Just after lunch we had a couple of hours spare so all went for a walk to clear our heads and revive our jet lagged bodies. First stop was overlooking Ground Zero.
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
Walking on to City Hall where there was a lunchtime game of chess going on in the park around the buildings.
People just enjoying the fresh air. Such a shame as London was cold and wet.
I feel sorry for the local pigeon and squirrel football teams - they're just not allowed to have any fun at all. City Hall bureaucrats.
Then on to the Brooklyn Bridge. Having seen it on so many movies I was really expecting to see helicopters, car chases, explosions - but nothing just a sign saying "No Salt beyond this point". Given the average diet - a bit late really.
All wrapped up for the day we headed to B&H (heaven for anything electrical / video & audio stuff) where I had to get a replacement bulb for my camera light. Loads of stuff that you could spend an absolute fortune on. I was good though - didn't go mad at all.
The early mornings and time difference starting to kick in we had dinner at the Italian restaurant on the corner of the hotel. In a word the attitude was highly 'pretentious'. And the food only average. The bread was stale and only came with olive oil no balsamic vinegar, the wine was described at dry, really bone dry - like the ocean... so dry in fact it came out of the bottle and looked like a glass of wine. The cheese selection - I say cheese lightly as it was 'all American cheese' and no blue cheese - the maitre'd (who described the wine) didn't know what Dolcelatte cheese was... when I asked for some..... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! How can you run an Italian restaurant without having any blue moldly soft smelly cheese on the menu?
Friday - was more of the same - for lunch instead of being a chicken wrap Karine and I headed down the street to a Sushi shop spotted when taking a cab back to the hotel. Most cabs are horrible, and famously in New york the drivers are mostly immigrants the whole time we only had one Amercian driver. One time an Indian driver had a huge map of the US unrolled on his lap as he drove us to where ever. Back to lunch, great sushi & noodle soup with added wasabi and chilli. Fantastic for warming the cockles.
We got back to the hotel and saw that there was 'free' wine from 6pm on the 10th floor and headed more or less straight up. It would be rude not to. Better still the 10th floor had a balcony area over looking mid-town where we were staying.
One striking difference between New York and London is the greenery - London is so much greener. New York more striking initially as its built on the block system so you can see for ever down the Avenues (north/south roads) and the sky scrapers in the distance. Streets run east/west. If you live in NYC you have to have a penthouse / top floor flat with a roof garden or green balcony - makes all the difference to have that bit of nature around you.
One glass of wine later - that it. Just one glass of wine... not because you were only allowed one - the waiter only put out 2 bottles of wine. Once gone that was it - he collected the glasses and went.... rude not to really!!
The Empire State Building - minus King Kong.
Dinner was pizza. Bloody good too. Not sure how many native cuisines this city has but seem to be flying through them.... just need need some fish, salt beef sandwiches, pretsels.....
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