Well, as they say in Hollywood, which is about 6 miles from where i'm sitting at LAX, that's a wrap. I've only got a 10 hour stopover between me and the flight home, having just arrived on the 40 minute flight from Vegas. I'll arrive at about 9am Weds morning, no doubt dead tired and smelling like hell.
The last couple of days in Vegas didn't disappoint, though I didn't go as hard on the booze as the first night. This is probably a blessing, since the 6 hours of passed out sleep I had after 'that night' brings the total sleep I've had in Vegas up to about 10 hours, over three nights (bed sucked). Yeah, i'm tired, and it's another 24 hours before I see anything resembling my bed.
On the second day there I did the walk up and down The Strip in about 25C weather, which is a nice thaw out from the weather we'd had in Europe and Eastern America, and a bit of a lead in to the heat at home - though I am stoked I missed a week of 40C temps. Apart from the guys trying to hand out hooker business cards, the walk was good, with lots of happy snaps and a few amusing moments, especially the guy running across the road against the lights, tripping on the gutter and faceplanting. I also checked out where the very first casinos in Vegas were built, way north of the Strip, and the one mile shopping centre they have, which has nothing on Knifepoint.
Walk out of the way, I again headed for the tables, and avenged the losses on Day 1 by nailing the most clutch hand of poker i'll ever get. Non-poker players, skip to next paragraph. Pocket aces, flop comes with King, Jack and Five. The guy betting hard against me has the King (I later find out) but I go pretty hard, since nothing was suited. On the turn another King pops, and i'm getting less confident, until the third ace pops on the river. Full house. $300. Thankyou ballboy. Though I did get yelled at for texting while at the table, but I had to let Ness and Jo know - up yours, Vegas!
Welcome back, non poker players. So following the win I ate at the 'Grand Buffet' at the MGM, and it pretty much re-affirmed my hatred for trough food. It was all cold, and what wasn't sucked anyway. Cirque de Soleil was amazing though, and even though I couldn't swap the tickets so I could see the fight, still had a great night. I was a bit surprised that the show actually had a plot, and wasn't just guys doing insane crazy stuff. I must admit I didn't really follow it, but the insane crazy stuff was 'wow' enough to keep me entertained anyway. So, show over, I went to bed in prep for Superbowl Sunday...in Vegas...I was a bit excited.
Unfortunately, I only got to sleep at 4.30. I was pretty hungry when I got up, so I went down to 'Fat Burger', about 10 minutes from my lego fortress. Now if the burger I had in San Fran was the best I've ever had, the one in Vegas was the biggest...by a mile. My only regret is I forgot to take my camera, because this thing would make Andre the Giant break a sweat. Needless to say, I got my arse kicked by a burger, but I shrugged it off and went down to the tables, gambled a bit more but couldn't repeat the exploits of the previous day, then bunkered in for the game. In short, best Superbowl of at least the last ten years.
Massive TV with sport, lots of beer, screaming fans... its pretty much my utopia. So after the game I did all the responsible adult stuff like pack, and check my flights, then ate dinner at a place called Dick's Last Resort. Apparently there's a few of them in the States, but this was the first I'd seen. The concept is that while the food and drink are good, the service is deliberately rude, insulting and in your face, and you're encouraged to give it back. It seemed the fitting end to my time in the United States (no, honestly, most of the people here are nice, redneck Arizona fans aside).
So 11 countries (technically, 12, if you count the hour in Auckland on the way home) and something like 19 cities across a 7 week journey has come to an end. Not sure how many of you are still with me on this blog, but those of you who are, looking forward to seeing everyone and it'll be nice to be home. For everyone else, I don't like you anyway (kidding!). Thanks for reading the trials and tribulations of the trip of a lifetime (or at least the next few years), it really made keeping in touch a whole lot easier than email.
Adios amigos!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Ouch
Vegas hurts. But i'll get to that.
Since my last post in San Fran, i've been pretty busy. On that first afternoon I walked some of the hills of San Francisco, and all I can say is no wonder I didn't see any fat people. I went down to check out the Golden Gate Bridge, took a few snaps and left pretty quickly, since it's actually not that impressive. Better was what they call the 'painted ladies', a whole bunch of original Victorian era homes around Golden Gate Park, with some really funky paintjobs that would put Carlton and Brunswick to shame.
I then experienced heaven. I'm not talking the kind of 'oh, that was okay' heaven, but actual 'let me through the gates, dude, I'm all yours' kind of thing. I can't remember the name of the place, but it served the greatest burger I've ever eaten in my life, with curly fries! I have a photo, but pictures and words can't do this thing justice, it was the kind of eating experience we've only had a couple of times overseas, and I was completely surprised to find it. Hey, a whole paragraph about a burger, I should be a writer!
Next day I did the Alcatraz thing, which was a lot better than the bridge. The views of the Bay and San Fran from the island are great, and the prison itself (and the audio tour) is a lot of fun. Spent about two hours there, then ferried back and checked out Fisherman's Wharf. Again, had a great mail out of the blue, with a fish taco from a little Mexican place. Say what you want about San Francisco, but they know how to eat. I then checked out the San Fran Museum of Modern Art, which was cool, but half of it was closed. This one is for Buggy, for dinner I ate at the restaurant of an Iron Chef winner called Jardinere (spelling?). Expensive, but probably the greatest meal I've ever had. Did some shopping after dinner, and put San Fran in the books.
Vegas. Oh Vegas. Turns out not only did Ness and I manage to land in Washington around the time of Obama, but my last night in Vegas and on Holiday is Superbowl Night. For those of you who know me well enough, that should suffice, but its the biggest weekend in Vegas apart from New Years. To boot, my hotel is a big frickin' castle, which looks like something a lego grand master built. Can't wait to show everyone the photos. Room is nice though, and weather is great.
