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New York - Concrete jungle ...
  • Alphadog's Travels
des. 2011 – jan. 2012

New York - Concrete jungle ...

Et 25-dagers eventyr av Alphadog's Travels Les mer
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  • Reisens start
    13. desember 2011
  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Times Square
    Chrysler BuildingBrooklyn BridgeLooking towards the Financial District

    Ewan and Tracey's Excellent Adventure

    12. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Ewan and I arrived into New York on Thursday 8th Dec. at 10.30 pm. It was touch and go for a while there - we had issues with our tickets in LA and it took us 4 hours to get the problem rectified which it was with Ewan and I being paged to take our seats on the plane and we had separate seats rows apart but anyway we made it. Caught a yellow cab and was let into the apartment by our nice landlord at 11.30 pm. We made it but very tired.

    The next day after sleeping in made our way out and found a place to eat breakfast. We didn't do a lot that day just getting use to where we are going to be living for the next three weeks.

    On the Saturday we went to the Tenement Museum which is in this neighbourhood. Very interesting.

    On Sunday Ewan and I actually built up the courage and caught the subway to uptown. We went to Times Square and there is a massive poster of Angry Boys which is about to premiere here. This is very close to Broadway - the theatre district. We then braved the shops - the streets are very crowded here during this holiday period and it was also very cold.

    Planning to catch the subway again on Tuesday and planning to go to Central Park. Saving all the big attractions for when James and David get here.    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende

    David and James' Excellent Adventure

    14. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    The day finally came.

    David and James were on their way to New York! Thanks to Margaret for dropping us at the airport, we were so keen we were the very first people at the front of the queue to checkin for Virgin Australia flight 1 to LA. We ended up with 3 seats between us and there were lots of movies to watch. In all the flight was excellent.

    Landing in LA was exciting. We could see some spaghetti-like freeways and big channels like in the car-race scene from Grease or where Arnie rode the motorbike in one of the Terminator movies. It was very flat and a bit hazy.

    We had to change planes in LA so we made our way off the plane to join the first queue, this was the queue to join the queue to then join the queue to get through Border Protection (not joking!). Some of the people carrying guns looked very scary. The same ticket mix-up Tracey had meant David and I sat for 2 hours watching the cars drive past LA Airport and trying to work out what model/make they were. This meant we had a sprint to the plane, shove through security checks (full body scan not just the metal detectors!), and run to the gate. We weren't sitting together and the flight was chokkers. It was also a white knuckle flight being very bumpy going over some of the mountains.

    After 5 hours we finally landed in New York!

    It looked fantastic from the air, lots of lights. We found the baggage claim, dodged some of the people offering us a lift, and hiked out to the Yellow Cab rank. The they have a fixed fare system which is good and bad - good in that it meant we weren't going to be ripped off, bad in that it meant the cabbie aimed for warp-factor 5 on the trip in. I thought he was talking to us in Klingon but he was actually asking what cross street we wanted, I remembered Linda saying something about Grand Street and that seemed to sound right to him. He dropped us on the corner and we found the unit with no problems.

    It was great to see Tracey and Ewan again. The unit is fanastic, very comfortable and very warm though the weather was cool but not that cold.

    We crashed!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Christmas Trees on the Lower East Side
    Christmas time!Car park, rack 'em and stack 'em!Lower East Side streetsChrysler BuildingLego shop in New YorkRockefeller Christmas treeTimes SquareTimes Square againIce Skating at the Rockefeller CentreNew York cabsCentral ParkCentral ParkPolice thingy!William Bryant statueCentral Park in winterCentral ParkCarriage in Central ParkNew York at nightTime Square

    WOW!!!!!

    15. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    It was great to be a family again!

    We went for breakfast at a neat little cafe just up the road from the apartment, really small, very trendy, and good food. We seem to have befriended the Jewish man who runs a mens wear shop just up from Linda's place, he comes out and says hello everytime we go past.

    We walked around the neighbourhood. Some huge blocks of flats with schools at the bottom, not a lot of open space to run around and the ones we saw had lots of people and a few squirrells. We found the Doughnut Plant and indulged - actually quite nice - Tracey had a vanilla bean one the boys and I had chocolate, Ewan has already tried the peanut butter and jelly one.

    We hit the subway. The B-Line goes through the Grand Street Station and we headed towards Times Square. The subways are really great - fast, cheap, everywhere, and very popular. The trains are single deck and are a lot rougher to ride than the Sydney ones. I would hate to try and drive in this town, cars and people seem to be going everywhere!

    We got off at Bryant Park and walked up to Times Square.

    Seriously ***WOW***!

    It's everything you hear about. Lots of people, lots of lights, lots of shops, and lots of cops!

    We wandered around taking heaps of pictures - Angry Boys is coming on TV and has a big sign up ... not sure the locals are going to understand the humour but anyway - and then it was up to the Rockerfeller Centre to see the ice skating. Right next door was the Lego shop, a lot cheaper than in Oz that's for sure! We wandered down 5th Avenue then caught the subway to Columbus Square on the south east corner of Central Park. The park looks amazing with no leaves on the trees and everyone rugged up. I don't think it is cold but it is a little cool. We wandered around there for a bit and then headed home.

    Tracey and I had bought tickets to Godspell for that night which was in a small theatre off Broadway. We went into the theatre and found it was an in-the-round show (ie stage in the middle of the audience) and we were in the back row which was only about 12 rows back anyway. Then the lady came up and asked if we would like to move closer which we considered carefully and then agreed so we ended up about 6 rows from the front. The 4 guitarists were scattered throughout the audience and I ended up sitting next to one of them so I could watch while he was playing away.

    http://www.newyorkcitytheatre.com/theaters/circ…

    After that we braved the subway home. Still lots of people around and very safe at 11pm.

    Tomorrow ... a night at the museum!!!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Lower East Side tenement building
    Museum of Natural HistoryDinosaursDum dum!Big dinosaurLots of different types of dinosaursTriceratops skullStegosaurus skeletonLeopardsOutside the Museum looking at Central ParkChildren's MuseumDakota Building from Central ParkChrysler Building in the distanceBuildings on Central ParkCentral ParkImagine mosaicAgainGreat architectureDakota Building foyerDinner!

    Hello Dum-Dum!

    16. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    Friday was the Museum of Natural History so there are a few 'Night at the Museum' lines!

    The outside is the same as is in the movie but that is about it. There are dinosaurs in the entry foyer but not the T-Rex, the real entry foyer also as some fine examples of what the Americans seem to love - queues.

    The museum is on Central Park so it was another simple subway ride that dropped you at the door and we were there in about 15 mins. We joined the queue and admired the inefficiency of the people behind the counter, perhaps it was deliberate to slow people down but they faffed around so much it took a lot longer to get in than it had too. They also have a 'suggested' donation as an entry fee which we calculated as being $67 so we gave her $70 expecting change but she protested and said we have given her too much so we took $20 back and she was happy ... Klingons again.

    This museum is fantastic. The photos below of the animals look like paintings but they are really highly detailed dioramas showing the animals in their natural habitat. There was the African Mammal hall, Indians, minerals, human evolution, gems, fossils of mammals, fossils of dinosaurs, info about forrests, info about sea creatures, everything you could think of. I liked the way they showed the categories of different creatures so you could see how different species were related.

    We have invested in a couple of mobile phones so we split up and we were in there for hours. To me the best bit was the ancient mammal and dinosaur fossils.

    There were a few things in the museum that came up in the movie, the herd of elephants and the Easter Island statue (dum dum) were the two I noticed. We were looking for mentions of Australia and there were a few in the gemstone hall and some aboriginal art - though the map they had was missing Tasmania.

