2024 - Trip 11 to USA (and a brief stop in Canada) Day 5. 3rd October - Bridges, Brooklyn.....and a horse?!!

 Today we took a trip out to Coney Island - a filming location from one of the Bears favourite movies, "Big". In the film, Tom Hanks character makes a wish using a Zoltar machine which comes true.  We sought it out much to the Bears delight.  I was tempted to use the machine and make a wish that I was slim and "outta sight!" however knowing my luck I would be turned into a feminine hygiene product, so I gave it a miss. The theme park at Coney Island had yet to open (just like the rest of damned America) however there was a hotdog vendor that had opened.  The Bear got a hotdog and I got some fries and we sat in the car watching seagulls and strange people while we snacked.  Given that there was not much else  to do, we chose to move on. 

From there it was a trip into Brooklyn.  Not only can you see the magnificent Manhattan skyline from there, you can also see several of the amazing bridges that carry commuters from several of the New York boroughs into/from Manhattan.  In particular we could get some amazing shots of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge.   During previous trips to New York, we have not ventured to these, much to my disappointment.  As a fan of "Law & Order" I have seen the bridges at the beginning of every episode and longed for the day that I have seen it for real, so today was a bucket list item being ticked. 

First of all though, we went down to DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) at a particularly picturesque spot.  There were photo opportunities galore - if you ignored the road works going on. There was even a wedding party having their wedding photos being taken there.  Cobble stone streets and old brick buildings made the perfect surrounds to photograph the Manhattan Bridge.  The stench from the manholes was putrid but that just seemed to add to the experience. 

Walking down to the water line, we could finally see the Brooklyn Bridge as well as many views seen in films and TV shows.  This includes a merry-go-round on the water front. I feel very confident though that I mean it when I say that I could not be paid enough to get in that water because it looked like a soup of garbage and faecal matter. However I would be lying if I said that I wasn't overwhelmed to be standing in one of the most amazing spots in the entire world.  I also found myself trying to picture what it would have looked like from that vantage point on 11 September 2001 - and it chilled me to the bone. 

Heading back to the hotel, we made a stop at Walmart for dinner supplies again and as per usual we had a look around.  As mentioned countless times before, I absolutely LOVE Walmart. I was in the "Health and Beauty" section looking for hairspray when I heard a sound like a person hitting to coconut shell halves together - reminding me of a scene out of Monty Pythons "The Holy Grail". I turned towards the noise and came face to face with.......a horse. A horse. Of course.  What else could I have expected?   I have seen countless dogs in Walmart, and my fair share of human animals in Walmart, but never a horse.  And not just any horse, but a "support" horse - like a support dog. I literally couldn't get my phone onto record fast enough! I was not the only person gobsmacked at seeing a support horse in Walmart so had to fight my way through the crowd to get a little bit on video.  More than that though, I was interested to see whether its owner was carrying doggy (horsey?) poop bags!  I still don't know if its owner were carrying any. I pretty much feel as though I can say I have seen everything now though.  A support horse in a supermarket/department store.  I would not be surprised if I now saw a support camel or a support giraffe.

Tomorrow we will catch a Statten Island ferry across to Manhattan and visit the 911 museum!