Day 41 - Indian Summer in the City

Today was the hottest October 18th in New York City since 1928. Bonus! Those wooly hats and scarves are staying in the depths of our suitcases for a few more days at least.

So on a sunny day in the city we headed to Central Park. As you do. The park is huge yet also hectic in the areas we were in, with large crowds, roads, traffic lights, horses, cyclists and numerous other distractions all buzzing about. There are many activities and sights within this rectangular parade ground and the park feels like a microcosm of the city. We entered from the Strawberry Fields entrance and we stood by the John Lennon memorial. Whilst the area has a sign that specifically says to keep quiet for peaceful contemplation, a man was playing a few chords on his guitar right next to the memorial. No-one seemed bothered until he finished his strumming, noticed that people weren't looking at him and then decided to insult everyone for being heartless, etc. Two different guys rose to the bait and the guitar player was keen for a confrontation, insulting and belittling them. It was a strange moment that lasted a while and couldn't have been further from the purpose of that specific part of the park. Alice and I moved on and headed to our venue for lunch. It was at 'Tavern On the Green' and the calm and peaceful surrounding brought a bit of zen back into our day. The sun was shining and we were eating juicy salmon burgers. All was good.

Refreshed and assessing the time, we headed towards Hell's Kitchen. The reason for this stroll across Manhattten was to join a queue and wait for a number of hours. A novel way to appreciate this freakishly warm weather but it was for a good reason, hopefully. We were queuing for tickets to see The Daily Show. Tickets were only available for the first two hundred and it is always difficult to gauge how far you are in a queue and if those waiting in front of you are just keeping their place for a larger group later on. Luckily for Alice and I we were given a ticket each and were guaranteed entry. After a little more waiting we were in. The set, the time keeping, the warm up act, everything felt professional and slick. The warm up comedian was genuinely funny and lightly mocked a few members of the audience who willingly put their hands up. He also knew how to whip up a crowd and he had warmed us up so well that on Trevor Noah's entrance everybody went crazy. And this was just Trevor introducing himself and speaking to the audience. I didn't know much about Trevor Noah but what is apparent is his professionalism, confidence and intelligence. In just five minutes the audience were in awe and the show was under way. The show is so well rehearsed that all three parts are shot in one take and only at the end did one slipped line need to be reshot. In between each part and speaking directly to the audience Trevor jokingly addressed the audience off autocue and these moments were probably the funniest. By the end of the show Alice and I left the set in a good mood glad we had sat in that queue. We rounded off a long day in the big city by having a hearty slice of New York Cheesecake and a cup of coffee.

Song of the Day:
Joe Cocker - Summer in the CityRead more