    We came out when it was starting to get dark but I wanted to go to Strawberry Fields and see the Dakota Building where John Lennon was shot. We walked south besides Central Park and went past the Childrens Museum, I tried to convince the kids they had stuffed children in there from different times but they didn't believe me, Tracey said they only had a stuffed Juvenile James in there. So rude.

    The Dakota Building is an amazing building, gothic style with a very informative doorman who explained what happened and where he died. Just across the road in Central Park is Strawberry Fields and the Imagine mosaic. Someone had put roses on it and there were a few people around taking pictures.

    Then we wandered down to Times Square to go to 'Famous Daves Steak House' for dinner. The boys had t-bones,Tracey had chicken and I had ribs. In true US style it was a massive feed.

    We experienced rush-hour US style on the way home. Nothing else to do except head down and shove, people don't wait for you to get off the doors open and it is a free for all. They open and close the doors a few times to make sure everyone fits in and then lurch off, you have to hope someone is holding on as we were jammed in so tight we couldn't reach a hand hold. Luckily we made it home OK and turned in for an early night.

    Tomorrow - Carnage on 5th Avenue!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Manhattan Bridge and Pathmark SupermarketEmpire State BuildingChrysler Building5th Avenue from TiffanysBloomingdale'sCarnage!

    Carnage on 5th Avenue

    17. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    I guess when we first talked about going to New York I knew in my bones this day would come.

    The horror.

    Yes it was carnage on 5th Avenue.

    Tracey and I went shopping.

    The day started off normally enough with a visit to the Pathmark Supermarket which is about a 10 minute walk away. Pretty much like any supermarket you would get in Oz except there was a great big display of Heineken beer and another one of Coronas - both on special at $12 for a 12 pack so we came home with a box. They are really big on their coupons and we were stuck behind a lady who was wanting to go through each thing she had to make sure she was getting the full discount possible - groan.

    We left the boys to make their own way up town (the subways are really very safe and they know their way around pretty well now) and Tracey and I hit the streets. We started in 5th Avenue - Tracey bought a new coat in Benetton, I bought a jumper, a shirt, and a scarf as it was pretty cold. Then we swung past St Patricks Cathedral before hitting Tiffany's - thankfully the rest of New York was in there so we escaped that shop unscathed.

    There were a few other big brand shops before we found Bloomingdales which is sort of like David Jones on steriods - lots of smaller shops focused on a particular label within the Bloomingdales building. We bought a Bloomingdales Bear to help charity and then we wandered up the street to Naturalizer where Tracey bought a new pair of boots. I also bought a shirt and a jumper from Banana Republic. There are soooo many shops here, some we had heard of and some we hadn't. The really big Aussie thing over here at the moment are Ugg brand ugg boots, everyone is wearing them and the queue out the shop was massive.

    We covered 5th Avenue as well as Park Ave, Lexington Street, and various number streets in between. Park Ave is definitely the posh end of the city, very la-di-da.

    The crowds on 5th Avenue were horrendous - so much for walking on the right it was just a big shoving match.

    The boys hung out around Times Square and then headed back to the apartment where we met up with them. It was a quiet evening.

    To all the ladies reading this, the shopping here really is exceptional - massive range, lots of brands, and even when they aren't on special the prices are excellent. It is far and away better than Sydney and Melbourne combined.

    To all the gentlemen reading this ... be afraid.

    Tomorrow - build a bridge!!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Frank Gehry architectureBrooklyn BridgeNice!NYSE on the rightGeorge WashingtonHappy camper in TiffanysBrooklyn Bridge

    Build a Bridge

    18. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ -2 °C

    Today we went for a walk in the downtown area. This means wandering around down the southern tip of Manhattan Island, not far from the apartment. I should add Sunday was easily the coldest day since we have been here with any water lying in the gutters remaining frozen all day. Even though it was cold it was also very bright and sunny.

    We went through Chinatown and down to the Brooklyn Bridge. This is the one where the footpath is above the trafic and appears in a lot of movies, it is the New York equivalent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We walked across and back along with a number of other people and cyclists - heaven help you if you wandered across the line down the middle of the walkway into the cyclists' side.

    We took a heap of pictures and then headed further south into the Financial District.

    We found a hamburger joint that was open and called in for lunch. Next door was a guitar shop that David had to have a look in. Lots of Stratocaster guitars selling for about $800 second hand. Dave also saw an old Mustang, a really nice one that was white with blue stripes.

    We found the memorial to the Twin Towers and have booked in to go there on Wednesday. It is free but very popular so you have to book.

    Then we wandered further down to Wall Street. It is a very tiny street that is closed to traffic, it is also very historic with the building George Washington was sworn in as President being there as well.

    As we went further down Wall Street I had a horrible feeling come over me. Sick, dizzy, and generally unwell. Before I could do anything we found out why, there is a Tiffany's in Wall Street and despite my trying to point out points of interest on the other side of the street Tracey sensed it and was in there like a shot.

    Being a Sunday this shop was virtually deserted. Tracey came away with a silver Tiffany's bracelet that will be her Christmas present for the next 10 years.

    Then we walked down towards the East River and back towards the apartment. It was great walking along beside the river, some good spots for photos and there were a few interesting shops around as well.

    In the afternoon we went visiting a friend I went to school with who is now the Head of the Reserve Bank of Australia's New York office he and his partner, who works at Macquarie, live on the Upper East Side which is roughly in line with Central Park. They had great views from their apartment.

    As we wandered back to the subway we did some more shopping - this place really does never sleep - and what was even more surprising was that David did some clothes shopping. One of the true New York Christmas Miracles.

    We caught the subway back and were walking through Chinatown when we stopped to look at a shop that sold really ornate chop sticks. While we were looking these 2 New Yorkers came along and one of them walked straight into the glass door of the shop. He didn't hurt anything except his pride but the funniest thing was his mate's reaction - head back and roaring with laughter as they went down the street.

    We then headed down Mulberry Street which is in Little Italy and had a sensational Italian feed before heading back to the apartment.

    Tomorrow we are getting high in more ways than one!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Empire State Building from street levelIn the foyerLooking towards the Lower East SideChrysler BuildingHigh LineWashington Square and Empire State Building

    Getting High

    19. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    Monday was another cool but clear day here in the Big Apple.

    No sign of any snow and none has been forecast so I think we are going to miss out on a White Christmas. The locals say it just isn't cold enough yet.

    Tracey and I went for breakfast at the local cafe while the teenagers organised themselves and then it was off to 34th Street to that quintessential New York land mark that everyone recognises instantly ... a queue!

     ... I mean the Empire State Building.

    It really is a sensational piece of art deco architecture. The picture of the building in the foyer is really huge and visually stunning. Outside on the street the shopfronts were amazing to look at and even the staff were dressed in uniforms in keeping with the style of the building. The building had been refurbished recently to make it a 'green' building and thus saving millions in electricity costs.

    We joined the queue. This was the mother of all queues, easily eclipsing anything that went before or is yet to pass. It lived and breathed, snaking its way left and right, up floors, into and out of elevators, even when you think you are at the top ... it still lived! A seriously amazing Queue. For a mere $40 each you could jump to the front of the queue but even then you still had to queue.

    We finally beat the queue and made it to the top. It was a fantastic view.

    While we were there someone shouted out 'She said YES!!'. I thought she was just happy about getting through the queue but Tracey explained he had proposed. There were a lot of people up there and lots of security as well. That's all I'm going to say about the view, the pictures show things better than I can describe them.

    By now it was after lunch so we dropped into Macy's and bought a sandwich. This shop was seriously packed so we didn't get to look around. Tracey and Ewan went there when they first arrived and Ewan is still scarred by the experience.

