Please utilise this space to search this blog

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

New York (USA) - La Manzana Grande

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.  

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.

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!

Monday, February 12, 2018

Bologna (Italy) - Two turntables and a microphone

BOLOGNA (Italy)
12 February - 13 February 2018

Flying in from opposite sides of Europe, Inga from Riga and me from Belgrade, we converged on our coordinated arrival destination of Milan, and it was the definition of impeccable timing. If you knew both Inga and myself however you’d know that we are both sticklers for time. Assuming no crazy cosmic interruption we will be at a destination to the minute of asking. Now, this introduces my major bugbear, the cause of constant irritation for me, but somehow, the cause of mild amusement to others – how it is, that if people organise a time to meet and it was consensual, then how can it ever be a choice to be late? A choice to be late automatically is a sign of disrespect, and to be late constantly just shows a complete disregard for the other person, and yet, I have great friends that do this constantly. Not you Janelle, not now, you’re much better these days, so this isn’t directed at you JJ!


Milan Malpensa airport - Italy
This is Inga letting me know that she had arrived, and also, letting me know that I'd been 'busted' too. The Air Serbia flight gave it away... No escaping that woman! :)


My wife is never late, I’m never late. That’s an understanding we have and will always maintain. That’s the end of that rant.

Arriving with Winter jackets, luggage aplenty, our lives, our nomadic lives, were confined to a few pieces of luggage 76cms * 48 cms.  Not that I was concerned about that other than the troubles I anticipated for it to cause us on the domestic flights through the US. A discussion we’ll get to later.


Milan Malpensa airport - Italy


It was a 3hr drive from Milan to Bologna where we were booked into the Hotel Maggiore, a reasonable hotel located a little bit outside of the centre. Probably a small fault on my side as we didn’t get to see the centre at all and by all reports Bologna is regarded as one of Italy’s best looking cities, a medieval design, filled with a jumble of red brick, tiled roofs and balconies that radiate out from its central square. With that said, had we have had the internal fortitude we could have gone for a little walk to the centre but both of us had been so beaten by our respective early morning starts that sleep was our primary need that afternoon..

Still, the Hotel Maggiore had a trick up its sleeve and that was found at their bar. The barman, come receptionist, come security guard, come everything else was not however an expert in Negroni making. He was very nice, and trustworthy, allowing us to talk him through how to make them, meaning, that his liberal pours were breathtaking in terms of the final result. He was a Negroni making LEGEND in every manner of speaking from our perspective. His novice hands were just what we needed to support our desired afternoon buzz before heading out to Unipol Arena.


Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy


This Metallica Tour, Worldwired, was the same tour that we had seen before in Mexico City, almost a year early, and in fact, will be the same tour that they’ll be bringing to Australia in October 2019, where of course Inga and I will be seeing them again. Tour the World with Metallica, it’s a blast.


Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy


Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy


The Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, just outside of Bologna, is just an average venue, in the vicinity of 10,000-12,000, nothing like the 60,000 monster in Mexico City. Not that it really makes that much of a difference, other than defining the atmosphere, but once Metallica started we managed to push right up against the stage. This is something I need to thank Inga for, its really her thing to get as close as possible to the band playing, and whilst I enjoy it myself usually I require a bit of impetus to get in amongst it.

A decent night in all and a brilliant way to start the journey back home.

As per previous concerts that I’ve outlined, here’s the set-list for that night.

Performer: Metallica
Tour: Worldwired