gotta go for it.

  To sum up my NYC experience I would have to say – NY grows on you, you do get use to the unpleasant pavement aroma coming through the drains and vents, you kind of don’t notice the piles of rubbish on the pavements.  I live in a city, so I’m used to crowded pavements. There is constant noise from traffic, horns and emergency services. That reminds me, don’t get ill, no-one makes a massive effort to move out the way for ambulances. We saw cyclists that just stay in the road, blocking it, but generally there is no where for the traffic to go anyway. We actually caught up with an ambulance whilst we walked down the street along side it!

The tourist sites were stunning, from the Empire State Building to Brooklyn Bridge to the Statue of Liberty, and, of course, 9/11 memorial site – will all have a place in my heart, but would I rush back to do it again any time soon?

No – would be my answer, but that said I would return in the future.

New York had a lot of wealth in controlled areas, just metres away from the day-to-day grime and homelessness. I felt sad for the extreme contrast. This could be very much like most other cities around the world. When it comes to the one you actually live in, perhaps you just don’t see the same problems anymore.

It was a powerful reminder that if you can make it in New York you could really reap the benefits, but if bad luck falls upon you, you could be down on your luck without a life line.

  My thought-provoking words to sum up my NYC experience  would be …..

Stunning – Expensive – Touristy – Humbling – Memory Making  –  Safe

but also sprinkled between those words would be these words …..

sad –  a little dirty – sometimes rude – odorous (at times)  but chilled

  It was crazy to experience all these emotions in 4.5 days, in one area. Manhattan is an amazing island to visit. There are 1.6 million people living there and 61 million visit yearly. I can quite honestly say the landmarks slightly exceeded my expectations but the city itself, kind of failed me.  It was more commercialised than I imagined and so expensive – who would seriously go the NYC to go Christmas shopping, not me!

Lets finish by saying my visit to New York was interesting in many ways and I’m glad to have experienced such a dramatic place. It certainly has a charm to it that could be missed if you stick to the tourist locations only. The skylines are stunning. I love a cityscapes, its one of my favourite landscapes to photograph. Would I go back? Yes of course I would, but next time, to explore where the locals actually hang-out and to experience some vintage shopping would be really cool! and Brooklyn, I would love to have a mooch around Brooklyn ….. soaking up the atmosphere.

Keep making memories – New York is very much down to your own personal taste – you decide.

Thanks for reading.

xxx

and Happy Anniversary my love ….

  Visiting New York City for the first time! ~ Visiting New York City for the first time! ~ I thought, following my first visit to New York, it would be worth sharing some of my experiences with you.

[viewfromthedrumstool]

USA Tour, day 10

We're in Washington DC at the U Street Music Hall for the next show, a smaller venue than most on this tour and located in an unusual suburb of DC overrun with otherworldly characters who mill around the streets and hover on the corners.

The promoter gives us a special box of cupcakes when we arrive at the venue though I'm in the mood for something more substantial and end up somewhere called 'Ooohs and Ahhhs' a block down where rap music plays loudly and patrons and staff alike dance and sing along unabashed. I order mac and cheese for takeout but as the attendant opens the lid of a pot and starts scooping up an alien yellow substance I question whether my choice was the best one. Indeed by the time I've completed the journey back to the venue - a minute's walk at most - it has congealed into a yellow block, oozing grease and sliding about gently inside the pot and I can only stomach a mouthful and replace the lid.

Show time and another fun gig, albeit plagued by technical issues. But the audience react as well as ever and the queue to meet Bob, Pete and Sarah after is a long one.

Hunger still unsatisfied a few of us head out to a restaurant-come-bookshop nearby and their Greek salad is fresh and a pleasant antidote to the macaroni melee of earlier.

Afterwards we meet a group of locals outside, one brandishing an enormous sign that reads FUCK TRUMP and it's interesting to hear their take on the American situation, one even bursting into song - and this barely a few blocks from the Presidents abode.

We hop back in the van to head to the hotel, but not before a brief detour to see some sights as I finally tuck into one of the cupcakes (it's delicious). It's almost deserted at night and we circle the centre taking in the Obelisk, the Washington Monument, Abe Lincoln's Memorial and the Smithsonian.

Alas Disaster In DC as somewhere between the Capitol Building and the White House the box of cupcakes takes a tumble, expelling it's gooey chocolate contents across not just the van floor but also my favourite Kipling bag!

