Seems the weather from Melbourne has finally caught up to me. It has been cold, windy, and wet all day today. As if I needed a reminder that I was going home! I was planning to go up at least one tall building before I went, but there didn't seem like a lot of point.

This morning I walked, in the rain, to Ess-a-Bagel on the corner of 1st Avenue and East 21st Street for the third and last time. This place was one of the major figures in the New York Bagel Wars of the 1970s. The first time I went there I made the faux-pas of asking to have my cinammon raisin bagel toasted. The man serving seemed quite indignant, saying, "We do not toast our bagels here, sir. They are fresh!" I never asked for it toasted there again. But tasting it, I realized they didn't need toasting. Definately among the best bagels I've eaten here, particularly if it is served hot and fresh from the oven!

That shrewd philosopher of religion Belinda Carlysle was correct when she asserted that heaven was a place on earth. It's a small coffee shop in Greenwich Village called "Joe the Art of Coffee", and this morning I went there to have my last good machiato before I depart for the colonies. They have been spot on every time!

I've been to see two shows in the past three days. On Friday I saw the Blue Man Group. It was a sort of performance art. Really funny though. It's been really popular. They have been performing at the Astor Place Theatre for the last 17 years.

Last night I went to the New York Theatre Workshop to see a play. NYTW is alleged to be the authentic New Yorker alternative to Broadway, and has won quite a few awards. Apprently this was where Rent was first performed (still haven't seen that one). The play was called Black Eyes, and was about four Arab women in limbo about to enter the "room of martyrs". Hard to describe exactly what it was about with such little time to think about how to articulate it in writing.

I have also spent the last few days frantically doing last minute shopping. On Saturday and Sunday, I mostly cruised the markets. And there are a lot of markets. There was a big one on Lexington Avenue, and a farmers market in Union Square, and one in Soho along Broadway and West Broadway. Lot's of artists on West Broadway selling their work on the streets. There was some really impressive (and expensive) stuff.

I think that's about it. This will be my last post. If anyone is still reading, I hope you have enjoyed my blog. I'm sad to leave New York, but in a way it will be good to get back home, back to my routine and my study. I also think my constitution has probably reached its capacity for solitude, as I have more or less explored New York alone. It's been a challenge, and it's been fun, but I look forward to catching up with my friends and family when I get back to Melbourne (after a good night's sleep, that is!!)

Signing off,
Dale Hutchinson

Hello everyone. I know it has been a while since I last posted.

I moved out of the hostel yesterday. I could only stay there a maximum of 26 nights, and so I checked into the Latham Hotel on East 28th Street in Flat Iron. My feelings are mixed about the placed. My first impression of the place was that it was quite a step up from the hostel. The lobby looked very nice, and I had a staff member carry my luggage up to my room on the 7th floor. I have a room to myself with a queen-size bed, which is pretty nice, a TV with cable access, a bar fridge, and my own telephone. I also have my own wash basin so I can brush my teeth and shave without having to leave my room. So that all seemed pretty nice in contrast to the six bed dorm I was sleeping in and the grotty bathrooms at the youth hostel.

But the downside is that there is only one toilet and shower for the whole floor, which means if you get a shower in the morning, or get to go to the toilet, it's by pure chance. A lot of the channels on the TV don't have a good picture and sound staticky (don't know if that is a word or not), and I can't seem to make external phone calls, despite following the instructions provided. The only internet access there is wifi available in the lobby, and I don't have my laptop with me. So there are a few issues that I didn't have at the hostel.

But anyway, a lot of news on the food front. There is a restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue called "Flor de Mayo", which was so good I went two nights in a row. I have never seen such an eclectic menu. It had Spanish, Chinese, and Peruvian all on the same menu. I tried some shredded chicken from the Peruvian menu the first night, and the second night I had sweet and sour shrimp. The service was also excellent and the meal (relatively!) inexpensive.

On Tuesday night I went to the Corner Bistro on Jane Street, West Village. Rumo(u)r has it that they make the best burgers in New York City. Apparently when the word got out, it turned into yuppyville. I was lucky to beat the rush. The burger was indeed delicious. Something about the beef patty. I wonder what was in it...

