NEW YORK (USA)
13 February - 18 February 2017
We arrived in New York City on the 13th of February,
meaning that the next day was a whole 24hrs dedicated to the Feast of St.
Valentine. 13 February - 18 February 2017
So you’re in New York in Valentines’ Day, what do you do? Well, I’ll tell you what my plan was, I was going to Ted Mosby the crap out of it. This day wasn’t even going to be in the super date or mega date league, this was a going to be a date supreme, that one SUPREME date to be had in a city that could allow you to deliver everything, all at once! To steal a few words from Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, These big lights will inspire you.
I always had my reservations about
New York, for all the hype, all that's been written about the City that Never Sleeps,like all of that was somehow
unwarranted hyperbole extolled by over enthusiastic Americans that feel compelled to inspire overt
red, white and blue patriotism at every moment. New York, the city that acts as the cornerstone of capitalism
and freedom, which in the hearts and minds of all Americans and is thought of as one in the same,
is imbued in this city of high rise fantasia. That was the New York that I was
up against, the one of my mind where American enthusiasm for their own grand
exploits and their love of themselves does nothing for me personally and also, nothing for their status in the
global community.
US Customs & Border
Protection does nothing to endear themselves to anyone either. As a first impression of the US I'm always in dismay as to their rudeness and sheer arrogance. They may argue that it’s part of their job description, and I would argue right back that they stand at the front door
of the US and are the first impression for all arrivals. They’re arrogant,
nasty and somehow feel that belittling arrivals is their duty. Like their $55K
jobs and powers of detainment actually mean something!? To them I say ‘get
stuffed’, your arrogance is disgusting and you would be better served doing
your job rather than taking out your angst on people for your own failings in
life.
You can tell, right away, New
York was starting from way back in the field.
BUT….IT CAUGHT UP…IN A MAJOR WAY
As you drive through Brooklyn
there’s a point where Manhattan just rises out of nowhere. It catches you off
guard and it simply inspires awe. Of course you expect the skyscrapers but it’s
not like their focused in one spot, New York to any other city is like the
difference of taking a snapshot or to its taking a panoramic. You start viewing the city at the lower end of Manhattan and
scan from left to right, all the way up to the Upper East Side. Big, bold and
brash, it remains unapologetic for what it is.
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Carving through Midtown
Manhattan, surrounded by yellow taxis, traffic abounding, flashing street
lights, bright lights, tall residential buildings. It kind of felt like a movie
set, like every single New York scene that you’ve ever seen, which meant that
there had to be something authentic about it, right? The look and feel captured on screen was here, it was real and tangible. And maybe it was the perceived
aura of this city but the movement and mass immediately creates an energy. You see the
vibrancy and you feel the difference immediately.
This was it, time to attack with all the vigour that it would allow.
This was it, time to attack with all the vigour that it would allow.
WELCOME ST. VALENTINE
Valentines’ Day in New York had
to be big, there was no other way to allow a day a city like this to get past us.
So I themed our Valentines' Day as Let’s Rock.
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Rockefeller Ice Ring - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Our morning started at
Rockefeller Centre, perfectly aligning with our established theme. The Rockefeller us a national historic landmark and was a great place to start the day with breakfast and a glass of champagne, all before doing one of the most
iconic activities in NYC, taking to the ice ring at Rockefeller Plaza Ice Skating Ring.
It’s literally been years since I’d
skated previously, more than 30 yrs from memory. For Inga, I know, the time between skates
had been a lot less than that, made
easier by the fact that she used to roller blade too. So when we took to the ice my
initial few mins were hyper tentative, but with a little assistance from my
lovely wife I got back into the groove and managed to stay upright for the
whole sessions. I’m sure that outcome would have been at long odds very early
on.
Ice skating outdoors in the
centre of New York is just cool, plain and simple, and again, felt somewhat
like we were taking part in an elaborate movie set. So often do you see the ice
skating ring as a backdrop to well known movies, being here felt a little
surreal, but hell, I’m not going to ‘return it’ now.