Anyway, arrived about 3pm and gambled until about 6 on the Hold Em tables. Ate nachos (and its still all i've eaten in 24 hours here, oops) and ended up at the Coyote Ugly bar, hanging with some Canadians who convinced me to play Beer Pong. It hurts. Alot. Along with the half naked bar chick who called me 'Oz' and declared me her favourite because I was drinking two Coronas at once. She liberally poured free booze down my throat. the rest of the night is kind of hazy, but I did get kicked out of one bar for calling a bar guy racist. He was, and I was right. Anyway, tonight I have tickets to Cirque de Soleil, but im going to try to swap them to tomorrow night so I can go to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Was going to go to Grand Canyon, but way too expensive, and there's plenty to do here. Superbowl tomorrow. Yay.
Since my last post in San Fran, i've been pretty busy. On that first afternoon I walked some of the hills of San Francisco, and all I can say is no wonder I didn't see any fat people. I went down to check out the Golden Gate Bridge, took a few snaps and left pretty quickly, since it's actually not that impressive. Better was what they call the 'painted ladies', a whole bunch of original Victorian era homes around Golden Gate Park, with some really funky paintjobs that would put Carlton and Brunswick to shame.
I then experienced heaven. I'm not talking the kind of 'oh, that was okay' heaven, but actual 'let me through the gates, dude, I'm all yours' kind of thing. I can't remember the name of the place, but it served the greatest burger I've ever eaten in my life, with curly fries! I have a photo, but pictures and words can't do this thing justice, it was the kind of eating experience we've only had a couple of times overseas, and I was completely surprised to find it. Hey, a whole paragraph about a burger, I should be a writer!
Next day I did the Alcatraz thing, which was a lot better than the bridge. The views of the Bay and San Fran from the island are great, and the prison itself (and the audio tour) is a lot of fun. Spent about two hours there, then ferried back and checked out Fisherman's Wharf. Again, had a great mail out of the blue, with a fish taco from a little Mexican place. Say what you want about San Francisco, but they know how to eat. I then checked out the San Fran Museum of Modern Art, which was cool, but half of it was closed. This one is for Buggy, for dinner I ate at the restaurant of an Iron Chef winner called Jardinere (spelling?). Expensive, but probably the greatest meal I've ever had. Did some shopping after dinner, and put San Fran in the books.
Vegas. Oh Vegas. Turns out not only did Ness and I manage to land in Washington around the time of Obama, but my last night in Vegas and on Holiday is Superbowl Night. For those of you who know me well enough, that should suffice, but its the biggest weekend in Vegas apart from New Years. To boot, my hotel is a big frickin' castle, which looks like something a lego grand master built. Can't wait to show everyone the photos. Room is nice though, and weather is great.
Anyway, arrived about 3pm and gambled until about 6 on the Hold Em tables. Ate nachos (and its still all i've eaten in 24 hours here, oops) and ended up at the Coyote Ugly bar, hanging with some Canadians who convinced me to play Beer Pong. It hurts. Alot. Along with the half naked bar chick who called me 'Oz' and declared me her favourite because I was drinking two Coronas at once. She liberally poured free booze down my throat. the rest of the night is kind of hazy, but I did get kicked out of one bar for calling a bar guy racist. He was, and I was right. Anyway, tonight I have tickets to Cirque de Soleil, but im going to try to swap them to tomorrow night so I can go to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Was going to go to Grand Canyon, but way too expensive, and there's plenty to do here. Superbowl tomorrow. Yay.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
No wonder they all drive massive SUVs
So I lied. After my last post I was going to go for a swim then enjoy the luxuries of the hotel. In hindsight it probably would have been a good idea, but always the glutton for punishment, I decided 15 blocks to see the Walt Disney Concert Hall, City Hall, the LA Public Library and the Staples Centre wasn't too taxing when I'd eaten nothing but a muesli bar all day. I'm glad I did, because those sights were really cool as dusk settled in, and the LA financial district is really something pretty amazing.
But somehow between City Hall and the hotel I wandered a few too many blocks out of my way, and ended up in the Latino quarter. Now i'd previously been told by the hotel staff not to go there at night, and there I was. I definately felt like a minority, as I strolled past McDonalds with nothing but Spanish on the menu, and dodgy guys on street corners gave me the up and down look. Maybe the red beard scared them off, but I made it back to the hotel in one piece, having learnt a nice lesson about LA's ethnic divisions. A nice Italian dinner made me feel better.
Next day was crazy, but somehow I managed to get everything I wanted to do done. Started out with a trip down to Venice Beach, which was empty but was stil nice. The weather in LA is definately a lot more like home than Chicago or the east coast. Next up was Hollywood to check out Capitol Records and its tower, the Walk of Fame, and Mann's Chinese Theatre and its handprints. I was a little chuffed that my feet are bigger than Will Smith, the entire cast of Harry Potter, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Oh, and a little guy named Clint Eastwood. You know what that means ladies. Next up was Universal Studios, which I wizzed around in three hours at the end of my day. Did the tour, Simpsons and Terminator rides, and the haunted house (which surprise, isn't actually very scary). Right near Universal is a place called City Walk, which is full of shops and restaurants and is very cool. I watched a spray painter do these amazing pieces of art from scratch, blew my mind and I would have bought one, but the price was insane.
Main lesson from LA is that everything is very spread out, and the city is massive. I spent more money on cabs and transport in one day than on the rest of the trip combined. It was worth it, but I can't imagine how expensive it would get if you were spending a week or two here - you'd probably want to hire a car.
I'm now typing this from the San Francisco public library... woo free internet. My very early impressions are that I love this city, top three of the entire trip, and it actually feels a lot like home. If you pictured a sprawling mix of South Yarra, Richmond, Brunswick, you'd be about on the money so far. My hotel isn't ready yet, so I've got the rest of the afternoon to kill. Going to check out city hall and the Golden Gate Bridge. Tomorrow there's heaps I want to do, but number one is Alcatraz.
