Be prepared, this is going to be a big one....(that's what he said)
so....Wednesday was probably the longest day I've had in NY.....
after heading into Penn to pick up all my Amtrak train tickets I wandered down to Grand Central Station to take some pictures. I know it's a train station but the architecture and the painted ceiling is very impressive...well worth a look.
A little bit later..met up with a new friend in Fat Cats, a jazz bar with a twist. While live jazz is playing in the background you can play pool, scrabble, ping pong, shuffle board, chess and the list goes on. This bar is so much fun, it has a nominal cover charge but they won me over at the fact they serve cider....Yay! After Fat Cats it was off to a Thai restaurant which I would love to tell you the name of as it was cheap and good food, but after a few ciders and a Singha the memory did start to flag. After this it was on to Barcade (thanks for the tip Matt)which is what it says on the tin, a bar and an arcade. Barcade is fitted out with all the old retro games like Frogger, Asteroids and Donkey to name but a few, I will admit though I was a bit gutted at the absence of table top Space Invaders. So my ass was whooped at every game we competed in...why are boys just so much better at these things?? Even later.....it was on to another bar, right near Barcade...can't remember the name but there is a picture below if anyone would like to help me out(Matt??) to win the prize of my gratitude and respect. You can kind of tell how this night was going in comparison to my mass memory loss.
So I also have to mention here that I met this guy who could do 5 degrees of Kevin Bacon in an astounding way...meaning you could give him any two actors and he could connect them together in less than 5 movies...genius.
Thursday....after the less than required eight hours sleep, I think it might of been more like 2-3, I was out and about again for my last day in NY with Lisa a gorgeous friend of mine who I met in Thailand, for a far more cultured day in the Met. The Met not only has a great variation of art and historical pieces the architecture of this place is truly breathtaking.
The Met also has the benefit of being probably the only museum in NY where you can pay a donation of any amount to gain entry...I cried poor traveller and paid a $1, instead of the suggested $20....(tip for you) If you visit, you have to go to the rooftop, the view from here is incredible, during our visit they had an amazing art piece which was intertwined bits of cane and climbing rope that the artists Doug and Mike Starn are continuously working on over a period of months.
As is expected one can't start the day with cultural exploits and not finish it off with cocktails...it was on to Cilantro to sit in the sunshine and eat amazing mexican food and drinks pitchers of mango frozen margaritas. (don't be impressed I remembered this name, I have the reciept :))
Then another bar (name?) where Lisa pointed out this painting with a striking resemblance to not only my face and colouring but additionally my weekend hobby...
After saying a 'see you soon' to gorgeous Lisa it was off back to Brooklyn and attempting to keep my eyes open on the subway long enough to not miss my station.
Friday....I said goodbye to the hostess with the mostest Lynne (I love you and miss you already) and got the cab to Penn Station, way too early. When they (the Amtrak people) tell you to get there an hour early, please don't listen to them. If you catch a train out of here 15-30 minutes is more than sufficient, unless you're checking baggage. It takes 9 hours approx to get from NY to Niagra and the scenery was diverse and interesting most of the way. I will admit after once again only sleeping 3 hours the night before I did miss most of it by passing out. (sorry Ma) I had the good Irish luck of sitting next to George the 22 year old plumber from Queens, who said he sat next to me because I looked normal....ha ha ha it's funny because it's not true. It did make the time go faster chatting to someone, playing cards and seeing some very interesting photos. People are fascinating and curious.
I got here at about 5 and have walked down to see the falls US side. Spectacular and beautiful, taken the mandatory, 'look ma, here's me at Niagra'.
Tomorrow I will probably do the expected tourist boat thing 'Maid of the Mist' and then it will be back on the train to Toronto in the afternoon.
This area is very interesting, but I don't want to discuss it too much until I escape.
That's it I'm done, hopefully tonight I will sleep more than three hours....cracked open the sleeping bag, Goodnight xx.
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