New York - Day 2

I didn't sleep well (too much noise - I had to scream once to shut the people up...) and I was cold....and I am not feeling 100% - think I am coming down with the flu or something - oh no.....  I need to take my 'special magic pills' again (don't worry... they are herbal eccinacea pills -hi hi).

I wear warmer clothing today - several layers and my new jacket - the sun is shining outside, but that can be deceiving....  Ahh and I forgot to tell you, that in this no-frills hostel, there are no electrical plugs in your cell or on your floor - so you have to have an adapter and charger and hand your devices to reception for charging.  Now - as things are never that straight forward with me,.... my adpater is a bit wobbly and needs special attention... needless to say I had a fight with one of the staff about my camera battery not having charged properly... well....  after that they let me into reception to plug my stuff in myself!  Still painful excercise though....I had to buy a second camera battery to solve my charging issues.... oh well it's good to have a spare anyway!

Anyhow... I started my day at the coffeeshop next door, which turned out to be a very very popular place (long queues of people) - alternative, organic with delicious coffee and yummie bagels...  As it is sunny, I sit outside and enjoy my coffee and bagel and watch the world go by....a nice leisurly start.

 Watching the street sweeper - I have flashbacks of Dubai.....there the Indian labourers have that job.....

I have to get uptown to catch my next bus tour - the Uptown tour.  It is too far to walk, so I get the subway... or I try anyway... I figured out that there are separate street entrances for the uptown and downtown directions... so I get to the station and buy my ticket from the machine - only for the ticket not to work when I try to enter the platform.  There are a couple of other people who have the same problem.  Of course there is no attendant... so I cross the road to the other station entrance where my ticket lady is.  She tells me that I can't get to my platform, but I can travel two stops downtown then cross over and then go uptown - she'll open the gate for me to get in...  Oh what the heck..... I am already exhausted and the day has hardly begun....

Needless to say, I make it to the tour bus stop - only to discover to my horror that there is an enormeous queue of tourists waiting to get on the same tour... oh well.... I get to talk to a nice elderly couple who have just been to New Zealand and we chat while we wait... Then after more than 1/2 hour there are two buses and everyone is confused... so I go up to one of the staff to ask which bus to take;  oh my God, he was sooo rude to me - so of course I started another fight and told him how rude he was and that I didn't appreciate this at all... he just mumbled something and complaint to his colleague.  These tourist organizations are very quick in wanting to sell you their tours, but once you handed over your money, they don't give a damm. Anyway the other tourists were appauled at his behaviour and told me to complain.  What a start to an otherwise beautiful warm and sunny day in New York!

I got on the bus - the tour took us to the West side of Central Park, Harlem, the East side of Central Park where the museums are and back to Time Square.  I hopped on and off several times: 1. Strawberry Fields; 2. Cathedral of St John the Divine; 3. Guggenheim Museum and Time Square.  Turned out to be a nice and interesting day!  I also bumped into an Australian couple who was touring... it's funny how you meet and talk to strangers when you travel.....

The purple line is the Uptown tour....

Strawberry Fields is a 2.5-acre landscaped section in Central Park that is dedicated to the memory of the musician John Lennon. It is named after the Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever".
Strawberry Fields was dedicated on what would have been Lennon's 45th birthday, 9 October 1985, by New York Mayor Ed Koch and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, who had underwritten the project.
The entrance to the memorial is located directly across from the Dakota Apartments, where Lennon had lived for the later part of his life, and where he was murdered.

Dakota Apartments

Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan. The park initially opened in 1857, on 843 acres (3.41 km²) of city-owned land. While planting and land form in much of the park appear natural, it is in fact almost entirely landscaped. The park contains several natural-looking lakes and ponds that have been created artificially, extensive walking tracks, bridle paths, two ice-skating rinks, the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a large area of natural woods, a 106-acre (43 ha) billion-gallon reservoir with an encircling running track, and an outdoor amphitheater. In addition there are seven major lawns, the "meadows", and many minor grassy areas; some of them are used for informal or team sports and some set aside as quiet areas; there are a number of enclosed playgrounds for children. The six miles (10 km) of drives within the park are used by joggers, bicyclists, skateboarders, and inline skaters, especially when automobile traffic is prohibited, on weekends and in the evenings after 7:00 pm.



