New York – May 2018

The plan was to get a yellow cab from JFK. So we exit the terminal and are assaulted by various guys offering their services. A ticket is thrust in my hand and we are directed to a line of limos. We eventually find out the price is $97.  So we head back to the yellow cab line where a guy is holding up a sign which says Uber.  He is clearly not Uber but the price seems right so we go for it.  It is a white knuckle ride into Manhattan as he lane hops down the freeway and drives through petrol forecourts on corners to avoid waiting at lights.  There is no getting in the right lane - he just cuts in.  He pulls up right outside the hotel on a pedestrian crossing to the annoyance of the 20 people waiting to cross.  It is unbelievable how many people are around at midnight in the hotel reception.  Maybe everyone had to wait in the immigration line for an hour at JFK like us.  Our room is 'cosy'. 2 small doubles.  Mike and I have not been this close since we used to fight in the back of Dad's car (pre seat belts).

On Saturday morning, predictably we are awake early and out of the hotel by 7.30am.  We are looking for breakfast. We walk down 7th Avenue to Times Square and find a diner. Dad goes for the pancakes with blueberries and cream.  Every item on the menu has calories shown. I struggle to find anything under 1000kcal.

After that we need to walk it off so find the High Line which is an old converted tramway. It is about 20 blocks of elevated walkway which cuts through the apartment blocks which border the Hudson river.  a welcome break from the City traffic.

Our foray into the Metro is spoiled by our train being an express as it goes an extra stop past Battery Park where we will pick up the fe rry for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We have a walk back through the Financial district and it is starting to warm up. Time for a lemonade break in Battery Park while I look up the history of accidents on ferries in Manhattan - quite a few actually with lives lost.  If we include the plane crash on the Hudson and the terrorist bomb at Port Authority that is a lot of incidents.  We all remark that we have hardly seen any police on the streets.

On Liberty Island we get to go inside the statue. I don't think it has been open to the public when I have been here before. We have to undergo a second security check including taking off my belt even though I point out it is made of material and plastic. Am I carrying a knife? No, but if I was, it would be OK if the blade is less than 2.5 inches.

It is 195 steps to the top of the pedestal where we see the huge bolts keep the statue in place. We take the elevator as fatigue is setting in. Sadly lots of other able bodied tourists decide to do the same which makes it a long wait.  But the views are worth it.  Next time book more in advance and get to go up to the Crown.

Ellis is a bit of a blur because we spend half an hour watching a movie in a darkened theatre.  By this time it is hard to fight the sleep.  We try to wake ourselves up with possibly the largest ice cream any of us have ever had.  I am the only one to finish it. 

We get the right metro back to 50th Street and once in the room everyone is exhausted.  We did make it out this evening and found a 'not so posh' diner where Sofia serves us. She is Greek and moved here 3 years ago.  She spots that we are father and 2 sons. At the hotel Alex at check-in called us 3 brothers which made Dad's day.

That was day 1.

What do you do if it is overcast and raining in New York?  Go to church.  But not before we have breakfast.  Mike is taking us to Brooklyn Tabernacle.  We need to catch the Metro but there is a delay and/or Google got it wrong so we decide to go for the later service at 11am.  Maybe stop at the New York Public library?  Yes but like most public libraries, it is closed on Sundays.  It is very damp.  My hat is letting in water. So we dash a couple of blocks down to Grand Central station which is always awe inspiring. Scene of so many movies.  

We arrive in Brooklyn an hour early but the guy on the door says we have plenty of time to go for a coffee.  But the line can sometimes be round the block so come back early.  We are back at 10.30am but the main entrance has been closed and we are directed around the side entrance.  This is quite an operation.  Bit like Disney.  

It is an old theatre hall. Probably seats about 1500 on two levels I am guessing. On stage is a 80 strong choir.  There is a band and a pit in the middle of the stalls for the tech. The singing is amazing with various soloists taking the lead, all of whom could be professional.  The choir is swaying and the congregation are matching them. I would rather not but the woman next to me keeps bumping into me. But she doesn't seem to mind.

Half way through the service there is a collection.  While that is going on various ads flash on the screen such as discounted local parking.

Many members of the congregation have been getting quite excited. I particularly enjoyed the bit when we were invited to get to know the people near us and give them a hug.  

But when it comes to the sermon the pastor is very easy to listen to. He talks for about 20 minutes and keeps his audience engaged with a few "I'm not feeling the love up here" and " can I have a few amens please?"   There is a simple message and he gets it across.  But he doesn't pull punches, having a crack at beggars who can't be bothered to work.  This is an unusual un-pc message but I liked it.  

All in all, an amazing experience.

We take the Metro all the way back to Central Park near the beautiful Plaza Hotel.  We visit the Apple shop for a couple of purchases but skip past Tiffany.  I am seldom on a shopping street with people less interested in shopping than me.  It is raining again so we are looking for somewhere to eat.  But not before we have a quick peek at St Patrick's cathedral and the Rockefeller ice rink.  Our hotel is not too far from there and we see the welcoming flashing neon of Juniors.  The menu has 6 pages of burgers, steaks, shakes and cheesecake. Dad orders a cup of tea and the fish and chips.  In fact we all have tea.  To follow, we have a banana split.  Just as well it is to share.