Just a short entry, but my PC time is running out, so cyas!
But somehow between City Hall and the hotel I wandered a few too many blocks out of my way, and ended up in the Latino quarter. Now i'd previously been told by the hotel staff not to go there at night, and there I was. I definately felt like a minority, as I strolled past McDonalds with nothing but Spanish on the menu, and dodgy guys on street corners gave me the up and down look. Maybe the red beard scared them off, but I made it back to the hotel in one piece, having learnt a nice lesson about LA's ethnic divisions. A nice Italian dinner made me feel better.
Next day was crazy, but somehow I managed to get everything I wanted to do done. Started out with a trip down to Venice Beach, which was empty but was stil nice. The weather in LA is definately a lot more like home than Chicago or the east coast. Next up was Hollywood to check out Capitol Records and its tower, the Walk of Fame, and Mann's Chinese Theatre and its handprints. I was a little chuffed that my feet are bigger than Will Smith, the entire cast of Harry Potter, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Oh, and a little guy named Clint Eastwood. You know what that means ladies. Next up was Universal Studios, which I wizzed around in three hours at the end of my day. Did the tour, Simpsons and Terminator rides, and the haunted house (which surprise, isn't actually very scary). Right near Universal is a place called City Walk, which is full of shops and restaurants and is very cool. I watched a spray painter do these amazing pieces of art from scratch, blew my mind and I would have bought one, but the price was insane.
Main lesson from LA is that everything is very spread out, and the city is massive. I spent more money on cabs and transport in one day than on the rest of the trip combined. It was worth it, but I can't imagine how expensive it would get if you were spending a week or two here - you'd probably want to hire a car.
I'm now typing this from the San Francisco public library... woo free internet. My very early impressions are that I love this city, top three of the entire trip, and it actually feels a lot like home. If you pictured a sprawling mix of South Yarra, Richmond, Brunswick, you'd be about on the money so far. My hotel isn't ready yet, so I've got the rest of the afternoon to kill. Going to check out city hall and the Golden Gate Bridge. Tomorrow there's heaps I want to do, but number one is Alcatraz.
Just a short entry, but my PC time is running out, so cyas!
Monday, January 26, 2009
From -15C to a balmy 20C
Yes, Chicago was that cold, and i've finally arrived somewhere that I don't need to wear thermals and two pairs of socks, woo!
Loved Chi-town. It has a sort of edgy urbaness that is the complete opposite to the glitz and glam of New York. Both good in their own way though. The city is *massive*, i'm talking the Melbourne CBD times ten...or more. They know how to do skyscrapers like nowhere else I've ever seen. Luckily, I was also staying pretty much in the middle of town, right across from Town Hall. I should explain that the entire east side of the city borders Lake Michigan (though you can't actually see the other side) and the city is divided down the middle by the Chicago River.
The first full day I was there I did everything I wanted to do south of the River. This included a look at Sears Tower, which looks a bit like Eureka Tower and wasn't anything special. Though apparently for about 5 minutes it was the tallest building in America...the world...or something, I forget. I then wandered into Macy's and bought a tie, excitement, before walking down the waterfront. See an expanse of water big enough that you can't see across, totally frozen, is something that takes my breathe away. Blue sky, sun shining, frozen lake, rigggghhhhttttt.
So I checked out the Milennium Park, which has enough modern art and 'stuff' that stoners would love it, and the Art Institute of Chicago that is right next door. The AIC has one of the largest impressionist collections in the world, so I spent an hour or two amongst more famous European paintings than you can shake a stick at. Unfortunately, their modern section was closed - bastards. I then went down to the Museum District, but frankly, a 2 hour line at the Aquarium didn't appeal, so I checked out the home of my other football team, which is much more impressive than the Telstra Dome. Also picked up a new jersey.
Now all of this was pretty far apart, so I was pretty knackered come dinner. Nevertheless, I soldiered down to the hotel bar for 3 or 4 wines with some people I got chatting to, and it turned into an okay (if early enough) night.
Next day I did everything north of the River, which was a bit less than I'd wanted to see the day before. I walked up the 'Magnificant Mile' (Michigan Ave), which is the architectural hub of Chicago, where even the water tower is a designer building. The Chicago Tribune building is also pretty impressive, taking in bits from just about every famous building in the world, from gothic arches to mini pyramids and all. It's a bit kitch but fun at the same time. Michigan Ave is also home to the main shopping strip, but unlike New York and London, I didn't manage to find much that appealed to me, except a t-shirt with a picture of Obama looking like a mid 90's Will Smith, that says 'The Fresh Prez' (of Belair, for those of you who are a bit thick).
I then checked out Navy Pier, which is probably the main tourist pull in the city. It'd be amazing in summer, but decidedly less so in Winter. Still cool though. They have a pretty amazing indoor garden, so it was nice to sit among four floors of tropical palms for a while, as I watched icebergs float by on the lake. The ferris wheel was closed, much to my dismay, but I did eat at a nice little Italian place for cheap, and I killed twenty minutes in the worlds LARGEST STAINED GLASS MUSEUM. Yes, the wow factor was incredible, unfortunately, no photos allowed.
I just arrived in LA to a pretty nice hotel, which has a pool (!) and is pretty central, but unfortunately with the sprawl that is LA, that makes it close to a few things, but miles away from others. I'm here for two nights, and it's already night time, so it will be pretty rushed thanks again to the lovely people at American Airlines, but waddaya do. I won't get a chance to see much tonight, so i'm going to avail myself on the local hospitality and hit up the pool for some warm weather unwinding after 5 weeks in sub-zero conditions. I had planned to check out Venice Beach and Rodeo Drive, but that's been scratched. Tomorrow i'm going down to Hollywood Blvd and Universal Studios, and will try to cram as much into one day (and massive distances) as I can.
Peace.
