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This is part of a series of travel stories, based upon the experiences of me and my wife, on our tour across America. Read more at
http://www.thebizz.biz/travel-bizz/
New York – New York, NY
The History:
Toted as one of the most iconic places in the world, this gastronomically rich city sets a pace that’s larger than life. It’s easy to understand why Satan used an apple as the illustrious temptation to make Adam go to the dark side. After taking a bite from the “Big Apple” you just know your life will forever be changed. New York might be as far removed from Paradise as Miley Cyrus is from Hannah Montana these days, but like Adam soon discovered – leaving the Promised Land might also have its advantages. Who knows, without that renowned bite we might never have been born, nonetheless discovered trifling sins like sport, books, music etc. New York soaks you with a barrage of culture, sounds and smells that constantly bombard your senses. Through Ellis Island, New York was the entry point for most foreigners living the American dream through their ancestral legacy today. Its rich history, combined with steaming brew of “vernacular culture” and many famous landmarks makes this a tourist paradise. Add to the mix a vibrant backbone and an innovative heartbeat and it becomes hard not to walk through this concrete jungle singing “These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you”. There’s truly nothing that compares to waking up in this city that never sleeps.
The Setting:
We both had our first bite of the Big Apple prior to our first shared experience. However, disagreements regarding the fine nuances of this amazing city, lead to many a night’s argument on New York’s place in our personal history. We decided that there’s only one way to settle the debate and that’s through a mutual taste-test of the Big Apples enticing juices. Having provided the city with many sweet sounds through the ages, Apollo must have been smiling through our debates when he brilliantly selected the soundtrack for our trip. For Neil’s Christmas gift, before embarking on this crazy adventure, was a well selected eargasm of a Mumford and Sons concert, skilfully captured in Blu ray format. What was planned to be a parting gift, filled with longing memories to make the heart grow fonder in our few months of absence, became a melody of an unforgettable journey. One week after winning the Best Album grammy, the now notorious Mumfords graced the shores of the Empire State….. and guess who greedily got tickets for the show J
The Experience:
Now we might be two birds flocking together through the same feather in most instances, but we can just as easily play the “opposites attract” wildcard when needed. None more so when it comes to our taste of music, with Apollo probably having a snicker at the expense of the other, every time the DJ baton gets passed between us. Therefore, a glitch in the system undoubtedly happened the day folk-stompy rock music was born and both parties found a penchant towards this genre. Regrettably for any future road trips extending past 2 songs, these glitches were too few and far between. And to bask in the glory of a Mumfords inspired New York weekend, one of these baton-passing marathon-road-trips lingered on the horizon. Some musical battle scars still dally, with Neil’s left eye still going into an uncontrolled twitch each time any 5fm top 40 song gets released into his close proximity.
Surviving this musical malady, both parties safely made it to Jersey where we could soak up the picturesque Manhattan skyline. Deciding to make like a moths, we used the midnight train to follow the pretty lights, might be a step to far for our tired bodies, so we instead went searching for the Jersey Shore lifestyle famously reflected in the party district of Hoboken. The birthplace of baseball it’s strategically located on the famous Gold Coast, but unfortunately that’s about the only gold that glitters in this part of town, except perhaps for the neck chains marking the locals. These days it’s more known for its eclectic mix of bars, restaurants and a vibrant nightlife. Our own experience however draws upon memories of Hatfield in its heyday – filled with many drunk, strange younglings, but instead of a floundering of blue bull shirts, you get immersed by Eminem inspired hoodies. In stark contrast from Afrikaans filling your eardrums, the key vocals suddenly become “yo” and “ho”. The subculture is more reminiscent of a gangstas paradise, and by us misreading our invite and appearing in Guess and Levis, we prominently took centre stage in an infamous fashion. Our New York minute might not have started well, but we now know that every city has its quota of crabs.
Fortunately an unambiguous divergence from the ill started Hoboken awaited us in the charmed city across the Hudson River. Inspired by an early start we embarked on our journey through this magic metropolis by introducing a tradition that would become the earmark of our travels across the states – We each bought a BIG cup of Starbuck hot chocolate and delightfully discovered the multipurposed benefits of this endeavour – Not only does this taste great and warms you up from toe’s to soul, but these cups soon became our covert carriers of alcoholic treats. The tradition was born and we followed our first cup of hot chocolate, by filling it up with Budweisers from our mobile bar on wheels, which subsequently followed us like a loyal dog across the States, and also carried an additional scarf or jacket for those times when the cold really bit.
