Money, money, money

Another city's public transport conquered

Why did everyone keep taking photos of the bulls bum?

My new friend, Gary, his sister lives in Melbourne

A white rose is placed by a name on their birthday

Self portrait at Tiffany's

The Big Piano at FAO Schwarz toy store

Right Hop Stop says go East on 58^th, then left onto Lexington and then hop on the 5. Today is my first adventure on the New York subway. First lets buy a weekly ticket, easy. Now how to get into the gates, watch a few people, ok, do it. Next find the right platform, uptown, downtown, round and round got it. Let’s take some pictures and hope no New Yorkers yell at me. Done. Ok lets actually squish onto one these carriages. In amongst the packed standing room only carriage there is one seat left. Time to jump into it just like Jane taught me in London. Ok we are off heading downtown. Arrive at destination,  fluke the right exit and there is the back half of the Charging Bull. Its 9:01am mission accomplished!

All the tourists are patient as we wait in turn for the obligatory photo with the bull. Also there are two cops, lets go see if they are as friendly as the London bobbies. Yes, they are photo time.

Now off to check out the rest of the Wall St area.  The Stock Exchange is draped in flags and just looks the same as in the movies. This monolith to money started out in 1792 when merchants met daily under a buttonwood tree to haggle. Now to see if there is anywhere to dig under the Federal Reserve Bank and score $90 billion worth of gold, 50 feet below sea level. Alas security is everywhere. Lots of other buildings to explore and feel the buzz. No one offers to employ me to fix their intranet so onwards I will go.

Everyone at home has been raving about this shop called Century 21, its close by so I may as well check it out. Hmm that was much better than expected, I am now loaded down with shopping bags and need to sit down. But a tourist can’t waste a minute of the day so its time to move on to 9/11 memorial shopping bags in tow.

There are police, construction workers and tourists everywhere enjoying the sun, telling their own tales about what they where doing on the day or finding the name of someone they knew. It’s quite interesting to watch the mixed reactions to a major event in the world’s history. I wonder how the tourists will be reacting in 50 years time.

Right I am feeling confident about the subway, lets go to REI, a major camping store to do some more shopping. Right platform, right number train, opps, it zooms by my station. Now I have learnt there are express trains that do not stop at all stations and local trains. Catch a local train back two stops and all is well. REI shopping completed. Another train for a quick detour back to apartment is needed to dump all this stuff.

Now lets attack more of 5^th, Park and Madison Avenue. Mac shop, toy shop, Bloomingdales, Barneys, fancy hotels, I love all the design, colours and beauty but am a bit over awed by all this excess.

The funniest bunch of Irish retirees are in Tiffany’s. They kept loosing their friend Mary. Calling up and down between the floors, “Mary, Mary, where are you?”. Thankfully two Tiffany’s lift attendants with their fancy blue scarf’s find Mary and return her, now she goes missing again. After a good laugh I leave them to it.

Time to rebalance in Central Park.