You should see the state of some of the long pasta we have here.
You should see the state of some of the long pasta we have here.
That's not done to death at all yet.Originally Posted by dino
Still though, Glasgow.
@Sir Andy Mahowry
Grinned and giggled to myself for a good 5 minutes after I saw that photo. Good work.
I can't take American money seriously. Statue and Ellis Island tour booked. Unfortunately, the tours to get you inside the statue are sold out until July.
Last edited by Shindig; 17-03-2019 at 02:48 PM.
Evenin'. Let me bring you guys up to speed:
Flights and airport were fine. Well, to Newark was delayed by baggage and some jetty bother. Then I had to go through passport screening twice because I didn't pick up a customs form.
All of this meant I got to the hotel way after midnight. Weather was blustery shit and New York at night is .... just full of the strangest people. I have not been on a single train ride without a homeless pleading for change.
Ellis Island was amazing! Just a top, focused museum that took up 3 hours. It can't be topped. Liberty island was decent for th view of Manhattan and the statue. Also, anybody doing some kind of customer service has a proper warmth to them. Airport staff, the subway drivers reacting to the shit happening on their trains, etc. Makes a contrast when I'm used to uniform British politeness.
Visited the 911 memorial and I find it a bit bleak how tourist heavy that is. To me, it's still a grave site, not some place to take selfies and arty shot of the names around the pool.
I keep forgetting about the intrepid so that's tomorrow's priority. Might skip some museums in favour of more sightseeing. Couldn't be arsed with the MoMA today. The weekends peaked early, tbh.
The Americans just do museums better than us. Go to the Natural History Museum, it's a banger.
Go to Five Napkin Burger. I never went, but i thought the name was hilarious
Well, that was five hours at the Intrepid. Awesome exhibits there. Food's taken a hit with me grabbing whatever I can.
Sounds fun.
Meet @Josh!
I'm a twit
Fate dealt me a five napkin burger. I rate the place. Took mine to go but the staff seemed canny. Burger seemed too pink to be medium rare, though.
Hell yeah! I have heard it’s really good. Did anyone explain to you the origins of the name? I wonder to this day
Go to beauty and Essex bar shinners.
I haven't actually drank since I got here. I never asked about the name either. It was a messy burger so that might be it.
Not sure why you got done because of the customs form. They haven't required those for quite a while now.
Yeah, I wasn't the only one that got confused by it. Someone left their ESTA on the desk whilst they were filling it in, too. Hope the airport got a message out for that.
Maybe it's a Trump thing?
Idk if i understand the question, but every time I re-enter the US from abroad I have to fill out the customs form and wait in the customs line. It’s been like this for as long as i can remember.
ESTA means you just log in on those terminals.
Well, I'm in the home stretch now. Didn't get to the transit museum but spent a while walking around Brooklyn. That place is a lot more relaxed than Manhattan.
The views over the bridge were great. Central Park was decent. Seeing black and red squirrels everywhere was cool. The one way signs don't do much, do they?
Didn't feel too bothered by the Natural History Musrum. There's lots of stuff there but nothing that I'm super into. It's a big, traditional museum which doesn't hit me like the Intrepid or Ellis Island.
Tomorrow I have about 4 hours after checkout to kill. I'm thinking about Times Square and Wall Street.
Last edited by Shindig; 24-03-2019 at 11:04 PM.
Times Square is garbage, Wall Street is marginally more interesting. I would go to the neighborhood in Brooklyn that’s full of ultra-Orthodox Jews and people watch
You can do that in North London though tbf. Had a quality bagel in Finnsbury park last Sunday.
Get a chance to visit MSG, @Shindig?
Nope. Although I'll be past that place again as my train to Newark goes from Penn Station. To compensate, I've been watching Mert's lot sneak their way through March Madness. And Rocky 3 is on BBC America. Stallone wrote and directed that. Explains a lot.
Borough Park is the name of it. It’s quite a trip.
It is quite strange experiencing the rapid shift from 'no jews' to 'all jews' for the first time.
The only part of Brooklyn I saw was around the vicinity of the Barclays Center and that was rough as hell. Didn't enjoy the walk back to my hotel at midnight.
That says more about you than the area, I've never felt unsafe in any part of New York or Brooklyn although I haven't done anything silly like venture out to East New York at night or anything.
I felt comfy. This is in a week where a an old woman was booted around a subway train and a port authority bus got torched by a man wearing no pants. For reference, I landed into Brooklyn on Jay Street and wandered around Atlantic (or is it Pacific?) Avenue. Outside Jay St. was relatively black but there's a definite suburban neighbourhood feel to places around Henry Street, etc. Two white women (one young, one old) exchanged talks about their dogs. Not dawgs. Anyway, let's wrap this up.
