Start spreading the word… I’m leaving today…
After about 4 hours sleep (there’s always more to do!) I got up, showered and double, triple and quadruple checked that I had money, passport, phone and ‘stuff’ I headed off to Sheffield train station.
I grabbed my train and found that the reservations were all over the place and I started wondering if I was actually on the right one – as I normally do.
Anyhoo, after my brand new bag falling off the luggage rack (turned out it bent the metal supports and essentially broke it 
) I arrived in London. I worked out a route on the underground which matched the advice from a customer services lady in Sheffield station and got on the ‘Heathrow Express’. As I showed the ticket collector my ticket he kindly informed me that it wasn’t valid for this service and I should have got some other underground train via some other labyrinth of stations – £25 please. Ace. £25 for a 10 minute journey.
I made it to where I needed to. I checked in on a crazy machine and picked my seat, handed my bag in and wandered off to the duty free until I boarded.
The flight was uneventful – probably a good thing. 7 1/2 hours in to New York JFK. Went through immigration/security and was slightly nervous. I had to previously change my route just to make sure I made it obvious that I was leaving the US after 90 days and they could turn me away and send me home if they weren’t satisfied. I got put in a queue with a friendly looking old man immigration officer until I was beck end by a middle aged, tall, bald ‘hard ass’. I thought I’d at least say hi, how are you doing? to which I got a grunt in reply. After scanning my right fingers, right thumb, left fingers, left thumb and no cavity search he let me through – to great relief!
I didn’t have too long to wait till my luggage popped out and I grabbed the airport mono-rail like train thing, two connections then the ‘A train’ all the way to my stop, 103rd street. It felt like it took an age and was a little weird taking it all in.
When I finally got to my stop, it was the first time I’d been out in the open. It was dark now but warm. I stood on the corner with central park across the street from me and to the sides a never ending road with buildings on one side and the park on the other. I think it finally hit me that I was here.
My hostel was very close so I got my room sorted, a two bed dorm with just me, myself and I in it. A nice surprise as I’m sure I paid for a 4-6 bed dorm.
I went on the hunt for some food and the adventure begun.
Imagine every tv show, film, picture, the image that pops in to your head when you think of New York. Well, this was it. To the letter. It was surreal. I didn’t expect it to fit the stereotype so well. I wandered down a street with grocery stores, burger places and loads of retro hair dressers. It was hard not to over hear people talking and when you hear things like ‘..and the little one, well he was like a dog on heat humping my leg’ it’s hard not to snigger a little. Everyone was there own little comedy show.
I walked up and down a few blocks a couple of times until I found somewhere where I didn’t think was going to kill me and grabbed a ‘posh burger’. They definitely didn’t use a George Foreman – I got 3rd degree burns off the puddle of grease that dripped off.
As it was my first evening there I thought it was only right for me to go find a bar (again, one that I wouldn’t die in). I went to 999 or 777 or something along those lines. A small but nice place. I’m not one for drinking on my own but I had to get used to it. I ‘got carded’ (ID’d) but I needed to get used to that too. If anyone looked under 30, they expect it. So I guess I’ll have to expect it for about 20 more years with my baby face!
I got talking to a lovely couple by the side of me, Eric and Melissa. They basically drew all over my map with places to go, things to do, stuff to eat. Turned out quite useful in the end.
I got back to my hostel and found a random in the other bed. It turned out to by a really nice Mexican guy called Carlos.
Carlos, who I found out the next morning… likes to get up early. Just what I needed to recover from jetlag.