Loved Chi-town. It has a sort of edgy urbaness that is the complete opposite to the glitz and glam of New York. Both good in their own way though. The city is *massive*, i'm talking the Melbourne CBD times ten...or more. They know how to do skyscrapers like nowhere else I've ever seen. Luckily, I was also staying pretty much in the middle of town, right across from Town Hall. I should explain that the entire east side of the city borders Lake Michigan (though you can't actually see the other side) and the city is divided down the middle by the Chicago River.
The first full day I was there I did everything I wanted to do south of the River. This included a look at Sears Tower, which looks a bit like Eureka Tower and wasn't anything special. Though apparently for about 5 minutes it was the tallest building in America...the world...or something, I forget. I then wandered into Macy's and bought a tie, excitement, before walking down the waterfront. See an expanse of water big enough that you can't see across, totally frozen, is something that takes my breathe away. Blue sky, sun shining, frozen lake, rigggghhhhttttt.
So I checked out the Milennium Park, which has enough modern art and 'stuff' that stoners would love it, and the Art Institute of Chicago that is right next door. The AIC has one of the largest impressionist collections in the world, so I spent an hour or two amongst more famous European paintings than you can shake a stick at. Unfortunately, their modern section was closed - bastards. I then went down to the Museum District, but frankly, a 2 hour line at the Aquarium didn't appeal, so I checked out the home of my other football team, which is much more impressive than the Telstra Dome. Also picked up a new jersey.
Now all of this was pretty far apart, so I was pretty knackered come dinner. Nevertheless, I soldiered down to the hotel bar for 3 or 4 wines with some people I got chatting to, and it turned into an okay (if early enough) night.
Next day I did everything north of the River, which was a bit less than I'd wanted to see the day before. I walked up the 'Magnificant Mile' (Michigan Ave), which is the architectural hub of Chicago, where even the water tower is a designer building. The Chicago Tribune building is also pretty impressive, taking in bits from just about every famous building in the world, from gothic arches to mini pyramids and all. It's a bit kitch but fun at the same time. Michigan Ave is also home to the main shopping strip, but unlike New York and London, I didn't manage to find much that appealed to me, except a t-shirt with a picture of Obama looking like a mid 90's Will Smith, that says 'The Fresh Prez' (of Belair, for those of you who are a bit thick).
I then checked out Navy Pier, which is probably the main tourist pull in the city. It'd be amazing in summer, but decidedly less so in Winter. Still cool though. They have a pretty amazing indoor garden, so it was nice to sit among four floors of tropical palms for a while, as I watched icebergs float by on the lake. The ferris wheel was closed, much to my dismay, but I did eat at a nice little Italian place for cheap, and I killed twenty minutes in the worlds LARGEST STAINED GLASS MUSEUM. Yes, the wow factor was incredible, unfortunately, no photos allowed.
I just arrived in LA to a pretty nice hotel, which has a pool (!) and is pretty central, but unfortunately with the sprawl that is LA, that makes it close to a few things, but miles away from others. I'm here for two nights, and it's already night time, so it will be pretty rushed thanks again to the lovely people at American Airlines, but waddaya do. I won't get a chance to see much tonight, so i'm going to avail myself on the local hospitality and hit up the pool for some warm weather unwinding after 5 weeks in sub-zero conditions. I had planned to check out Venice Beach and Rodeo Drive, but that's been scratched. Tomorrow i'm going down to Hollywood Blvd and Universal Studios, and will try to cram as much into one day (and massive distances) as I can.
Peace.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
And then there was one
So, New York was awesome, second only to London on the list of cool places we've been in the last month or so, and it was a close decision.
Day three in NYC we took the Ellis Island Ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Though our enthusiasm for a boat ride in -10C was low, it turned out to be a great experience. Following that, we checked out Ground Zero, which is mostly just a messy construction site these days. You don't appreciate the enormity of what happened until you see it, though, because it has left a block or so wide crater in the otherwise chock full o'skyscrapers NYC downtown. We ate at a McDonalds which has a piano player, did the Wall St thing and visited the Mecca of bargain designer brand shopping - Century 21. Vanessa now refers to this as 'Heaven' and it's where she wants to go when she dies. Designer brands (Dolce, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, etc at bargain, and I mean BARGAIN prices). Special shout out to the New York subway system, which we found to be the messiest, craziest, scariest public transport system that we've seen on the trip so far (though Steve wants to point out: nobody tried to offer us a baby, like in Rome). That night we checked out the NBA (Knicks vs 76ers, for you fans). Steve was also seen sporting his foam finger.
Day four in NYC we explored the wonders of Central Park and surrounding museums. The place is utterly mammoth, stretching about thirty city blocks and about four avenues. Tried to do the whole iceskating thing, but a combination of price and crowds put us off. We walked pretty much the length of the park, through Strawberry Fields and the final of Cleopatra's Needles (Paris wins, followed by New York, with London bringing up the rear). Outside of the park, we checked out the Natural History museum, which was so-so apart from the dinosaurs. Turns out Steve gets excited by dinosaurs. Also visited the place where Lennon was shot, which is a pretty non-descript apartment block with no placard or anything. Pretty poor for such a famous guy, we were expecting a statue of him...on a horse. Finally, we took a look at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), which is a pretty awesome place. Pooped out after walking up and down the park all day, we ate at a restaurant and ran into some girls we did the tour with in Europe. 8 million people and we run into them...
Day five was a pretty light one. We took the Roosevelt Island Sky Tram to Roosevelt Island (no... really?) which was pretty disappointing in the end. We also did a whole heap more shopping in Soho (trendy to the extreme), Bloomingdale, Macy's and all that. Ness was last seen mumbling to herself somewhere in a sales rack. In the night we had dinner at a restaurant where the girls all wore bikinis, which Steve claims he found completely innocently... Ness was skeptical. It was also the place where we left the largest tip in NYC (coincidence?). We also went to see Chicago on Broadway, which was pretty good, though the theatre was surprisingly small. We also ran into the same girls again, and began to think they were stalking us.
