Monday 18 October 2010

Well it's just like London aint it?



I'm back from my little trip and I have to say I was a little disappointed with New York - it wasn't as American as I thought it would be.  I only heard one broad new yorker accent and whilst I could have stood there and listened for ever, I thought it might have been rude to just stand there.  It was a taller, shinier London.  It was no more cosmopolitan than the big city, with the same amount of people milling around in much the same way.  The most obvious difference was that instead of 5 or 6 different coffee houses on every corner it is Starbucks, Starbucks, Starbucks everywhere you look.

Food in America is not an enjoyable experience, I don't think I saw a single vegetable in my entire trip and everywhere you go to eat is a hurried affair with plastic cutlery, that being said I enjoyed my New York styley burrito and I had the best hot dog down in Coney Island.  Oh and the cheesecake was divine! 

New Yorkers were actually friendlier than I thought they would be, I was pleasantly surprised - all those stories about rude people charging about are so not true.  I had smiles and even a wink!  I just wish I could have immersed myself in the city more, there is so much to see on the tourist side but I wanted to see the real nitty gritty side of New York - it is so much bigger then I thought it would be, ok, ok I sound like a tourist now.  But there was Queens and the Bronx and Greenwich Village and the Meatpacking District and the rest of Brooklyn and....

I thought I would really miss being plugged into to the virtual world with no phone and no laptop but I really didn't notice it, I tried to immerse myself in the New York vibe and despite the crippling tiredness that came with the jetlag I really really enjoyed my cultural experience.  It has made me want to see more of the US and I know that each state is different from the other and has its own uniqueness and that is definitely something I want to experience.  So I guess what I am saying is book me another ticket and maybe I'll pop in and teach you how to make tea because honestly, guys, come on - you need to learn.

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