But burgers and pizzas aside, there are plenty of healthy food alternatives here in New York. Organic food seems to be in fashion here. There are no shortage of cafes here that sell fruit salad, non-fat yoghurt, and even choose-your-own salads (NB a "cafe" can mean one of two things. It often refers to a type of cafeteria-style venue, and when asked if you want it "to stay" or "to go", and you ask to have it "to stay", the only difference is that they put your meal on a tray!)

There is a combined health food restaurant and vitamin supplement place in Greenwich Village called "Eva's" which sell fat free and sugar free muffins, along with other healthy food and meals. I've been there twice now, and there seem to be a lot of body builders coming in all the time, some with arms so big they almost need to step through the door sideways to get in. There was some guy having an argument with the person at the register. I don't know what it was about; something about them not having some supplement he always gets there. Must have been the steroids talking or something.

But against my better judgement I have also been to Starbucks several times, not so much for the coffee, but because I can just sit there, read and write, and not be disturbed. When I was at the hostel it was difficult to find a place where there wasn't a lot of noise.

For coffee, I still haven't found a better place than "Joe the art of Coffee". I was there only moments ago, and not only did I have a machiato, but a delicious chai latte. They display a "Joe coffee fact of the day" on the counter; apparently between 1998 and 2003, the number of coffee houses rose by 80% (I don't know if that was just New York or America wide) - roughly 17,000. Yes, they are still catching up to Australia in the coffee stakes, but they are trying...

Last night I went to the Nuyorican Poetry Cafe on the Lower East Side to see a poetry slam. They had some musicians accompanying a lot of the performers, and there were some very talented hip-hop artists and rappers. The last performers were a group called "Enemies of the State". I don't know if they are famous, but the name sounded familiar. I don't know if that counts as a celebrity sighting or not, so I'll lump that in the "maybe" category.

Anyway, I'm hoping to go and have dinner in Chinatown in a few hours.

Over and out.

Major developments on the coffee front!! Today I had what was probably the best machiato ever. The place is called "Joe the Art of Coffee", located in Waverley Place in Greenwich Village. I saw on the counter nearby soon after I ordered a latte waiting for someone else, and I got really excited when I saw the golden brown froth decorated with a white leafy pattern. And when I tasted my machiato, sheer delight! The best I've had here by a long shot (boom tsch!) At last, I have discovered what must be the best coffee in New York, and probably the best machiato I have had in either hemisphere. Tomorrow I plan to go and have my morning tea there.

Well... I had my most expensive day in New York on Monday. In the evening I went to "Cafe des Artistes" on West 67th Street. Very plush, and very expensive. I was attracted to the name, and I was curious about whether expensive food tastes better than cheape food. I hope you all appreciate the great financial sacrifice I've made in order to share with you my experience of this restaurant, so that others after me will not have to bare the same financial burden...

Anyway, so the place was located in the "Hotel des Artistes", which has been operating since 1917. It was a small place. Fairly quiet. There weren't many people there, possibly because it was a Monday night. I ordered a glass of Merlot - some French brand, "Chateau de something something..." and some steak served with some mixture of wilted spinach and cheese, and... "pommes des frites". I should have realized what this was from my high school french. It's the posh way of saying "french fries". I'm still not used to the idea that chips are served with an expensive high-brow meal. Seems a bit out of place. The same thing happened when I had the duck confit at Cafe Mogador; it was served with a bowl of chips. Just seems odd. I guess the Americans really like their fries.

The main course was lovely, although I don't know if was particularly mindblowing, which I would expect for $39. The dessert, on the other hand, was much better value. It was recommended to me by one of the very friendly waiters (and who wouldn't be friendly when you're expecting a nice big tip, which is directly proportional to the cost of the food and drink). It was called "Hot Fudge 'Napoleon'", and consisted of two flat, oblong pieces of pastry sandwiching some icecream, with a blob of cream on top, garnished with strawberries and blueberries, and latticed with hot fudge. It would have to have been the best dessert I've ever had!

So after dinner, I headed to the Iridium Jazz Club in Midtown, where I saw Les Paul and his trio perform. He had a number of other performers come out, like a jazz violinist, a tap dancer, and a singer. Steve Miller was also in the audience (famous for some big band I think) and got up and performed. And... our very own Olivia Newton-John was also in the audience, and she got up and sung "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". So all in all, I had a very good night!!