Next stop on our Lets Rock supreme VDAY date was to head
to the Top of the Rock, that being
the viewing deck floors at the top of Rockefeller centre for some of the best
views out over Manhattan. The 360 degree views from the Observation deck floors
are breathtaking. Standing nearly 250
mtrs off the pavement below, the views to downtown take in the iconic Empire
State, World Trade 1 at the southern tip of the island and Lady Liberty beyond.
The alternate side brings to you the mighty Central Park, both the East &
West side neighbourhoods, as well as Harlem.
'Top of the Rock' - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
'Top of the Rock' - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
'Top of the Rock' - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
'Top of the Rock' - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
'Top of the Rock' - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
'Top of the Rock' - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Gliding back town to terra firms
our Lets Rock date continued with the
theme, utilising a drinks and lunch stop at the Hard Rock Café to keep the
day going. On both sides of our Hard Rock stop we took in the jungle of
Broadway with its megatron billboards, dedication to commercialism, bright
lights, billboards, tourists and all things theatre related. Actually, the
better term for this location on Broadway is Times Square, which is at the heart of the theatre district and
effectively is a collection of pedestrian plazas that teems with tourists,
ticket touts, flashing neon signs, noise, sound and energy. It pulsates at all
hours, both day and night.
'Top of the Rock' - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
'Top of the Rock' - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
'Top of the Rock' - Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Rockefeller Centre - New York City - New York - USA
Times Square - New York City - New York - USA
Times Square - New York City - New York - USA
Next stop on our Lets Rock date was the musical
production of the movie, School of Rock.
This ‘rocking’ musical production by Andrew Lloyd Webber follows the path of
failed wannabe rockstar, Dewey Finn, whose need for earning extra cash has him
posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. Through his own
inspiration he turns the ‘goodie-goodie’ kiddies into a rocking primary school
outfit that prepares for a Battle of the
Bands competition.
Broadway - New York City - New York - USA
Times Square - New York City - New York - USA
Times Square - New York City - New York - USA
Times Square - New York City - New York - USA
Times Square - New York City - New York - USA
Hard Rock Cafe - New York City - New York - USA
Hard Rock Cafe - New York City - New York - USA
Hard Rock Cafe - New York City - New York - USA
Times Square - New York City - New York - USA
In all honesty, not the most
challenging of storylines to follow but I have to say, the kids, they were
impressive. There was no smoke and
mirrors when it came to them playing their instruments, all of them knew
their stuff and were more than competent in rocking out when they needed to.
Considering these kids were 10-12 yrs of age it just made me thing, what the hell was I doing with my life back
then?
Times Square - New York City - New York - USA
School of Rock - Broadway - New York City - New York - USA
Post Broadway we headed up to
Central Park and of course had ourselves a horse drawn carriage ride. A really
nice, relaxing way to see the park and wind down the afternoon before the onset
of evening.
Central Park - New York City - New York - USA
Central Park - New York City - New York - USA
Central Park - New York City - New York - USA
Central Park - New York City - New York - USA
Central Park - New York City - New York - USA
To finish the might I’d organised
for us to take a dinner cruise of Manhattan island. Commencing at Pier 62 we
cruised down the Hudson taken on the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan before
passing out by Ellis Island and directly in front of the Statue of Liberty. The cruise then went up the East River, going
under the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and then heading up to the
Williamsburg bridge before turning around and making its way back to the piers
in Chelsea. And then, just to top the night off, because we needed more of
course, the stars aligned as Chinese New Year and Valentines’ Day were brought
together to inspire a fireworks display over the Hudson River.
River Cruise - New York City - New York - USA
River Cruise - New York City - New York - USA
Statue of Liberty - New York City - New York - USA
River Cruise - New York City - New York - USA
One World Trade Center - Lower Manhattan - New York City - New York - USA
Statue of Liberty - New York City - New York - USA
One World Trade Center - Lower Manhattan - New York City - New York - USA
Lower Manhattan - New York City - New York - USA
Chinese New Year celebrations - New York City - New York - USA
And there you have it, with the
inspiration of Ted Mosby and a Valentines’ in New York we absolutely swung for
the fences and excelled in pulling off the Valentines’ Day Supreme
Date. Watcha gonna do? New York,
Valentines’s Day – go big or go home. So we went big!
