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Interesting I guess you could call it, my journey to New York City today... Very interesting and not a little frustrating.
I left home at 7am uk time and made my way to Cardiff train station only to miss my first connecting train to Bristol Airport, doh, not a good start. Fear not though I had to wait only another 15 minutes. Once in at Bristol Station it became clear that the train didnt go to the airport and id have to change to a bus for the remainded of the journey, through rush hour traffic in Bristol, doh. Arriving at the airport I was finally just in time for my flight, had a chance to grab a quick ciggy just before my flight was called and it was on to board. Or rather it would have been had it not been for the 4th successive flight of the year for me to be "randomly" stopped and searched, including hand luggage. I swear I have a terrorist face :/
A 7 hour 50 minute flight then took place on the most hideous plane I have had the displeasure of flying on in my entire life (some 20 or more flights previous). The food was shockingly bad (no surprise I guess), the hostess was rude, discourteous and thoroughly ignorant of the people having issues next to me in my row and to top it off the turbulence and landing were so bad that more than a few "paper bags" were used to dispence with the mediocre dinner we'd had an hour or so before. Add in a leak of water dripping from theover head cabin into peoples laps, hand luggage and even one 5-year-olds lap and Continental are officially in the redeye hall of shame. The fact that even when alerted to the fact of running water pouring through the cealing, the disaffected young stewardess could only mutter "yes, I know". Not an apology or an offer of a towel for the young child, just a flippant reply as if she were being told something for the 50th time and couldnt care less.
Arrival at Newark Liberty Airport then and surely things would start to change, for now at least I was out of the hands of Continental and in the hands of the people from Super shuttle. Maybe these guys work together, I dunno, but the service was pretty much the same. After calling for my pre-paid transport to pick me up I was told to wait 20 minutes, having taken nearly an hour to get through customs and imigration (where this time i wasnt interviewed for carrying a razor blade). Super shuttle driver turned up 20 minutes later and packed my bag. I got in and waited for the rest of the passengers to join me. Once we were all in though it became apparent that we were 1 too many. Guess who got asked to step off? yep, once again god shits on me and I have to wait a further 20 minutes for the next one. I wont bore you even more with the ensuing arguments at ground traffic desk, but suffice to say they were heated and I was getting more and more narked at being "forgotten" by the supper shuttle people. A full hour after I first rang finally I had my ride to the hotel in central Manhatten.
It took us nearly an hour to get to the Hotel in Times Square, mainly because of traffic on the lincoln tunnel (connecting the mainland to Manhatten island) and through the pouring rain it didnt help either. But at last, some 14 hours after I left the house in the UK this morning, I am here in the Hotel and looking forward to a nice dinner in the Pizzaria downstairs along with watching the re-run of the England World Cup game (although thanks to both Dickz and Tosspot I know the score now, (doh 3) ).
New York is as it was when I visited 16 years ago. Wet, big, sprawling, massive and wet. Not much changes I guess, but its good to be here once more and this time I fully intend to make use of my spare time and do the things I didnt do last time, so maybe a trip down the Hudson to view the Statue of Liberty, an athletic climb up the Empire State building (if it ever clears up weather wise) and certainly a trip along broadway (of which I am smack bang in the middle). I have a wireless connection here in the hotel, so should be able to at least upload some early gallery pics tomorrow, ready for the tournament at the Javits centre to begin in earnest on Friday morning. Digitalife 2005 here we come...
For now, its dinner time and a date with a carbonara in Times Square.
I left home at 7am uk time and made my way to Cardiff train station only to miss my first connecting train to Bristol Airport, doh, not a good start. Fear not though I had to wait only another 15 minutes. Once in at Bristol Station it became clear that the train didnt go to the airport and id have to change to a bus for the remainded of the journey, through rush hour traffic in Bristol, doh. Arriving at the airport I was finally just in time for my flight, had a chance to grab a quick ciggy just before my flight was called and it was on to board. Or rather it would have been had it not been for the 4th successive flight of the year for me to be "randomly" stopped and searched, including hand luggage. I swear I have a terrorist face :/
A 7 hour 50 minute flight then took place on the most hideous plane I have had the displeasure of flying on in my entire life (some 20 or more flights previous). The food was shockingly bad (no surprise I guess), the hostess was rude, discourteous and thoroughly ignorant of the people having issues next to me in my row and to top it off the turbulence and landing were so bad that more than a few "paper bags" were used to dispence with the mediocre dinner we'd had an hour or so before. Add in a leak of water dripping from theover head cabin into peoples laps, hand luggage and even one 5-year-olds lap and Continental are officially in the redeye hall of shame. The fact that even when alerted to the fact of running water pouring through the cealing, the disaffected young stewardess could only mutter "yes, I know". Not an apology or an offer of a towel for the young child, just a flippant reply as if she were being told something for the 50th time and couldnt care less.
Arrival at Newark Liberty Airport then and surely things would start to change, for now at least I was out of the hands of Continental and in the hands of the people from Super shuttle. Maybe these guys work together, I dunno, but the service was pretty much the same. After calling for my pre-paid transport to pick me up I was told to wait 20 minutes, having taken nearly an hour to get through customs and imigration (where this time i wasnt interviewed for carrying a razor blade). Super shuttle driver turned up 20 minutes later and packed my bag. I got in and waited for the rest of the passengers to join me. Once we were all in though it became apparent that we were 1 too many. Guess who got asked to step off? yep, once again god shits on me and I have to wait a further 20 minutes for the next one. I wont bore you even more with the ensuing arguments at ground traffic desk, but suffice to say they were heated and I was getting more and more narked at being "forgotten" by the supper shuttle people. A full hour after I first rang finally I had my ride to the hotel in central Manhatten.
It took us nearly an hour to get to the Hotel in Times Square, mainly because of traffic on the lincoln tunnel (connecting the mainland to Manhatten island) and through the pouring rain it didnt help either. But at last, some 14 hours after I left the house in the UK this morning, I am here in the Hotel and looking forward to a nice dinner in the Pizzaria downstairs along with watching the re-run of the England World Cup game (although thanks to both Dickz and Tosspot I know the score now, (doh 3) ).
New York is as it was when I visited 16 years ago. Wet, big, sprawling, massive and wet. Not much changes I guess, but its good to be here once more and this time I fully intend to make use of my spare time and do the things I didnt do last time, so maybe a trip down the Hudson to view the Statue of Liberty, an athletic climb up the Empire State building (if it ever clears up weather wise) and certainly a trip along broadway (of which I am smack bang in the middle). I have a wireless connection here in the hotel, so should be able to at least upload some early gallery pics tomorrow, ready for the tournament at the Javits centre to begin in earnest on Friday morning. Digitalife 2005 here we come...
For now, its dinner time and a date with a carbonara in Times Square.
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therogue
