Indelible Adventures: Improv and Paparazzi!

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There is something magical about New York City! As I was exploring this past weekend and acting as tour guide for a good friend of mine from Atlanta we walked pretty much the entire length of the city. There is no question that there is definitely something special about being in New York, but especially at this time of year.

Is it the enormous crush of people and the beautifully decorated and ornate shop windows on New York’s 5^th Avenue that set it apart, or is it something more. I think there is an inherent excitement and vibrancy in the air that make most people yearn for New York.

It’s one of those places that people have romanticized about since time immemorial, the mystique and constant energy which washes over you make it impossible not be moved by its charms. I’m personally drawn in again and again, this year alone I’ve visited four times and each time I’m no less excited about my visit than the last or the next.

It’s relatively easy to spot the nuances of the different neighborhoods as you make your way across the city. Each has its own charm and vibe, and the reality is that New York is really a collection of a 100 small towns all bundled together into one of the largest and most vibrant metropolises’ on the planet.

Over the years I’ve stayed at hotels in every part of the city, but I’m going to share with you my most recent favorite.

Indelible Tip #1: I’ve found a great hotel on the Upper West Side that’s only a couple of blocks from the subway at 72^nd street and only half a dozen blocks from Central Park west, it's both reasonably priced and comfortable, and sort of feels like a comfortable glove if you know what i mean. Next time you’re looking to stay in New York check out Hotel Beacon (2130 Broadway at 75^th street). It’s fab!

After arriving and meeting at La Guardia we took a cab into the city, although a little longer than usual as there was a parade blocking 5^th Avenue which made it a tad difficult to cross over to the west side of the park. However, like most New York cabbies he was unperturbed by the wrinkle and set off on another route quick smart. J

Once we checked into the Beacon we dropped our bags and set off on the subway to begin our adventure. We had decided to catch the subway to the tip of Manhattan, see the distant Statue of Liberty from Battery Park before walking up Broadway. A simple plan really!

My friend Carrie had only visited a couple of times in her whole life and didn’t know a lot about the city, so my job was to show her the sites as long as she agreed to be my photo model for the weekend…fair trade if you ask me.

We journeyed along Broadway, which I regard as the beating heart of New York City as it dissects the city diagonally. Almost everything of consequence is either on or just off Broadway, and what better way to transverse the city than on one of its most interesting routes.

Starting at the tip of Manhattan we slowly wound our way back and forth along Broadway, stopping to explore Little Italy and the Lower East Side until we got to…

Indelible Tip #2: One of my favorite places to people watch is the Dean & Deluca on Broadway at Prince (560 Broadway). The building itself is from another era and chock full of delicious foods and delicacies from all over the world. I personally like to get a latte and croissant and stand by the window that faces onto Broadway and watch the world go by. It truly is a “slice of life”.

After D&D it’s only a couple of blocks west till you’re in the heart of SoHo and its high-end stores and cobbled streets. This was the perfect place for an impromptu photo shoot, and luckily for me Carrie is an easy model to work with. I suppose in all I got about 250 shots in various street poses and the like. We also had a number of people stop and watch us during our shoot. It felt so very paparazzi!

Next we strolled up to Washington Square to soak up the vibe before hitting the Holiday market at Union Square. Union Square always has a farmers market Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm year round with local produce being sold, but an added bonus during the lead up to the holidays is a wonderful market where you get lots of cool gifts, especially good for stocking stuffers!

One of my other favorite things to do in New York is to see live theatre, whether a Broadway show with Sami, or something a little less highbrow…

Indelible Tip #3: Take time while you’re in New York to catch some of the best Improv and sketch comedy at the UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade). I got tickets for the 10:00 pm performance on Saturday night for only $10 per ticket. This hour long show has some great up and coming performers, and sometimes is blessed with a big name who just drops in from Saturday Night Live. We went to the Lower East Side (2^nd Ave) location to see our show, but there is another venue at West 26^th Street, which I’ve also been to. There is close subway access for both locations.

