Washington Square Park

Mass confusion when we wake up. We’ve both been a bit wakey through the night as our bodies adjust to Eastern Time. At one point, I get up to use the bathroom, check my watch and it’s 02:30. What feels like hours later, I get up to use the bathroom, check my watch, and it’s 02:15. I’m utterly befuddled. It’s only when we’re both awake, that we deduce that daylight savings time ended overnight, and we’ve gained an hour in bed.

Next up, we realise that it’s New York Marathon day. We’ve got a few bits planned for today, but decide we want to weave in some time supporting the runners. We head out in decent time - around 08:30, and stop in at a diner for breakfast. I adore these stereotypical American diners - they’re cheap, fast, and you know exactly what you’re going to get. Sustained, we walk further South, towards Washington Square Park. We spend some time lazing by the fountain, and watch a dance flash-mob type thing do their thing.

We grab a subway up to the Upper East Side and walk a few blocks over to see the Marathon runners. The crowd is raucous in their support. The runners are a little muted compared to our experience of watching their London equivalents. There are certainly no fancy dress costumes on display. Perhaps that’s one of the things that only the ‘crazy Brits’ do…

We have a reservation for a Sunday roast at 13:30, so head back down towards the Lower East Side. We’re a little early, so stop in at a really cool little bar called the Globe for a couple of pre-game sharpeners. Lunch is at the New York outpost of the Hawksmoor chain of steakhouses. We’ve had their beef roast a few times in London, and it’s always been astonishingly good. I have a Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew (Google if you’re unfamiliar - nectar of the shaky gods). Our roasts are good, but lack in a couple of places. The roast potato game is weak, but the fire roasted beef rump is sensational, and I’d quite like to take the bone marrow and Maderia gravy home to meet my family.

After lunch, we waddle a ways up 5th Avenue, stop for a beer, then head up the Empire State Building. The views are as sensational as we remember them from 2009. We locate the scene of the crime, take some lovely photos, and bank some idyllic memories.

We head to a Chelsea hotel for a couple of wines, but are largely distracted by looking for tickets for Pink’s show tonight at Madison Square Garden. We saw her in Hyde Park in July 2023 and were blown away. We knew she was playing in New York while we were here, but the resale value of tickets was insane - upwards of $1,000 for moderate view seats. We set ourselves a much MUCH more reasonable budget, and said we’d keep an eye as the gig got closer. With doors opening at 18:30, and the support act on at 19:30, we’re disheartened that tickets remain in the stratosphere. Suddenly a pair of tickets becomes available, and we snap them up. Quick refresh, out the door, and we’re over at Madison Square Garden just after 20:00. We catch the final song of the support act.

Pink’s show is immense. Such a performer. The set is largely the same as our Hyde Park experience, but the sound, visuals, performance are all a cut above. It’s simply staggering. The gig finishes at 23:00. We stumble back to our hotel (about a 7 min walk), and fall into bed. It’s been a cracker of a day.

In the battle of Irvines vs Sunday…

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