New York

Trip Start Jan 16, 2008

Trip End Ongoing

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Where I stayed

Latham Hotel New York City

(New York City hotels)

Flag of United States New York City, New York
Monday, January 28, 2008

The flight was the soulless Mcarren Airport in Las Vegas to JFK in NYC was scheduled to take around a little over five hours, crossing almost the entire length of the USA. The journey, thanks to some favourable wind actually took nearer four. This was still four hours too long however; especially when the pilot announced, about half way in, that a burning smell had been detected and there was an electrical fault as a result. Now this news would sit pretty high on a list of things i never want to hear as it is, but it got better still when the pilot, who had already announced an electrical fault at 30,000 feet, started his following broadcasts with stomach-churning nuggets such as "ladies and gentleman, this is your captain...i have some good news and some bad news" and "Um, im afraid it never rains but it pours". WHAT!! To me, if the 'rain' is power failure at 6 miles above the ground, then the 'pouring' would involve oxygen masks and a lethal descent into an early grave.

As you might have gathered we arrived at JFK in one peice, in a little shook up and jumped in a taxi to the Latham Hostel where we stayed for our six nights in the Big Apple. New york was great and we throughly enjoyed ourselves, but i think coming from London takes some of the shine of the place. Instead of Black cabs they have yellow. Hyde Park becomes Central Park and substitue the West End for Broadway. Personally i would take Covent Garden over Madison Square Garden any day. The people are just as rude as they are in London and they even have Greenwich, Soho and Chelsea.

With all the negativity out the way, i can concentrate on the good stuff. The trip around Liberty Island was fun, although the Statue itself is much smaller than i imagined. We didnt stop at Liberty Island but continued to Ellis Island to see the really interesting Immigration museum. We did all the other must see sights...the Empire State Building (which, may i add, is fucking high....i have never had a shit at that attitute before), took a horse drawn carriage around central park, and had a peak at the Ground Zero site.