New York City Cops

For some reason my sleeping pattern is completely out of whack and I only achieved a few hours sleep last night. And this morning we had planned to do some laundry, so Ros went and did that and I went back for a nap.

When the laundry was done, we decided to make our way high into the skies and visit the Empire State building. Stunning views of the city skyline, and the magnitude of this place can only be seen from up high.

From there we decided to walk the part of 5th Avenue that we hadn't seen yesterday. We also went into the New York City public library. Another gorgeous building that takes your breath away. Note to self: the lions out the front are called Fortitude and Patience.

We made our way uptown on 5th gasping at the stunning fashion, and went into Saks and saw all the top designer clothes for sale. It was like watching the red carpet on Oscar's night. We also went into De Beer's and Tiffany's!

When we reached the top of 5th we walked across town past gorgeous hotels such as The Plaza, with Central Park on our right.

We had a burger for an early dinner on 46th, then I went into the Levi's store in Time's Square and got measured for a pair of jeans. First time I've ever tried on a pair of jeans that fit and didn't require hemming! Oh, and did I mention they were only $70! Bonus!

Caught the subway back to our hotel for an early night in, and to find out what is going with Hurricane Irene. We are not in an area of high alert and some people are saying that it won't be serious at all. Let's hope so. I had booked us in to eat at Tom Collichio's restaurant tomorrow night, and I have seen on twitter that he has closed his other restaurant and bar for tomorrow night because of Irene, but no news on Riverpark yet. The news is saying that the metro and bus systems will be closed and many shops will be as well as other services. We can only wait and see what happens... If something does happen, New York City is currently hosting the Police and Firemen's games, so there are plenty of capable human resources to rescue us! There are buff men everywhere and the Japanese firemen are staying in our hotel. I never even saw a buff Japanese man in Japan, but I did in NYC.

Oh, forgot to mention that we quickly went into the Apple store at the top of 5th and there was all this cheering and clapping, and so many people you couldn't move. So I asked one of the staff what was going on. He said in the most droll voice "Someone's leaving.". Right, thanks for all the info about what's going on FFS! So I don't know if Steve Jobs was in the store...

I also thought I saw Chris Martin walk straight past me, actually I'm quite certain it was him, and I also thought I saw Ben Folds the other day/night.



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I'm in a New York State of Mind

For today, our first real day in NYC, I had arranged a bus tour just so we could see some of the sights, and not have to go out of our way to go find them. It was a little bit disappointing in some ways because we didn't go into a lot of the buildings, but the five hours was consumed fully nonetheless. It certainly gave us lots of information and we have a better understanding of how to fill the rest of our time in the city. A good way to start.

We saw sights such as:

Statue of Liberty
Empire State Building
Rockefeller Centre
Central Park and Strawberry Fields, and where John Lennon was shot
Flatiron Building
Washington Park
5th Ave
Wall Street
Ground Zero and the Freedom Tower
New York Library
Chrysler Building
Trinity Church
Trump Tower
Brooklyn Bridge

To see the Statue of Liberty we did a Ferry Cruise. Seeing her was one of the highlights for me. Just imagining all those thousands of immigrants arriving from far away lands, running away from poverty or war in the hope of a better life. Can you imagine the feeling they would have got upon seeing that picture of freedom? Just amazing.

The other highlight was seeing ground zero. For this we went into one of the adjacent buildings to a viewing level. Hearing the guide talk about the event and the rebuilding, brought me to tears. Thankfully I wasn't the only one. On our tour was a gentleman who was in the third building on the day itself and he told his story of escape. The Freedom Tower still under construction is going to be stunning. It is being built at the rate of one floor per week.

After the tour ended it was time for a coffee break, then we picked up our City Explorer tickets. We then decided to walk the length of 5th Ave. I made a purchase at the Banana Republic, but otherwise contained myself.

We went into St Patrick's Cathedral, which was absolutely stunning, irrespective of religion. It was probably one of the most beautiful Cathedrals I have seen outside of Italy.

