Katie & the True Players
Here we go again
Old Woman 1 “Isn’t the Liberty Statue just Beautiful?”
Old Woman 2 “It sure is”
Old Woman 1 “God Bless America”
YES, that’s the type of stuff I wanna hear when I’m in America, I fucking love this country, you can never get tired of this place. But joking aside I really do have a love for the States, The people, the food, the landscape its all good. Its just a shame they have a Muppet leading them.
Well I’m back on track again (literally, I’m writing this on a train). Part two of the Random Travels has just started up again. What the plan Sam?
Ok, so the plan is to cross the States from East to West via the Train network, then I shall head overland all the way down to Argentina before flying back to good old London 5 months later. Well that’s the plan but we all know how much plans can change on this trip.
After landing at JFK I heard that security was much tighter now at boarder control so I was panicking a bit as I shall not be return to JFK and will be disappearing though the borders at Mexico so I thought I better not mention that. Meeting the boarder guard he asked me what I do for a job so I told him I worked for the BBC and in a very serious voice he said “Do you know who made the BBC?” I was thinking shit, is this some kind of test to let me in to the country? Will he let me in if I get it wrong?….. forget getting it wrong, I didn’t even know the answer to his question. I was like,
“Sorry Sir, I don’t know”
“You don’t know? ………… Benny Hill made the BBC” phew, I burst out laughing and didn’t have the heart answer him back and tell him Benny Hill was on ITV, he might of stopped laughing and not let me in to the US. After I got the stamps in the passport I turned to him and said
“Do you know who made US TV?”
“Who?”
“Jerry Springer” I said
Laughing “Man, get out of here, you’re crazy” So I disappeared very quickly.
I love this country and I have only been in it for 30 seconds.
On the bus to take me to Manhattan and we didn’t even get out of the airport when in a loud bang the bus stopped moving, Oil all over the road, The bus driver piped up in a New Yorker accent he came out with the classic line “Well shit in my Ice Tea” and called for another bus. ‘Shit in my Ice Tea!!!’, Who says that??? That’s a classic saying. I must start using that.
Dropping off my stuff at the hostel I headed down to Time Square. New York is a really easy city to walk but I must say I did have a few issues with Metro System. By far on this trip its the hardest metro to understand in the world. Time Square in all its tacky tourist shops and bars it is very impressive at night. It makes Piccadilly Circus look like Mersea Island Christmas decoration. Its like when London tries pulling off a New Years Eve fire works party and everyone says “Yeah that’s pretty good” but when they turn on the tv and watch the Sydney NYE fireworks we feel a bit rubbish! OOO I’ve gone off on one again.
The next day was a walking day, I walked from Central Park to the very south of the Island to catch the ferry over to Liberty Island. Its like being in a film set everywhere you look. Walking though Central Park dodging the runners and dog walkers I overheard a bunch of ‘Sex in the City’ girls bitching about there friend who had just gone for Botox and breast enlargements and how she looked a mess. They were also saying that she did this so she could fit in with the group and look more like them, what lovely friends she has. As they over took me I saw four very orange plastic girls who looked like Pete Burns of Dead or Alive fame. Brilliant.
Passing Grand Central, The Empire State Building and the New York library (the one in Ghost Busters, Thanks for the tip Will) I headed down to Ground Zero.
You can see its still a big deal to all Americans and especially New Yorkers so I was really hoping that it wasn’t going to be some tourist ‘Disneyland/circus’ that I thought it maybe. It wasn’t, steel fences line the boarders where once the twin towers stood and a small shrine with the names of all the people who died on that day. It had a peaceful atmosphere even with all the construction going on. I thought I was going to feel like when I went to Aushwitzs but I didn’t, in fact I didn’t feel a thing just a little bit of sadness and I’m not sure why. Maybe after watching the towers fall down over and over again on TV I felt like I’ve been here a million times already and maybe now it doesn’t phase me as much as it should have. I know that sounds shocking and I did feel guilty for not being as upset as I should have been. But i’m glad I was able to pay my respects to the tragic lose of life on that day.
I found the best thing on Liberty Island wasn’t Lady Liberty even though I’m glad to have seen her. But it was the amazing security they had before you were aloud inside. After lining up outside the security room I could hear blasts of air coming from inside, once inside the room it was like you have stepped in to MI5 or James Bonds office. Guards everywhere, computers, x-ray machines, metal detectors and this machine which speaks and blows puffs of air at you. I have no idea what it was doing or testing for. Anyway before you stepped in to the machine the militant guard asks for all your stuff, belts, wallets, weapons…. hang on, weapons!!? Then Mr Guard points at my winky “What have you got in there?” and before I had time to engage my brain I panicked and my mouth open “Errr my boxer shorts?” He looked at me in away like I was ripping the piss out of him and to make matters worse I had a Aussie couple behind me pissing themselves with laughter unlike Mr Guard who didn’t find the funny side at all. Inside the statue there isn’t much to see as your not aloud to climb to the top of the head since 9/11. Still, its a nice view across looking across to the Manhattan skyline but the Skyline defiantly is missing the Twin Towers.
