For a moment I couldn’t remember what we did on our last day with the RV, and then it struck me … we went to Planet Fitness of course! Sophie very bravely did my leg workout with me and afterwards we headed out of the city.
The weather was glorious as we turned off the highway and cruised down country lanes, taking in a more relaxed way of life, the breeze blowing in our hair while Sophie tormented us by singing along to Disney music.
We pulled up at our camp for the night, the owner was affable, albeit missing a few front teeth. The place had a pool, which wasn’t open for the season yet, and several worn out games areas, like mini golf, without the clubs, and a basketball hoop without the ball.
We did eventually manage to borrow a ball and Chris made up a game called Donkey. We had to shoot hoops from various angles, then whoever spelt Donkey first and then dunked the ball backwards was crowned the winner. I managed to win with a fluke of a trick shot which bounced off a crossbar behind the board only to bounce back over into the net.
In the morning we pulled out early to drop the RV at El Monte RV in Linden, New York. It was all pretty smooth, and we were able to donate all the bedding, pots and pans etc to be used again, which soothed my conscience. It had been cheaper to buy them than to rent them but the environmentalist in me did not want to just throw them away.
Sophie helped us navigate the train, then the underground, and after an hour or so waiting at hers we were able to check into our AirBnB. The owner was away on family business so we had the whole two bed flat to ourselves. It was tastefully decorated and it seemed like it was going to be a dream place to stay. But it hadn’t really occurred to me beforehand to research what Brooklyn is actually like: between the catcalling, the insane street noise at all hours, booming block parties and general stoop life, it wasn’t my favourite of places.
After dropping our bags we took a taxi over to meet our friends Amy and Matt, who were in town to surprise Matt’s mum while she was visiting NY from Australia. We shared a house with Amy and Matt in Tooting, London up until we moved out to go travelling. Being big travellers themselves we really got on so I was delighted when they messaged to ask if we’d like to meet up. After grabbing a pizza in this cool beer garden cum pizza place we went to watch the New York Mets vs the Miami Marlins.
I wasn’t expecting much as I’d never really watched baseball but all four of us ended up getting really into it. The crowd were fun to listen to, and thankfully Amy knew the rules of the game so she helped explain what was going on until we got the gist of it. It was so fun, I’d definitely go again, if only to enjoy the atmosphere and the battered Oreos.
The following day, after grabbing bagels for breakfast, Chris took the lead with the planning for a change and took us on a gaming orientated tour of the city.
Our first stop was to a tiny, independent gaming store that had everything from floppy disks and vintage collectables so the latest releases. They even had a “test” xbox for sale – one where you can write your own code which means you can modify any game you want – for $18,000 that is.
In the interests of covering as much in the city as possible we walked to our next destination via Washington Arch, and then along to the Empire State building. The weather was pretty crap so we barely stopped to admire any of the buildings!
However the next stop made up for the rain: VRWorld NYC. For £75 Chris and I got to experience the latest in virtual reality gaming. We both got a taste for VR at our friend Geth’s house when he showed us a couple of demos, including a shark attack simulator.
VRWorld, spread over two floors, is home to several mini games, and showcases some really progressive game development, including a flight simulator rig which you move with your body weight to fly through VR hoops.
We played several games, and there were several more I’d have been interested in playing, I think it is something Chris and I may get into at some point in the future when the games available are a bit more developed. I had a couple of favourites including being Morty’s (from Rick and Morty) human slave/apprentice where you get to mess around in his garage, and Ready Player One, which was a two player game based in space (I think) defending something from robots and drones that were attacking you. It was also really funny watching other people play, especially when they forget where they were and walked out of the play zone into a wall. We’d bought tickets for two hours but really we’d both have been happy to stay all day.
On the Tuesday we woke up pretty late. The neighbourhood doesn’t quieten down until around 1am and usually gets going again at 6am with the bins being collected and cars blaring their music.
Just after lunch we hopped on the Metro and made our way over to walk over Brooklyn Bridge, the weather was glorious. The unfolding view as you progress over the bridge is pretty spectacular. We also got to see a couple of helicopters fly over and land on the river’s edge, followed shortly by a police escort passing underneath.
We stopped off at Shake Shack to sample their burgers and apple pie before heading to the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
Back in 2001, when this tragic attack took place I was just 13. I remember coming home from school to my Mum stood transfixed by the TV as images of the towers billowing smoke filled the screen. Looking back, I don’t think I really understood what had happened, certainly not the full extent of the tragedy. So I had grown up knowing that it had happened, and learned a little since then, but the Museum was an eye opener, and I spent much of our visit holding back tears. I was quite surprised I didn’t see anyone crying because many of the exhibits were so incredibly moving.
