I love New York!

It has been a great week.

I’m currently having an enforced rest – on the train from New York to Boston. They have power sockets by the seat so I’m taking a moment to jot down some thoughts inbetween watching my ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ dvd, sifting through my digital photos and gazing out of the window (no power socket required).

One of the advantages of having visited here recently (last October) was that I didn’t feel like I had to rush around the sights and could spend some time just soaking up the atmosphere – and catching up with my friend, Vinay.

We spent the weekend lazing around – first in Williamsburg (a low-rise, relaxed – I think the blanket description is 'Boho’ - area) then on the Upper West side and Central Park, not far from Vin’s apartment. I loved Williamsburg – we spent an afternoon in a coffee shop, reading the previous weekend’s UK papers (Vinay) and eavesdropping on the interesting clientele (me). Several coffees (and hours) later we moved onto a warehouse-sized Thai restaurant called ‘Sea’ (apparently used as the setting for ‘Raw’ in Sex and the City) and finished our day in an arts-space bar called ‘Galapagos’.
Vinay pictured without Art-space glasses and hat

Spent a very entertaining night there watching some diva belly dancers and then listening to an excellent (slightly anglophilic) dj mixing up Mylo, James Brown, Fischerspooner and Pulp - amongst other great artists, which the Brooklyn lager has wiped from my memory.

I’ve walked miles and miles around the city – in fact, on one day, I enjoyed walking over the Brooklyn Bridge so much that I turned around and went back again. Mind you – as impressive as the financial district of Manhattan is – I preferred the look of Brooklyn Heights and decided to return for a closer peek.

Someone not actually walking at all, on the Brooklyn Bridge

A small corner of Brooklyn Heights

I’ve seen a few films, my favourite – and a very powerful film - was ‘V for Vendetta’, which was showing at the local Imax screen.

..and being advertised at Times Square.

I must have loved it as the dodgy English accents didn’t even bother me. I won’t review it as this person and this person have done a much better job than I could manage (don’t click on these if you haven’t yet seen the film). We also saw a free preview of ‘Inside Man’. Not a bad film, which was a good job as we were kept waiting outside the cinema for more than an hour (it’s been bitterly cold this week) – while the press dawdled their way in, had to sit on the third row (cricked neck, anyone?) – and then found out that it was opening in a couple of days time anyway (so the opportunity to gloat was short-lived).

Anyway – the train is pulling into Boston and I’m looking forward to crashing out at my hotel and getting over my tired and emotional state after a late last night at the Baggot Inn in Greenwich village. Uuurgh.



(a slightly dodgy connection on my hotel’s ‘complimentary high-speed internet access’ prevented me from posting this when I arrived last night. Feeling refreshed and invigorated this morning and looking forward to having a tourist-y day, followed by a night out with an ex-colleague, Paul and his wife Emily.)