Travels on a Greyhound

New York is quite un-American in some respects... I think this is why I enjoyed the city so much. For instance most people don't own a car (rather like London) and get around on a rather excellent (if a little confusing) public transport system that runs throughout the night (why can't the tube run throughout the night?!?) or make their way on foot (revolutionary as most US cities are strangely devoid of pavements). I was most worried upon leaving the party on Friday and noticing that it was 4am... taxis to the other end of Manhattan are not cheap and I assumed that public transport would be out of the question - surprisingly though I wandered to the subway stop and up pulled a train that made its way helpfully to the stop just outside my hostel - amazing. It was interesting that even at 4am the subway was quite packed, and not only with hobos and drunkards, perhaps NYC really is the city that never sleeps...

The next day I awoke at 7am (why my body can't let me sleep in is a complete mystery!). I spent the day wandering round lower Manhattan and the villages - stopping off again at teh Brooklyn bridge (for sunny photographs!) Around Brooklyn bridge I heard a strange thing - the sounds of Metallica, closely followed by a Pink Floyd tune. Being a fan of music and a definite lover of street performance (free!) I decided to investigate. Stepping under the bridge (something my sense would normally tell me was probably a dodgy area!) I was confronted by the sight of hundreds and hundreds of youths all with skate boards... Again my sense of self preservation would normally kick in and thinking the worst of people carrying skateboards I would probably have left. Then I noticed a couple of police officers drinking cans of Red Bull and rather comically trying to skate board - something about officials on skate boards is hilariously funny. So I investigated further, it turns out I'd stumbled quite haphazardly on some kind of skate competition. On closer inspection there were cameras from MTV as well as loads of young boys idolising their skating hero's. The whole set-up was quite cool, the bridge had been made into an impromptu skate park, there was music (I heard everything from Bob Dylan through to the Dave Brubeck Quartet right back round again to some scary rap types) and the obligatory Red Bull girls in skimpy shorts. Quite an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a bit.

The next day I spent a very enjoyable morning reading in Central Park and watching the world go by. On a completely side note since being away I have read over 40 books - which is an average of one every 3 days... I've just started the first offering from Barack Obama about the life of his father and race issues in America (written before he became a politician). The afternoon was spent at an open gallery in a converted warehouse in Brooklyn, before heading out for pizza and beer.

The next day I travelled to Cape Cod. It was really quite interesting to watch New England pass by. Including some rather beautiful little towns just off the highway...

This week is Prom week for my eldest cousin - which is great fun. We've had dress alterations, nails to be manicured, hair dyed... watch this space. Interestingly prom night is one fo the most dangerous nights on America roads as lots of illegally drunk 18 year olds try to find their way home from after prom parties! Wish us luck :)