    We headed to Maddison Square Garden to see what was on. The bloke in the ticket booth must have thought we had landed from another planet as we asked what ice hockey games were coming up and was it going to be any good. The next game is between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers which is the equivalent of their local derby and is a big event with fierce rivalry between the 2 teams and their fans. I was told today the joke 'I went to this fight and an ice hockey game broke out' could be very true in this case. Anyway that is going to be Thursday evening's entertainment.

    Then we wandered down to the Chelsea district trying to find the High Line. This is an old elevated railway line that was scheduled to be removed until some enterprising locals persuaded the government to leave it and turn it into a public garden and walkway. Stuart said it was worth a look and it was. A great way to turn something ugly into something much more useful.

    We wandered from about West 10th street down to West 4th street on the High Line and took some great photos. Someone was doing a modelling shoot while we were walking past ... must have heard I was going to be there (sorry but you all knew that comment was coming!).

    Chelsea is a very trendy area and is on the otherside of Manhattan Island to where we are staying so we had a bit of a walk to find the subway station home. The streets were very narrow and quaint, a really pretty part of town. The teenagers were ecstatic about the walk and begged to be allowed to walk further but Trace and I were a bit tired and directed them to the subway.

    A feast of steak sandwiches at the apartment for dinner.

    Tomorrow a quieter day!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Lower East Side Synagogue
    Was once a synagogue, now an artists' studioWas originally a bath houseAn original tenement buildingYep, that's Lenin on the roofOn the Hudson River

    Lower East Side

    20. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Today I actually had to go to work.

    I had a meeting down on Wall Street with one of NAB's data vendors so we left the Teenagers to their rest and Tracey walked with me down to Wall Street. The meeting only went for an hour and we were soon making our way back to the apartment.

    It was an overcast day but at least it wasn't raining.

    We collected the Teenagers and went up to see what tours they were offering at the Tenement Museum which is just up the street from the apartment. We signed up for their Then and Now walking tour which takes you around the neighbourhood talking about how it has changed over time. We were the only ones on the tour so we set off with our Guide, Judith.

    The Lower East Side has had a rather chequered history from nice neighbourhood to slum and back to up and coming neighbourhood again. There have been Germans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, and Hispanic populations who have left their mark as well as changes in policy of the City. Below is a short history of the Lower East Side according to James - no guarantees on the accuracy!!

    The Lower East Side started as mostly single family wooden dwellings, this changed to brick builings, then to multi-storey tenaments, then came the massive apartment blocks, and more recently trendy apartments like the one we are in. Many places of worship have had different lives as well with some starting as churches, evolving to synagogues, and then back to churches - some of the photos below show the result.

    A tenement is a block of flats. In the late 1800's on the Lower East Side these blocks were 3 or 4 floors high with 4 extended families living on each level - this could be up to 12 people. A flat typically consisted of a bedroom, a kitchen, and a parlour. The parlour faced the street and was the only room with windows. Back then of course there heaps of kids so they often ended up sleeping in the kitchen. There was a communal toilet and bathroom for each level in the building and the neighbourhood was so dodgy you didn't go out of the flat at night to go to the toilet you used a chamber pot and pitched it out the window. On top of this the Government lobbed in the American version of the White Australia Policy just to increase the stress on the new immigrants.

    The children were lucky to get any education and often had to start working very young to help support the family. Many families had street carts selling fruit, cheese, meat, fish, and other essentials. The government decided these were not good and so created a central place where these people could sell their wares, the local version of this was the Essex Street Market which is close by and still offers a range of gourmet foods.

    In 1950s and 60s these areas became real sums and definite no-go areas but then the artists and trendies started moving in and this started to change the neighbourhood to being a hip place to be.

    The government were also changing the city, building bridges that meant tenements had to be demolished to allow access, train lines came and went, open space policies meant tenements were demolished, and more recently big money arrived. All this means the current Lower East Side is a real mix of buildings and people.

    I think it is a fascinating place. There is the little Jewish shopkeeper who comes out and talks to us every time we walk past - we got his life story on the first day, Chinatown is a few blocks away, there are some great pizza places close by, and some really hip shops offering things like customised leather jackets and really trendy clothes. There are still a number of community support places around helping Chinese and Hispanic migrants who have come to the area.

    The pictures below show some of the different builings, shops, and people that inhabit the area. It is great just walking around.

    After our walking tour we went up to Rasarios' pizza place and collected a couple of really nice pizzas, one cheese and one pepperoni, before walking back to the apartment in the light drizzle.

    Tomorrow it is all about a certain green lady!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    NYSE Trading FloorFaberge VaseBig Bull!9/11 MemorialStatue of Liberty and ManhattanEllis Island

    What a lot of Bull!

    21. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Wednesday was our first wet day in New York. Even then it only drizzled off and on throughout the day so it didn't stop us doing anything.

    Linda organised for us to have a tour of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and it was fantastic. NYSE is located in Wall Street which is right down the bottom of Manhattan Island. There wasn't a queue but we did have to go through the airport-style scanners upon entering the building.

    The trading floor isn't that big but the basics are all the same. We chatted to Frank, one of the Traders, and he explained how the system works. It is a mix of face to face and automatic trading with some orders being placed and executed by the computer others, usually larger ones, being traded verbally. The Trader sets the parameters he wants to trade within (volatility, market view, current holdings, gut feel, etc) and the computer then looks after it for him. I did notice there was a big 'Kill All' button at the bottom of the screen for when things get a bit crazy. Frank works for Barclays and his job is to provide a buy and sell price in the various stocks he looks after, the exchange pays him incentive fees to do this plus he also aims to profit from his buying and selling.

    Interestingly all the big TV finance shows actually have broadcast booths on the trading floor so we were actually in the background of a few broadcasts.

    We were there for the opening bell which was rung by dancers from the New York Ballet who are currently performing the Nutcracker. We then went up to the NYSE Boardroom which is where the old call system used operate, ie they call a stock's name and trade it for 5 min, then call the next stock and trade it for 5 min, etc. They used to have this system in Australia but it doesn't work when it gets busy.

    The Boardroom has a huge Faberge vase, meant to be the largest piece of Faberge in the world. The story was that in 1902 Members of the NYSE organised $2 billion in finance for Tsar Nicholas to build the Russian railway system, the grateful Tsar presented the vase to NYSE in appreciation. This debt was prompty ignored by the Bolshevics and the investors lost heaps. Fast forward 80-odd years and Mr Gorbachev was visiting NYSE and commented how the vase was a beautiful piece of Russian history and should be returned to Russia. The quick-thinking Chairman of NYSE at the time said he would be more than happy to organise that if Russia repaid the outstanding debt.

    After NYSE we went across to the 9/11 Memorial site. We had to go through airport scanners for the second time to get into the site. It was very well done. It was rather sad to see all the names.

    We then wandered down Broadway to the big bronze Bull. I would have thought the current market would dictate there should be a bear as well but the Bull is on his own. It's one big Bull!

    We were almost at the southern tip of Manhattan so we went over to Battery Park where there was the damaged scupture that used to stand between the Twin Towers. It is a big sphere and is now a memorial to those who died.

    Right next door is the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island so we went through the airport scanners for the third time that day - watches, belts, coats off - and boarded the ferry.

    Unfortunately the Statue of Liberty is closed at the moment for renovations so we didn't get to climb it but we did walk around the base and it is huge - we probably missed a Queue by not climbing it. Tracey noted Lady Liberty has very big feet. The photos look a bit dark and gloomy but it didn't rain that much and it was great to walk around.

    Then we hopped back on the ferry for the trip to Ellis Island which is where many migrants first landed in the USA. Once again it was interesting with lots of history.

    We then went back to Manhattan and headed back to the apartment. On the way we stopped off at Johnny Rockets for a burger, the restaurant was done up on a 50's theme and was OK, D reckons it was the best burgers but E wasn't convinced.