5th Avenue is a long short street.

From there we got a bite to eat in Greenwhich village (on the way I saw a lomography shop, but resisted the temptation to go in and buy), and got on the train back to our hotel.

Of course I checked the news and it's confirmed that New York is expecting a hurricane. I await with baited breath.


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New York City

We have arrived to New York. The place this trip was all about!

Last night we experienced a 3.9 earthquake. I had been fearing this for SF for months. They are well overdue for a biggie and given I had travelled to Japan AND New Zealand last year, I was well and truly worried. Thankfully it wasn't a massive one, and it was across the other side of the bay too. Poor Washington DC got hit though. I hope there wasn't too much damage.

Last night was another sleepless night for me. I think I got two hours in before the alarm going off at 3.45am, that's when Ros wanted to get up. I got up at 4.45am and still got downstairs before her!

Really there is nothing to tell in this post. We spent most of the day traveling, there was a debacle at the airport trying to find the shuttle. Hardly surprising given the size and throughput of the place.

We got into our hotel, made our way to Times Square and wandered around, even managed some souvenir shopping. The place takes me right back to Tokyo actually, except I have struggled more with the metro here than in Japan, just a lack of information I think. I am sure I will master it soon though with a bit of practice.

Oh, our shuttle bus driver took us the scenic route to our hotel, past Central Park. You can't believe how massive it is until you see it. 60 traffic lights long he reckons. That was when I got the butterflies in my stomach and the excitement of being in NYC hit!

I have booked us on a day sight seeing tour for tomorrow, and that should get this party started!


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Foodie tour of America?

Before I start today's blog, forgot to mention a story in yesterday's. As we were walking to catch the ferry to Alcatraz, we were making our way along the very wide kerb and I was on the right of Ros. It didn't seem strange that whilst all the street lights weren't decorated with shrubs, that the one we were approaching did have a very large shrub at its base. When we were about oh... 20 cm away from it, the shrub opened up and yelled "boo" at us. scared the living bejesus out of us!

I fully expect that we will appear on "America's Smile, You're on Candid Camera".

Also, Ros says she has learnt something about me. That I am not a morning person. I have learnt that Ros asks a lot of questions.

And today we found out that the 'seedy' area where we got off the bus yesterday is called "Tenderloin". It is one of the poorest areas of SF, but it sits right beside one of the richest. Giorgio Armani sits on one corner and literally one or two blocks away is Tenderloin. The contrast is obvious to the average observer.

So, today we got up (again after another night of not sleeping for me) and had the same breakfast as yesterday. After breakfast I went for a walk while Ros got ready. I wandered into Giorgio Armani and Ghiradelli (and got a caramel chocolate sample - yummo!)

Then we made our way to the bus stop for the hop on/off tour. When we had booked our tickets, the kind gentleman had strongly recommended we stop off at City Hall. So we did, and I'm glad we did. Such a stunning building, and the dome at the top is the largest outside of Washington. We walked all around that building and even witnessed a wedding. (The dirty stop-out was preggers!)

The next stop we actually got off at was little Italy, and we had the best pizza and a tomato salad. I hadn't had a pizza like that since I was in Italy! And the tomatoes are obviously in season here, and they were heirloom tomatoes. The best!

We drove past Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world), but didn't get off. It was too hot, and uphill all the way (not sure why the bus doesn't just drive to the foot of that street).

The next stop we got off at was Pier 39. This had great zany shops, and excellent views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge (although, haven't seen it absent of any fog the whole time). And also saw about 50 seals all huddled together.

We got back to the hotel and started to get organised for our departure tomorrow. We have a 7.00am flight and the grumpy concierge reckons we need to leave the hotel at 5.00am. Personally I think it is a conspiracy, he doesn't like any of his guests and this is just a game he plays. I am sure. However, we thought we should go out for dinner early to try and get to bed early.

