20/9/22 Back to History

Last night after I posted my daily ramblings I went out for some dinner to a fish & chip shop a few blocks down. It was in a very old part of the city but the hospital on the corner had valet parking so it was pretty upmarket.

It felt so good to be able to order chips and get chips.

A great recommendation Sarah!

 Today was a bit of a bits & pieces day, mixed in with some good and some appalling food.

I started the day with a subway up to the Upper West Side and breakfast at Zabar’s - a deli and market that I bookmarked for visiting. I can’t remember where I heard about it but it was a good source because it definitely delivered. I had another go at a bagel, this time with just a cream cheese spread, scallion (spring onion) variety.

I understood most of the words on the menu board but didn’t really know what they meant. One day I‘ll find out what a cold brew is and how it’s different from iced coffee.

The cornerstone of a great breakfast, and the only edible thing I’d be faced with for the next 10 hours.

The cream cheese was so much nicer than the NZ type, the taste was a lot milder.

After lunch I wandered through the neighbourhood to the Museum of Natural History. It was very well to do with lots of Latino ladies pushing white children in prams.

I passed by a dog park too - it was separated with an area for small dogs and one for big dogs. Dogs don’t care, they love mixing it up!

The inside of the Hayden Planetarium - we weren’t allowed to film the action. It was a big dome with a half hour show about the planets projected onto the entire surface. Luckily the seats were fairly upwards looking to save everyone’s neck.

The outside of the Planetarium, which cunningly looks like a planet.

According to the label, the white stuff is some of the oldest substances in the solar system. It is aluminium and calcium oxide and is from the first solid grains of dust when the solar system started to form 4.5 billion years ago.

A Blue Whale, hopefully securely attached. There were several old men wandering about with a large “Explainer” badge on. After my run-in with the cochineal enthusiast in Tucson I keenly avoided them. I was standing next to a woman reading about some display when I heard “would you like to see a part of a whale?”. She blinked first and had something handed to her. As I made my escape I heard “that’s the baleen, now the interesting thing is…” she’s probably still there now.

Rocks, chunks, samples and gems - lots and lots of them.

A 9ft tall Amethyst geode

The Star of India, a 563 carat Sapphire

I thought they had missed out the Tyrannosaurus Rex’s arms until I went back and had another look.

Allosaurus eating an Apatosaurus 

What was about to be the scene of a culinary crime…

After a few hours at the museum for some reason I decided I wanted a hot dog. I don’t know why, they are almost always shit apart from the ones outside the Met. Anyway, I got a drink and hotdog from one of the carts and I’m pretty sure I was charged tourist rates. Needless to say a tip was not forthcoming.

I didn’t even bother taking a photo of the thing, I just chucked it into the next bin I walked past, it was the saddest, palest boiled piece of rubber. To add insult to injury I didn’t put the cap on my drink properly so halfway to the subway I felt wet on my leg. It had leaked all through my bag and managed to soak into every pocket. So that was lunch (at about 4pm), fun times.

After getting back to the hotel and giving the bag a wash I also discovered it was falling apart a bit, had a tub of Chick-fil-a sauce squashed in a pocket (I’d forgotten about that) and the washing water was a bit manky after being on my back for 4 1/2 weeks through some pretty hot and sweaty days. I now have a new bag, thank you Macy’s.

Takeaways, New York style

Finally, some food that was good! Shack Shack chicken burger, pretty much a good bet.

New York drowning out a sunset

It always amazes me that in a city with so many skyscrapers you can often see almost to the horizon.

A New York cycling event. Slightly less impressive than the Los Angeles one.

Tomorrow is the Brooklyn Bridge walk, and depending on my feet afterwards some looking around the lower part of Manhattan and Soho area (which is short for South of Houston St).