    We did intend to go out again but it was about 3pm so we opted for an afternoon of rest as we had walked a long way.

    Thursday is Bring Back the Biff day!!!!!!!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Grand Central Station
    Chrysler BuildingTimes SquareM&M WorldEveryone is very ... friendly.Ice Hockey

    Biffo!

    22. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Thursday was another day of chillin' out around New York.

    Tracey and I went uptown early and wandered down East 42nd Street (in line with Times Square and running east - west across Manhattan), this is where Grand Central Station and the Chrysler Building can be found. There is the famous photo of Grand Central Station with sun streaming in the windows lighting up the room, no chance of that happening now as it is surrounded by high buildings. It is a very impressive building, the photos show its beautiful blue roof and fantastic architecture.

    We continued down 42nd to the Chrysler Building. This a seriously sensational building. It is on par, if not better than, the Queue Building (aka the Empire State Building) - I definitely think it is a better looking building. The gargoyles and eagles on the outside are all chrome as are the spike and famous curved bits at the very top of the building. There isn't a viewing platorm or anything like that so Tracey and I formed a queue of our own in 42nd Street, just so we didn't miss out on our daily dose.

    Then we headed back to to Bryant Park for a hot chocolate from the Max Brenner shop and to wait for the teenagers to make their way uptown to meet us. Then we headed across to Times Square to go to M & M World. Tracey and the boys were talking about this M & M World and I thought they were talking about the singer Eminem and I was wondering what would be in there. They soon put me straight with much eye-rolling.

    M & M World is pretty impressive. Three levels devoted to all things M & M - tshirts, stickers, dispensing machines, boxer shorts, chocolates, plates, cups, soft toys, and anything else you can think of. We loaded up on some interesting M & M paraphenalia and an appropriate amount of M & Ms themselves before heading up to 5th Avenue again to do some shopping, yes even the teenagers joined in.

    After battling the crowds for a while we headed back to the apartment to rest up before we commenced our evening's entertainment!

    Thursday evening saw us off to Madison Square Garden to watch the New York Rangers play the New York Islanders in ice hockey. Apparently this was a huge match, intense local rivalry, New York pride on the line, more important than life itself!!

    The Islanders were the past greats having won 3 or 4 competitions on the trot in the 1980's but have dropped off a bit in recent times, the Rangers were the up and coming favourites.

    This is one strange game. Luckily I started chatting to they guy next to me otherwise we wouldn't have had any idea, and would have been left sitting in an empty stadium waiting for the 4th quarter to start! There are about 26 teams in the comp across both the US and Canada. The NY Rangers were playing Thursday and then backing up gain to play on Friday, none of this 1 week break between games nonsense. The game has 3 x 20 minute periods of play and there are 6 players from each team on the ice - the goal keeper, 2 defenders, and 3 offensive players. The objective is, of course, to get the puck into the opponent's net, the puck weighs about 1.3kgs so it has a bit of weight behind it and they sure don't hold back. There were unlimited substitutions and they seemed to change the whole team about every 3 or 4 minutes during the game.

    There was a lot of crunching into the barriers like you see on TV and in the movies. There were a few fights which are pretty pointless as they all wear so much padding, and when a fight breaks out they all stand back and watch for a few minutes before the Refs step in and stop them. Fighting and tripping all earn you time on the side lines usually 2 minutes for a trip and 5 minutes for a fight.

    Anyway that's enough of a lesson. I thought it was a good game, it sure takes a lot of skill to be skating (backwards as much as forwards), controlling the puck, and avoiding the opposition. Many of the players were from Eastern Europe or Sweden where I guess they learn to skate at a young age.

    The end result was the Rangers won 4 to 2 much to the crowds' delight.

    The Islanders really did not rate a mention. At an NRL game both teams get introduced and talked about before the game starts, this game was a Rangers' home game so the Islanders were not mentioned or introduced. The crowd was very well behaved, except for some yobs yelling out during the National Anthem, and all in all it was a good night.

    After the game we were back on the B-Line home.

    Tomorrow it's van Gogh, Cezanne, Degas, Matisse, Tolouse-Latrec, Picasso, Dali, Monet, and soooo many more!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Guggenheim from Central ParkGuggenheim MuseumAll!Street Meat!Picasso's Goat!Vincent Van Goh, Starry Night

    Homage to the Masters!

    23. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Friday was all about the Masters.

    Tracey and I rose early and went to the local supermarket. Usual lot of groceries but, more importantly, we'd run out of Coronas (that's a type of beer Mum) and had to stock up while they are still on special!

    We then rounded up the young-uns and headed up town to West 86 Street, this street runs east west and is about half way up Central Park. This was as far north as we have been and you don't really want to go much past the top of Central Park which is 110th Street.

    We headed through Central Park, past the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, to the Guggenheim Museum. This cork-screw like building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in the '50s, it is pretty impressive though not particularly big. They have an interesting collection of art both old and modern and there were heaps of people milling around. The central section has a large sculpture hanging from the roof just called 'All' by a dude called Maurizio Cattelan, lots of bits hanging from the roof including the biggest fooz-ball table I have ever seen.

    After inflicting culture on the teenagers we went outside and partook in that great New York culinary tradition - Street Meat.

    All over town there are little carts on the footpath selling hot dogs, kebabs, pretzels, nuts, and lots more. They usually smell fantastic and some of them will have a queue of people waiting to be served. We tried a hot dog from the cart out the front of the Guggenheim - verdict, it was OK. Probably should have tried one of his other offerings.

    We caught the subway back into town and split up, the boys hung around town for a bit and then headed back to the apartment. Trace and I went to the MOMA - Museum of Modern Art - which is in the middle of the shopping district in town. There are some great paintings here - Monet, van Gogh, Cezanne, Picasso just to name a few. Once again there were lots of visitors to the Museum and their gift shop was quite interesting.

    By this time it was quite dark so we headed back to the apartment for a quiet evening in.

    A few points I have noticed/learned so far:

    - There are heaps of tourists especially from Europe
    - The gutters are steel so the snow plows don't destroy them
    - Man-hole covers really do have steam coming out around them (don't know why)
    - Everyone travels by subway and they have grates in the footpath that blow air like the scene from the Marilyn Monroe movie
    - Driving would be nightmare as pedestrians think they have the right of way and the traffic is so bad anyway
    - The spike at the top of the Empire State Building was designed for airships to moor to it but only 1 ever did as it was considered too dangerous
    - New Yorkers are very friendly and happy to help a tourist
    - It is a very safe city
    - The architecture is stunning, every day we see something that makes us stop and say 'look at that'
    - Americans love (and I mean LOVE) peanut butter. Today Trace and I found those Lindt chocolate balls filled with peanut butter, you can also get M & Ms, cupcakes, and bags of chocolates all filled with peanut butter
    - Light switches turn on/off the wrong way - down is off, up is on
    - Power points don't have an on/off switch, just the plug holes
    - I have taken over 600 photos

    Tomorrow it is mid-town madness!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Lower East Side Tenement
    Noho Food cartUnion ParkFlatiron BuildingFlatiron Building againDinner!

    Union City

    24. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    Saturday was the last day of shopping before Christmas. Trace and I were up early and headed to the supermarket to get Christmas dinner organised and then we headed towards Chelsea, Noho, and Greenwich Village. These districts are in between the southern end of Manhattan and the main shopping area at the southern end of Central Park. It was a gloriously bright and sunny day and the shops weren't overly busy.

    We visited a number of shops including American Eagle, Espirit, Crate & Barrel, Barnes & Noble, and others. The boys called in for a burger at one of the local Noho shops and decared it the best burger they had ever tasted.