We had decided we would go to "Little Saigon" for dinner if we could find it, but my sense of direction was failing me, and I couldn't seem to get us back to the area where one of the guides had told us about. As we were walking along, discussing our options, a less-than-desirable looking man, with missing teeth asked us what we were looking for. He pointed us in a direction and added "but it's expensive". Given we couldn't find anything else, and Vietnamese food was on our brains, we decided to check the place out. All I can say is WOW! It was one of the best meals I have ever eaten. The restaurant was called "Le Colonial"' and in 2009 had been awarded Michelin approval. The meal took me right back to the meals I had eaten in Vietnam. Stunning!

I can honestly say that I was expecting to be disappointed by the food in America. But for two nights in a row we have had exceptional meals and I am loving it!

The weather was magnificent today, apparently we are very lucky!

I heard about the earthquake on the East Coast today...this doesn't fill me with joy... Is this La Nina at work again?


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Alcatraz

Once again last night I woke up in the middle of the night then couldn't get back to sleep. So then this morning I couldn't wake up to save my life, however, I got myself out of bed and ready for breakfast by about 10.00am. Breakfast was on the hotel, but at the restaurant next door, and anyone that knows me, knows that I crave sweet things in the morning. The restaurant delivered an amazing Belgian waffle with syrup to more than satisfy that yearning.

So the plan for today, given we hadn't achieved much to this point was to get our asses to Alcatraz, but first we made our way back to pier one to make a special purchase - some pottery from Heath Ceramics. Check them out at heathceramics.com. Stunning stuff! We both purchased a few pieces and shipped them back to ourselves. F*ck carrying that sh*t half way around America!

Despite being sore from the day before, we had walked down to the pier, and after having made our purchase decided to walk to Fisherman's Wharf to get our Alcatraz tickets. Now, I won't go into the details, but I had tried to purchase Alcatraz tickets myself from Oz a few weeks ago, but with no luck. And all the signage was indicating that there were no tickets available until the 28th. But perseverance pays and not only did we get tickets, but we got them for cheaper than we expected! Bonus.

We walked backed to pier 33 and caught the ferry across to the island. I won't go into detail other than to say that you get given headphones for an audio tour. It was amazing! So interesting, and the precision detail of that audio tour was as if someone was actually watching you and saying "now turn left". If you ever get to San Francisco, a visit to Alcatraz is a must.

Both of us being physically worn out, we decided to find some public transport to get us back to Union Square. This seemed easy enough, but given I didn't hear the instruction to "get off at 5th", and Ros just assumed I had heard, and to this point had left all directions to me, was waiting for me to give instructions to get off the bus. When things were looking a bit seedy, we got off the bus and had to walk back a few bocks, saving our legs nothing in the end.

Back at the hotel, we decided on seafood for dinner. The concierge recommended a restaurant called Fallaron just a block away. Well, can I just say I've had one of the best meals with a brilliant glass of wine. It was fantastic. Pity the coffee sucks here.

Lastly, having now spent a couple of days in San Francisco, I have to tell you this place is just stunning. Gorgeous streets, beautiful buildings and architecture, pretty parks and hanging flowers everywhere. I could easily spend another week here just exploring the city and surrounds. The financial district in the city is mind blowing, and clearly that is where the money is. But in steep contrast, the homeless problem is real and in your face. It is sad to see.

We are booked to finally do the hop-on-hop-off bus tour tomorrow, just to catch as much as we can of this lovely city before leaving for New York. Because of this horrible jet-lag we have had, we don't have time for the planned day trip to Napa Valley : ( Yosemite is also definitely out.

NB. Had the best nectarine today. I love summer fruits.

Also picked up the camera connector for my iPad at the San Francisco Apple store today, only to find I need my USB camera cable....sorry no photos folks unless I take them on my point and shoot.

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Sausolito

So we got into SF yesterday and arrived at our hotel at 2.00pm. We could have gotten into our room, but we opted to wait until 3.30 when we could get a room not facing the street, and therefore a much quieter room. We were really knackered but wandered around Union Square for a bit. Our hotel is right in the heart of Union Square.