Day six we checked out the Intrepid Sea and Air Museum (or Nerd Paradise, as Ness called it under her breath). It's an old aircraft carrier with a pretty amazing history, berthed alongside a nuclear sub and a British Airways Concorde. Spent a couple of hours there oohing and aahing about how crappy the guys who served on the ship had it, then grabbed some lunch down near the Empire State Building. After lunch we did the observation deck, and it didn't disappoint. Great sunny day (though still below zero) and the views are phenomenal. Otherwise, you guessed it, more shopping before the ice hockey at night, Rangers vs Mighty Ducks. Ness wouldn't let Steve complete his foam finger collection, all he got was a lousy t-shirt. The hockey itself was great fun, and slightly scary. In total, we saw 6 goals (and the crowd do a big song after each, think 'Lets Get Loud' for the Bombers fans out there) and 3 fights.
For all the fun in New York, nothing prepared us for the airport. Short version:
- Arrive plenty of time before flight, do stupidly paranoid US security checks, including shoes.
- Have our flight delayed, twice, before being told its cancelled and rebooking another airline.
- Wait at baggage for our bags, minutes before the new flight is set to go, only to be told by the baggage guys "Oh, wait, your original flight was reinstated"
- Complete mad rush (yes, WE ran) to the terminal, including another go through security where Ness nearly got arrested, to arrive just as they're closing the doors. After some pleading, they let us on. We even got dirty looks from our co-passengers - go team!
On a happier note, hotel in Washington is VERY nice. VERY nice. After the airport dramas we ate and crashed, having arrived six or so hours after we were supposed to.
Today we did the express tour of Washington, cramming two days worth of stuff we wanted to do into one, but we got it done. We visited the Capitol building, walked down The Mall to the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, The Korean War Monument, Arlington Cemetary, The Smithsonian Museum of American History and The White House. This was all amongst the cleaning and clearing of the inaugauration port-a-loos, gangways and barricades. (Steve nearly got run over by a few forklifts). We also found ourselves smack bang in the middle of the world's largest pro-life demonstration, a collection of religious folks and teenage girls wearing UGG boots. Ugg boots are big here, we forgot to point that out.
Steve is now flying solo to Chicago tomorrow (He's excited about the peace and quiet, or so Ness thinks), while Ness is flying home just about ready for school (Haha - Steve). So now, we are off to the buffet dinner and the hotel bar for some celebrating with the Obama-philes and the Pro-Life demonstrators who are in town. Woo!
Steve is now flying solo to Chicago tomorrow (He's excited about the peace and quiet, or so Ness thinks), while Ness is flying home just about ready for school (Haha - Steve).
Day three in NYC we took the Ellis Island Ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Though our enthusiasm for a boat ride in -10C was low, it turned out to be a great experience. Following that, we checked out Ground Zero, which is mostly just a messy construction site these days. You don't appreciate the enormity of what happened until you see it, though, because it has left a block or so wide crater in the otherwise chock full o'skyscrapers NYC downtown. We ate at a McDonalds which has a piano player, did the Wall St thing and visited the Mecca of bargain designer brand shopping - Century 21. Vanessa now refers to this as 'Heaven' and it's where she wants to go when she dies. Designer brands (Dolce, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, etc at bargain, and I mean BARGAIN prices). Special shout out to the New York subway system, which we found to be the messiest, craziest, scariest public transport system that we've seen on the trip so far (though Steve wants to point out: nobody tried to offer us a baby, like in Rome). That night we checked out the NBA (Knicks vs 76ers, for you fans). Steve was also seen sporting his foam finger.
Day four in NYC we explored the wonders of Central Park and surrounding museums. The place is utterly mammoth, stretching about thirty city blocks and about four avenues. Tried to do the whole iceskating thing, but a combination of price and crowds put us off. We walked pretty much the length of the park, through Strawberry Fields and the final of Cleopatra's Needles (Paris wins, followed by New York, with London bringing up the rear). Outside of the park, we checked out the Natural History museum, which was so-so apart from the dinosaurs. Turns out Steve gets excited by dinosaurs. Also visited the place where Lennon was shot, which is a pretty non-descript apartment block with no placard or anything. Pretty poor for such a famous guy, we were expecting a statue of him...on a horse. Finally, we took a look at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), which is a pretty awesome place. Pooped out after walking up and down the park all day, we ate at a restaurant and ran into some girls we did the tour with in Europe. 8 million people and we run into them...
Day five was a pretty light one. We took the Roosevelt Island Sky Tram to Roosevelt Island (no... really?) which was pretty disappointing in the end. We also did a whole heap more shopping in Soho (trendy to the extreme), Bloomingdale, Macy's and all that. Ness was last seen mumbling to herself somewhere in a sales rack. In the night we had dinner at a restaurant where the girls all wore bikinis, which Steve claims he found completely innocently... Ness was skeptical. It was also the place where we left the largest tip in NYC (coincidence?). We also went to see Chicago on Broadway, which was pretty good, though the theatre was surprisingly small. We also ran into the same girls again, and began to think they were stalking us.
Day six we checked out the Intrepid Sea and Air Museum (or Nerd Paradise, as Ness called it under her breath). It's an old aircraft carrier with a pretty amazing history, berthed alongside a nuclear sub and a British Airways Concorde. Spent a couple of hours there oohing and aahing about how crappy the guys who served on the ship had it, then grabbed some lunch down near the Empire State Building. After lunch we did the observation deck, and it didn't disappoint. Great sunny day (though still below zero) and the views are phenomenal. Otherwise, you guessed it, more shopping before the ice hockey at night, Rangers vs Mighty Ducks. Ness wouldn't let Steve complete his foam finger collection, all he got was a lousy t-shirt. The hockey itself was great fun, and slightly scary. In total, we saw 6 goals (and the crowd do a big song after each, think 'Lets Get Loud' for the Bombers fans out there) and 3 fights.
