we spent today a bit fragmented- dictated by both weather and circumstance. we began the day by taking the subway all the way down to the staten island ferry bay. not really knowing if the weather would be appropriate, we checked the water and realized it was quite windy. we discussed it with a cleaner who was very friendly with his thick new york accent.
'to be honest, it's windy down here every day. you won't feel it- and it's a fine day for it'
looking back on manhattan island.
hundreds of people were herded like cattle onto the ferry, and took up their places along the side of the boat to get the best views. as we set sail, manhattan island grew further away and the statue of liberty closer. it really is a pretty fantastic statue, and the ferry ride was great (if not a little windy and cold). we hopped off the ferry at staten island. at this point most people hopped on the next boat back and were done with it. but we don't do anything mainstream. saa indie.
walking into the island, we went to a cafe for lunch, with rich italian new yorker accents like those you hear in the movies. we were in search of the alice austen house- one of the first women to photograph everyday life in america. we asked the man if we could walk and in which direction.
'you want the austen house? oh no- you can't walk that. it's at least three miles!'
hopping on a bus, we realized it was much further than the map had led us to believe. very happy for the tip off about not walking! vacating the bus and arriving at the house, it was like a different place altogether. removed from the hustle and bustle of manhattan, the houses had gardens and porches with white wooden swings. we reached the door of the house.
'the alice austen house will be closed this tuesday, june 26th due to an emergency. sorry'
absolutely bloody fantastic- back to manhattan it is then.
returning to manhattan, we went to ground zero- the memorial site for 9/11. unbeknown to us, we needed tickets with a special reserved time to see the memorial fountains where the twin towers once stood. instead, we looked around, and saw the new buildings being erected in memory. it was pretty moving to be standing there- though the people selling off merchandise felt unethical and made me particularly angry. some people will sell anything to make a buck!
having been guided by the new york tourism book- it suggested a visit to century 21. it is a bargain hunters department store, selling designer everything at about 1/3 of the price it is retailed for. i was skeptical at first, and the masses of people did not help what was already a very overwhelming shopping experience.over three levels of bags, shoes, mens and ladies clothes, make up and accessories. people had shopping trolleys full of designer bags- some with ten each retailing at 250 each. definitely no sign of the financial crisis here! flicking through i found a black hand bag that caught my eye. 'probably expensive' i thought to myself. flicking over the price tag, i was pleasantly surprised. perhaps this store has converted the skeptic, just a tiny bit. we left century 21, both exhausted and me the happy owner of a lovely new black handbag.
hopping on the subway, we listened for the announcements.
'this train is headed downtown- next stop brooklyn bridge'
well, that's funny, because we wanted to be uptown and not now hurtling towards the bottom of manhattan. damnit. getting off at brooklyn bridge and catching the correct subway back home- we stopped off for japanese dinner before heading home to call it an early night.
