A trip to New York

As we pulled up outside the port I was disappointed. I was expecting to see soemthing like the scenes from Titanic, where Jack is running through the frenzied crowds towards the ship where hundreds of people are on the decks waving off loved ones, almost getting crushed by over zealous horses- Ok well maybe not that last part. In reality however all there seemed to be was a drab two- storey building and a two- storey car park in a similar state of disrepair.
Inside was not much better, a crowd of people was standing in disorganised lines waiting to be checked in, some even braving the coffee from the mahcines in the corner. I looked around at the passangers, expecting to see them all kitted out in chinos, a navy blue blazer with large gold buttons, deck shoes and a jumper tied casually round their shoulders, looking like they had just stepped off the front cover of Sailors Monthly. It appeared however that they were all dressed in normal clothes, well in most cases anyway.
I had just resigned myself to a holiday full of disappointments when i caught a glimpse of someone through the crowd. It couldn't be could it? But the crowd parted again and I saw it was. Jasper Carrott was standing about 20 feet away from me. A celebrity, a real life celebrity, OK so he wasn't Brad Pitt but it was a start. I wondered how many other celebrities would be on board. Things were looking up.
This feeling didn't last long however, as after boarding the ship it became immediately apparent that it was extremely difficult to find your room. Most of the passangers were standing in the corridors, looking confused, pointing at the signs displayed on the walls before deciding on a route and setting off luggage in tow, down a corridor which appeared to look exactly the same as all the rest. Every couple of minutes you would see them walking in the other direction and smile knowlingly at them, having made the same mistake yourself.
Once we had found the cabin ( which was small but comfortable) my dad and i left mum unpacking whilst we went on an exploration of the ship. The first thing we managed to find was the complementary buffet as a welcome to the ship. My dad and i made sure we took full advantage of this opportunity and piled our plates high.
Food was one thing there was plenty of on the QE2. In fact if you wanted to you could eat 24 hours a day. First there was breakfast between 7am and 10am followed by morning tea at 11am. Lunch was between 12pm and 2pm with afternoon tea in the Lido between 3pm and 4pm. Evening meals started at 6pm to 8pm (first sitting) and 9pm to 11pm ( second sitting) and if you were feeling peckish there was always the midnight buffet, oh and 24 hour room service. If you want to stay the weight you were when you boarded by the time you left, my advice would be to just eat the starters.
There were many things i could say about my trip across the Atlantic, all the activities there were onboard, passing over the place where the Titanic sank ( and having to get up at 5.30am just to see it), the Evian man, Konrad and Luke ( the waiters for our table), my dad's constant impressions of Kate Winslet in Titanic which consisted of holding his nose and shouting "Jack, Jack" down the deck, and the sense of foreboding i felt when i saw that the Captain himself looked like he had come straight from set from shooting the movie ( why is it that all Captains on ships look like the one from Titanic?)
Nothing however could prepare me for how amazing it was to stand on deck ( in the freezing cold) and see New York City looming up through the morning gloom. Tall glass and steel structures peered out through the hazy gray, some with lights on, some without, one building even had a red neon umbrella emblazoned on the side. I spotted the Chrysler building with it's roof glinting slightly in the semi- light, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the twin towers.... I'd seen it all in books, but now i was here seeing it all for real it all seemed so much bigger and larger than life.
We passed under the Brooklyn Bridge, the dock coming into view so we went below deck to disembark. It seemed strange to look out of the windows on B- deck and see dry land aftr seeing nothing but large expanses of ocean for the last 6 days. Leaving the boat was amlmost the end of one experience and the beginning of another as we got a cab to the hotel. As we drove towards the city i couldn't wait to see if it was as cool as i had imagined it to be. I wasn't disappointed.
