Hot in the city
Some considerable time later although strangely around two and seven hours at the same time.
I can’t access the wireless here so will have to upload later.
Driving from airports into city centres seems to be the same the world over. Aside from the driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road and Duel type lorries, the route the airport bus took from JFK to Manhattan was more than a little similar to the A40/M40 and A4/M4 routes into London. Until skyscrapers loomed on the horizon and the bus dived into the Queens Midtown tunnel and emerged into Manhattan itself. Somewhere hauntingly familiar from TV and yet – despite having visited it as a child – somewhere that on some level I’d always had doubts about being real. I’ve been dreaming about visiting here for ten years or more and spookily there were one or two street corners and buildings that I remembered from those dreams.
Back in the real world the traffic was heavy. Just like London really! It took ages and a change of bus to get to Penn St station from where I planned to walk. And boy was it hot.
Walking down 7th Avenue I did experience a couple of waves of mild euphoria and realised I was grinning – something about the energy of the city washing off on me. Or was it the jet lag? Whatever it was it reminded me of the way Brighton used to make me feel when I visited from London. Arrived at the hostel and checked in – simple but functional. And you can just about see the Empire State Building from my window. It’s there, honest, behind the trees!
I need to seek out food and water.
I can’t access the wireless here so will have to upload later.
Driving from airports into city centres seems to be the same the world over. Aside from the driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road and Duel type lorries, the route the airport bus took from JFK to Manhattan was more than a little similar to the A40/M40 and A4/M4 routes into London. Until skyscrapers loomed on the horizon and the bus dived into the Queens Midtown tunnel and emerged into Manhattan itself. Somewhere hauntingly familiar from TV and yet – despite having visited it as a child – somewhere that on some level I’d always had doubts about being real. I’ve been dreaming about visiting here for ten years or more and spookily there were one or two street corners and buildings that I remembered from those dreams.
Back in the real world the traffic was heavy. Just like London really! It took ages and a change of bus to get to Penn St station from where I planned to walk. And boy was it hot.
Walking down 7th Avenue I did experience a couple of waves of mild euphoria and realised I was grinning – something about the energy of the city washing off on me. Or was it the jet lag? Whatever it was it reminded me of the way Brighton used to make me feel when I visited from London. Arrived at the hostel and checked in – simple but functional. And you can just about see the Empire State Building from my window. It’s there, honest, behind the trees!I need to seek out food and water.