    By this time the boys decided they were worn out and headed back to the apartment while Tracey and I went on to Union Square and the Flatiron district. We headed up to Union Square Park which had a neat market and some cool shops. With all the walking we have been doing we invested in some walking shoes before heading further up towards the Flatiron Building.

    This is another iconic New York building. It is built on a small triangle of land and with 22 floors was one of the first skyscrapers. It opened in 1902 and is still used as an office block. This is a nice end of town, some good shops but not as crowded as the main shopping district. It is a few blocks south of the Empire State Building and you can see its triangle shape in some of the photos I took.

    Trace and I then headed back to the apartment to organise dinner for the hungry hordes.

    We decided to try Chinese for dinner tonight so we wandered up Canal Street and over into Chinatown which is only a couple of blocks away. New York's Chinatown is much like any other - loud, crowded, and very in-your-face. We spotted a restaurant called 456 that looked OK (and seemed to be full of locals) and went in. The food was excellent - chicken & corn soup, spring rolls, chicken and cashews, beef and veges, and shredded pork - all for $70 including tip. We were in there just before 6pm but by the time we left there was a queue. I took a photo of it so I could remember the name though the lady did tell us 456 are meant to be lucky numbers.

    After dinner we wandered around Chinatown for a while and then headed back to the apartment.

    Tomorrow it is ho-ho-ho!

    NOTE: I added some photos to Tracey's entry on 12 December, she and Ewan went to Central Park Zoo.    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    The apartment
    Rockefeller Centre Christmas TreeRockefeller CentreSt Thomas'De Beers!Columbus Circle

    Christmas in New York City

    25. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Ho ho ho!

    Sunday was declared a day of rest.

    After all the days of walking and looking and shopping we decided we needed a day to chill. Of course this was very disappointing to the teenagers but Tracey and I insisted. On Christmas morning we slept in till after 9am (a far cry from the Christmas mornings of not-that-many-years-ago), had breakfast, handed out Christmas presents, watched TV, surfed the web, read books, and just relaxed.

    We had a sensational Christmas dinner of roast chicken and vegies followed by apple pie and ice cream and after all that ... we relaxed some more.

    By about 3pm the teenagers were begging to go out so we headed into town to visit St Patricks Cathedral and also look at the Christmas lights. One thing I have noticed is the Americans do Christmas really well, not sure if it is the cold weather or tradition but everyone really gets into it. The shops are beautifully decorated and everyone is right into the whole 'Happy Holidays' thing.

    We caught the subway to 42nd Street and headed down towards 5th Avenue and St Patricks.

    Being Christmas day and pretty cool weather one would have thought the city would have been pretty empty - boy was that wrong. It was packed. Of course most of the shops were closed but the footpaths were jammed with people out walking. The crowds were not helped by lots of people flogging knock-off Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and various other brand hand bags. They spread them out on sheets on the footpath so they can pick up and run very quickly if the Authorities turn up. We dropped into St Pats where a Mass was happening ... in Spanish. We lit a couple of candles and pushed our way through the crowds and out the door.

    The Rockerfeller Centre was also crowded so we took a few distance photos of the Christmas Tree and moved on.

    The Cartier, Fendi, Tommy Hilfiger buildings were all lit up - the pictures below show the lights and the crowds. There were a couple of shops open, most importantly the Lindt chocolate shop so we had to drop in to sample the wares - you get a free one for walking in the door! Across the road is the shop that strikes sheer terror into most males - the De Beers diamond shop. Sadly it was closed so we moved on ... quickly.

    We walked up 5th to Central Park and found the FAO Schwarz toy shop which had been on our list to visit. Then we walked across the southern end of Central Park to Columbus Circle and caught the subway home.

    Of course Chinatown was all happening, no one would have thought it was Christmas Day as everything was open as normal.

    A quiet day.

    Tomorrow is Boxing Day - no cricket test, no yacht race, no BBQs - not sure what's going to happen!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    FAO Schwarz doorman
    Grand Central StationNYC TenementOld bus near Central ParkCentral ParkUN Building

    Boxing Day

    26. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Monday was a very different Boxing Day. No lying around watching cricket or basking in the sun, this Boxing Day was spent wandering around Manhattan.

    The boys went to the Central Park Zoo for a look around while Tracey and I went to the Fairmont for hot chocolate. We met up and went to FAO Schwarz, this is a huge toy shop covering 3 floors and has lots of stuff! It is where Tom Hanks played the big piano in the movie Big - you walk across the floor and the notes play. We didn't have a go as the queue was too long but it was an interesting shop. Other highlights included a big pink Barbie fooz-ball table and Lego versions of Jack Sparrow, Indianna Jones, and the Statue of Liberty.

    Afterwards we headed down towards the East River to see the UN Building. 5th Avenue was packed with people but once you get off it to one of the other streets the crowds weren't too bad. The building was closed so we missed the opportunity to queue and go through a security screen but it was still good to see.

    We headed back up 42nd Street as the boys wanted to see Grand Central Station - very impressive.

    We dropped into the Lego shop in the Rockerfeller Centre, one of my favourite shops. The Rockerfeller Centre must be one of the most perpetually crowded places in New York ... of course it was packed.

    By this time we had had enough of the crowds and headed back to the apartment for an early night.

    Tomorrow we get out of Manhattan ... and we also get wet!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Massive tenement
    JFK in BrooklynCivil War ArchProspect ParkBrooklyn BrownstonesBalancing Elephant

    CELEBRITY!!!!! SIT ON ME ... SIT ON ME

    27. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    On Tuesday we decided to get out of Manhattan, at least for a while. In the 2 or 3 weeks we have been here we have been focused on Manhattan Island but today we changed all that. We braved the subway and headed for ... Brooklyn.

    Brooklyn is across the East River from Manhattan. It is on the B-Line which is the same subway line we catch into the city, all we had to do was get on the other platform. When you get on the subways in New York you need to look to make sure you are on the 'Uptown' or 'Downtown' platform as that tells you which way you are going - into or out of the city. The subways are all underground and the trains travel on the right not the left like Sydney so it is easy to get disorientated.

    The station we use is the Grand Street station and it is the last stop on the B line before it goes over the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn - and the only section of subway I have been on that is above ground. I was reading the guide book and it talked about a trendy section of Brooklyn called Dumbo ... another one of those acronyms it means Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Anyway we didn't go to Dumbo (too trendy for us) we went up to Prospect Park which is sort of like the Central Park of Brooklyn.

    New Yorkers love their acronyms for place names Soho, Noho (North or South of Houston (street)), Nolita (North of Little Italy).

    Anyway we got off at the 7th Avenue station and I have to admit I really didn't know what to expect when we got up to street level, no idea what type of neighbourhood we were going to end up in - but there were no problems. Brooklyn is a lovely place. The first thing I noticed was the quiet. There wasn't so much traffic and we weren't hemmed in by tall buildings. We headed up towards Prospect Park and through the big Civil War Memorial Arch, really impressive. There was a bust of JFK in front of it.

    Prospect Park is huge, we wandered around playing fields, picnic areas, playgrounds, ponds - most of the locals have no back yard so parks like this one are where their kids get to run around and play. This part is where you see the classic New York terrace houses (called Brownstones) like what you see in the movies - see the pictures to see what I mean. We wandered down a few streets and then headed back towards the subway station. Dave summed it up when he said that if he had to live in New York he would like to live in Brooklyn.

    We caught the B-Line to Noho where it started to rain so we dropped into Kmart and bought an umbrella. We stopped into a burger joint and we spotted a celebrity!!!!! In the shop eating a burger was Chris Noth who plays Big in Sex and the City, is currently in the The Good Wife, and used to be a cop in Law and Order. Tracey is also sure she saw Hillary Swank walking her dog on the Lower East Side (at least we think it was her) a few weeks ago.