Later on that day I went to the Empire State Building to check out the view of the tallest building in NY. Well I’ll let the photos show you what its like. These where taking on my shitty point and shoot camera. So that’s why the photos are a bit noisy.
Now, for me the far best thing about travelling is meeting people and making new friends. Some times you meet people who you gel with straight away. This doesn’t mean they are less of a friend than say a long time friend, its just an intense friendship as you don’t have a long time to be with them. I like to call these people ‘The True Players of Random’. The best thing about this type of friendship is you know you will be friends with them forever and you know you will always hang out whenever you are close to each other. It sounds silly and cheesy but I bet any one who has been travelling would know what i’m talking about. There are a few friends I have met who on my travels who I can call really good friends and this time in New York that friend was the top lass going by the name Katie.
I was speaking to my friend Elaine who I met in a hostel in Beijing. I told her I was coming to NYC for a week and she said I should look up her friend Katie who could show me around. Well it was far the best thing that could of happen to me in NY. Katie and her friends all being New Yorkers showed me the famous NY nightlife over the whole weekend. Weather it was getting absolutely wasted in bars, going to watch Arcade Fire and LCD Sound System at a mini festival or just hanging out eating pizza it was just great time and I haven’t laughed or smiled so much in ages. So I raise my glass and cheers the True Players of NY. Katie you really are a star and made my time in NY really enjoyable. Its a shame I didn’t have longer in NY but I’m sure I’ll be back very soon.
THE TRUE PLAYERS
I’ve learnt a New word and game.
The Hipster – We don’t really have a word for these type of people but basically its a indie kid/Shoreditch Twat, Stu you are one of these. So I’m not calling you Mr Stu anymore, you will now be known as Hipster Stu.
The game is called Beer Pong, basically you have a long table and at each end there is a pyramid of cups filled with a small amount of beer in them. The object of the game is to get a ping pong ball in to your opponents cup. If you are successful then they have to drink the beer. The winner is the one with no cups left on the table. So simple, why the hell don’t we play this in the UK? I was thinking we could up the stakes a bit. Lets face it, its a good game but could be drastically improved if we removed the beer and replaced it with Absinthe. The name would have to change to something like…. Sam Smith presents Random Absinthe Pong!!! That has a better ring to it don’t you think?
Food in NY is great, Katie and the crew introduced me to the NY Pizza slice, well fuck me why on earth don’t we have pizza by the slice in the UK? Granted the slice is as big as a pizza in the UK but I like the idea.
So New York was far better than I imagined. Here the list
1. NYC is one big film set, people are friendly and bars are great. One bar sticks out and that is the Beauty Bar, Dj dropping in old 1960s pop, Kinks, Beatles and loads of really psychedelic stuff. A right Hipsters place, Loved it.
2. Meet Katie and her friends, Ask her about Anne Frank, YOU WILL BE SHOCKED ;-)
3. Beer Pong or as it will be now known Sam Smith Presents Absinthe Pong
4. The food is bloody great and pretty cheap. No yak on the menu but bagels were shit hot.
5. Go to the Statue of Liberty just for the silly James Bond style Security
I could really see myself popping back here at the end of my trip, I feel like 5 days was no way long enough for this city. Like Shortman said, that is one city I could see myself living and working in, like Cape Town it has a such a buzz and interesting feel about the place. New York, New York…. Not one disappointment at all.
Next stop Chicago, I have tickets to Jerry Springer but the train is over two hours late, will I make it? You will have to find out in the next exciting blog of my world travels.
8 Responses to “Katie & the True Players”
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Hello, my name is Sam. I\'m an adventurer, a photographer and a part time storyteller.
- Emma: Lovely photos! Lovely story!...
- Lee: Brilliant. I'm still LMAO at the stories you told me!...
- Annaliese Bounden: Lovely pictures darling....as always! Happy New Year to you...
- clalli: Wonderful story, wonderful post. Good luck and have an aweso...
- James Dee: Awesome Stuff Sam. x...
- Chris Glover: Those are fantastic photos Sam. There's no way I could have ...
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Damn…..I have to get my ass to New York!!!!!
Oi I am jolly well not an Indie Kid/Shoreditch Twat!!!!!! I just HATE all those extroverted, obnoxious, pseudo-bohemian losers!!! *;-)
Did you happen to find the real ‘Ghot’ buster HQ too?
Something you didn’t know – The security machine that blows air at you actually blows any dust off that you may have on you and sniffs you for explosives!
Anyway, hopefully when you get back we can have a nice relaxing game of Sam Smith presents Random Absinthe Pong, can’t wait!!
i’ve been playing beer pong for years sam.. the reason we don’t play it here is because the plastic cups we have are far inferior to American ones… basically ours are too small.
Is it just me that thinks Sam has found his long lost twin in the middle of the True Players photo????
I’m getting all sentimental about the place now! Sob! Tell your mate who knows about Anne Frank that I only live a few minutes away from the Anne Frank house!
Oh & by the way, the Beauty Bar was one of the places I went when I was over there! Quality!
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