NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

I am finally sitting down to try & let you all know what I have been up to since I flew out of Heathrow on Sept 1st.

I want to start by letting you all know that the weather in NY has been amazing - 30oC for about 5 of the days I have been here. These conditions have been perfect for visiting my favourite place in NY City...Central Park.

The only way that you can truly appreciate how amazing the Park is, you have to visit it. Such a vast space in the very middle of the City, with such a relaxed atmosphere.

I went to the US Open & saw Andy Murray beat Del Porto. The facilities at Flushing Meadows are stunning.

Madison Square Garden is worth a visit. There have been many different events on there over the years, & I saw the NY Liberties lose in a WNBA game (basketball).

Amongst the other actvities I have been up to are: going up the Empire State Building. Bus tours of the whole city & waterfront. Visiting Times Square (v.bright both day & night).

Visiting the American Museum of Sport. I also went to Ground Zero on Sept 11th. It is impossible, still, to comprehend what happened there in 2001. It is just a building site. It is amazing the size of this space though, in amongst so many other buildings.

The Pubs & Bars almost never seem to close, & I have seen quite a few of them! ;-) Those of you who have seen the film "Coyote Ugly" will know the theme of the bar below. Apparently the film was based on this bar, & not the other way around

New York is more expensive than I thought, but I am assured that is not applicable to the rest of the country! The only Football that I have seen was Eng v Croatia (THEO! THEO!) - but I did catch a recent Liverpool score :-)

On Sunday I went to the Giants Stadium to see the NY Jets vs New England Patriots. I arrived at 11am for the "tailgate" party. For those who are not aware of this American Custom, this constructs of BBQ's & Beers in the parking lot. You cannot begin to imagine how much preparation the fans put in for these events. As there are only 8 NFL home games each season for these fans, these tailgates turn out to be huge parties.

The game itself wasn't the best. I did get to see two touchdowns, although the NY Jets lost 19-10. All in all it was an incredible day - I would strongly recommend it if you get a chance!

Despite what you all may have heard, NY is not an intimidating city. The majority of people are very helpful & friendly. I have to say that I almost feel safer in NY than in London! The hostels are basic, as one would expect, but I have met SO many people already - from many different countries.

I am now in Philadelphia...but the story shall continue in my next installment ;-)

Missing you all loads - but I get the feeling this year is going to fly by! So, I hope that all is well back in Blighty, & I will see you soon...

written by

johnnoble on September 16, 2008 from New York, United States

from the travel blog: John's year off...

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Glad to see you are having fun. You are missed here too, of course. Ground Zero must have been a very moving experience on Sept 11th. Look forward to the next installment. Loads of love, Mum xxx

written by Jan Noble on September 16, 2008

Glad to see you are still ginger and gay! Me and karen went for our first scan yesterday and saw the baby. Friking awesome!
I dont want to know about the weather and facilities...what about ze women? You been skiing down the old pink run? Visited and chocolate star fish?

written by Carlos Costa on September 17, 2008

WNBA? Was it a 1-0 thriller?

Sounds good so far mate, if you ignore the first three minutes Liverpool were quality against United, although we did need a Stevie G wonder goal to scrape past Marseille on Tues, well worth scouting YouTube if you can - do they have that in the States?

Like the snazzy blog, the weather here is rubbish.

written by Dave Pritchard on September 18, 2008

Ahhhhhhhhh - good old Blog a Bond! I've missed it. Good to see your having a jolly old time and all that. SO jealous you went to the Coyote Ugly bar - bloody love that film, and generally dancing on to of things - i would have been in heaven! Can't believe you have nearly been gone for a whole month already! Crazy stuff. Off to St Tropex tomrrow, so will pretend i am back on my travels and fancy free for a week at least :-)

Lots of love

Erin

written by Erin on September 19, 2008

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