    The boys headed back to the apartment while Trace and I headed up Broadway to the Max Brenner Chocolate shop and it was HUGE! It's a full-on restaurant with crowds of people and they served all kinds of food not just chocolate. We then wandered through Union Square to the unusual elephant sculpture (see the picture for that one) and over to Barnes & Noble. By this time it was pouring rain and the tops of the buildings were shrouded in fog.

    Trace and I kept going up towards 34th Street getting rather wet on the way but there were some interesting places we dropped into look at. The doorman out the front of the Empire State Building was telling people there was zero visibility at the top but people were going anyway. We dropped into Victorias Secret for some important shopping ...

    Then it was back to the apartment in the bucketing rain.

    Important blog note - Wednesday (today) is our last day in Manhattan before we leave Linda's wonderful apartment and fly out to San Francisco. My frequency of blog updates will depend on access to the internet but rest assured we will endeavour to keep it going! I actually have to do today's entry but given today isn't over I can't do it yet!!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    More tenementsNew Museum of Contemporary ArtThe slideCarouselManhattan and Brooklyn Bridges from Williamsburg BridgeWilliamsburg Bridge

    Goodbye to New York

    28. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Tomorrow (Thursday) we fly out early to San Francisco and I am not sure if we will have access to the internet so I thought I would do today's (Wednesday's) blog tonight before we leave. You lucky little readers!!!

    Today was bright and sunny in the morning but the clouds rolled in and the wind came up which made it icy in the afternoon! We went up to 88 Orchard for breakfast, they do a good bagel and jam. Then we headed back to the apartment to do some packing and cleaning up.

    The boys went uptown for one last visit while Trace and I had a last look around the Lower East Side.

    A few streets over there is the New Museum of Contemporary Art which actually featured on Masterchef - one of them was booted off when she tried to recreate the building using a cake, pretty dopey idea but it is a nice building. It was a very different museum, not many exhibits and some of them were a bit odd - a giant slide that goes between floors (one and a half hour wait for that one so we skipped it), and a mirror carousel that you could ride on.

    Like I said a bit odd but very popular and worth seeing.

    Then we wandered around and found the Australian restaurant Bondi Road. It was closed and looked a bit of a mess but the write up was quite good. We went further down towards the East River and cut across to the Williamsburg Bridge. This is the third bridge near the Lower East Side, the others being the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. This bridge is the one that we came in on the first night and is at the end of the movie 'How to Lose a guy in 10 days'.

    Trace and I walked up to the first pylon as it was a tad cool. The bridge is surrounded by high-rise tenements, see the pictures below, it would be hard living in one of these. The bridge had great views and a very pink framed walkway for pedestrians and bike riders.

    By now Trace and I were a bit cool so we headed back to the apartment to try and defrost.

    Food time! We checked Linda's list of recommendations and the Meatball Shop sounded good. Dave has been battling a cold and wasn't hungry so we left him at home and walked the few blocks to the restaurant. It sure hadn't warmed up at all but this restaurant was excellent. It was packed with a few individual tables, people sitting at the bar, and one long communal table down the middle of the room. You ordered your food by marking off the menu with a dry-erase marker and giving it to the waitress. The food was really good. Tracey had beef meatballs and salad with spaghetti, Ewan had a beef meatball hero, and I had a spicy pork with mushroom sauce and cheese on a wholemeal roll. Desert was caramel ice cream and ginger snaps sandwich for Trace and I, Ewan had an ice cream float.

    Afterwards we rolled home for our last night in New York.

    Tomorrow we climb aboard the Delta plane to San Francisco arriving there at about 1.30pm. I'll give you all a full report as soon as I can.

    Goodbye New York. Things that stick in my mind:

    - The architecture
    - The Christmas displays
    - The noise
    - The crowds
    - The shopping
    - The museums

    I would definitely like to come back but next time aim to get to Boston, Washington, and a few other highlights outside of New York.    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Goodbye to New York
    It is a massive CityYosemite Half DomeUnion Square San FranciscoCable CarTrolley Bus

    Hello San Francisco!

    29. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Greetings everyone from foggy San Francisco!

    On Thursday morning we were picked up bright and early by our driver from Delancey's Car Service. It was cheaper to hire an SUV for $70 to take all of us and our goods and chattels to the airport than it was to get 2 taxis.

    It was a nice touch for our last views of New York to be in the morning sun though the photo opportunities were limited. The car trip was actually our first car trip for 2 weeks and it is terrifying. Apart from the fact every fibre of your being is screaming to get on the other side of the road the road rules are really viewed as mere guidelines. A red light means the person behind you has to stop, you don't. Want to change lanes, just do it. Speed limit ... what speed limit?

    Anyway, I digress. We were flying in a Delta 757 and we had the very back row to ourselves - 3 seats on either side. Don't know how we ended up in the back row but it was pretty comfortable. Dave took a few good photos of Manhattan from the plane as we took off from JFK.

    The trip across was interesting, I slept for the first bit, it was cloudy anyway. There were lots of farms across Iowa which gave way to snow into Wyoming and Nevada as we neared the Rocky Mountains. You could see the lakes were frozen and it looked damn cold. The mountains also meant a few patches of turbulence which always keeps it interesting.

    We could see the El Capitan mountain as we were getting closer to San Francisco. Really big, but we'll see it close-up on Saturday when we do our Yosemite tour so more on that later.

    We made it to San Francisco but landed from the south so there wasn't much to see except the typical San Francisco Bay fog. Our transfer was with Go Lorries transfers, it was warp factor 5 again but at least he didn't speak Klingon. We are staying at the Handlery Union Square Hotel which is quite old but very central. We went for a bite just up the road at David's Delicatessen which was one of those old style dinners where the waiter worked in the middle and everyone sat around the outside. We then went for a walk around Union Square and the main shopping district.

    The shops were much the same as New York but laid out completely differently of course, Manhattan has a very convenient grid layout which San Francisco doesn't - damn rude. One thing we did find was a huge Westfield! And we saw our first cable car!

    We have noticed that there are a lot of beggers. There were a lot in New York also but they were more spread out, in San Fran there seem to be a few on every corner. After wandering around in Nordstroms, the Ferrari Shop, American Eagle, Kate Spade, and even Walgreens we headed back to the Hotel. We are starting at 8am tomorrow morning for a tour of San Francisco and a trip to Alcatraz.

    More tomorrow!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Palace of Fine Arts
    San Francisco City HallTrolley BusPainted LadiesGrenade marks on the floorAlcatraz cell block

    Escape from Alcatraz

    30. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Friday was a tour of San Francisco and then Alcatraz in the afternoon. We were scheduled for pick up at 8am so it was an early start. The truck was embarrassing to say the least, a huge white thing with zebra stripes - it was themed as an urban safari and we were on safari, pith helmets and all.

    Anyway we cruised around a few hotels to collect others and then we headed in the general direction of the Golden Gate bridge. The first stop was the Palace of Fine Arts, a huge Grecian palace with urns and godesses. This was originally built from chicken wire and cement for an expo in the early 1900s but was loved so much it was rebuilt using moulded cement and now it looks amazing. The large dome can be seen for miles.

    Then we headed out to the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped underneath the southern pylon. Needless to say the fog hid most of the bridge. There is a walk/cycle way from Fisherman's Wharf to the bridge and after 9/11 they stopped people walking around the fort so someone called Hopper put a set of hands up so people could touch the fence before they headed back, there are also a set of paw prints for the dog walkers (see the picture).

    Then we went for a drive through the Presidio. This is a large former military base that was returned to the people in the 1990s. It is also the scene of a movie of the same name starring Sean Connery and Meg Ryan. It was interesting driving around having a look.

