I heart NY

"New York New York it's a helluva town". So goes the song, and its hard to argue with something so catchy. We spent five days in the Big Apple and didn't even get close to seeing the whole town. In fact, this was my second visit, and even adding the sights of the seven days I spent there last time, I still don't feel I can say I've ticked that box.

One of the most entertaining things about walking around New York is that, even though you've never been in this particular neighbourhood before, its all so familiar. We are all so used to seeing New York on television and in movies that walking around it feels like walking around a town you've lived in for years. There are the obvious sights, like Times Square, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, and then the less obvious, but in some ways equally famous sights. A few blocks from our hotel was a diner called Tom's restaurant - familiar to anyone who has seen an episode of Seinfeld. Continuing the Seinfeld theme I also managed to get a bowl of soup from the stand that inspired the famous Soup Nazi episode. It was excellent soup, and there is indeed a sign above the counter demanding that patrons have their money and order ready before they get to the counter, and immediately move the the extreme (which is underlined and in capitals) left after placing their order. There are even footprints painted on the pavement to show you where to go.

Then there is also just the familiar feel of the buildings and streets. Rows and rows of terrace houses with steps up to the front door, the green stairs and railing leading down to the subway stations, and of course, the iconic yellow taxis. Arriving in New York is the opposite of culture shock - instead of being overwhelmed by how different the place is, it all feels shockingly familiar - like traveller's deja vu.

There is one facet of New York life that I wasn't quite familiar with - lining up. The inevitable result of a city that is both a major tourist attraction and immensely densely populated is that just about any activity will be preceded by a long wait. Want to see the Statue of Liberty - join the 60 minute queue to get through security. Want to get tickets to a show, any show at all - there is a nice line on Times Square that stretches a few blocks that might act as an excellent curtain raiser. Want to have dinner on the lower east side - that table will be ready for you at at 11pm, sir, so perhaps you'd like to have a 2 hour drink first.

One thing I will say about New York is that, due to the scale and diversity of the place, it really helps to have someone local to show you around. Luckily we were able to tap into a network of friends from home that have succumbed to the lure of the city in recent years. Rico, who's been in New York studying law at Columbia for the past year, showed us some great bars and restaurants, and even took us over to Brooklyn for some drinks. Tessa, who's working in the New York office of our former employer, took us to a restaurant on the Lower East Side that served only variations on meatballs. It took a two hour wait to get a table, but was well worth it.

Getting shown around by the locals was great, but we did have to play the part of tourists too. There are actually families that come to New York and dress the whole clan in those "I love NY" t-shirts, and that just seemed like an excellent idea. So we started our trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island by purchasing some high quality $5 t-shirts. Kate wasn't willing to wear them all day, so in the end we just put them on for the photos, but even that got us some disdainful looks from the locals (and other tourists for that matter).

While Manhattan was great, one of the more memorable experiences of the trip came from a trip to the Bronx. Back in Sydney Rico and I both like to play a bit of golf, and we couldn't pass up the chance to renew a long standing rivalry on a new continent - and as it turns out you can get to an affordable golf course in the Bronx with a $30 taxi ride from the Upper West Side.

I noticed that my sister-in-law was recently on Facebook wondering why all the taxi drivers in Sydney are crazy. I have no answer to this question, but I can report that New York cab drivers are no different. When we jumped in the taxi he seemed to indicate that he knew where we were going. As it turned out however his knowledge went only as far as knowing how to get to the Bronx. From there the plan was apparently to drive around in circles until the golf course magically appeared. When it became apparent that this plan was not working, he decided to simply pull over the taxi and ask people. That would be ok, except for the fact that, whatever language he did speak, it was not English, and his real plan was to pull over, yell at someone, and then indicate to me that a I should ask the person for directions.

Now, I have to admit that I don't like asking for directions at the best of times, but leaning out of the window of a taxi, in my best Tommy Hilfiger polo shirt, and asking a black guy with no teeth, who is dragging a garbage bag full of empty bottles behind him, where I might find the local country club does was a new level of uncomfortable. Unsurprisingly, this tactic did not yield instant success. Apparently not many of the people sitting idly by the street in the Bronx at 11 am on a Tuesday are avid users of the Split Rock Golf Club.

A regular New Yorker might have spotted a flaw in this story by now. You see, NY taxis are in fact equipped with a GPS system in the back seat (I was in the front - Rico and Pete, another friend from Australia, were in the back). Despite having been in New York for a year, this fact apparently escaped Rico until we'd stooped to stopping other taxis to ask them for directions. For that reason alone I think his subsequent victory on the golf course is tainted.

On the return we had a very different, but similarly memorable taxi driver - but I think one story about cab drivers per blog entry is enough.

I did eventually make it back to Manhattan, and from there, a few days later, on to Boston. Our trip is winding down fast now, so I'll try and get Boston posted ASAP - check back soon.