The weekend flew by, and fortunately for us we were blessed with gorgeous blue skies and mild temperatures (15-16C), no coat required! Which I must say is a bit unusual for this time of year but I’ll take it.

It’s hard to imagine a bad day in New York. I just loved being a tour guide in one of my favorite cities on the planet - thanks for letting me be your guide Carrie.

See you soon NYC!

Prologue:

We walked more than 16km (10 miles) per day, taking some 2200 photos...not a bad haul both in terms of photos for my portfolio, but also in terms of the "croissant to kilometer" ratio which I now use as a measure of my fitness! :-)

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“Hanoi Posting”

A series of micro-stories by Terence Wallis

Episode 23: Exhausted

Bill eyes burned from the lack of sleep and the constant headache and the visceral images that constantly ran through his head were never ending. The past four weeks had been the most shocking of his life and absolutely nothing could have prepared him for the level of destruction and devastation he found once he’d eventually gotten into Bangladesh.

Bill had built his reputation on being the guy on the spot, the guy who could get to the heart of a story no matter how difficult, but nothing could have prepared him for the sites and smells that he was to find. Making his way with the aid convoy toward Dhaka he realized that the death toll was going to be enormous. Initial estimates, had been up to 10,000 but from what he now saw it must have been many more times that as the destruction, with the countryside being completely decimated, god only knew what he was going to find in Dhaka he thought to himself as the convoy slowly rolled on…

Upon arriving into the destroyed capital he tried in vain to find his colleague, after finding the locating the local office, or the pile of rubble that once was the local office, it was then that he realized for the first time that his colleague was likely a casualty.

Bill’s resourcefulness had come in handy time and again during his relatively young career and this was no exception. Quickly establishing contacts within the various aid groups that he accompanied each day to provide food, water and assistance where possible.

His daily stories were gripping first hand accounts of the brutal situation that was now unfolding inside the capital and indeed across the country, but Bills difficulty was now getting the news out of the country.

John had surprised him and had gotten a message to him via the International Red Cross, that he had a contact within the Bangladeshi army that would provide him with access to a telex machine that had been set up by the military in the basement of the Hilton Hotel.

His time in Bangladesh had tested his resolve on so many levels, at times he felt more like a humanitarian aid worker rather than a journalist, as he found himself helping pull bodies from the still swollen rivers and from the thousands of piles of rubble so that they could be either buried or burned.

His new colleagues within the aid agencies had been quick to point out to Bill that the biggest worry they now all faced was the threat of Cholera, and he could tell by the look in their eyes that they’d had some experience with it other global hotspots over the years.

He was at the end of his tether, exhausted both physically and emotionally, and at the end of four hard weeks he telexed John to say that he was done... John had been reflecting on the situation and as a newspaperman knew deep down that the story had run its course and that the outside world had moved on. So when Bill telexed him to say he needed out, it was a straightforward process for John to approve it, effective immediately.

By this time Dhaka airport was again open for business and now a central hub for international aid, although few commercial flights were coming in or out of the country John, through his vast network of contacts had again surprised Bill by getting him on a Canadian Hercules scheduled to leave the following afternoon for Bangkok.

Bill put in a call to Phuong at the office in Hanoi. As luck would have it he answered the phone on the fourth ring. “G’day Phuong” he said as brightly as possible, there was a short silence before Phuong replied “Xin chào Mr.Bill”.

His mind was mush and so couldn’t translate anything into Vietnamese, “listen mate, can you please book me on a flight out of Bangkok for Wednesday night? I’ll pick up the ticket at the airport”. Phuong could sense the tiredness in Bill's voice and at once agreed to his request. “Are you well?” he questioned. “Yes, mate I’ll be fine as soon as I can get into a hot bath and get some shut eye” Bill replied. See you when I get back he said before hanging up.

The phone went dead in Phuong's hand as he slowly replaced the handset.

Next week: Episode 24: Never Ending

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This week's selection of photos is from New York, where else. Enjoy!