Rain
Tuesday June 5, 2012
For the first time on this trip, the rain has actually inconvenienced us. It was a wet walk from the Grand Central railway station to the UN Buildings, but since the tour is completely indoors, we weren't really affected that much in the end.
The UN tour was awesome. We were lucky to view the General Assembly Hall and the Security Council meeting rooms since they were empty and not in session, so we were able to take some good photos of those areas. They look just like they do on TV! There were also some great displays about peace and the Millennium Goals, as well as information about how the UN works and its structure and purpose. We didn't see Helen Clark though.
But the highlight of today was Avenue Q. Absolutely brilliant, an excellent performance by the cast and hilariously enjoyable, I was laughing so hard, I was actually in tears. Would recommend to anyone with a good sense of humour and who isn't offended easily!
Posted by Jeremy at 4:16am on Tuesday June 5, 2012 :: 0 comments :: 
My Feet Hurt
Monday June 4, 2012
Yesterday we did the International tour of NYC: Chinatown, Little Italy and, if you've seen my Facebook photo, various set locations from Flight of the Conchords including their apartment, the New Zealand Consulate and Dave's Pawn Shop! For lunch we had the famous New York style 18" pizza from Lombardi's in Little Italy.
We made our way over to Brooklyn to visit the Superhero Supply store, as well as a Kiwi-owned restaurant called Kiwiana. Mat got his first flat white in two weeks (I wanted some L&P but they didn't have any) and we each ordered a pavlova. Ah the taste of home.
Today we wandered around Central Park. It reminds me of the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, being quite an expansive area in such a busy city. It's nice and relaxing, and there's plenty of places to just chill out and doze off in the sun. Unfortunately for a tourist, time is of the essence and we had to power through all the landmarks we could - hence the title of this post. We covered the zoo (Red pandas! Penguins! Seals! Snow leopard! Polar bear!), the Turtle Pond, Belvedere Castle, Strawberry Fields and the Conservatory Garden before heading back to the hotel for a breather.
Another full day tomorrow... phew!
Posted by Jeremy at 12:23am on Monday June 4, 2012 :: 0 comments ::
Memorials, Bulls, Statues and Bridges
Saturday June 2, 2012
We started the day off at Ground Zero, where the reconstruction of the World Trade Center buildings are underway, and where two memorial pools serve as a sign of respect and remembrance to all those who perished on September 11, 2001. The place is surprisingly busy and noisy, mostly from construction workers and equipment, which is in stark contrast to what I expected it to be. The memorials are simple yet beautiful water features, square in shape with water flowing into a large hollowed drain in the center. Around the perimeter are the names of those killed on that day, from the flights, the towers, the rescuers and the other landmarks that were affected.
The 9/11 Memorials hold much emotion and you can sense both the grief of the event and the hope of the rebuilding. Various videos from the visitor centers tell stories of people who have lost family and friends in this disaster. A giant American flag with names of the dead printed in red and blue hangs solemnly on the wall. I can't help but think back to what that day was like; a phone call at 6am from William urged me to check the news. I still remember the haunting images of the planes colliding with the towers and their eventual collapsing. It was all abuzz at school (5th form) but being so far from the action, I can't help but wonder what the feelings were like in New York, around that exact site where I was standing earlier today.
We moved on to Wall Street and the famous Charging Bull statue, a symbol of the aggressive financial optimism and prosperity that institutions around that area draw much needed inspiration from. We continued south and decided to take a ferry to Liberty Island for a quick tour of the statue; the statue itself is undergoing renovations so there is no entry to the observation levels inside. Back at the Battery Park, we made our way over to Brooklyn via the famous Brooklyn Bridge. We caught some magnificent sights of the Manhattan skyline from both the ferry and the bridge!
Day has been seized.
Posted by Jeremy at 1:08am on Saturday June 2, 2012 :: 1 comment ::
The Big Apple
Friday June 1, 2012
The subway system in New York is rather confusing. Each line has many trains running on them. A train may or may not stop at every subway station on the line. So it ended up taking us two hours to get to the hotel from JKF airport. Sigh.
But we made it and that's the important thing. We explored the Rockefeller Center today and saw the fantastic daytime views of the city from the top. We also visited the Lego store, Nintendo World, M&Ms World, Toys R Us and Macy's. All these places are massive and multistoried, full of merchandise and bargains and amazing things. I purchased a Mew plushie from Nintendo World, as a shout out to my favourite Pokemon website, Psypoke, since Mew is one of our official mascots. I spent quite a bit of time there playing a Kirby game on one of the several Wiis there too - so cute!
We also caught the amazing nighttime views of the city from the Empire State Building. Totally breathtaking, being able to see the entire city from where we were, and on such a clear day as well!
Posted by Jeremy at 3:59am on Friday June 1, 2012 :: 0 comments ::
Farewell Las Vegas
Wednesday May 30, 2012
A city fit for the King of Rock and Roll
And whatever Queens of Pop they have these days - I can't keep up with that.
A place where the Jack Daniels flows freely
As the ten of thousands party
Till nine the next morning
Our flight leaves at eight but we've had an amazing time
Including a day trip out to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
At a depth of over six thousand feet in some points,
The Grand Canyon was a breathtaking five star out of five experience.
Our four night stay has gone by so quickly!
I wish it was three more.
The Bellagio Fountains, Mirage Volcano, Stratosphere, Eiffel Tower, Cirque du Soleil's O, the lights, the slots, the atmosphere... And those two buffets, oh boy.
Vegas, you're Ace. See you in New York.
Posted by Jeremy at 2:09pm on Wednesday May 30, 2012 :: 1 comment ::