Well, on Friday I decided I needed to go do the sort of thing you tourists come to do while they're in New York. I went to the Guggenheim. It was... interesting. Actually, the experience didn't excite me that much. If anything it was a little frustrating. I loved the inside of the building (I couldn't see the outside of it because it was surrounded by scaffolding for its refurbishment). But the artwork... well, they were very pretty, but I'm not at all well schooled in art, and a lot of them quite frankly looked the same as each other. I didn't really know what distinguished one Matisse from the other. And then there was the blue fibreglass plank on display. Is this suppose to challenge our conceptions of art? I just felt looking at these works was like trying to understand a conversation in a foreign language I didn't know. Like I said, some of them looked very nice, but you don't put works on display in a gallery just because they look nice. Quite frankly, there was at least one Picasso there which looked like it could have been done by a child in kindergarten. I couldn't say whether these works were good or bad, because I just didn't know (Rodney, perhaps you could help me out here).

Oh well, on a more pleasant note, that night I went to a FREE concert at NYU put on by the music faculty. They played Dvorak's Dumky Trio and a Brahms String Sextet in B flat. There's another free concert in a few days being performed by the Boromeo String Quartet which is conducting a workshop at the university, so I may go along to that as well.

Today I plan to go to a flea market in Hell's Kitchen, and a market in Chelsea. Then at 4PM I believe there is a poetry reading at the Bowery Poetry Club. So that's my plan for today, although things don't usually go to plan.

I've uploaded some photos onto photo bucket. You can access them here . Username is dhutch81, password dallas81. Then click on the sub album titled "New York Escapade". Haven't posted all of them up yet, but will try to put more there when I have the time.

Take care everyone,
Dale

I still hold out hope that I will find good coffee, other than just espresso. A little bit of research on the internet revealed that there was a small cafe in Greenwich Village which served "stick-brewed" coffee (apparently some unique brewing method invented by the owner). So on Tuesday, I went and found the place, and had a small (ie a mug) coffee. It wasn't bad as far as Americano coffee goes. I guess it's hard to compare American coffee to the fancy espresso I usually have.

I saw the rock musical "Spring Awakening" that night. Very enjoyable. It was about a group of adolescents in a German provincial town in the 1890s trying to learn about sex and questioning their parents and teachers, only their parents and teachers wouldn't give them the information they wanted and discouraged them from thinking for themselves. So they find out things for themselves, which eventually leads tragedy.

Yesterday was 4th of July - Independence day. Most of the day just seemed like another weekend. Lots of people out in Central Park. It was overcast, and possibly the coolest day since I had arrived. Rain looked inevitable. I was expecting to see lots of people getting dressed up and decorations everywhere like the ones the politicians use at their election rallies. Didn't see it. The Upper West Side was pretty quiet really. Most shops were closed. There were a few people on the street. Midtown was full of tourists as usual. So not thinking that there was anything special going on, I went out on my own as usual. Went shopping in Midtown, and ate at a Turkish restaurant on 47th Street. However, as I made my way back, there were a lot of loud banging noises, and rumbles in the distance, and the sound of fireworks exploding. It was hard to see with all the buildings in the way. I saw a couple. When I got to the hostel, however, the TV in the lobby was showing all the fireworks live. Looks like I missed it. Still, I comforted myself knowing that it was raining and everyone who was out there watching the fireworks were getting drenched. Hmph.

New York is a big city, and it attracts a lot of creative individuals. Consequently, it seems that every person selling coffee here has their own interpretation of a machiato. One place served me a long black with some milk on the side. Yestderday, half the cup was filled with foam. Now I do appreciate creativity, just not with my coffee. I think I saw a quote recently that in New York, coffee is simply for drinking, not tasting. If I had set out to find the best coffee in New York, my mission would have failed before it had begun. Their idea of good coffee is the coffee made by Starbucks. At one place, the gentleman serving me told me that he had been told that his coffee was better than Starbucks. He was wrong, which unfortunately says a lot about the standard of coffee in New York City. I think in future I'll stick to my double espresso...

In other news, yesterday I decided to start taking the whole bagel business seriously. I was in Barnes & Noble the other day, and I spotted a book on places to have breakfast and brunch in New York. I then started reading about the "New York Bagel Wars" of the 70s. There appear to have been three major players in these frays: H&H Bagels, Ess-a-Bagel, and Absolute Bagels. I went to H&H Bagels yesterday morning and bought a cinammon raisin bagel. Only problem is that they don't toast or butter them there, they just sell them. So I had to have it plain, along with a hot beverage they like to call "coffee", as I walked over to Central Park. It's hard to compare them to the ones I've been eating anywhwere else because I ate it plain.

