Saturday June 5th 1999

Flew in to Newark airport after an unhealthily early start from Heathrow, with British Airways being inconsiderate enough to expect us to check in two hours before the flight. This meant leaving the flat in Bethnal Green, London, at 6:30 a.m. A coffee at Heathrow and long queues at the security checks meant that we almost missed our flight - we were the last people to board the plane. The monotony of the flight was broken by the BA food, which gave airline food a bad name. We're fairly sure that they managed to poison Veronika, although the jet lag undoubtedly made her more susceptible. Still though, I managed to watch Shakespeare in Love on the plane, which was quite a good film, but far from being the masterpiece that I had been led to believe.

After making it through US customs and immigration unscathed (and with a three month visa in hand), we caught the bus to New York proper. We managed to get off at the wrong stop on Manhattan island, and were then struggling with the vagaries of the unnecessarily complicated New York public transport system when a stranger asked us if we needed any help. He then proceeded to explain how to get to the hostel we were aiming for (in Harlem) and helped us to try to buy a Metrocard for the transport system. Unfortunately, the somewhat dismissive and unhelpful lady at the counter refused to accept a $50 note unless we bought at least $30 worth of tickets, so Bryan (the stranger) said "No problem, I'll lend you the money." By the time we then got out of the subway station, he had offered to put us up for a few days free of charge. So much for the stories of New Yorkers being rude and unhelpful.

We ended up staying in the East Village, on East 14th Street, a much better location for exploring Manhattan than Harlem. Bryan proceeded to take us for a long but interesting walk around Manhattan, starting with a trip to his new flat, which would have a decent view if it weren't for the fact that his lease prohibits him from opening the window more than three inches on one side.

The view from Bryan Marx's new apartment of Hudson River and New Jersey in the background.

Bryan Marx, in his new apartment.

We then explored other parts of southern Manhattan. It really is a wonderful town, although some of the skyscrapers are dizzyingly high, so much so that I found myself having to hold on to something (or someone) if I wanted to look up towards them without suffering too badly from vertigo.

Fergus with Bryan Marx in New York, with some small buildings in the background.

We walked along the shore of the Hudson River, through Battery Park (a very interesting little park well worth a visit if you're ever in Manhattan). Bryan calls it Penny Park, due to the recurring motif of pennies in the park. Old men play chess while young kids jump around inexhaustibly as only young kids can do, and the older kids throw baseballs at each other or just hang around, all in the shade of some of the tallest buildings I've ever seen.

Fergus and Veronika on the banks of the Hudson. In the background, you can just make out Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty (honest).

We then made our way through the financial district to Wall Street, which I learned is so called after the wall which separated the original colony from the natives to the north of the island. A short bus ride brought us back to Bryan's apartment, from where we headed out for a very fine cheap meal at Panna, an Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant on 330 East 6th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. I'd thoroughly recommend it for anyone looking for cheap good food in New York - we had a hefty meal for three for less than $30.

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