Your experience in the Museum begins with a short film that records the reactions of key world leaders from the time including George W Bush and ex UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. You then begin your journey through the exhibition, which is almost entirely underground, and in places shows features from the buildings, including part of the wall used to hold back the water from the River Hudson, and the steel and cement footings. .
The Museum sets the scene by showing photographs of shocked onlookers, before taking you down into a vast space that includes the “Final Pillar” – the last piece of the towers which was removed ceremoniously from the site. It is inscribed with the police and fire unit numbers, photos of those that lost their lives, and other messages and trinkets. Around the open space there are several displays with different artefacts. The museum also houses the staircase that carried so many survivors to the safety of the street below, away from the plaza.
You then venture into an enclosed space which is where the main exhibition begins. Through different mediums you learn on a minute by minute basis how the attack unfolds. Along with physical artefacts from the scene (a lost shoe, handwritten notes that had floated out of the windows, a crushed fire engine, warped metal) the Museum has painstakingly gathered thousands of testimonies of those that were in the Towers, those that rushed to help, their loved ones, and the last phone calls of those that did not survive.
Short, reenacted film clips bring some of the stories back to life in a horrifying way, like the Building Manager who helped around 50 people to safety but never made it out himself, and the Restaurant Manager on the top floor who tried tirelessly to get her guests to safety to no avail. It is truly chilling.
We were in the Museum for three hours and it was not enough, If you find yourself able to visit, which I would strongly recommend, give yourself plenty of time, especially if you are like me and want to read everything. It left me a little shaken. Visiting the Museum truly contextualised the intensity and magnitude of what happened. Thousands of people died, families shattered never to be whole again.
Afterwards we simply walked around for a couple of hours, Chris playing Pokemon, we took in the sights of China Town and Little Italy before heading home to process the thousands of mental images from the day.
The following day was more upbeat. Sophie met us on the metro and we headed to Times Square via this ever so trendy vegan lunch spot. Times Square probably looks better in the day time. I was a bit mehh about it. It was another glorious day so we carried on down to Central Park to enjoy the outdoors. What I loved about Central Park is it is truly an urban oasis. All around you can see the tops of buildings poking out above the treeline in the distance, and yet it is fairly peaceful, and lusciously green.
After watching some street performers ‘entertain’ several hundred dollars out of the pockets of ‘willing victims’ we hired a boat for an hour and Chris took the first turn, paddling us around. It was good fun, although the lake was rather busy and we were involved in several clashes with other hapless boaters.
Later that afternoon we walked the High Line, a 1.5 mile long park 30 feet above street level. Up until the 1980s the park had actually been a railway line, but it felt into disuse and and gave way to wildflowers, grasses and trees. It became a secret wilderness. In 2009 the railway was converted to a walkway, and taking inspiration from the wild state in which it was found, it was planted back up.
At the far end one can find Chelsea Market, so after our stroll we wandered in to marvel at the collection of boutique and independent sellers. On entering we were immediately greeted by the smell of freshly made soap so we bought some as a present for our friends Alex and Lini, while Sophie bought a handmade bracelet for her friend. There were lots of great places to eat, after a slice of pizza we went to The Doughnuttery, I ordered the Purple Pig (purple potato, maple and bacon) and Pumpkin Pie Brûlée (pumpkin, graham crackers and spices) and a Chris got Cinnamon Sugar and Just Sugar because he’s adventurous like that. Mine were so delicious that I kept the sugar and put it on the top of my bagel the following morning.
On Thursday morning we headed out to take the Staten Island ferry to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. If you don’t want to pay the pricey fee to go to the island specifically, the ferry is the next best thing. Let me tell you, I could have done with a pair of binoculars. It was great to get the general impression of the Statue in its surroundings but that’s all it was. Chris and I even got told off because he was helping me kneel on a ledge with my head stuck out the window in an attempt to get a better view.
Once back we went on the hunt for the elusive ‘cronut’ – a croissant donut. Unfortunately they had all sold out , we could come back around 8am tomorrow to queue to get one if we wanted. I mean I love food but that was a hard pass, can you get them in London?
We wandered through the area looking for somewhere to eat, passing plenty of perfectly trendy coffee shops with the smell of freshly roasted beans wafting out the door. Alas Chris had his heart set on eating something from ‘home’ so I set our route to Wagamamas. He ordered is usual Katu Curry with extra sauce and extra salad dressing, but was severely disappointed when it tasted slightly different.
And that drew a close to our sightseeing in New York! Sophie popped round for the evening to watch pretty dire films together, and the following day we packed up and flew onward to Vancouver.
A travelling wedding 