And so began our Manhattan adventure. We took a train to across both the Hudson and the East River to disembark in Brooklyn with a quick pitstop at Central Park Station to top up on our Starbucks. Brooklyn on a cold morning is beautiful and awe inspiring and the perfect starting point to experience the Burroughs. We decided against lingering too long and soon made our way back across the Brooklyn Bridge, though this time on foot and fuelled with Anheuser-Busch’s best brew in our Starbucks cups. With the amazing Manhattan skyline as our backdrop, we tip-toed the bridge with moves that would make Michael Flatley proud. Next stop – Chinatown!
With our ipads fiercely populated with pictures of the latest designer watches available on planet earth, our mission was to find the best “genuine-fake” knock-offs. Despite being unable to locate our “regular dealer” we struck gold when Neil got approached by a dodgy Chinaman, who through broken English (and teeth), convinced Neil that he is now the Steve Jobs of the underground Watch Market. After Neil clandestinely displayed the watch wishlist on the iPad, the new Jobs quickly disappeared leaving a maligned Neil believing he got fooled. Fortunately it wasn’t long before the man reappeared with an entourage of bodyguards, that would have made 50 Cents envious, and provided Neil with the world’s best in cheaply reproduced “genuine” fakes. We happily picked up a few more “Made in China” necessities and moved along to Ground Zero.
Now the memorial site for one of the biggest terrorist tragedies in history normally has an eerie presence. However, riding on a high from our fruitful Chinatown spree we struggled to match the sombre mood. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes the new World Trade Centre buildings being erected around the site are magnificent and all-American in scale. But ground zero itself is less impressive and tries to capture the grievous nature through simplicity. Therefore it basically consists of two pools of water, a monument and MANY names of those who died. So there’s just that much two Non-Americans in a happy mood can do. Making the best of a possible dire situation we continued to sip from our Starbucks cups and found entertainment in simulating the possible events that transpired on September 11, by emulating crashing planes and tagging people back home if we stumbled upon a familiar name or surname amongst the remembrance.
We then walked through Tribeca, Soho and Greenwich Village before going down Broadway and through Little Italy where we tried to spot any Mafia members. Regrettably, the three streets that encompass Little Italy, might actually be too small to host the Godfather and so we continued onwards to the Flatiron building. Always a fantastic site to see, we went shopping to fill up our “loyal dog” and also bought an umbrella (which we ended up accidentally stealing due to the teller not ringing it up and we only discovered this belatedly). With dawn approaching we walked down through Chelsea, while the City lit up and the nocturnal beauty came alive. After devouring a burger in the heart of the meatpacking district (and across the road from the Google NY office), we were finally ready to capture our own Sleepless in Seattle second. We strolled down Fifth Avenue and caught the elevator to the observation deck on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. Going beyond our wildest dreams, our movie moment kiss surpassed anything imaginable. There’s nothing more serene than sharing an intimate second, while the majestic city and its lights surround you. We decided that we had to top the perfect day and evening in the best way possible – Bubba Gumps in Times Square. No matter how many times you’ve seen the lights of Times Square, it never fails to blow your mind. Impressed, delighted and slightly tired after walking nearly 20 miles on the day, we finally tucked ourselves in, to rest our bodies for the Mumfords concert awaiting us.
Another early morning start found us on the road to the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ. With a sense of anticipation bubbling through our veins we arrived in the small town in the early afternoon. Famished and robed with a dash hungover, we went in search of the first real American diner we could find. Imagine our dismay when our oversized and typically American waitress informed us, in her Southern Brawl, that Camden is a dry town when we ordered a cold beer to nurse the lingering aftermath of the night before. Apologetically, we informed her in confused unison that we will pray for rain, whereupon we reaffirmed our order, just to be met with the same sentence “Camden is a dry town”. Slowly the meaning formulated in our minds and we realised that this actually means that the town does not sell ANY liquor ANYWHERE and the closest place that does is 30-40 miles away. Deciding that a detour of this nature might be a push too far, we surrendered and settled for a “dry” lunch. But fortune favours the brave and we soon realised that we had our “loyal dog” in the car and he was filled to the brim with New York fluids. So we parked close to the station which would take us to the concert and spent the remainder of the afternoon watching movies on a phone, in the safety of our well stocked cruiser! Finally the time came to hop on the concert train, where we met a strange Opera singer who delighted us with his stories of the American culture. We arrived safe and sound just to be blistered away by sub-zero temperatures and a piercing gale that significantly dropped the wind chill factor. Once inside thought, the vibe and a couple of brewskies (strange that they could sell these in a dry town) quickly warmed the spirits. The epic tunes from Ben Howard and Haim set the perfect scene for what would come. Yet, nothing could prepare us for the awesomeness of Mumfords and Sons. Fresh from winning the grammy for Best Album, they entertained the small (7000) crowd by strumming and drumming through all their favourites in this intimate and ambient venue. The wicked flavours flowing through your veins after a bite from the Big Apple, is something specially reserved for only those who dared to chew. We grabbed a mouthful, and the taste was perfect.