For all the fun in New York, nothing prepared us for the airport. Short version:
- Arrive plenty of time before flight, do stupidly paranoid US security checks, including shoes.
- Have our flight delayed, twice, before being told its cancelled and rebooking another airline.
- Wait at baggage for our bags, minutes before the new flight is set to go, only to be told by the baggage guys "Oh, wait, your original flight was reinstated"
- Complete mad rush (yes, WE ran) to the terminal, including another go through security where Ness nearly got arrested, to arrive just as they're closing the doors. After some pleading, they let us on. We even got dirty looks from our co-passengers - go team!
On a happier note, hotel in Washington is VERY nice. VERY nice. After the airport dramas we ate and crashed, having arrived six or so hours after we were supposed to.
Today we did the express tour of Washington, cramming two days worth of stuff we wanted to do into one, but we got it done. We visited the Capitol building, walked down The Mall to the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, The Korean War Monument, Arlington Cemetary, The Smithsonian Museum of American History and The White House. This was all amongst the cleaning and clearing of the inaugauration port-a-loos, gangways and barricades. (Steve nearly got run over by a few forklifts). We also found ourselves smack bang in the middle of the world's largest pro-life demonstration, a collection of religious folks and teenage girls wearing UGG boots. Ugg boots are big here, we forgot to point that out.
Steve is now flying solo to Chicago tomorrow (He's excited about the peace and quiet, or so Ness thinks), while Ness is flying home just about ready for school (Haha - Steve). So now, we are off to the buffet dinner and the hotel bar for some celebrating with the Obama-philes and the Pro-Life demonstrators who are in town. Woo!
Steve is now flying solo to Chicago tomorrow (He's excited about the peace and quiet, or so Ness thinks), while Ness is flying home just about ready for school (Haha - Steve).
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Ness gives the French the what for!
In what is becoming a trend for this blog, we must again apologise for the large delay in posting, but we've had no access to the net for a week or so. Good news is we arrived safely back in London after a great tour of Europe. Since we last posted we've both been sick pretty much the whole time, but hey, we're in New York now, so time to harden up.
So what did we get up to while gallavanting around the home stretch in Europe?
We arrived in Florence and had a pretty nice dinner at a restaurant with naked pictures on the wall. We've come to the conclusion they're far more liberated in Europe than most other places, and eating with that sort of thing in your face is certainly an experience, but when in Rome... (or Florence). Ness got offered a nice meat sauce - pork, chicken and beef - despite playing the vegetarian card, they just don't seem to get it.
Next day we did the sites of Florence, which was our favourite city in Italy. We started with a look at a leather factory which was a bit dull. Ness also bought a 'puzzle ring' and then we did a walking tour of the main sites. We checked out the main city square, which is beautiful, and the gallery that has the Statue of David, which puts all other statues and sculptures we've ever seen to shame. We also saw the Duomo Church, Santa Croce Square, and a few other bits and pieces.
In the evening we had a great dinner on the top of one of the highest points in Florence, and went to some dodgy nightclub.
Next up was Lucerne, which was nice but a bit of a speed hump on the trip. In two days there we checked out the Lion Monument, the Chapel Bridge, had chocolate and cheese fondue (YUM) and generally chilled, because everything was closed on the Sunday. Not before we both bought ourselves the obligatory Swiss knives and chocolate. Highlight here was the trip to the top of Mt Pilatus by cable car. The view from 7,000 feet is pretty breathtaking, though the rickety wooden barriers were interesting.
Spent nearly a whole day driving to Paris, arriving at around 4pm. Paris in one word is stunning. On the night we arrived we did the express Lourve tour, because it was closed on our next day. We had about 2 hours in the place, and it's nowhere near enough, you could easily spend a month. Saw Mona, Venus, Winged Victory, the Code of Hammurabi and Napoleon's Apartments among other things, and Ness saw her two fave paintings. We then checked out the Eiffel Tower by night, and did a bus tour of the city, including a couple of laps of the very interesting 8 lane roundabout near the Champs - seeing 2 accidents in the process.
On arrival at the hotel for a late dinner, Ness proceeded to decorate the floor of the reception with the product of a bumpy bus ride. The hotel staff took it like troopers though, and disproved the theory that French people are rude. The hotel we stayed at was actually damn nice.
Next day we checked out the Eiffel Tower from level 2, since the top was closed for maintanance. While the Tower is more impressive at night, the view is amazing. Also visited Hotel des Invalides, which holds Napoleon's Tomb and a major French military museum - though Steve was disappointed he couldn't find the surrender flag wing. Checked out the Arc de Triumph, Notre Dame and did some shopping down the Champs de Elysees. Overall, Paris rocked. A special shout out to the drivers, who are rivalled only by Italians for their craziness. The creativity of their parking is something to see.
Arrived in London the next day, after spending 3 hours on the Chanel Ferry due to fog. Re-packed and went to bed. Got up at 6 the next day for a way too early flight to JFK in New York. British Airways food (and in general) kicks the crap out of Qantas. On arrival, we heard to our horror that a plane had crashed into the Hudson River... thankfully not ours, but not so good to know it's the airline we're flying on in a few days to Washington. Hopefully there's no geese in the area... Drive to the hotel in the shuttle was also pretty amusing, and driving in New York is definately an art, liberal use of horn required. Pretty much unpacked and went to bed knackered.
Today was our first full day in NYC, and we got our mileage out of it. In a quick summary, we checked out Trump Tower, the Public Library, Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Plaza, the Chrysler Building, the UN Building, Times Square, ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, St Patrick's Cathedral and the Radio City Music Hall. We also squeezed in a couple of hours of shopping down 5th Avenue, which even Steve enjoyed. The Abercrombie and Fitch store is very nice, and Steve was talked into buying a very nice hoodie by Ness. While Vanessa raided Elizabeth Arden for some goodies. All in all though, a bit out of our price range.
