We're back in the world's biggest net cafe, which is currently having problems with its connection so I may not be able to update this very much.
After our last internet session here we did indeed head to the Time Warner Center, to go on an Inside CNN tour. These last for about 50 minutes, leaving every 10, with the aim of showing why CNN is "the most trusted name in news" (said in corny US voice over voice). We were with 2 other people, being led by the guide down several hallways with displays, TVs, in lifts, down stairs etc. There were a few little theatre segments as well as looking in on sets of some of the CNN shows filmed in New York and giving an insight to the process of bringing the news to the shows as well as the technology involved, and some CNN history. It was an ineresting and informative tour, even if they focussed on domestic CNN operations and got pretty soppy and self indulgent at times.
We continued on from the Inside CNN experience back up to the Lincoln Center where we walked on to the Loews Multiplex. We walked up the 4 floors of broken/shut down escalators after purchasing our tickets from the machines in the foyer up to the IMAX foyer. Not surprisingly, we managed to prevent ourselves from shelling out around $4USD for a soft drink here. We were seeing Aliens of the Deep, a new 3D documentary by James Cameron about the deep sea environment and its creatures, relating the research here to the exploration of extra terrestrial landscapes such as that of Jupiter's ice moon Europa. This was the world wide premier day of this movie, being shown on one of the largest screens in the world (Sydney's IMAX is the biggest) although it appears the cinema had seen better days.
The impression of the movie at the end was a very positive one from both of us, we both learnt and saw new things, as well as exploring far reaches of the solar system, with a bit of imagination. We saw weird and wonderful things on our own planet, like fish with distinct feet and shrimp that live in both freezing and several hundred degree hot water.
Afterward, all loaded up with information, we visited Barnes and Noble (next to the cinema) before dinner and returning to our accomodation next to Times Square for the night.
We were both given a bit of a shock yesterday when we woke up at 11am, prompting us to get into gear and get going before the day was over! We headed out for lunch, facing the queues of the peak eating time prior to catching the subway up to Harlem. We were up in the north of Manhattan to visit the Museum of New York. This was housed in a large older house/mansion, with several exhibits explaining the evolution of the experience of living in New York. Aspects varied from Broadway theatre to firefighting to the subway were covered. I particularly enjoyed a segment of photos of the subway system and those riding it from the 1970s to the present day.
From here we walked down 5th Ave, along Central Park where kids were riding down the snow covered hills in their tobogans, several blocks to the Guggenheim Museum.
This is the famous citrus peel shaped building, housing a collection of modern art and, at the moment, Aztec artifacts. This gallery was an interesting and different layout, with some pretty good and pretty famous modern art, though nothing too modern or unconventional. The Aztec exhibition was something different, although more detail in explaining the relevance and uses of certain items would have been appreciated. Unfortunately the museum was totally crowded, making viewing quite difficult in many areas, and causing several traffic jams. This was a bit of a rip off as well, at $18USD each! I don't think it was worth more than $7USD, especially considering the crowds, but hey, we certainly paid for the name.
In the fading afternoon we travelled south once more. We made our way out to the Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway, connecting the relatively small Roosevelt Island to the larger island of Manhattan. We didn't know what this was going to be until we got there, when it all clicked. The "Aerial Tramway" was a large Von Roll cable car system, similar to the one we had ridden down from Rigi near Lucern.
The 'tram' was covered by our unlimited Metropolitan Transportation Authority cards, so we could effectively ride it over there and back for free. The island itself was quite plain, with some industrial complexes and some appartments at the other end. The ride was the best part, crossing the Hudson River, gliding through the New York skyline, giving us unhindered views down the streets and of the famous skyscrapers.
UPDATED: 2/2/05 - 17:00
Watch out! Here comes the next blog entry!
Sorry about the abrupt ending of the last entry, as I stated the net at the cafe was playing up so it ended up cutting out before I had a chance to finish the entry.
Now I have some catching up to do, although the amount of time it takes for the words I type to appear here means this process is very slow, it must be a conspiracy to get me to spend more time here...
The Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway was the last activity we did that day. We headed home for rest and a good night's sleep.
The following day was planned as a day jam packed with activities from start to end. Thus, we woke early and headed down to "ground zero", where the World Trade Center used to stand before September 11, 2001. They have cleaned up this site a lot since the amazing events here. A new PATH (interurban commuter train service) station is here, and the subway station here has finally reopenned. The site is clean, a giant hole in the ground, with flags and crosses as a memorial. The fence has around the site has information boards informing visitors of the events here, although they are weather damaged.
From here we continued to head south, to Battery Park.
We saw the only peice of art from the WTC that survived the ordeal - a sculpture, although it had a gash down one side. From Battery Park we purchased our tickets and proceeded through the rigorous screening process to allow us onto the ferry to Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty. The trip was nice, a relaxed jaunt out from Manhattan, through the ice and then past Ellis Island to Liberty Island.
We spent half an hour to 45 minutes walking around the monument. It isn't as big as it appears in the movies or on TV. We were going to have to wait another 45 minutes if we wanted to go inside the base of the statue, so we decided to head off to the ferry and continue on as we thought we had a full day of activities to complete.
Again, guided by the thought that we may run out of time we declined to disembark on Ellis Island to view the museum of immigration, especially as it was recommended to spend 3 hours there. Back on Manhattan we headed up on the subway to where we thought we would find the New Modern Art Museum. The address Charles thought it was meant to be at was occupied by an Esprit clothing store, so we continued walking to the next subway stop just in case. With it no where to be seen we hopped on board once more. This time we were travelling to the Museum of Modern Art.
Thanks,
Tom Pacy
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