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The Big Apple
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The Big Apple

Time to take a bite🍎 Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 9, 2022
    KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    Upper East Side

    July 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    NY has always been right up there for me in terms of bucket lists, driven largely by the curiosity to find out if what I'd see on TV & in the movies for the last 30 years, was in fact, really so.

    So besides the obligatory tourist attractions that one simply must do when travelling anywhere new, I wanted to know things like....
    Was there always a Chinese person running the laundry? Are there really Mexicans peddling wares in the streets? Do diners really serve jumbo food portions? Do cab drivers ever stop talking if they're Italian? Are there hotdogs stands outside the courthouse? Do cops really say "ma'am get out of the vehicle".... ok, maybe not that one.

    So this is a peak into ticking a wishlist of on-screen moments, where the big screen becomes a reality...

    First though.... I mean this address!! Our hotel is on the corner of 5th Avenue and 61st street, Upper East Side. It's right opposite Central Park and yes, has a Doorman. So spoilt 😍

    OMG, how tall are these skyscrapers??? I was convinced they used green screens in the movies to fill in the gaps.... but noooo!

    Also had to pay a visit to the 911 memorial before heading out in the Hudson River to meet the lady herself. A huge highlight for me is that NY skyline. Spectular! And that's only during the day!

    Ps did you know the original statue of Liberty is actually in town (zero tourists) before it was cast 16x bigger and placed on Liberty Island.

    Sweltering hot and humid day, realizing that we were both jet lagged and still physically on SA time, we pushed through to the second highlight of the day....Dinner reservation at Daniel, a Michelin star restaurant where you may need to consider taking out another mortgage 😑 We won't be doing any more of these during our stay.
    Lol, just realised our dinner reservation was for midnight SA time 🤣

    But WOW just WOW! For those that know me, I'm on a quest to find the best Cosmopolitan cocktail ever. The Connaught Bar in London is in position 1, followed by Harry's Bar in Paris and then Tintwsalo in Camps Bay. So when the Maitre D suggested I try their signature "White Cosmopolitan "
    I was skeptical. Made with very rare to find white cranberry juice and elderflower and a frozen orchid ..... I'll just say this. It went straight into position 1 💜

    Stumbled back in ro the hotel at around 3h30 after a visit to the 24/7 Apple store, where Karl could play 😊    Read more

  • KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    No guts, no glory ...

    July 10, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Can't do NY without seeing Wall Street- especially if you're dating a guy in finance!

    I mean I always knew Karl had balls but you got to have some pretty big ones if you're playing in the big league. It was only fitting then that he got to hold/squeeze the Raging Bull's prodigious manhood from artist Arturo Di Modica - which is said to be good luck - and with a big deal about to land, timing could not have been better... You've got this babe!

    And then, one of my favorites... the "Fearless Girl" bronze statue by artist Kristen Visbal. At only 1.2 metres high, she faces the historically male Stock Exchage head on (used to face the Bull). A symbol of female empowerment and part of a campaign for companies to add more women to their boards. She is just magnificent 😍    Read more

  • KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    Psalms 104:33

    July 11, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    What a day!

    Got to explore this burrough with its history and hidden gems. The Apollo Theatre, established in 1913, was the birthplace of African American soul music. Think Ella Fitzgerald, Prince, Louis Armstrong, Gladys Knight, Sammy Davis Jnr .... the list goes on. Love the theatres slogan "Be Good or Be Gone" ... and they did indeed boo people off its stage.

    Also the birthplace of the Black Panthers and home to the 6th largest Cathedral in the world- St John the Divine. Fun fact: Every first Sunday in October, this church hosts a "blessing of all animals" day. Anyone in NY with any kind of animal arrives to have their beloved pets blessed. There have been snakes, snails and even a baby elephant!

    But the absolute highlight for me was attending a traditional gospel service - it was Sunday after all and probably the only time I'd get Karl into a church 🤣. Crazy, loud, passionate, emotive preaching with vocals and music that can turn anyone into a believer!

    Also got to see Columbia University, which has incidentally produced more Nobel prize winners than any other ivy league uni.

    Then walked around Sugar Hill, in particular Jumel Terrace, the borough’s oldest remaining wood-framed houses which will set you back $800,000 for units constructed in 1882. Got to visit the ostentatious memorial grave of General Grant,the 18th president of the US. Sugarhill's other claim to fame is its history of gangs and drugs, especially peddling white powder, hence the play on the name"sugar". Look up at any of the now barricaded dilapidated brownstone buildings and you may still spot a pair of sneakers hanging in the window , indicating the availability of drugs.