Looking ahead, we've got another 5 nights or so here, including the NHL, NBA and the Chicago theatre show. We've also got similarly punishing days planned, trying to fit in as much as we can while still finding some time to relax. We walked about 7 kilometres today, and I doubt we'll notch up any less in the days to come.
That's it for now, we'll try to post more, but its net dependent.
So what did we get up to while gallavanting around the home stretch in Europe?
We arrived in Florence and had a pretty nice dinner at a restaurant with naked pictures on the wall. We've come to the conclusion they're far more liberated in Europe than most other places, and eating with that sort of thing in your face is certainly an experience, but when in Rome... (or Florence). Ness got offered a nice meat sauce - pork, chicken and beef - despite playing the vegetarian card, they just don't seem to get it.
Next day we did the sites of Florence, which was our favourite city in Italy. We started with a look at a leather factory which was a bit dull. Ness also bought a 'puzzle ring' and then we did a walking tour of the main sites. We checked out the main city square, which is beautiful, and the gallery that has the Statue of David, which puts all other statues and sculptures we've ever seen to shame. We also saw the Duomo Church, Santa Croce Square, and a few other bits and pieces.
In the evening we had a great dinner on the top of one of the highest points in Florence, and went to some dodgy nightclub.
Next up was Lucerne, which was nice but a bit of a speed hump on the trip. In two days there we checked out the Lion Monument, the Chapel Bridge, had chocolate and cheese fondue (YUM) and generally chilled, because everything was closed on the Sunday. Not before we both bought ourselves the obligatory Swiss knives and chocolate. Highlight here was the trip to the top of Mt Pilatus by cable car. The view from 7,000 feet is pretty breathtaking, though the rickety wooden barriers were interesting.
Spent nearly a whole day driving to Paris, arriving at around 4pm. Paris in one word is stunning. On the night we arrived we did the express Lourve tour, because it was closed on our next day. We had about 2 hours in the place, and it's nowhere near enough, you could easily spend a month. Saw Mona, Venus, Winged Victory, the Code of Hammurabi and Napoleon's Apartments among other things, and Ness saw her two fave paintings. We then checked out the Eiffel Tower by night, and did a bus tour of the city, including a couple of laps of the very interesting 8 lane roundabout near the Champs - seeing 2 accidents in the process.
On arrival at the hotel for a late dinner, Ness proceeded to decorate the floor of the reception with the product of a bumpy bus ride. The hotel staff took it like troopers though, and disproved the theory that French people are rude. The hotel we stayed at was actually damn nice.
Next day we checked out the Eiffel Tower from level 2, since the top was closed for maintanance. While the Tower is more impressive at night, the view is amazing. Also visited Hotel des Invalides, which holds Napoleon's Tomb and a major French military museum - though Steve was disappointed he couldn't find the surrender flag wing. Checked out the Arc de Triumph, Notre Dame and did some shopping down the Champs de Elysees. Overall, Paris rocked. A special shout out to the drivers, who are rivalled only by Italians for their craziness. The creativity of their parking is something to see.
Arrived in London the next day, after spending 3 hours on the Chanel Ferry due to fog. Re-packed and went to bed. Got up at 6 the next day for a way too early flight to JFK in New York. British Airways food (and in general) kicks the crap out of Qantas. On arrival, we heard to our horror that a plane had crashed into the Hudson River... thankfully not ours, but not so good to know it's the airline we're flying on in a few days to Washington. Hopefully there's no geese in the area... Drive to the hotel in the shuttle was also pretty amusing, and driving in New York is definately an art, liberal use of horn required. Pretty much unpacked and went to bed knackered.
Today was our first full day in NYC, and we got our mileage out of it. In a quick summary, we checked out Trump Tower, the Public Library, Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Plaza, the Chrysler Building, the UN Building, Times Square, ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, St Patrick's Cathedral and the Radio City Music Hall. We also squeezed in a couple of hours of shopping down 5th Avenue, which even Steve enjoyed. The Abercrombie and Fitch store is very nice, and Steve was talked into buying a very nice hoodie by Ness. While Vanessa raided Elizabeth Arden for some goodies. All in all though, a bit out of our price range.
Looking ahead, we've got another 5 nights or so here, including the NHL, NBA and the Chicago theatre show. We've also got similarly punishing days planned, trying to fit in as much as we can while still finding some time to relax. We walked about 7 kilometres today, and I doubt we'll notch up any less in the days to come.
That's it for now, we'll try to post more, but its net dependent.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Its been a pretty busy week or so since we last posted, sorry for that... as I type theres two guys out the front pushing a car down the road, and I cant find the apostrophe key, but I digress.
So before we even made it to Munich we stopped off at one of the more cheery sites of our holiday, the Dachau concentration camp. In a few words, the place is probably the most full on location we have visited yet, and we could only spend a few hours there before we had enough. The original barracks are all gone except two, but its hard to fathom how two thousand people lived in a space about the size of my house. The museum there is pretty amazing too, detailing the experiments they conducted at the camp, some of its history, etc.
Munich was fun, but a little forgettable. On the first night there we wanted to go to the original Hofbrauhaus, but the line was incredible, so we settled for some photos and the Hard Rock Cafe across the road. We saw the old and new town halls, including the Glockenspiel (overrated) and partook in some shopping. Ness is now the proud owner of a beer wench outfit, purchased on sale for a fraction of the normal price. Mother Pratt will also be proud to know Ness had an argument with the checkout lady, who spoke no English, and won!
Next day we went to the Disney Castle, otherwise known as New Swan Stone Castle (dont ask me to spell it in German). This was one of the highlights of the trip to date, despite 30 minute vertical climb. Spectacular views down on the town and the ice covered mountains made it look a bit like a fairy tale setting, though unfortunately Steve nearly fell down a mountain - oops! That killed half a day and we spent our dying hours in Munich wandering the main street, getting confused by the public transport system, and eventually shelling for a cab to our hotel.