    The weather meant we couldn't see a lot but the tour took us to City Hall, the Fairmont Hotel, Fisherman's Wharf, and past the Painted Ladies. A few interesting facts:

    - San Francisco Bay area (includes the cities of Oaklands, San Jose, Sausalito, and a number of other big towns) has a population of 8 million people
    - San Francisco itself has a population of 800,000 - a lot smaller than Adelaide
    - It has a very large gay population
    - It has a very large homeless population
    - Another huge earthquake is expected in the next 15 years
    - There are more dogs than children as it is a very expensive city to live in
    - Famous residents include OJ Simpson and Joe Dimaggio

    Anyway. The afternoon was Alcatraz. Before it became a notorious gaol this island, which is a short 12 minute ferry ride from the City, was a fort and military prison. Many of the buildings on the island relate to that past rather than the prison. We walked up the hill to the main prison block looking at the old fortifications and buildings, many had been destroyed by fire at sometime so the whole island has a sort of post apocalyptic feel about it.

    The cell block was really interesting. They give you an audio headset to listen to as you walk around so you know who was in what cell and something about the history. The Clint Eastwood movie is pretty close to the truth about the only escape, 3 of them disappeared so they don't know if they made it or not. There was also another near breakout that ended in some guards being killed and the Marines dropping grenades on prisoners from the roof. I'll add comments to the photos so you can get a better understanding.

    One interesting story was that Al Capone was brought across the country by train and the train carriage he was in was lifted onto a barge to take him to Alcatraz so he never left the train. Alcatraz wasn't real big with about 300 prisoners as a maximum but it sure was uncomfortable.

    We caught the ferry back to Fisherman's Wharf and had crab cakes and I tried a corn dog ... and then wished I hadn't. It is very touristy but interesting regardless. We tried to get a cable car back to the hotel but there was a 1 hour wait so we caught a trolley bus instead. They have an interesting system here - Pop, you'll like this - for their trolley car network they have antique trolley cars from various US and international cities. So you might see trolley car from Philadelphia in a 1940's colour scheme, or one from an international city at a particular point in time - there is meant to be one from Melbourne but we haven't seen it yet. So rather than have them sit in a museum the old cars are actually used on the network - what a great idea. The fare was $2 to take you back into the city, vs $6 on a cable car.

    Tomorrow it's off to visit Sam ... Yosemite Sam that is.    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Yosemite ValleyFrozen waterfallEl Capitan in the left, Half Dome in the distanceHalf DomeChurch on the valley floorEl Capitan

    An amazing place

    31. desember 2011, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Saturday was an early start. We were picked up at 6.30am and were on the road by 7.30, before the sun was even up. The bus headed across the Bay Bridge to Oakland and into the San Joaquim Valley. This is a very large, very flat valley behind San Francisco, our destination was Yosemite National Park.

    The San Joaquim Valley would be a difficult place to live. Seems like there was a lot of unemployment and a lot of migrant workers. The current economic environment would not have helped matters and the ever-present fog did not enhance the area's appeal. Once through the Valley, and after a fat breakfast of burgers, we started to climb the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The scenery started to change with high mountains and granite outcrops starting to become common. Finally after about 5 hours driving we arrived.

    The Yosemite Valley was quite simply stunning. The pictures below do not do it justice, even when you are standing there looking at it you can't believe you aren't looking at a painting. The valley was carved in the last ice age and was not discovered until about 1851 as it is quite a remote place and you do travel through rough terrain to get there. It's surprising that while the Indians of course knew about the valley the Spanish and the Mexicans who settled this area at various stages didn't find it, it wasn't until the California Gold Rush pushed white people into remote areas that it was found.

    The first photo stop was at a look out called Tunnel View, named because there is a road tunnel close by. This is the typical view of Yosemite with the big peak called El Capitan on the left and the half dome in the distance on the right and a flat valley floor covered in pine trees. I'm not going to try and describe it have a look at the pictures, the white bits you can see around to top of the valley are frozen waterfalls and there was some ice along the sides of the river but it wasn't that cold at all.

    I was watching the news the other day and they were saying that last year the US had 125% of their average snow fall, this year they have had just 25% and everyone was commenting about how little snow there has been. Usually the valley would have had a lot of snow at this time of year.

    We were dropped at the visitors centre and told we had about 3 hours before we had to be back. We walked around looking at Yosemite Falls, headed across the other side of the Valley and did a walk up one of the many walking trails. It sure was steep and being bear, coyote, and mountain lion country you tend to stay alert. We then headed back down across the meadows at the bottom of the valley for the trip home.

    We arrived back in San Francisco at about 9.30pm. We managed to stay awake until midnight and that was that.

    Tommorrow we hang out in San Fran for the day.

    Happy New Year from all of us.    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Golden Gate BridgeSea LionsAlcatraz IslandTurning the Cable CarCable Car controlsBay Bridge

    New Years Day in San Francisco

    1. januar 2012, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    New Years Day in San Francisco was a pretty quiet affair.

    We slept in for an hour or so to recover from the big trip the day before. The first thing on the agenda was to ride a Cable Car. These are the only National Monuments of the US that move, others are things like Statue of Liberty and a collection of National Parks. It's best to start early to ride one of these otherwise the queue is massive.

    The closest Cable Car to the Hotel was the Powell and Hyde Street line. Two of us sat on the outside and 2 of us stood on the running board. When another car is going past they call out for those standing on that side to look out. The Brakeman in the middle works quite hard and has to have a delicate touch to make the trip as smooth as possible othrwise it would be uncomfortable as the hills are quite huge. The brakes are lumps of wood they rub along the tracks so there is always the smell of burning wood and they are certainly applied early. The locals seem to accept the Cable Cars stopping in the middle of intersections as the brakes are a little soft or the tourists have a good photo opportunity. There would be a bit of weight on them as they are usually crammed full of tourists.

    The Cable Car took us all the way to Fisherman's Wharf where we strolled along with the crowds. There is a large group of Sea Lions that live in one of the docks, they have their own area and can get up to a few hundred in number. They have their own docks with pontoons and are pretty much left alone.

    You might have noticed something different?

    Look at the photos.

    Yes San Francisco really does exist! It isn't just some foggy place where they say there is a city around you but you can't see it because of the fog, there REALLY is a city there!!!!! This was our first really clear day so we could see the Golden Gate Bridge.

    We caught the trolley bus back into the city and walked along their main shopping street Market Street. We needed to buy another bag to cope with the additional luggage we seem to have accumulated ... dunno where it has all come from.

    In the afternoon we went to the movies. We saw Sherlock Holmes, it was quite good and at $10.75 for adults and big comfy seats it was a little different to the Australian version.

    After the movie we headed to Chinatown for dinner. I have to say it wasn't as good as the New York version but it was OK. They are allowed to have fire crackers so we bought a couple of packets and made a bit of noise throwing them on the ground as we were heading back to the Hotel.

    This was our last night in San Francisco, tomorrow we head off to Laid Back LA.    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Nice car in LA
    Star WarsChinese TheatreMickey Mouse StarHollywoodHollywood sign

    Laid back in LA

    2. januar 2012, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    It was another early start to catch our flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles. While it was a short visit to San Fran we really enjoyed our time in the city. It has a very different vibe to New York, more laid back and relaxed. Of couse it was a lot smaller but it still had a lot to offer, though I do admit I don't think we would have liked to have lived in San Fran like we did in New York for a few weeks I think we would have run out of things to do.

    We caught a small Delta Airlines jet (a Bombardier CRJ700 for those who need to know) for the 40 minute trip down the coast to Los Angeles and had some great views of the city on landing. Once off the plane we noticed one thing - it was very warm. One thing we didn't expect to need on this trip would be shorts but in LA we do.

