DAY 31 - NYE in NYC - 31st Dec

This was my downtown manhattan escapade. I got up pretty early and walked to and over the brooklyn bridge. It was cold but pretty awesome. So I got on the other side to brooklyn and kind freaked out a little. I mean it was brooklyn. But I ended up have pancakes at a diner near the exit of the bridge. 3 huge pancakes, coffee and 2 sips of orange juice was supposedly $3.95 but add tips and tax it was quickly over $6. That's the problem with this country, sometimes things are deceptively cheap, it tends to fuck with my head.



I got the subway to the financial hub. It was pretty empty since everyone was off for NYE. However once I got to wall st, there were hordes of tourists doing the obligatory of visiting the New York Stock Exchange, I was no exception. But wall street is like any other financial center in the world, hideously dull, so taking a stroll past the harbour I went down to Battery Park.



The lines for the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferries stretched for an eternity. Obviously I was not going to get to either today, so I walked to the Staten Island ferries, which go to Staten Island obviously but other than that, they are free, and go straight past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

On the outside of the ferry, the wind chill added to an already chilly day, and it was absolutely FREEZING, but I managed to last long enough to see both sighs. The statue was kind of disappointing really, it's tiny, all the movies and pictures make it out to be this awesome sight right next to Manhattan, but rather it's this tiny thing way in the distance. You can hardly see it from Battery Park.



I got back and managed to make my way up to the Bull near Wall St. I wanted a picture with it, but poor thing was being harrassed by a horde of barbarian tourists whom were climbing on it and everything. So I decided to give it a reprieve of a few days till my fat arse lands on it.

Kept heading north and found the WTC sight. There wasn't much to see other than an obvious construction sight, but it was still a bit emotional standing there. I was in time for the sunset on the Hudson river which was glorious as sunsets always are.



After some soup and a bagel with cream cheese (which is shaping up to be one one of my fav foods ever) I had a nap in prep for NYE at times square. The clan headed to Chinatown for some shanghainese style dinner at around 8. We didn't actually make it to Times Square till about 10pm and thus were penned on 40th St facing the back of the Crystal Ball, meaning we couldn't see jack.



It was well that we only waited 2 hours cause the resulting crappiness had to seen to be believed...no countdown no nothing, 10 seconds worth of fireworks off one building and that was it, everyone either went home or to an after party. Perhaps it was my lack of inebriation but by god that was probably the most sucky NYE I've ever had. I think NYE in Sydney is probably the best in the world now.



We got back to the hotel and ended up watching the South Park movie on telly. I think that was the highlight of my night. I love that movie.