Next day we set out for Venice, but on the way were lucky enough to see some of lovely mountainous Austria, including a stop in Innsbruck. With snow and ice aplenty, this was also one of the highlights of the trip to date, as was Steve downing copious amounts of schnapps at 10 in the morning. Good news is, he bought some to bring home, too! We also made a stop in Verona to do the Romeo and Juliet thing, which was a bit overrated. Grabbed the boob of the statue, put a note on the wall, and got the hell out of dodge - and Ness has the Tshirt to prove it.
Arriving finally in Venice, the weather put on a show for us, cold but blue and sunny all day. Checked out Saint Mark's Square (yay found the apostrophe), the Rialto Bridge, some glass and lace makers (mothers Pratt AND McCay, we have presents!), had a couple of awesome meals and a Gondola Ride, and also went up in the Bell Tower for an amazing view. It was around this time Vanessa also started getting sick, which sucks, but hey, we had an accordian guy play for us at dinner, so it's not all bad.
Last couple of days has been spent in Rome. Did the walking tour de force on arrival last night, including the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, The Chains of Peter (Saint for some of you), Michaelangelo's statue of Moses, and some random fountains and statues of guys on horses, just for something different. Had dinner around the main square, and Steve got pasta which tasted remarkably like Easy Mac, bringing the awesome Italian food luck to a close. Ness continued her bout with Madame Flu, so we called it a night fairly early.
Got up early this morning for a tour of the Forum and the Collosseum. The Forum was amazing, to see how many levels of the city there are, and to see the Senate and Julius Caesar's Tomb still standing. The Collosseum also rocked, though Ness growled a bit when Steve said the MCG is better. Not so cool was hearing how the Vatican has raided these treasures of their marble to build St Peter's Bascillica. We then made our way to Vatican City, paid the Church, and got to see the Museum, Sistine Chapel, the Bascillica and the main square - all of which were pretty cool.
One final note about Rome and Italy in general - it's dirty, there are lots of beggars and shifty men trying to sell you umbrellas at every corner, and Italians are quite rude and scary. We nearly got run over by a Nun - which we believe that about sums up our experience of Rome! Next stop, we continue on to Florence, before heading to Lucerne and the Swiss Alps. We'll try to post another update this side of France. Ciao!
So before we even made it to Munich we stopped off at one of the more cheery sites of our holiday, the Dachau concentration camp. In a few words, the place is probably the most full on location we have visited yet, and we could only spend a few hours there before we had enough. The original barracks are all gone except two, but its hard to fathom how two thousand people lived in a space about the size of my house. The museum there is pretty amazing too, detailing the experiments they conducted at the camp, some of its history, etc.
Munich was fun, but a little forgettable. On the first night there we wanted to go to the original Hofbrauhaus, but the line was incredible, so we settled for some photos and the Hard Rock Cafe across the road. We saw the old and new town halls, including the Glockenspiel (overrated) and partook in some shopping. Ness is now the proud owner of a beer wench outfit, purchased on sale for a fraction of the normal price. Mother Pratt will also be proud to know Ness had an argument with the checkout lady, who spoke no English, and won!
Next day we went to the Disney Castle, otherwise known as New Swan Stone Castle (dont ask me to spell it in German). This was one of the highlights of the trip to date, despite 30 minute vertical climb. Spectacular views down on the town and the ice covered mountains made it look a bit like a fairy tale setting, though unfortunately Steve nearly fell down a mountain - oops! That killed half a day and we spent our dying hours in Munich wandering the main street, getting confused by the public transport system, and eventually shelling for a cab to our hotel.
Next day we set out for Venice, but on the way were lucky enough to see some of lovely mountainous Austria, including a stop in Innsbruck. With snow and ice aplenty, this was also one of the highlights of the trip to date, as was Steve downing copious amounts of schnapps at 10 in the morning. Good news is, he bought some to bring home, too! We also made a stop in Verona to do the Romeo and Juliet thing, which was a bit overrated. Grabbed the boob of the statue, put a note on the wall, and got the hell out of dodge - and Ness has the Tshirt to prove it.
Arriving finally in Venice, the weather put on a show for us, cold but blue and sunny all day. Checked out Saint Mark's Square (yay found the apostrophe), the Rialto Bridge, some glass and lace makers (mothers Pratt AND McCay, we have presents!), had a couple of awesome meals and a Gondola Ride, and also went up in the Bell Tower for an amazing view. It was around this time Vanessa also started getting sick, which sucks, but hey, we had an accordian guy play for us at dinner, so it's not all bad.
Last couple of days has been spent in Rome. Did the walking tour de force on arrival last night, including the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, The Chains of Peter (Saint for some of you), Michaelangelo's statue of Moses, and some random fountains and statues of guys on horses, just for something different. Had dinner around the main square, and Steve got pasta which tasted remarkably like Easy Mac, bringing the awesome Italian food luck to a close. Ness continued her bout with Madame Flu, so we called it a night fairly early.
Got up early this morning for a tour of the Forum and the Collosseum. The Forum was amazing, to see how many levels of the city there are, and to see the Senate and Julius Caesar's Tomb still standing. The Collosseum also rocked, though Ness growled a bit when Steve said the MCG is better. Not so cool was hearing how the Vatican has raided these treasures of their marble to build St Peter's Bascillica. We then made our way to Vatican City, paid the Church, and got to see the Museum, Sistine Chapel, the Bascillica and the main square - all of which were pretty cool.
One final note about Rome and Italy in general - it's dirty, there are lots of beggars and shifty men trying to sell you umbrellas at every corner, and Italians are quite rude and scary. We nearly got run over by a Nun - which we believe that about sums up our experience of Rome! Next stop, we continue on to Florence, before heading to Lucerne and the Swiss Alps. We'll try to post another update this side of France. Ciao!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)