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!

2024 - Trip 11 to USA (and a brief stop in Canada) Day 4. 2nd October - New Jersey!

Finally, for the first time in a few days, we will see daylight for the whole day,  We have decided just to have a bit of a look around New Jersey as jetlag on previous trips have robbed me of pretty special experiences.  For example, I went to sleep in the front row of the "Motown Show" on Broadway in New York.  I also went to sleep during my first ice hockey match at Honda Stadium in Anaheim.  I can sort of understand going to sleep on Broadway given that it was dark, with soothing music and comfy chairs.   At Anaheim though.....it was brightly lit with noise that could wake the dead!  Seriously, it was a major brawl where an ice hockey game broke out! When the home team scored, they sounded a ships foghorn, yet I apparently blissfully was visiting The Blanket Show (A term my Dad used when I was a child). I still wonder if Alyx was pulling my leg when saying I fell asleep.......hmmmmm.

New Jersey - a city with a difference which is ironic given that it was different to what I expected even though I didn't know what I was expecting. New Jersey to Manhattan Island I would consider to be the equivalent to Ipswich versus Brisbane's CBD perhaps? I found it to be a city/state with less shame than most. I say this because of their advertising.  Here is an example:

Good to know.  I mean, I have one, and I don't even put that much thought into it. I can't even say the word let alone plaster it on advertising.  For a city to have enough passion to advertise their thoughts, kudos to them. 

I also found strikes of genius in New Jersey.  It's possible Australia have these already in the southern states, and if they do.....well done!  If they don't, then perhaps the metropolitan cities should consider them. Amazing usage of space for an age old problem - parking. 

How clever is that?! It's a bit like playing "Connect 4" but with cars! (I am going to feel really stupid if I find out that Australia already has something similar) And there wasn't just one of these - they were pretty much on every corner in the business districts.  Brilliant!

We decided to leave Coney Island for another day as jetlag was still hovering so decided to find a place for an early lunch before heading back to our hotel. The USA doesn't come alive until later in the day, unlike Australia, so we had a job finding a place that was open.  Even the shopping malls with places like Macys do not open until close to lunch time unless you are in Vegas or Manhattan so driving around New Jersey we kept striking places that were closed.  We decided to head in the direction of our hotel and go to another Walmart if necessary however luckily we came across a shopping mall that had just opened which had the chain restaurant, "The Rainforest Café" in it (which also had just opened).  We have never eaten at that restaurant so thought now was as good a time as any! 

We followed the waitress through the empty restaurant to our table.  The restaurant was themed with thick rainforest and jungle. There were life sized animals such as gorillas, lions and elephants, oversized butterflies and things like waterfalls. It was actually really well done although wondered if the life sized animals would scare children.  The menu was your standard American menu.  Everything is always the same.  Its just the name of the restaurant that changes.  There are always buffalo wings, nachos, burgers, pizza etc. I can't eat most of the stuff so will order something soft, cheap, or something that the Bear can help me with.  On this occasion I ordered a flatbread to nibble on, and the Bear ordered his standard burger and fries.  Just as a side note, you never order "chips" because if you do, that's exactly what you will get - potato chips out of a packet. 

Our meal arrives and at the same time, some bongos start playing.  I was a little startled as it seemed to signal the arrival of our meal. I figured this was an interesting concept, because if the restaurant was busy the bongos would always be going off which would render the place very noisy.  I was grateful that the place was empty. About 10 seconds later there was movement to my left where a life gorilla sat in a garden next to our table and it started to roar. I immediately crapped myself and let out a squeal (ok....it might have been a scream) however this turned into wonderment as the whole restaurant came to life! I wondered again how this wouldn't scare the daylights out of kids yet found the theme and concept quite cool!  Mind you, by the end of lunch I was a bit over it as it interrupted the flow of conversation each time it went off (the Bear and I still talk when we are eating.  We don't sit in silence) and we probably won't eat there again however I am glad we had the experience anyway!

After lunch it was back to the hotel for a Nana nap and nothing more interesting to report for the day.  Hopefully there will be some more interesting stuff to report tomorrow! We are looking at heading into Coney Island and Brooklyn!