    Ended the day with my gangster partner in crime with a bottle of vino on a rooftop bar, overlooking NY.    Read more

  • KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    On top of the world

    July 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Geez this place is expensive!! 😣

    Today was all about BIG. Big buildings and big brands. Strolled down 5th Avenue, Park Avenue and Madison Avenue,
    Can you say Ka-ching?? 🤑🤑🤦‍♀️
    Then hit the following list...
    I've said this before but you just don't comprehend the scale of these skyscrapers!

    1 World Trade Centre
    Trump Towers
    Empire State
    Rockefeller centre (Top of the Rock, 70th floor.... takes 43 seconds in the lift to get there)
    Chrysler Building
    NY State library
    Grand Central Station
    St Patrick's Cathedral

    Oh, you gotta try out Spyscape as an experience! Basically they put you through a series of assessments like Risk games, Surveillance tasks, Decoding tasks ..... they even put you in a dark room with green lasers you have to climb through without touching them! They then create a profile of what kind of spy you would be. The place showcases some of the spy gadgets used by the FBI, British Intelligence and the KGB... fascinating!

    Turns out Karl is an Agent Handler (he has the brains for it) and I should be in Surveillance (I have the attention to detail) Basically we're a great match 😊💕

    Light dinner at Balthazar, a classic, iconic French Brasserie (only had starters) before properly crashing 💤💤    Read more

  • KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    Knish & Cannoli

    July 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Cultural history and food tour!
    Got to experience Little Italy, Chinatown, Noho, Nolita and the Bowry.

    Had my first proper Cannoli, ate a strange Chinese fruit, tasted a Knish and had to try an American Diner of course. Crispy Chicken served on waffles and maple syrup. Karl had a triple decker sandwich. OMG portions were huge!! Same goes for street food ... struggled to finish! Also got to see Katz's Diner where Meg Ryan did THAT scene in When Harry met Sally... queues way out the door!

    But the BEST was eating a hotdog from the hotdog stand outside the main Courthouse! Ever since watching and loving the series Suits, I knew this was something I just had to experience and it didn't disappoint. Just for you Harvey Specter 🙌

    Then on to the following Burroughs. Queens, Brooklyn and The Bronx. Queens is the only landlocked burrough in NY hence its space. Popped in to see Flushing Meadows and the Unisphere. And of course Yankee Stadium where Babe Ruth is immortalized on the stadium walls.

    By far the most exciting burrough is The Bronx. Big difference between the North and the South. On the one end, crime, gangsterism, bullet holes, mom and pop shops (had THEE best empanada at a convenience store) .. and on the other, a gorgeous area thats trendy, arty and full of young professionals and entrepreneurs.

    It's also the birthplace of hip hop and breakdancing and the first recording of Salsa dancing. The streets are adorned with wall art by the famous Tats cru.

    Also found the set of stairs where the famous dance was done by the JOKER (Joaquin Phoenix) in 2019. Karl ran up all 142 stairs!! #madness

    2/3rds are Latinos and 1/3 are African American. But there's another community that gets overlook,the Hasidic Jews, the 2nd largest group are here outside of Israel.
    Walking around here was like being in a time warp. No electronic stores, only allowed to use flip phones, they have their own school and a distict dress code for both men and women and reminded me of the Handmade's Tale!

    Outstanding walk across the Brooklyn Bridge!
    Oh and Karl and I tried Amazon Go. Now that was freaky. Walked in, took something off the shelf and walked straight out. No till, no people yet it knew exactly what you had in your hand and charges accordingly!
    Interesting times !    Read more

  • KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    Broadway Baby!

    July 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Massive, massive bucket list ✅️

    There are 41 theaters, only 3 of which are actually on Broadway, the rest are spread from 41st to 53rd street and they are all world class!

    If you have an amateur dramatic background, have performed on a big stage and done a couple of musicals- and won an award or two- only then can you truly appreciate what a polished, world-class, entertaining  performance this was! That opening scene shot the lights out 🤩  Full theatre and standing ovations.... Sutton Foster (and Hugh) is a star!

    Also had the chance to see an off Broadway performance by the Blue Man Group. Don't think I've ever see this much audience interaction!  It was totally off the wall, involving toilet paper, boxes of cereal, drain pipes, marshmallows and loud music, all mimed & performed by literally 3 blue men!

    And then Karl surprised me with a BIG spoil (as if this wasn't the case already) but ....

    Tickets to see the American Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House - Romeo and Juliette 🩰🩰

    I mean, can you get more romantic?? 🥰

    And considering he doesn't really "do the ballet" he was prepared to go with me and watch. #goodman #mykindaguy

    It was spectacular! And as it happens, we sat next to Juliette's real dad in the audience. That dude was so proud of his daughter!

    Karl only fell asleep after Act1 scene 3, but woke up to clap every time and then watched the last, most poignant scene... you know....the one where they both die 🤣

    In his defense, it was a long ass day and the music was so soothing 😌

    Dinner was authentic Italian at La Masseria 🇮🇹    Read more

  • KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    4 score & 7 yrs ago ...

