New York

After my night of drinking at a local deli I didn't want to have to get up early, but I didn't have a choice. We had tickets to take a boat around Manhattan, so I got up, didn't shower, dressing was enough of a chore and into NYC we went. We walked a couple of blocks to the boat company office and got our tickets. The weather was good but there was a strong wind and the windchill factor made it feel very cold. There were times when it was difficult to keep walking the wind was so strong. Add into this that I was feeling a bit delicate and the whole thing begins to seem like a really bad idea. We left the dock and headed south down towards Liberty, it is amazing to see Manhattan from the water. When you're walking in the city it's easy to forget that it is an island and not a very big one. Manhattan is just two miles wide by thirteen miles long. There are no bridges on the west side of Manhattan, it's linked to New Jersey by a series of tunnels. Neither Ian or I suffer from seasickness, a definite bonus on this trip. I spent more time on the outside deck than I had expected too. At times I even dragged Ian outside, I had warned him that he would be on photographer duty for me.It was so cold, any bare skin was chilled to the core in a matter of minutes. We went down the river Hudson first and it didn't seem to be very busy. I don't know if it is a major transport artery or not.
I don't why but I am excited by the thought of travelling under a bridge, I think it's because I am using the bridge in a different way from the majority of the bridge traffic. I was very happy when I got the chance to walk across the Swan bridge in Muroran. I was even happier when I got to travel under it the same day on a ferry. You can't do that any more, the ferry company has closed. So after we had seen Ellis Island and Liberty and travelled around the south end of Manhattan Island I had to go out on the outside deck again when we went under the Brooklyn bridge. When I return to NY this is the one bridge I will make the trip to to walk across. The bridge goes across the East river, linking Manhattan with Brooklyn. The East river is much narrower that the Hudson, but no busier on the face of it. At this point our guide took a bit of a break, I guess this side of the island just isn't that exciting! And I have to say once we got past Yankee Stadium I was ready to get off, I would have been happy with the two hour cruise rather than the three hour. Now I know.As soon as we got off the boat we went and got a burrito, I hadn't had breakfast and was beginning to feel human again. Dinner was a special birthday dinner for Paul. It was nice to be eating in, followed by an early night. I had another early start the next day, I was going to grab a lift with Ian to the train station.
Ian dropped me off at Secaucus station in New Jersey, the ride to Penn station in Manhattan only takes six minutes. I walked uptown to the New York City library, took a look around Grand Central station and then went on up to Rockefeller Plaza. The plaza was still decorated for Christmas, unlike the stores on 5th Avenue and is really pretty. I had my photo taken in front of the tree and was asked out to dinner by a guy called Alf. I declined and went up to the observation deck. The view as expected was awesome and in m7y mind, probably better than the one from the top of the Empire State building. For a start you can see the Empire State building and have your photo taken with it in the background. Secondly from the top of the "Rock" you can see Central park and the top of Manhattan island. I don't know how the two decks compare on price,but it doesn't matter. I had the view I wanted and I didn't have to spend all of my time outside. There is an indoor lounge part, so you get the views but don't have to lose your fingers to take a photo. I had lunch at the Carnegie deli, it has loads of photos of famous people who have eaten there. It's famous for huge meat sandwiches, Darren would love this place. My sandwich was good, but the deli is not for me. I wasn't even tempted by the monstrous desserts they offer, again another thing for Darren.
The deli is just a few blocks from Central Park. The park looks a bit bare this time year but it is still easy to see what an important part it plays in the life of the city. Loads of people were there, not just tourists but locals too. I went to Strawberry Fields, saw the Dakota building, in front of which John Lennon was shot. I saw the Bow bridge,where a part of the first "Highlander" movie was shot and then the Bethesda Fountain where the opening scenes of "Ransom" were filmed. I had my photo taken at the "Alice in Wonderland" statue and walked down the main avenue of the park. I even managed to warm up a bit with a little afternoon sunshine. I found my way to Times Square which is really cool, I am so glad that I came here. It is just as amazing in reality as it looks in the movies,on t.v. etc.. I had a great day in Manhattan and was feeling a lot happier that on the day I arrived in NYC. I don't want to live, but visiting here was getting easier and more enjoyable.
I had a quiet night at Ians, we had apple pie, my first in America and played Wii bowling. I don't know if Ian let me win, but win I did! I am happy to accept my victories as genuine. I repacked my rucksack and went to bed, I had another early start in the morning. Norma dropped me off at the train station at 8am on Tuesday and I caught the train to Niagara Falls in west New York state. Most of the train route travelled along side the Hudson river, which was amazing. The countryside is all covered in snow and in parts the river is frozen. It reminded me of Hokkaido. Unfortunately I was getting worried about my walk once I got off the train. I had booked my ticket to Niagara Falls New York and figured I would across the Rainbow bridge into Canada, I thought the walk would be nice. This was before I realised that I would be arriving in Niagara in a snowstorm. I spoke to the conductor but he said I had to get off if I wasn't ticketed to go to Niagara Falls Ontario. I got off and trudged into the town centre. Niagara falls New York does not look like an exciting town or major tourist spot. The main street looks just like that, Main St U.S.A.. I got tired of walking after about a mile and caught a taxi to the Rainbow bridge. The bridge is signposted "to Canada", which for some reason I just had to take a photo of. I walked across the bridge, the rail is only waist height, so you could easily jump over the side and the drop is 200 feet. If you survive the drop you would then have to contend with the largest whirlpool in the world further downstream. It's highly unlikely that you would survive and that doesn't even take into account the temperature of the water right now. A boy who went over the falls in 1960 survived, he was rescued by the "Maid of the Mist" boat at the base of the falls. At the end of the bridge you have to face Canadian immigration. Would they let me in?