In the evening we head down to Times Square again.  Sunday 7pm is very different to Saturday 8am. There are thousands of people and it is difficult to get through to our theatre. We are seeing that old classic 'Carousel' by Rodgers and Hammerstein. I don't think I have seen it on stage but probably watched the film on a rainy Sunday afternoon about 40 years ago.  It is amazing.  Dad saw it in London a short while back and he said this production was much better.  The set, the singing, the dancing, the acting. All brilliant.  

We tackle the M&M shop on the way back (Jo's request).  Don't worry Jo the queue was only 2 hours long. Then a quick night cap at the hotel.

That was day 2.

By the way, Dad reminded me something about immigration. When the immigration officer at JFK saw Dad's veteran badge he just shook his hand and waived him through without even checking his passport. Nice touch.

It is Memorial day.  That's the US version of Remembrance day. Expect to see Trump on TV at some point with a lot of flags and hands over hearts.

We meet a lady in the lift on our way down. She is from California and this is her 4th visit to NY.  She wants to know where we are all from.  Dad has to think - south coast. He has adapted already.  She goes on.  She is from Malta.  Now we are rolling. Her name is Helen Buhagiar (no, it isn't Eileen Berkeley) and she has Maltese relatives all round the world - Canada,  Australia.  I am a bit worried she is going to tell us about all 14 of them but we arrive at the lobby.  Nice lady.

We ride the Metro to World Trade Center.  At the 9/11 memorial we view the pools which represent where the towers stood and then we go in to the museum.  Jed is our tour guide and he takes us round through the crowds.  It is a busy day.  I have done this before but the stories and anecdotes are different.  There is so much which has been recorded and preserved for history.  Out of chaos there is order.  It must still be so emotional for those that were here.

We jump in a yellow cab (first time) to go to Pier 17 to get a good look at Brooklyn Bridge.  Unfortunately Pier 17 is gone - it is being redeveloped.  So we decide to walk on the bridge.  Bit of a trek and it is teeming with people.  There are 2 lanes - one for pedestrians and one for cyclists.  The cyclists have to fight their way through.  

From there it is a shortish walk to Little Italy for lunch by which time we are ready for a sit down.  There are 2 things on the menu which Dad can choose - margarita pizza and coffee. He goes for it.

Now we are just strolling back up Manhattan, past Bloomingdale's and get to the Strand bookstore where they have 18 miles of bookshelves.  Mike's heaven.  I wait outside.

In the evening, it is time for a spot of culture. We visit the David Geffen hall at the Lincoln Center for Performing arts.  There will be two quite distinct parts - first a gospel choir singing about the Trinity and then in the 2nd half a 300 strong choir and huge orchestra perform Carmina Burana which is famous for the first movement which is the theme tune to the Old spice advert.  Really amazing.

We stop for a bite on the way back and meet our friend Sofia the Greek waitress. She has a soft spot for Dad and is very pleased to see us again.

That was day 3.

Starbucks is closing all branches on Tuesday afternoon for racial awareness training.  Somehow the city keeps going.  I could make an observation but I won't.  

Now we have got used to sleeping in past 6 we have 2 earlyish starts.  Tuesday morning we had to walk for breakfast, about a mile down to Grand Central station where I have booked at the Pershing Square restaurant which is a traditional and buzzy place under the old railway arches.

Mike said his poached egg on lentils and quinoa was the best meal he has had here. You can tell the guilt levels are rising.  From there it is another half a mile to the UN building on the East river.  

We have to check in.  As we approach the door the security lady says the line inside is already full.  I assume that's what she meant when she barked " Get back!".  I am the nominated leader of our group and go inside to check in. I am not sure what awaits me.  But it is just a very slow queue.   It is like a doctors surgery with a notice on the wall every couple of feet telling you what you should and shouldn't do.  Funnily enough even though this is the UN all the notices are in only 1 language.  

We go into UN Plaza past all the 193 flags and join our guided tour with Stephanie who is a fast talking New Yorker.  She gets some tough Q&A.  One Japanese guy asks why President Assad is in charge of the disarmament committee.  Good question.  Dad asks her why the Nagasaki statue which survived the atomic bomb is in New York and not Nagasaki.  It was gifted she says.  

Apparently the UN will welcome all peace loving nations to join but that doesn't seem to include Taiwan or Palestine because there are too many political conflicts.  And I wonder whether countries that drop nuclear bombs on other countries can be classified as peace loving.

We get to visit the chambers of both the Security Council and the General Assembly.

It's a short taxi ride over to the Empire State Building.  I am fearful of the queue we will find but it is quiet and we are whisked up to the 80th, 86th and then the 102nd observatory deck.  It is a sunny day and the views are amazing.  I must say though that the rest of New York buildings are catching up.  There is a lot of building going on.

We head up to Central Park in the afternoon as the temperatures soars towards 30C  the park is full of sunbathers.  Dad takes refuge on a shady bench while Mike and I walk up to the boating lake.  We pick him up on the way back and have an ice cream.  Dad's was made in Russia.

It was an uneventful evening.  Dad got his apple pie (Steven). My lemon meringue was inedible.  But the 18% tip was added on automatically.  Too tired to object.

This morning it was another hair raising yellow cab ride out to JFK for our flight home.  All in one piece.  It has been a great trip. We have packed a lot in. I have felt tired so Dad must have too.  But he never flagged.  I am guessing we will be glad to get back to home comforts.  See you all soon.