Once back at the hotel I filthy a nice white towel in cleaning up the sticky chocolate mess and spare a thought for the poor maid who will find it...

We depart the hotel the following morning and all go for a pleasant brunch (huevos rancheros with brussel sprouts and quinoa) at the 'Silver Bullet Diner', Jonny Mac (FOH) and myself indulging in a Mimosa too - today is a travel day after all.

We nip across the road to a small shopping centre where Pep points out a very extravagant looking suit shop called 'Why Not'. They've got some smart suits, socks and shoes in the window and their sharp three-piecers are priced very reasonably at $149 ... and attendant Leon King (the Lion King) tells me that today only they're BOGOF! I'm not sure if it was the Mimosas or the sensational value and swanky patterns but Jonny Mac and myself can't resist, picking up a suit each in subtly different plaid design. Why Not indeed!

Ahead of our evening flight from Newark in New Jersey, we head up to Asbury Park on the New Jersey coast to see the sea and wander on the sand for an hour. The town has lots of music heritage and we park up outside the Stone Pony club where Asbury Park native Bruce Springsteen famously recruited the members for his E Street Band.

Arriving just in time for sunset the flare of orange blue yellow green pastel shades on the horizon is beautiful and makes for a wonderful and memorable touring moment.

Catch a late flight to Chicago and head to our home for the next two nights, the Lincoln Hotel. Out front I meet a friendly young Canadian called MarkO Pizza, the self-professed International multi-platform social media kingpin and Managing Director of Pizza Media. He's in town to usher at his cousins wedding tomorrow. (Wedding parties are a popular pastime in Chicago it seems and numerous pass in and out from the moment we would arrive to the moment we left).

It's great chatting with MarkO and as engaging a character as he is, I make my excuses and head out with JMac for a late cold one. It's 1am and the Irish pub is closed but 'Burton Place' down the road is still kicking and a band play from the classic American College Radio songbook (Counting Crows! Weezer!). When we're joined by Joe Bennett our one rapidly becomes several. Good times in a wholesome American bar - at one point a fight breaks out and for the first time on this trip briefly reminded of home and The Beehive...

Slightly bleary eyed the following morning I hop in a cab and driver Kwesi, a Ghanaian who is keen to show me his self-penned song Touch Me, drives me across town to the Chicago Drum Exchange so that I can ogle the kits and yearn for the cymbals.

Much to my surprise I see a familiar face out front - it's Pizza Media top banana MarkO! He's one exceptional man and I'm intrigued to learn that he's currently balancing six jobs! Not only is he a social media guru but he also sells high end shoes, glass sculptures (which double up as bongs), plays drums, does something I can't remember and occasionally works as a labourer... that thing hanging around his neck? It's his teleportation key.

The venue today is called Park West and sits as you might expect on the west side of the Lincoln Park. It's a charming stylish venue that feels a bit like the set for a movie - patrons have the choice of standing at the front, sitting in the Hollywood-bowl-esque cocktail booths (with waitress service) or sitting on stools by the bar.

It's a really large room that's almost custom made for the 2017 Saint Etienne live show: a huge curved corner stage that suits our 8-person horseshoe setup, two enormous screens either side and a great sound system to keep JMac happy.

The rental gear is lovely too - a 70's Ludwig with Black Beauty and Zildjian K's - even my request for flat base stands is fulfilled.

Before the show a few of us head to Stanley's Bar across the road, where Bob Stanley samples a Stanley burger and we watch the Cubs play Cincinnati in the baseball. (Frustratingly we don't have a chance to catch a game live on this tour - when ever we get an evening off the team are playing out of town).

A big enthusiastic audience again tonight, and they get the double-encore again! The crowds here are bigger and louder than on the UK tour and especially seem to love the songs from 1998's Good Humor album. As a band too we're really cooking too and the energy flow throughout the shows gets better with every gig.

Head to the rooftop bar on the hotel for a night cap - and a final cameo from MarkO Pizza, now daubed in full usher-attire who wants to check I received his Instagram message before departing into the night.

It was good to meet you MarkO.

To bed! Another fly day tomorrow - destination Seattle! First time in Washington State for me so I look forward to reporting back with some new experiences.

Until such time,

MM