New York...New York

Brooklyn bridge
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Goodbye to mum take two! Mum, Franco, Janice & Ennio drop me at Calgary airport for next flight...destination this time New York, via Houston airport.

Houston is actually pretty impressive in size. Wander around the airport, as plane is delayed. Apparently today is the start of a new rule that no planes can fly into New York after midnight, as they are trying to reduce noise for locals. Nice if someone had told the airlines in advance! However they kept NY Airport open an extra half hour for flights, which was pretty crazy when you see 12 planes circling around waiting to land...

Sept 11th Memorial board
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Arrive in New York 12am and its everything i imagined and more! Check into hostel and meet a group of friendly people from Canada & Denmark who give me a heads up on what to do and see etc.

Day 1 - Breakfast & coffee at a local diner with Oscar & Martin, then onto the subway to get to downtown Manhattan. Find out how quick you have to be getting on and off when door closes on Oscar leaving him at the station...oops! Head to Ground Zero first which is a totally surreal place. I can´t really explain it and photos don´t show what its like. At first it just looks like a massive construction site with a big fence right around it, but then you near the main entrance and you see these amazing big photos hanging on the fence taken over the hours/days after the attack which span 100m along the viewing area. A massive billboard is also hanging with the names of people who died in the attack. You look out over where the towers use to stand, and its hard to hold back the tears. The place seems so peaceful now, you can´t imagine what it was like to be here when it happened.

Photos around the area of ground zero
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After Ground Zero, Martin & I head back to find Oscar, stopping for lunch at this cute little place ´Pic Nic´. End up staying here for a while once Oscar finds us, and enjoy a few beers as the sun set over the city. Decide to head to Central Park with a bottle of wine and hang with the locals. The park is massive and so random to be in the middle of the city. Rancoons come out in packs to see what were up to...don´t worry mum, didn´t play with them! After this its time to hit the bright lights of Times Square! Jump in a cab and zoom down new york driving style to the city (anyone whose ever given me shit for my driving needs to take a ride in a NY cab!) Times square is like a massive power plant, with billboards beaming from every direction. You get hounded by every kind of Hawker you can imagine! Did find one nice little asian man who drew my picture for $10, which i lost sometime during the rest of the night.

Top of Empire State Building (Statue of Liberty to the right in distance)
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Move to a quieter Irish Pub, where its nice to hear ´Don´t dream its over´playing! Go crowded house! About to head home, when we spot a fancy bar where we are checked on a list by simply stating we´re the ´Morgan Party´. Was pretty cool place with a massive pool in the middle and the bar weaving in and out of it. After this, time for bed!

Day 2 - Up early and grab a taxi to Empire State Building. Que doesn´t look too bad, until you get inside and see the pig pen that awaits. Wait in que for almost 2hrs to get the elevator up to the 108th floor...which is well worth the wait! Amazing views right across New York in every direction. Massive skyscrapers all around and you can even see the Statue of Liberty! Head back down and wander around the intriguing streets of New York. Walk down a very business looking street and suddenly am in Madison Square gardens! So random how you can be amongst all these huge buildings and suddenly in the centre of one of the world´s biggest cities, your in a peacful & quiet garden!

Ellis Island (next to Liberty Island)
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Hail a cab (which isn´t as easy as you think!) to take me to Staten Island ferry terminal to see the stautue of liberty...guess you can´t visit New York and not see the big lady up close and personal! Hectic place, but find a water taxi that does the scenic spots in an hour which works with me! Down by the ferry their is this amazing sculpture which i had read about but didn´t know it was here. Its called the ´Sphere´and it use to stand in the plaza between the Twin Towers. Since September 11th, they moved it here and their is a flame in front of it which was lit on the 1st anniversary of the attack in remembrance of all that died. The sphere is amazing and they have left it as it was after the attack with a massive gash through the middle of it. pretty cool.

Sept 11th images
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Catch water taxi and tour out through the New York harbour. Amazing to see all the skyscrapers and the New York City skyline. You can only imagine what it looked like with the towers in the midst of it all. Pull up to the Statue of Liberty, which i must admit, while very impressive, isn´t as big as i thought it was! Next we pass under Brooklyn Bridge which is pretty cool. Jump off taxi in Brooklyn and wander again through the streets. Stumble across a lane which is apparently world famous for its buskers, some amazing performances going on! Keep walking and arrive in front of City Hall & the gothic and mighty impressive Woolsworths building. Next door is St Pauls Cathedral, which is where all the family and friends congregated after Sep. 11th to pray and find peace. Its a beautiful old church dating back to the 1700´s which now seems so sad as it was home to heaps of people who lost family and friends. After this wonder back through Times Square which is just as crazy in the day as it is at night. Time to jump on the sub back to the hostel and head to JFP Airport for flight to London...

Ground zero entrance
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Get full on searched at the airport, i must have had my terrorist face on when i looked at security...