I had my first celebrity sigthing two days ago as well. I was at "Big Nick's Burger Joint" on Broadway, and at the table about two metres away was one of the actors from Law & Order. I don't know if he is still in the show, but I think hew was one of the detectives. I don't know the neam of his character, but he was tall, skinny, grey hair, and in the show he usually wears sunglasses. I always thought he looked suspiciously like Henry Winkler. He was with his dog and he ate a slice of margherita pizza, then he left. Bet that kind of juicy information doesn't make the tabloids...

Anyway, 'till next time, take care,
Dale

Hi everyone. I know I haven't posted for a while now, so I thought I would just mention some of the highlights. Suppose that's better than telling you how I walked down "x Avenue", and walked along "West umpteenth Street", and ate in such and such a cafe, etc. etc.

I was going to check my e-mail for free at the Applestore on Friday, but when I got there, the entrance was cordoned off, there were TV crews everywhere, and there were people lined up all the way round the block. I had noticed some of them there the other day, but had never thought to ask what they were doing there. I found out that they were about to release the iPhone, and that these people had been waiting two days in line to get it. Hmm. So I guess that meant I couldn't check my e-mail. However, I returned later that night, after spending the day downtown. The place was still packed, and people were still queuing up to buy the iPhone. However, I still managed to find a free computer, AND I was able to use the restrooms there.

The same day, I came across a market in Union Square (I think it's in Madison Avenue). Lots of homemade, organic food there. I had a bran and raisin muffin, some mint, green tea and grape juice, and I sampled some apple cider and apple ice wine and peach ice wine from a cidery in Ithaca, NY. I ate dinner at "Cafe Mogador", a Moroccan restaurant in the East Village. The best meal I'd eaten since I arrived. It was expensive, but definitely worth it, and it went down well with a nice glass of Bordeaux blend.

It's hard to find a good coffee in New York. To be safe, I've been getting a double espresso most of the time. But even in a good restaurant - even the Italian one I ate at last night, they seem puzzled. Either I get a long black with some milk on the side,like I did at Cafe Mogador, or they're just not that good; no pretty patterns made on the foam like you get in Melbourne. I think the best coffee I've had here was at a restaurant in Thompson St in Greenwich Village. It wasn't espresso, but it was organic, and it was beautiful. Have to go back there sometime just for the coffee!!

I seem to find myself in Washington Square Park almost everyday. There always seems to be something happening, whether it's jazz musicians, jugglers, or the "NYC annual Dyke March". There always seems to be lots of people. Mostly students from NYU I think, so I feel quite at home. Last night I sat there for about an hour, just listening to this African playing his instrument and singing.

I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art yesterday. The place is absolutely HUGE!! There is no way you can appreciate everything there on one visit. I really liked the impressionist paintings, and I also saw about three Stradavari violins on display, and the oldest existing fortepiano in the world, made in 1720 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, the inventor of the piano.

Something I have thought about doing while I was here was to go along to some poetry readings. As an undergraduate with a lot more free time on my hands, I used to go to Bar Open in Fitzroy on Wednesdays nights to hear open mic poetry. I gradually lost the energy and interest to keep going there. So I figure while I'm here, where almost everything seems to be so conveniently located together on a single island, it would be good to see some poetry. I managed to find the Bowery Poetry Cafe on Bowery Lane in NoHo. I had just missed a book launch which had included live music and poetry readings, but I was handed a flyer about a jazz/hip-hop fusion performance later that night. So I came back later that night, and I wasn't disappointed! The musicians were absolutely amazing!! I don't think I have ever seen a performance like this in Melbourne before! It's hard to describe in words, but they blew me away, and I hope I never forget the experience.

'Till my next installment, take care everyone,
Dale

Hi again,
So... I've got two days to catch up on. Well, yesterday, I slept in. And I don't mean until 7AM "slept in" (as some of you know, when I work on day shift I get up at 4.30AM!) No, today I didn't wake up until after midday. I imagine it is partly due to jet lag, a number of early mornings, poor sleep, and the fact that I have been walking absolutely everywhere, almost without exception. I've worked out how to get the best night's sleep now. Louise suggested taking earplugs for the flight over. Well, they helped a little, but they have become indespensible for being able to have a good night's sleep in a six-bed dorm with noisy air-conditioners and snoring. Thanks Louise!! Now moving on...

