Date: June 2012
Position: 40°45′02″N 73°59′38″W
Conditions: Hot and dry
Train Stations
On the hottest day of the year so far, my Prada shoes and I were standing in front of Penn Station looking for my Hotel. The lovely guy at the train station out of Newport had booked it for me an hour ago, only two blocks to Broadway and the theatre I was going to that evening. Spotting it, I picked up my bag and crossed the road. Full of festering sailing gear – I swear it contained more of the Atlantic Ocean than clothing and weighed a tonne. I was down to one pair of clean undies, and the Prada shoes had made it unscathed.
Melting
Slowly turning into a puddle at reception, I have never been so happy to hear the words “the air conditioner is on in your room ma’am!” Escaping the heat of the streets, I have never been so glad of the American tradition of the bellhop. No humping bags up stairwells or squashing into elevators and pissing off everyone in general. I was tempted at that point to sit on the floor as I awaited the ding to say I had arrived at the seventh level. Cold shower – tick! The views out the window – impressive! I then made the fatal mistake of lying down on the bed (to test the mattress of course) and woke up two hours later.
Waking with that mildly panicked sensation you have after an unplanned sleep in an unfamiliar environment, I had a quick change and was good to go. Now one thing about sailing is you have to make some brutal choices about clothing and accessories for your destination. My choice was between shoes or handbag. The Prada shoes won, so I found myself heading to Broadway wearing my pretty dress, Prada shoes and carrying my worldly belongings (well, empty wallet, cigarettes) in a shopping bag. Not cool! There was a promising shop that was floor to ceiling handbags. Ducking in, I chose a useful looking black number (which forever became known as “the Grucci”. All I needed was food and life would be grand.
Phantom
I had been told about the famous NY pizza. From the corner I found myself on, I counted about 16 pizza shops. Making decisions when one is starving and sleep deprived, is extremely difficult. Philistine that I am, I ended up in Maccas. Hunger sorted, it was off to the Phantom. A trip to NY should compulsorily include a show. Having grown up with the Micheal Crawford version of the Phantom of the Opera, choosing this show was a no-brainer. It is a fabulous show. The glitz, just everything. I had forgotten the funny parts, and by the time the boat came out I was on the edge of my seat, completely mesmerized. Sitting front and centre was worth every cent! I am now kicking myself I didn’t think to take shots of the set during intermission.
Speedy Sightseeing
Times Square on a hot Saturday night with a full moon is a place to experience. The lights, the people, the sounds, and smells. It was all a bit overwhelming in my current state of exhaustion so I made a beeline for my hotel before I started an international incident with the next person who bumped into me.
It was a bit of a late start the next day! I wasn’t in a hurry to extract my self from the lovely super king bed. There is no way to explain how nice it was not to be jammed into a hammock, surrounded by stinky wet foul weather gear for four hours at a time. But the thought of a hot breakfast was enough to get me going then off up Empire State building. It is pretty tall! Looking down at Grand Central Park was like looking at a model! Buildings below us that five minutes prior seemed so tall were suddenly so small. It blew me away how many iconic sites are all within a quick walk of each other. Luckily I could see most of them from the viewing platform!
Sadly, it was straight to the airport from there. A mad dash through city traffic – thank god it was a Sunday and back to home. Next time, Pizza and the Statue of Liberty!!!!
