20.05 - Day 126 - New York
Monday 20th May - New York (Day 126)
Breakfast (cornflakes and pod coffee) in the room at Even Hotel and schoolwork sprinkled with table football and table tennis as the carrot incentive for Seb, whilst Sienna’s incentive is reading time.
A few blocks East we walk to meet Kathleen under the gaze of the Empire State building. Kathleen is on a work trip / tour but has COVID so can’t join their adventures, instead mooching with us with a mask on.
It’s nice to see a friend from Down Under and we catch up on the goings on in Sydney as we walk to the scaffold clad Flat Iron Building and also a Portal - a six foot high circular screen and camera “linking” New York and Dublin. It’s only just reopened after a temporary closure due to cheeky exposure of body parts.
The novelty quickly subsides for Sienna and Seb who are much happier to spend 20 minutes in the Lego shop next door with Kate whilst Kathleen and I sit on the astroturf in the sun to catch up.
Team RJ heads off to Joe’s Pizza, an ever-popular joint selling large single slices which I’d been introduced to when I was in New York 2 years ago with Dean and Bron for North’s wedding.
Thinking a large statue of a charging bull might briefly impress Sienna and Seb, we hop on the subway to South Ferry. When I last visited this spot on an early morning cycle 2 years prior I was the only person here. This time at mid afternoon there wasn’t even just one queue to take a photo but two - one for front and centre, the other for rear and centre. We don’t partake in either queue.
By now Seb is complaining of the heat despite it being 25 degrees and having spent three months in Thailand and Vietnam where it rarely dropped under 30 degrees. Seeking aircon we venture into the National Museum of the American Indian housed in the impressive former Customs House - the inner roof and walls adorned not just of paintings of large boats of the day, but in front of them the tugs pushing and guiding, taking the spotlight. A surprising hit is a Trading Game as American Indian tribes and the incoming Dutch ships.
Refreshed, we wander to a local playpark overrun with school kids before walking onto the 9/11 memorial site, explaining to Sienna what the inward flowing waterfalls represent in terms of former building footprints.
More cheerfully, next door are some large animal iron installations, from riding a bike to playing chess which the kids are happy to pose with.
That lends into one of my favourite buildings, the Oculus, like a giant set of white rib bones protruding up from the ground all just as a roof to a subway station and shopping mall underground - where some talented pianists tinkle on the ivories for everyone to hear.
Back at the hotel, it’s leftovers from last night for dinner before Kate pops out to spend a bit more time hanging out with Kathleen in her hotel.