At 3.00 we got into the room and both of us just zonked it. Woke up a bit later feeling like crap but I went out again for another walk. Ros stayed back. I don't think I have ever felt so awful after an international flight. It really took it out of me. Dinner was a hotdog for me, and a soft pretzel for Ros, that's how much we cared! I think I was asleep by 8.00. However, at 2.00am I was very much wide awake, and then at 3.00, so was Ros. We took the opportunity to sort out wireless connectivity for the iPad (the concierge had secretly given Ros the password), and Ros rang Optus to sort out her phone issues. I think I fell asleep around 5.00am.

Woke up at 10.00, Ros at 11.00. After getting ready we made our way to Sausolito. Found a great foodie market at the pier then got on the ferry. Spent the afternoon wandering the streets of Sausolito. Just stunning.

On the return trip the ferry docked at Fisherman's wharf. We wandered around there, then shared a sourdough bowl of Clam Chowder. A San Francisco must!

Decided to walk back to the hotel despite feeling like we'd walked enough. Got a bit lost but literally collapsed on the beds on entering the room. We are both physically exhausted.

Oh, Ros nearly made a cyclist come off his bike in Sausolito, she crossed the road looking the wrong way for traffic...

Photos will be posted as soon as I've got a connector for the iPad.




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Location:Geary St,San Francisco,United States

ADL-SYD-San Francisco

Well flying really sucks. We all know that it's the destination that matters. But I'm bored, tired, can't sleep and so may as well do something with my time. If I'm going to keep a travel diary, now is as good a time as any to start.

Warning to any readers, I do usually keep a travel diary, but never before have I made those diaries public. But the diary is for my benefit, not yours. So apologies if I bore you with the mundane sometimes, but I want to read back in years to come and be reminded of the things I had forgotten about, mundane or not.

So here goes, just a few random notes about the trip so far:

Left the house this morning, got a text to say flight had been delayed half an hour. Mild panic attack before the brain registered that it was only half an hour and that was still plenty of time to make the connecting flight.

On the flight to Sydney, sitting adjacent me and Ros, was a mother and toddler. I was pleasantly surprised about how placid this child was. No tears with cabin pressure; no issues with boredom; no hassling mum the entire flight and; no interaction with other passengers. I didn't hear any other children on the flight either, so you can imagine my surprise when, the plane landed and the mother got up and I saw she had another child on the other side of her, also under the age 3! To whom does one credit such behavior? Mother or child, (nature vs nurture)? Both? I'm sure many parents would love to know the answer.

Astoundingly, I have realised that on the international leg, that I haven't heard one child cry or whinge, and there is at least one baby on board. Wow!

So anyway, Ros, for some unknown reason decided to put all her toiletries in her carry on luggage. This is quite a mystery to me because only weeks ago she reminded me that you can only have a small bag with no more than 100ml bottles of liquid in each. So when we got to Sydney we did a bit of re-arranging of bottle contents into smaller bottles, but that cost us time. Went through to the international airport, decided to grab a bite to eat, seemingly unaware of the time... And all I can say is, lucky the flight to SF was delayed, else I doubt very much we would be on it!

Going through the bag check was still a debacle, they confiscated one of Ros' bottles, but allowed her to put some bottles in my bag, so the rest came through. Much to Ros' relief.

I don't like when the seatbelt sign comes on mid flight.

I think economy is luxurious. I can't begin to imagine what those people in first class are doing with all that room. Then again, I'm sure none of them will be undergoing a hip replacement on arrival.

We are flying United, so all the crew have American accents. That put a big smile on my face when I first heard it, but I really dont know how I'll cope when I'm surrounded by it, all day every day.

Watched Arthur with Russell Brand, that killed some time. And just finished watching a movie I think was called Thankyoupleasemore....but I can't be sure of that. I enjoyed it despite it being a chick flick. I forgot to load movies on my iPad so I had little choice.

Who invented noise cancelling headphones? Bloody genius.

I will post this uneventful piece of writing when I get some wireless connectivity... Whenever that will be.

Are we there yet?

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Location:2761 kms to go til destination