Jessica Simspson was playing softly on the radio but i wasn't paying much attention, i was busy looking out the window trying to see and experience everything. Passing through the streets of Manhattan was just like in the movies, right down to the steaming manhole covers, the fire escapes snaking up the sides of the buildings, yellow cabs weaving in and out of other road users, horns blaring. Vendors on street corners selling roast chestnuts from battered carts, diners with booths in the window and a neon sign flashing incessantly into the window of the apartment opposite. Then we were on 42nd street, from the song. Maybe it was becasue of the song that i expected it to be soemthing special, people running from buildings singing showtunes or something ( well maybe not quite like that). In reality however it was no different to any of the other streets in the city.
As soon as i had made it to my room and dumped my belongings on the bed I crossed straight to the window and sat down on the large window ledge, inspecting the street below. People of all different genders and nationalities were passing before me, a smartly dressed woman in a business suit, a phone in one hand, briefcase in the other, her long wool coat flowing behind her as she negotiated the crowds. A man dressed casually in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt walked by, listening to a personal CD player. On the other side of the street a black woman and two children were waiting at the crosswalk next to an old lady dressed in a hat and scarf and a couple of japanese tourists.
Walking down the streets was much different to riding along them in a cab. As i walked up 42nd street towards Times Square, i felt alive. People were bustling all around me, all ( or most anyway) with places to be, but i felt like i was moving much slower.
Times Square was full of activity, neon signs everywhere for all the big brands, Mac Donalds, Burger King, Coca Cola, even the share prices were snaking along the buildings and the whole place seemed to be ablaze with colour, people were milling around everywhere either taking pictures ( the tourists) or meeting up with friends ( the locals).
Something that i never got used to during my stay in America was the complicated way of ordering. I never knew there were so many different kinds of eggs. I asked for eggs one morning and the waitress replied " Easy, over easy, over easy easy, fried, scrambled, paoched, sunny side up..." And the bacon is awful, they cook it twice so its rock hard, and grits is just awful (its like wallpaper paste). New York however does i've decided make the best cheescake ever, especially at the deli just of 9th avenue.
The subway was a novel experience, in fact it was a lot like the London underground at home but with shinier trains (in most cases) and much more space, however the pool of blood on the ground as i exited the subway was slightly unnerving as it brought to the forefront of my mind all of those horrible stories i had heard about New York and shootings, fortunately however those thoughts passed quickly.
One thing which clearly sticks in my mind is the views. I went up the Empire State Building at night and experienced the city under a cloak of stars. Lights emanating from skyscrapers dotted all over the city provided an amazing view and the red taillights of the cars could be seen far below like tiny lasers. Up there, the cool night air on my face, removed from the noise and humdrum of the traffic below, it was calming looking over the peaceful city. I went up the twin towers during the day and although both places give an amazing view of the city, the view by day is entirely different. The air conditioning vents are visible on the top of the buildings below, looking a complete eyesore and yet imagining the view without them there seems impossible. Skyscrapers stretched into the distance, like metal fingers reaching skyward. The firmament bright like shimmering topaz, the incandescent sun reflecting off the glass forest of buildings. The ground seemed so far below, the taxi cabs swarming around like angry bees.
In contrast Central Park was a haven, a quiet and peaceful grassland, shaded in places by trees which dappled the sunlight prettily along the path. At least this was what it was like at 8.30 in the morning before the hoardes of people arrived. Being pretty much the only large expnse of grassland in the city, it was popular with tourists and locals alike, people sat with picnics, playing ball, walking their dogs or just strolling through, it was popular with everyone. The most memorable experience of New York however has to be the shops, possibly because i have a serious shopping problem. I hit the large stores first, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys before hitting the smaller chain stores like Gap and Banana Republic ( my favourite shop in the world), and then the specialist shops.
The best thing about New York is its diversity, ethnically, socially and culturally. From Chinatown and Little Italy, to Fifth Avenue and the Rokerfeller Centre, from the small deli's to the expensive eateries, from limousines to cabs, New York has everything and every time i go i feel the same way, alive and full of life. My skin hums and my senses are on full alert. There is no other feeling like it in the world.