So, even though I didn't wake up until after noon, I still insisted on having breakfast. I went to "Bagel on Broadway", and had a cinammon raisin bagel, toasted with butter. Not much difference in taste to the others I've had here. All have been delicious :)

I met up with two of my roomates Matthieu and (I think this is how you spell it) Yussef back at the hostel. Both very nice french people. Matthieu lives in a small seaside town near the border of Spain. I think it was called "Bialitz". I'd have to check though. He works for Quiksilver, so he he's familiar with Australians and their wild ways (although I don't really think I fit into the stereotype exactly). Yussef lives in Paris, although I can't remember exactly what he did. They were both friends from a management school in "Bialitz". Anyway, enough of my friends...

So we met up, and were planning to go to SoHo to look for clothes. Since I've been here, the weather hasn't been bad at all (it was a dry heat on the weekend, and the temperature was mild). But it has been hotter the last few days, and getting a little more humid, so I was hoping to get some shorts, some more t-shirts, and a hat, because I think the top of my scalp may have been getting a little too much sun.

We went first to Greenwich Village. Couldn't help noticing all the New York University buildings. I love the area, and I'm going to do everything I can to get accepted into their PhD program in two years time (and I'm going to need all the help I can get! It's a tough school to get in to). Had lunch at a Peruvian cafe (which turns out to be one in a chain. Can't remember the name). Walked through NoHo and on to East Village, where we had a cocktail at a bar called "Bua" in St Mark's Place. This street is quite distinctive. There are a lot of stores selling hats, t-shirts with bands or political slogans, and tatoo and piercing parlours. Can't say I'm too impressed with what they had to offer. It's suppose to be a "hippie" neighbourhood. But it just seemed they were selling all the same stuff; and probably more for the tourists. I almost completely lost confidence in the scene when I heard Wolfmother playing in one of the shops. No offence to Wolfmother fans, but why bother? Might as well listen to Led Zeppelin. Anyway...

But still, East village was very nice with all its bars and cafes, and it would nevertheless be a cool neighbourhod to live in (although the Waitress at Bua said rent is about $1000 a month!).

We wandered a little more, and then Matthieu and Yussef wanted to go and jog in Central Park before it got dark. So they went back, while I wandered around the streets a little more, looking at all the different food outlets, etc.) I met up with them later that evening, and we went back to the East Village and had dinner at the "Sushi Lounge". Food was delicious, I had the special, which included Chicken and cashews, with a selection of Sashimi and salad :) I also had a "Sake-tini", which was just a cocktail with sake, and some Japanese beer. We then went back to Bua's, had another beer, then took a cab back to the hostel and called it a night.

They left early the following morning, but before they left we exchanged e-mails (so it looks like my next trip will be to Paris and Bialitz. Not bad...)

Today, I went out alone, checked my e-mail at the Apple Store, and then wandered down Fifth Avenue to find some clothes. First store I found was "Saks". Think of Myer or David Jones, but five times more expensive. I saw leather Jackets there for almost US $3000. Hmm... maybe in my next life. I found another store, "H&M" which was more budget clothing. Bought some tops and some trousers. They were quite nice. The style is bit of a departure for me, but I am pleased with my purchases. Then at Bloomingdales on 3rd Avenue, I finally bought some sunglasses. I have been so indecisive about sunglasses, never seeming to be able to find a pair to match my face. However the shop assistant was very helpful, and I finally purchased a pair of Ray Bans which I am quite happy with.

Tonight the hostel put on a stand-up comedy show. There were about four or five different commedians. But we were a pretty tough crowd. Some of the material was okay - the last one had some good jokes - but most of them failed dismally with the largely international audience. Something about most American stand-up just doesn't work for other cultures. We clapped for their efforts anyway.

So that's about it for now. Hope I haven't bored anyone yet. Tomorrow I am thinking of going to get a ticket to a Broadway show. The one I am interested in is "Spring Awakenings", which recently won a Tony Award, and is supposed to be really good.

Anyway, take care everyone.

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Hi everyone!

