Rain Leaves and New York Weeps #2 - Adoption and Other Stuff Occurs in New York

So Chris adopted us. We were lost and he was cycling the same way and so he led us all the way back to the bike hire shop, along the river and through the safest roads. He told us that 'when I go you go, when I stop you stop' and we'd be totally safe and wouldn't get run over.
Which we were.
He was so great.
I know this sounds a little dangerous but he was so clearly not an axe murder and wasn't creepy at all but just really lovely. I would say not to be too trusting, but at the same time being too cynical is sad and we were in a really busy area so he couldn't kidnap us without being seen.
Chris was an American Greek who moved to New York when he was eight and who's father had 50 cents in his pocket when he arrived. His grown up daughter had just gone on holiday for the first time to the tiny island that he had left in search of a better life and he was clearly in need of a daughter (or two) to look after. He grew up in Greenwich Village, next door to Robert de Niro and remembered when the city was all three storey appartment buildings and hated the new high rise skyscrapers thta dominate the city and 'block out the sun'. He had worked in the Dakota building and saw John Lennon's blood and was never a fan of 'that Yoko Ono one'. He had been in the army and thought that the New York Military Hospital symbolised all that was great about America.
He was, I'm positive, my favourite person that I met in New York. Bold statement I know.

Rain's last night was spent in Cafe Wha? (Our fave. we loved having a fave. Especially such a cool, underground fave). We had THE BEST time.

We sat right at the front and the amazingly cool lead singer winked at us before he began swaggering about the tiny stage. He wore nail varnish and told the audience to never take any bullshit and to always be happy with who you are. I cheered.

There was a woman getting married the next day and we all celebrated 'real love' and I fell even further in love with the idea of falling in love in New York and then getting married in New York too. There was a birthday party too and so we all sang happy birthday and everyone was mental. The band sang at us to 'get up, stand up' and 'fucking dance' because if beautiful English girls weren't going to dance, who were?? We obliged, and joined the crowded dance floor for Twist and Shout, and did the twist, and shouted. I love New York.

 

 

Then the Latin American music started and everyone went even more mental and there was this beautiful women with waist length blonde hair who pulled me and Rain towards her and made us dance the salsa with her. I can't do that (I can just about bop in time to a beat) and looked like a hippo washing in mud next to her, but we had fun and she was lovely and gorgeous and I told her boyfriend so. She kissed me three times on the cheek. I love New York.  

 

 

We took the subway and danced home, and soaked up the magic of New York so that it would always live in our bones.

 

Rain leaving the next morning (very early; we were not a pretty site) was horribly emotional but I did get to hail a taxi for Rain which was fun and I (once again) felt like I was in a film, and ticked off a life ambition on my Bucket List. Next; hail a yellow taxi, jump in and shout 'FOLLOW THAT TAXI!'

 

I'll keep you updated on that.

Rainy NYC

So our joint day off  was a decidedly wet one, but if you think that stopped us from enjoying it, then you obviously have never been to London. We're made of stronger stuff than that.
And so despite only having one umbrella to share (buying umbrellas in a panic stricken rush in foreign countries has become a bit of a thing for me and my partner in crime, it would appear) and thus being absolutely soaked (our bras got wet. Always a bad sign) we persevered up to Brooklyn Bridge. And omg am I glad we did. It's beautiful!
The mighty tower blocks of Brooklyn Heights and Lower Manhattan square up to each other menacingly from opposite shores and seemed to juxtapose entirely with the unstoppable force of nature from where we stood, in the middle of the bridge, hovering in no mans land over the East River, with the rain assaulting our shoes.

We'd started our day in Greenwich Village, on my insistence visiting the house that Carry lives in in Sex and The City, and stopping for mid-morning coffee in one of the many cute cafes which are awash with local charm and, err, locals. Most were in there, still mulling over morning emails and we felt both tres local and cool, but also super smug because we  had a whole day off to explore New York and, yes, they might actually live here so bully for them but they did have to work. HA.

We spent quite a bit of time exploring the gorgeous side streets and beautiful town houses. We saw one for sale and were all like, 'Ooh ohh we could buy it OMG LET'S BUY IT' before realising that we totally could not buy it. Sadness.

We then caught the subway down to Ground Zero, although we couldn't actually go in because you need to buy tickets in advance. There's loads of building work going on there at the moment because they're finishing off the new tower block that will stand where the twin towers stood. It's awful and amazing to see it stand there. It has been shocking to see the way in which 9/11 effected New York City and the lives of everyone who lives there; I had never fully grasped it before. We also stood and gazed at the humble beauty of St Paul's Chapel of Trinity Church which, despite it's proximity to the World Trade Centre, only suffered the loss of one tree on 9/11

We walked from there to Brooklyn Bridge, which lifted our slightly dampened spirits. We kept up a constant rendition of Empire State of Mind, rap and all, with particular relish of the high warbling of 'Brooklyn briiiiiiiiiiiidge' which totes deff 100% did Alysha proud, and I'm sure everyone else enjoyed listening to as much as we enjoyed performing it. Ahem.

That was just the first part of our day. You will be sooooo jel of what we did after that. Hint: it involved chocolate.
Find out what other exciting adventures we got up to in the next instalment folks, try to contain your excitement.