Know Your Rights!

Morning. Greenwich Village. Nice. After the hustle and bustle of the centre of New York it was rather nice to get out into the “sticks” and enjoy a little bit of the quiet side of NYC. Green trees, small parks, a leafy University campus, relatively quiet roads.....and people drunk/asleep on benches at 10am in the morning. But aside from that last one, it was very nice for a stroll through and would advise anyone heading over t’pond to pay a visit. There was a mural to Joe Strummer, out of some band called The Clash. Doubt they’ll be successful with a name like that. Annoyingly we later realised that Katz’s New York Deli was just round the corner and I could have stopped off at my first Man vs Food challenge eatery....but it wasn’t to be. Although I have just done a quick bit of research into Philly and there’s a few round there that may be well worth a cheeky look. Oh, and we also stumbled through Noho. Not Soho, but Noho. Ummmmm, I have no words to describe it. It was pretty generic and I didn’t even realise where we were. So all you would-be visitors......I wouldn’t go out of your way to get there!

Know Your Rights!

We also stopped off at the Greyhound terminal to enquire, and pretty much purchase, our 60-day Discover passes – a few hundred dollars that should hopefully be well spent! Now I know that we are British and we invented queuing, but flipping crikey this was an absolute joke! ONE person behind the desk who took ages to handle one enquiry, and didn’t seem 100% confident in what he was doing anyway, and about 4 people standing around doing jack-all, or merely directing people to the auto-ticket machines, even though we couldn’t buy ours there....gnnnnarg! And our hearts sank when the lady (who took over from the incompetent dude) asked us for ID......especially as I only had my driver’s license and James only had......his word. But we got em in the end, and a “free” upgrade if we book in advance for the special sexy coaches with plug sockets, leg room, Wi-Fi and reserved seating....whoop whoop!

It was at this point that both Gray brothers decided a clothes wash was in order, so 7 quarters later we had freshly washed gear ready for the hastily-hung washing line in the prison cell...I mean the bedroom. Although it is distinctly smaller than the one that Ronnie Barker used to live in in Porridge. And we have no cupboard door full of lewd pictures. Shame really.

This also gave us the opportunity to catch up on some football (and a quick 10 minute power-nap as the football was so dull!) which unfortunately saw one of my key bets crash out. After the first game, a convincing 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic, a coyly-placed couple of quid on Russia to get to the final seemed the easiest money I would ever make. Aside from the filming of my armpits for Australian TV...but that’s another story for another day. So after the washing was done and hung we headed out to our favourite dollar-a-slice pizza store to top up on some carbs before hitting the High Line.....a renovated section of raised railway that has been turned into gardens. Lovely little stroll through as the sun was beginning to set, and some cracking graffiti too (see pictures). Then it was off to Time Square at night, which is SO much better than at daytime. With heavy backpacks. And a sweaty back. Great to “people watch” apparently and it didn’t disappoint. Apart from the **** who would not sit down and is in pretty much all my pictures at that point!

Times Square

Next on the agenda......Top Of The Rock. Looking out across the city at night from the top of the Rockefeller Center is just amazing. Empire State in daytime is great, matched by this I would say. Totally different experience and one that will stay with me for ever. Poignant. That’s twice I’ve used that now.

Anywho, it’s our last night in NYC and my last can of Asahi is empty so it’s time to hit the hay, ready to get over to Philadelphia on the morrow. Night Night.