Today I went for a slight change of pace. I hung up my tourist hat (or at least I tried to. It's possible it could have gotten caught to the back of my t-shirt and everyone else but me could see it. I didn't know how to use the ticket machine in the subway, and I also missed the sign that the number 1 train wasn't operating. So I was on the platform by myself, except for some workers, until one of them told me there was no train. So it is possible my tourist hat was trailing behind me, and while I thought I was blending in with the locals, everyone else could see I was just a tourist trying to blend in with the locals. Anyway, I'm taking this metaphor way too seriously...)

I left my cameras back at the hostel, traded my backpack for a satchel, took a few books and my journal, and headed down Broadway to 7th Ave, where I had eggs benedict at a little cafe called "Petrossian". They also sold a lot of sweet pastries, but I didn't want any. Maybe another time...

After my late breakfast (it was almost midday; I slept in until 9AM), I headed towards Central Park. I began at the southern end, and moved my way up along the west side. There were lots of people, mostly tourists down the southern end I think. There were childrens rides, lots of food vendors selling hot dogs and giant pretzels (I tried s bit of someone elses pretzel on the grand tour - wouldn't buy one myself now. Think of a bagel, but without any taste!)

The layout of the park is excellent. I wanted to look for a nice spot to sit down and read a little bit and write in my journal, but the problem was there were so many nice spots! And I kept on wanting to see what was over the next hill, what was on the other side of the next bridge, what was around some lake...

I got tired eventually sat down and read a book and wrote in my journal for about an hour. Then I headed out to a cafe on the upper west side where I ordered an "Akabura" chicken breast sandwich - which had American cheddar, fried onions, green capsicum and sauteed mushrooms. Actually I ordered the "platter" version, which in addition to a sandwich, came with fries, tomato and lettuce. I though that sounded more balanced and interesting than just a "sandwich" which was how it was described. It was asbolutely massive! I looked at it and thought there was no way I could eat it all. Well, I was mostly wrong. I left something on the plate - not much - just so I could say I didn't eat it all. Think I will be having a light dinner tonight!

Went back to Central Park and wandered some more. I walked around the "Reservoir", which is the biggest lake in the park, and gives you an amazing view of the cityscape surrounding the park from the east, west and south. There were lots of people jogging around this lake. Eventually I made my way back to the hostel and now here I am posting on this blog!

Anyway, can't think of anything else to write now, and my time is running out. I can't post pictures from here because there is no USB port. I might try going to the Apple Store again and see if I can do it from there.

I think tomorrow I would like to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, then who knows...

Anyway, hope evryone is looking after themselves.

Talk to you all soon,
Dale

Hi everyone. I'm writing this post on a 17" Macbook Pro in the 24 hour Apple store on 5th Avenue. Just thought I would post while I'm here because it's free, and it kind of has a novelty value (at least for those who use Macs!) I went on a walking tour of Harlem today. It was good, except I was getting really sunburnt. I already got a bit burnt on the Grand Tour yesterday, so I was kind of keen to get into the shade, and get some sunscreen. I took the subway to Time Square, and ate lunch at the cafe at the Morgan Library and Museum on Madison Avenue. Nice club sandwich, but extremely overpriced. Had my first decent coffe too though. At the museum I saw an original sketch of the Emperor Concerto by Beethoven. Almost a religious moment!!

Anyway, I'll give you all more details later. Want to keep looking around the store some more!

Later,
Dale

Well, I've now had my first full day in NYC since I arrived, and it was absolutely amazing. I signed up to "Jerry's Grand Tour of NYC" at the hostel. "Jerry" is a volunteer tour guide, a former high school teacher who has been taking people from the hostel on his tour every Saturday for the last eight years. Not even September 11 could stop him. The Saturday following the attacks, Jerry conducted his tour, even though he had to change his route - it had included the Twin Towers as part of it.

Anyway, this would have to have been the best possible way to see NYC. It was a 16 hour walking tour, beginning in Brooklyn Heights, a very attractive suburb occupied by the upper middle class, and ended in Times Square, Midtown. Along the way, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, walked through the Financial District, including Wall Street, took the Staten Island Ferry (which was free!), had a meal in Chinatown, walked through Little Italy, Little India, Soho, Noho, Greenwich Village, East Village... did I miss anything out? There was a lot, and enough experiences to fill a book. I have a very good overview of many of the famous neighbourhoods of New York, and feel, having been on this tour, that I have the confidence to go and explore some places further on my own.