I am awake. I checked out at 11am Monday. I arrived back in Newcastle at 8:45am this morning. The cabin crew would not stop feeding us, even after the Five Guys I'd dived into before heading for Penn Station. The six hour return flight was brisk. I didn't realise the winds or whatever that make the journey quicker give the plane an extra 100 mph. We landed maybe five minutes behind schedule and, being stuck with a window seat, I had to wait for almost everyone to get off. My connecting flight was already boarding. Security was quick in spite of the passport kiosks not recognising me without glasses at every turn. I finally now know the one thing I'll forget to take out of my pockets and get the gist of the airport flow. Check-in, Security, Gate. I no longer have the fear of showing myself up because there's always some other steampot behind you ready to kick off over how they've packed their liquids or whatever.
So, one more final step. Boarding. We get to the gate and see a National Express. Fuck, yes. Runway boarding like a statesman. Roll out the red carpet for these 100 motherfuckers and their 30 minute flight. Some lass thought it a good idea to get her head down for it. Slumped over the tray and using her coat as a pillow when she'd only get 10 minutes between seatbelt signs. Smooth take-offs and landings all the way apart from the windy entrance to Newark on the way over. So what did I do on the few hours before departure?
Well, it was back to the financial district. My quest to find a restroom started there. I know there's one in WTC but Google Maps had other ideas. I'm done with that. The location data never matches up quick enough to stop me (a man with no direction) from getting lost. Got my bearings, though. First I wandered into Brookfield Place and then realised why I think shopping in New York's a bit of a bust. They have none of the shit I like. I don't care for watches, jewelry or perfume. Or children's toys. Like, I could get something for the nephew but I'm not fitting a big, bastard pedal car in my luggage. It led me back down the Hudson where it all began. Still couldn't find a place to piss so I decided, "Fuck, where's Wall Street?" Google Maps eventually got me in the right area. Trinity Church is a nice focal point. Some famous founding fathers are buried there but I was really after the Federal Hall.
I found it, but not before the Charging Bull. Got a decent shot of that. Side-profile, natch. Not the crude bollocks the frat boys go for. So now we're at Bowling Green. I've been everywhere up and down Rector Street but seemingly keep turning away from the Fed. Then I finally hit it. The ground beneath me gets a little bit more pedestrianised. About fucking time. Grabbed a shot of George Washington, looked at the Trump Building and the construction going on and said, "Alright, what do I do with the other couple of hours?" I still need to take a piss. Google's thrown me a sensible suggestion of Pier 16. I know the direction the Hudson is in now so that should be easy. It was. Didn't expect it to throw me at South Street Seaport, though. You get a decent look at the Brooklyn and Washington(?) Bridges from there. And there's a restroom. And the old ships. The oldest is the most impressive but it's more the fact that it's been moored here.
Decent day and, when I got back to Newcastle, I started to notice what wasn't there. I've realised I love the noise the Tyne and Wear Metro engines make but there's a stench to the Subway that you just can't replicate. It's like burning rubber and rat shit. I got into Newcastle city centre and it looked so bloody empty. Had a oroper early Sunday morning look to it. I was walking around Durham for some shopping and was expecting to see a skyline. Hell, the Taco Bell on Grainger Street raised a smile. So yeah, a good five nights and there's a few things I can venture back for in future. If I can tag along with when my sis does eventually go, I can crowbar myself as a guide.
Fuck Google Maps.
That says more about you than the area, I've never felt unsafe in any part of New York or Brooklyn although I haven't done anything silly like venture out to East New York at night or anything.
What does it say about me?
I mean, my Manhattan experience kinda echoes this. Walking out of Penn Station into a stationed patrol car and fire engine with sirens on blast. I got more comfortable with the place but never needed to leave the hotel past sundown. Some cunts just like to aggro in public and I can't be arsed with it. I could live there and deal with it but, as a tourist, I just want to get stuff done when the sun's up. It doesn't have to be down to race. Just the fear that you have stuff on you that you don't want to lose. Plus you never feel like a bigger target than you do on your first day.
The more I hear about New York, the less interest I have in ever going. My in laws have just got back and described it as London but without the good bits.
It's better than London imo
It's way, way better than London. And that's just factoring in that people have to pretend to be nice to you so they don't get fired.
Faux-sincerity is probably the most irritating American trait of them all, so that's not really selling it.
If you think someone pretending to like you is a positive, then that says a lot about your self esteem.
Where did I say anything about liking me?
Where did I say anything about you?
I pretend to like everyone.
They're all welcome. The pricks.
I'm a twit
Sexual tension
@Shindig you should to the Creek and the Cave for the Legionbof Skanks show.
When you used the pronoun 'you' in direct context of what I'd just said. We're not speaking Queens english or something.
That was directed at Baz, by the way.
I think you're paranoid, mate.
Bigger is better. And there's a proper culture shock going from mostly white Britain to Manhattan's melting pot.
I always preferred Chicago, but that was because New York felt too European. Chicago is a proper American city.
True. It made asking for directions tricky because you never knew what accent you'd land on. Or whether u could contain mine.
So, London then.
I’m with Spikey. London is so much better. It’s got as many people as New York, but without the towering, oppressive skyscrapers everywhere
Describing gentrified Brooklyn as sketchy is peak whiteness. It’s not the Bronx.
Thanks for letting me know.
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