    We are staying in the Best Western Hotel on Sunset Boulevard and once we had dumped the luggage and had something to eat we caught a cab to the Hollywood walk of fame. This was one crowded street. We found the Chinese Theatre and the various prints in the cement and walked up and down a few blocks looking at the masses of names. Then we found a spot looking at the Hollywood sign on the hills and took a few photos.

    LA is very different to the other cities. It feels more tropical and a lot more spread out. In New York and San Fran we caught 1 cab and that was when we arrived in New York, in LA cabs are the only viable way of getting around. This city is in love with the car. I still haven't got the hang of driving, I try and work out where the cabbie is going to go when driving in traffic but I get it wrong every time usually ending up on the wrong side of the road.

    We did some shopping and then headed back to the hotel for pizza and bed.

    Tomorrow we go to the movies!    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Our Hotel on Sunset Boulevard
    Universal StudiosHasbro OfficesDesperate Housewives setDinosaurScooby Doo!

    Making Movies

    3. januar 2012, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Our main reason for coming to LA was to visit the theme parks and the first one on the list was Universal Studios. Tracey and I are regular visitors to this park - Tracey visited last in 1987 and I in 1975 (I was a very, very small baby) - needless to say there have been many changes.

    The main reason you go to Universal Studios is for the Studio Backlot Tour and that was first on our list of things to do. I have to say I was starting to have queue withdrawals but we all got a good fix at Universal. It wasn't as fantastic as the ultimate queue we went through in New York to go to the top of the Queue Building (aka the Empire State Building), personally I still have wonderful dreams about that queue, imagine building that beautiful building just to house a queue!

    Anyway the Universal Studios Backlot Tour Queue wasn't too bad and it wasn't long before we were on board and moving. They took us through various studios where various shows were being filmed - like Parenthood, House, CSI, Bones to name a few - and showed us how some special effects were created. A few recognisable highlights were the Jaws set, King Kong experience, the flooded street, Wisteria Lane from Desperate House Wives, robot cars from Fast and Furious, western streets, European city streets, an earthquake in a subway, and the parting of the waters. A couple of these I recall from my last visit.

    The King Kong one was exceptionally good, they locked the 4-car train thing we were on into a set of gimbals and bounced us up and down and sideways as King Kong was battling a dinosaur around us like he did in the most recent King Kong movie.

    All up the tour lasted for about 45 minutes and was really good.

    BUT! The rest of the park is pretty much on par with Movieworld on the Gold Coast. Don't get me wrong it was a good amusement park and had some good rides but would it be worth flying 13 hours across the Pacific to go to if it didn't have the Backlot Tour ... probably not ... which means it is a long way to go for a 45 minute tour. Apart from that point it is spotlessly clean and lots of people there to help you if you look lost. The rides we liked the best were the Jurasic Park one where you float along being stalked by various dinosaurs before you drop down a big slide and get wet. They also have a couple of shows based on movies and the Waterworld show would be the one we liked best.

    I have attached some photos showing the highlights.

    Tomorrow we hit Disneyland!

    BLOG NOTE: Our wonderful holiday comes to an end on Thursday but since we fly out at about 8.30pm we still have a full day which I won't get to write up until we are back in Sydney so I'll try to do that as soon as possible. I also have to write up today's (Wednesday's) Disneyland day which I will try and do tomorrow sometime. We land at about 6.30am on Saturday morning if you want to come and join us for the welcome home celebrations.    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Disneyland entrance
    Main Street DisneylandIt's all very well donePaddle WheelerFantasylandSunset in Disneyland

    Disneyland!

    4. januar 2012, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    To those of us of a certain age Disneyland has a mystique about it. I recall watching the Disney cartoons on The Mickey Mouse Show after school and every Sunday at 6.30pm Disneyland on channel 9 was an institution. It was good wholesome stuff!

    Thursday was Disneyland day.

    As expected the place has changed somewhat. There are actually now 2 Disney Parks facing each other - the well-known Disneyland is on your right as you are walking up and the Disney California Adventure is on your left. After being to both I can say Disneyland is for the whole family whereas Adventure is intended to be for families with older kids. Your tickets allow you to hop between either Park so we decided to do Disneyland first and then if we had time we would do California Adventure.

    The entrance to Disneyland hasn't changed and once through the gates you are walking up Mainstreet USA. Interestingly the temperature in LA was in the high 20s but there was a lot of artificial snow on all the buildings. It was really well done and spotlessly clean.

    Disneyland is divided into different 'Lands' - Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland - and the first one we went into was Adventureland. There are various rides and activities sort of related to the same theme within each Land and the first ride we went on was the Indiana Jones Adventure. This was well done, you are in an old car that jumps and bumps its way through caves and caverns based on the Indiana Jones stories.

    We worked our way around the Park going to key rides including Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted House (I went on both these rides in 1975), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Matterhorn to name a few. It soon became apparent the thrills just weren't big enough so we had a bite for lunch and headed across to California Adventure.

    While Disneyland had been crowded we didn't have to wait much more than about 30 minutes to get on any particular ride but in California Adventure we were waiting for up to an hour to go on a ride. California Adventure park is about 80% complete so it didn't have the same impact as Disneyland but it was still very well done. The boys went on the Tower of Terror (big drops), and the roller coaster called California Screamin'. We all went on the Grizzly River Run which is sort of like a small roller coaster on water and yes we all got wet.

    There are some pictures below of the various attractions and like I said both parks were very well done. Not to miss an opportunity there is a section between Disneyland and California Adventure called Downtown Disney where there are lots of souvenir and other shops all very clean and well presented.

    By our 8pm pick up time we were worn out. It was good to be able to to both parks as I think just Disneyland on its own might have been a bit dull after a while as the boys were a bit old for a lot of it - though Trace and I enjoyed both Parks immensly. In my view Dreamworld and the other parks on the Gold Coast comes close to offering a similar experience as Disneyland for a lot less cost ... but they just don't have the same mystique Disneyland now do they?

    Tomorrow we Getty on down and Getty on out!

    (Sorry that was bad!)    Les mer

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  • Alphadog's TravelsNew York - Concrete jungle ...Reisende
    Tram that takes you from the car park to the museumGetty MuseumGetty MuseumGetty Museum gardensDowntown LA

    Getty on Down

    5. januar 2012, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Thursday was our last day in the USA. Our plane left at 8.30pm so we had nearly a full day to fill in and aimed to make the most of it.

    Trace had mentioned going to the Getty Museum which sounded good. Our Cabbie said it would be a 15 minute trip from our Hotel but it was closer to 30 mins by the time we got there - LA traffic can be really bad. The Getty Museum is in the hills of Santa Monica with views south from the beaches across to Downtown LA. The Museum was set up by oil billionaire J. P. Getty to show art and to also research into art preservation and much more. Originally the Museum was in his house and moved to its current location in 1997.

    The Getty Museum is one of the richest museums in America and it is really sensational. The building was designed by a famous architect, Richard Meier. It is made from Travertine stone which is similar to limestone so it is a very light coloured building - rather glarey in the bright sun. There are 5 main exhibition pavillions as well as other buildings for their research and conservation work. Visitors park at the main gate and ride a 3 car automated tram up to the top of the hill to the museum.

    As well as paintings they have antique furniture that can be traced back to various French and German Kings, photographs, and a sculpture garden. We only managed to get through 2 of the 5 pavillions and had a walk theough their fantastic garden. One famous painting was Van Gogh Irises which Alan Bond bought for $54 million in 1987.

    One of the best things about this Museum is that it is totally free. Which is good because there is so much you would need more than 1 day to see all of it.

    After walking around the grounds we headed back to West Hollywood for a bite of lunch and some final shopping before the van came to take us to the airport.    Les mer

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