Central Park is amazing - such a beautiful serene place... it's quite big. It has a few lakes; people walk, bycle, rollerskate, run etc... walk their dogs... It's an oasis in the midst of madness....I went for a stroll - and sat by the water....so relaxing.

Off I went back on the bus, which was quite full, so I only got a seat downstairs.  Of course you can't see much - and the windows downstairs are not clear, they have advertisements on it... So I couldn't take any photos for the next leg... I was very upset again!!!  (but didn't start a fight....).

My next stop was the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.  I had a look at the Cathedral then went for a coffee and snack; and sat in the park next to the Cathedral to rest a bit.

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. The inside covers 121,000 sq ft (11,200 m²), spanning a length of 183.2 meters (601 ft) and height 70.7 meters (232 ft). The cathedral, designed in 1888 and begun in 1892, has, in its history, undergone radical stylistic changes and the interruption of the two World Wars. Originally designed as Byzantine-Romanesque, the plan was changed after 1909 to a Gothic design.

And off again on the bus... this time I got a seat upstairs - hurray - I can take photos again.  I find New York architecture and buildings very fascinating....Our trip took us through Harlem - a buzzing place full of people, street stalls, markets.  I decided not to get off here, as I wanted to have enough time to see the Guggenheim, and I am not allowed to shop anyway (buhuuu....).

Harlem is a neighborhood in Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands.  In the 1920s and 1930s, the neighborhood was the focus of the "Harlem Renaissance", an outpouring of artistic and professional works without precedent in the American black community. By 1995, Harlem was experiencing social and economic gentrification. Though the percentage of residents who are black peaked in 1950, the area remains predominantly black.

The Guggenheim was a bit disappointing, as there were not many exhibits open. They were renovating...of course... But still - it's an interesting building.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (often referred to as "The Guggenheim") is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions throughout the year. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, it is one of the 20th century's most important architectural landmarks. The museum opened on October 21, 1959, and was the second museum opened by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The distinctive building, Wright's last major work, instantly polarized architecture critics upon completion, though today it is widely revered. From the street, the building looks like a white ribbon curled into a cylindrical stack, slightly wider at the top than the bottom. Its appearance is in sharp contrast to the more typically boxy Manhattan buildings that surround it. Internally, the viewing gallery forms a gentle helical spiral from the main level up to the top of the building. Paintings are displayed along the walls of the spiral and also in exhibition space found at annex levels along the way.

I had my first hot dog (nothing to write home about - it was a small snack..) from the hot dog stand.  Of course in New York, the 'hot dog' stands sell more than hot dogs, ie. kebabs, burgers, brezels and drinks. They are all over town - I don't think you'd ever go hungry in this town....

I went back into Central Park for another walk along a beautiful man-made lake....My walk led me by the Metropolitan Museum of Art - again a buzzing area, street artists and lots of tourists....quaint.

Aaahhh - this tea tastes good... what a nice day!

I caught the bus again and stayed on until Time Square. 

Seeing I was uptown, I went to the Greyhound offices to collect my tickets.  Again, customer service sucked! People in New York are very arrogant, aggressive and don't give a damm....Not very nice! However, I got my tickets and the info I wanted.

I walk to Central Station looking for dinner.  I have some vegetarian dinner at the foodcourt. While I sit there and eat, at least 5 homeless people have been and gone through the trash. So sad to see that among all these riches, there are people, mostly ignored and unnoticed, who are homeless and hungry. I can't eat all of my food - lost my appetite, so I give it to one of the homeless people.

Grand Central Terminal  — often called Grand Central Station, or simply Grand Central — is a terminal station in Midtown Manhattan. Built by and named for the New York Central Railroad in the heyday of American long-distance passenger trains in 1913, it is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms: 44, with 67 tracks along them. They are on two levels, both below ground, with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower. 

Am exhausted .....and this is only my second day in NY!....

S & D