    July 14, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    What another OUTSTANDING day!
    Very early start.... drove through New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland before stopping at Virginia. Got to see the Penatgon, the largest real estate space in the world. It's 6.5 million square feet, has 67 hectares of parking and has 26 thousand employees!
    Also took a trip to the famous Arlington Military & Presidential Cemetery.
    Over 400 000 soldiers and larger than Central Park (by the way many of the graves have 4 people in each...family members)

    The final stop was Washington DC. Did you know that it is not a state? As in there is no star on the American flag that represents it....its a federal district.

    OMG, what a city. It's so over the top with its grandiose, imposing ginormous buildings!
    You cant help gulp at the size of them. Very very impressive!

    Had to pinch myself several times realizing I was ACTUALLY looking at the Whitehouse, the Lincoln memorial, the Washington monument and The Capitol! I mean, this was NOT the movies, I was there!! #holysmokes    Read more

  • KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    Party like a Lobstar

    July 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    After a frenetic itinerary, it was time to slow down & unwind a bit. Where do NY's go for the summer? They go to the Hamptons of course! So we caught the Jitney bus and headed down to Long Island for a day and night to see how .01% of the population live.

    Aside from the Mansions and high end boutique stores in East and South Hampton, the other towns are gorgeous! Great vibe, clean, not pretentious, great food, excellent service..... but oh so flipping expensive by our standards.

    We stayed in Napeague, just outside the tonguetwister town of Amagansett. Our little pozzie was decorated in true Ken and Barbie style 🤣
    Now this whole area is famous for its lobster 🦞 and since I've never ever eaten lobster before, at age 52, it was time to tuck into a 1.5 pound lobster, served with corn & coleslaw, a bib and a cracking tool at the famous Lobster Roll restaurant. Flip, that was yummy.... the tastiest part is definitely the claws!

    Got to take in some rays on the beach and swim in the warm ocean. Ended the day with cocktails (Purple Rain & Black Manhattan) at Morty's oyster bar and 4 oysters, from Japan, 2 from Canada and 1 from Massachusetts (that last one ain't so good)

    Early rise to check out Montauk, the most easterly point of NY state. Pancakes and maple syrup for breakfast and bottomless coffee was the best! Montauk is such a lekker place for a holiday!

    Headed back to NY for our last night. Booked a photography course for Karl (shooting NY at night from Times Square).    Read more

  • KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    NY scenes

    July 16, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Just dropping a few images here that were so typically NY life

    1. Yep, you got mail if the red flag is up
    2. The school bus
    3. Typical street food van
    4. Dog walking is HUGE here....as in, if you are wealthy enough, you hire dog walkers for your fur babies. They make $25per hour per dog!
    5. Efficiency when it rains and you enter your work building
    6. With all this money, the NY underground is still yucky.
    7.Yep, the media is around to capture anything and everything
    8. Weed station.... yep its legal here
    9. Parking in NY, starts at $30 per hour and due to space constraints, they stack cars.    Read more

  • KingfisherThe Big AppleTraveler

    Bye y'all

    July 17, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Y'all ...that's NY for "hey you" .. Time to head back home after an incredible bucket list trip!

    But not without paying homage to Central Park, going past Los Tacos in Soho for lunch and checking out the "Friends" apartment and Carrie Bradshaw's apartment (Sex and the City) in Greenwich village.

    So here's a few things I learnt along the way on this trip.

    *In my next next life, I want to come back as a dog in NY. OMG, they love their dogs and look after them soooo well. I mean, when the NY weather report comes on, they even have a dog walking forecast!

    * This city is made up of hard working, diverse immigrants, not Americans. All of them have at least 3 jobs to make a living here. This is where true connection lies, so make an effort to get to really know them. That's where the real magic lies.

    *800 languages and 9 million people here. One in 8 people in NY is a dollar millionaire. This City is frigging expensive, like properly!
    Come prepared 🤑

    *Don't even think of not Tipping...and please learn the different scales of tipping. The Waiter is different from the Bellhop which is different from the Cocktail bar tender etc

    *You will walk a LOT, so don't bring Heels! The only time you see Heels is at the theatre or ballet....and then you need to be collected and dropped off at the venue. The culture for women is flats and it's totally ok.

    * You can wear anything.... like anything goes, seriously!

    *They don't get a SA accent. Try speaking with a British accent or imitate a US accent. 🤣

    *Whatever your experience, whether you love Americans or hate them, this city will absolutely crawl under your skin and find itself a little place of refuge there for life.

    Sitting on a plane, heading back home.
    No place like home.... and yet, there's this little, indescribable pull that beckons.... "Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do..... these streets will make you feel brand new,big lights will inspire you, now you're in NY..."    Read more

    Trip end
    July 17, 2022
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