Alright, this blogs going to be a bit of a shambles. Due to the lack of wi-fi and busy schedule, I’ve sort’ve just combined several different blogs into the one entry so apologies for mixes in the tenses and whatnot. Here goes:
As I write this blog entry I’m currently aboard flight Fl615bound for New York City, America. My last days in Iceland were rather dull due to the departure of many of the usual crew. On my last night however, Ella cooked me up my first roast since London which was a much needed treat and we enjoyed a few celebratory beverages together before saying goodbye!
My last day in Iceland dawned, bringing with it a trip to the blue lagoon with Dagny and Ramathorn on my way to the airport. In hindsight I regret not going there more because it was just a fantastic wayend to my stay; the sunset was pretty incredible too. I met some very cool people during my exchange and I’m sure I will be in touch with many of them in very near future!
~New York~
I arrived after a 6 hour flight only to be told we had to wait on the plane for another hour while they cleared customs. I got through without any issues but later found out my Cuban cigars I had been carrying in my hand luggage, had a trade embargo on them that could have copped me a hefty fine. Whoops
I managed to survive the train system (Thanks for the preparation London!) and made it to Stoneybrook station, Long Island, where my flatmate from last semester; Gareth (Griffin) was waiting for me. After much excitement and yelling on the station we headed off to his room where I stayed the night.
The next morning I took the train into the city. While waiting at the station it was a welcome relief to hear birds chirping and have sun rays shining through the trees onto me. The 5oC sun was in serious danger of searing my transparent skin.
Again like London, hordes of people lined the streets, fortunately NYC is a lot easier to navigate than central London at peak hour and the significantly less amount of tourists was nice.
On my afternoon in the city I saw the usual touristy spots like the empire state building and time square. Hopefully in the next two days before I leave for Vermont I can get some night pictures of it. Being my first meal in America there was really only one thing for lunch (and the fact that there was one on every street made the decision easier). I walked up to the Mcdonalds counter and asked for a supersized big mac combo. Apparently large was the biggest size they had! What is this England?
Stalked Madison square garden for half an hour or so, but no dice on sighting the elusive Mello or Amare. The my morning jacket concert tonight should be incredible.
~Update~
I caught up with Griffin and Isabel later that night at the 4 star hotel we were staying at before heading to the concert. This was easily one of the coolest concerts I’ve been to (the fact that we got to go backstage, drink the bands beers and meet some of the band members was a smaaaalllll contributing factor). My Morning Jacket were unbelievable and all you people back in NZ should definitely start listening to them ASAP. Band of Horses were amazing as well. Unfortunately The Roots after party the following night was cancelled.
The day after the show, I dragged myself out of a terrible hangover to catch up with the others for a classic American style breakfast before saying goodbye to Gareth and his American friend Aaron and catching the subway to Wall St. It’s one of those places you hear about all the time, so it was nice to finally put an image to the name! Because we arrived during the aftermath of the occupy movement, police officers/cars/horses lined the streets and access to the area was limited.
From downtown, we managed to navigate our way uptown (via subway, using my now seasoned touristic skills) to Central Park. Major events: First ever squirrel sighting! Encounter with the best “frisbee’er?” I have ever seen; and a photo with my very own NYC jazz saxophonist.
From Central Park we headed to the metropolitan museum of art. I’ve never really been one to appreciate (or have never had the opportunity to appreciate) art, however in the short time we were there before our legs and stomachs gave up on us, I was truly moved by some of the incredible sculptures and paintings on display.
We all but crawled back to the hotel, where after a fantastic jet-lagged nap we braved the NYC night to visit Time Square; and tuck into some super-heated Korean food before calling it a night.
Unfortunately the morning meant I had to say goodbye to Iz and her dad; however it did mean my journey to Vermont and the north was about to begin.
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