One of the most ubelievable parts about all this is that the tour only cost $10, plus the cost of the metrocard (we had to take the subway a few times), and $10 for the meal in Chinatown - an extremely cheap activity but will be one of the most memorable. I hope to try and visit as many of these places again in the next four weeks, so I will try and write about them in detail in later posts.

Perhaps I should just briefly mention some of the highlights. Soho has aa lot of art galleries. I spent a few minutes in the "Opera" Gallery, which had a lot of amazing works of art (and very expensive too - I think I overheard the gallery owner offering half price on a $30,000 "Kaplan" to a dealer - slightly out of my budget I'm afraid!). Also along the streets of Soho there were a lot of artists selling their original artwork and prints. One guy who spoke to us makes scultptures out of mesh - flywire, copper, etc. Soho is also good for clothes shopping. There was a sale going on for designer denim. Might have to venture down there in the next few days and see if anything attracts me.

We went to Washington Square Park, where of course there is this massive arch. There also happened to be the "NYC Annual Dyke Parade". Lots of loud drumming. I can't imagine seeing anything like it in Melbourne!

We went into the Grand Central Terminal in Midtown. Unbelievable!! Flinders Street and Southern Cross Stations have nothing on this work of art!! I have never seen a train station like it!

We also went into the Marriot Hotel in Times Square. A very interesting hotel, architecturally. There are 86 floors, all around the edge. The inside is hollow all the way up, except for a long pillar with these elevators that look like futuristic pods zooming up and down. We went in one of them up to the 86th floor. They are VERY fast, and it is just amazing looking out the glass as you go all the way up to the top of the building!

Anyway, I'm sure I could remember a alot more, but my time is running out on the internet. I'm going to go and have breakfast in a couple of minutes, and then I am going to do the tour to Columbia University and Harlem to see the Gospel choir!

Until next time, take care!

Hi everyone!

Well... I made it... just! There were no hijackings on the plane, JFK wasn't blown up... I didn't get mugged, stabbed or shot. It's all good :)

However, my journey over didn't quite go as I envisioned. Firstly, my itinerary appears to have left out a few minors details. For instance, Sydney and Los Angeles. When I booked my flight online, I was under the impression it was a direct flight from Melbourne to New York. Not so. I don't quite understand, but for some reason, the journey from Melbourne to New York was given one name: UA840; and for some reason that is a good reason not to inform the purchaser of this airfare that they will in fact be flying to New York via Sydney and Los Angeles! I don't know... The good thing was that, because I went through immigration and customs in Los Angeles (yep. they let me in. Again. Fools...) I was able to get off the plane, get my luggage, and more or less get the shuttle to the hostel.

Talking about Los Angeles, immigration and customs, unfortunately I experienced a repeat of history. I don't entirely blame myself - the single unified journey known as "UA840" in fact had two connecting flights. The one from LA to New York began boarding about 40 minutes after I got to immigration and customs. It was an incredible rush (not in the good sense either).

Going through the security scan seemed to take forever. Some guy's luggage seemed to keep stalling before mine could get through. And I also had to remove my shoes. This is all about 10 minutes before my next plane was due to depart. After I put my shoes back on, I proceeded to find gate 73. But the arrow was ambiguous, and I ended up going down some escalator that I thought would lead me to "gate 73". I was wrong.

But not only that, I realized as I was going down the escalator that my passport was missing. I knew roughly where it was. I had seen it when I was at the security scan. Then I got to the bottom of the escalator only to realise that I had just exited the terminal, and would have to do the blasted security check all over again. By this time I was starting to feel a little on the nervous side.

I found my way back again, and an officer kept on asking me for ID, and I kept trying to tell her my "ID" - my passport - was somewhere on the other side of the x-ray machine. We went round in circles for a moment, and then another security officer intervened. I eventually showed them my drivers license. I went through the scan - AGAIN. Just as slowly too. Then I approached someone on the other side. She casually went to some desk, and told me if it had been handed in, her supervisor would have it, but that he had gone to the bathroom. I explained to her that my plane was a bout to depart. She referred me to someone else, who finally handed me my passport. I then sprinted to "Gate 73".

Anyway, I'm here in NYC now. I just came back before from a diner on Broadway, where I had some dinner (a Mediterranean burger. It was pretty good!)I am staying in a hostel on the Upper West Side. The room I have looks decent. There appeared to be only one other occupant.

Anyway, time is short, so hopefully I will post more soon.