new york diary part one
I have written a lot more since completing the entry here. As it's now midmorning Wednesday and I leave New York on Friday evening there is a lot more to write. I haven't yet taken any photos so I'd like to hold off on a lot of text until I have something uploaded to break it up.
There are some slight edits and omissions in square brackets.
The other parts
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-two.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-three.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-four.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-five.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-six.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-seven.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-eight.html
10/10/10 08:27 UK time
Although it's been on [my] mind this last week and this morning [I don't intend to] get introspective on this trip. [That can wait] for a blog post after [I'm] back or later in the year.
Kind of feel like I'd like to write something about the trip so far. But since we're still en-route there isn't all that much to say.
Up early and trembling even in the shower. No time for breakfast just a teacake and as much of the orange and mango juice as I could manage while quickly checking emails etc.
Then set off. [Omitted].
Not stressed or anxious like last couple of mornings but felt sad. Decided it was all the changes this year and letting go of someone I no longer am. Planned a post where I enumerate everything that's changed in that time.
In good time for the train. Journey pretty quick. Then quite a bit of wandering about and waiting to check in and at the boarding gate.
The flight itself pretty boring if I wasn't reading [Derek] Jarman's Modern Nature. Now even richer since I'm more familiar with the films he mentions and know a little more about Dungeness.
But take-off was great. The seat's over the wing and in the aisle but to be aware of leaving the ground is pretty special.
First of all the engines kicking in and speed gathering. Then awareness of lifting off slowly. At first just visually as the world outside tilts then more profoundly in your body.
Seeing Manchester tiny below shimmering and pale in morning sun on a beautiful day as we banked over the sity was special. I tried to make out landmarks I could recognise from the air to see if I could figure out where home was but couldn't manage it.
And that's just getting partway through the journey out. I think I could get a lot from this trip.
A little later flting over clouds. Quite beautiful and not really any sense of motion. Just a slight rocking or flexing of the wing.
At least I can be sure this is something I'm not afraid of. Sometime later still adjusting position I happen to look back. Below is land and buildings. They seem less far away glittering pale and fragile like any topography or human settlement at a distance in the sun.
And now visible ahead as we seem to descend. Another beautiful day halfway across the world.
Just 25 minutes till we're on the ground according to the announcement we just had.
Pale fringes of coast and trails of boats in water an indistinguishable blue from the sky. At first I mistook the boat wakes for vapour trails.
On the ground and waiting for the bus to leave now. Coming in to land was deflating the nearer we came to the ground. Not necessarily for the reasons you might think but because after seeing the world from above I didn't want to come down. I wanted to keep flying.
The deceleration on touchdown made you aware how fast you'd been travelling.
I already want to go away again. China or Ethiopia maybe.
Possibly lucky the journey was easy. Didn't have the quick search before boarding and got straight through customs at JFK.
Unexpected but good that flying where I could see what was below has been the highlight so far.
11/10/10 Morning
First impressions? Things are noticeably older here. That sounds perverse when UK cities are full of Victorian Neo-Classical and Gothic revival buildings. But with the American vernacular [here at least] being so different and the period of expansion later there's a noticeable preponderance of late 19th century/early 20th century buildings.
In the UK a lot of the streets would have been cleared and redeveloped maybe twice in some places.
The other thing people talk about is the scale of things in the US. That's kind of true but it doesn't tell the whole picture.
The tall buildings here seem to be localised and not quite as numerous as you're led to believe. Other things - snacks, trucks, the bridges to Manhattan are obviously different from the UK scale. But mostly that isn't so alien.
The trucks again look antiquated along with the street furniture and scaffolding. That antiquated appearance of things confused me. At first I thought the streets seemed cleaner. And they do. But for a time the age of everything made it look scruffier than it was.
11/10/10 Afternoon
It's enjoyable walking around but it takes time and means crossing into and out of Manhattan on foot. As well as taking time [around 21 minutes over Manhattan Bridge] that's not doing my nerves any good. Two crossings of Manhattan Bridge like that [are] enough for me. The travel card with unlimited journeys for my stay is a great idea.
It also makes me feel less anxious and freer. I can get where I want when I want from now until I leave. My holiday's really started.
[More from the first evening and later in the trip to come - around two and half times the amount so far.]
There are some slight edits and omissions in square brackets.
The other parts
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-two.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-three.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-four.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-five.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-six.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-seven.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-eight.html
10/10/10 08:27 UK time
Although it's been on [my] mind this last week and this morning [I don't intend to] get introspective on this trip. [That can wait] for a blog post after [I'm] back or later in the year.
Kind of feel like I'd like to write something about the trip so far. But since we're still en-route there isn't all that much to say.
Up early and trembling even in the shower. No time for breakfast just a teacake and as much of the orange and mango juice as I could manage while quickly checking emails etc.
Then set off. [Omitted].
Not stressed or anxious like last couple of mornings but felt sad. Decided it was all the changes this year and letting go of someone I no longer am. Planned a post where I enumerate everything that's changed in that time.
In good time for the train. Journey pretty quick. Then quite a bit of wandering about and waiting to check in and at the boarding gate.
The flight itself pretty boring if I wasn't reading [Derek] Jarman's Modern Nature. Now even richer since I'm more familiar with the films he mentions and know a little more about Dungeness.
But take-off was great. The seat's over the wing and in the aisle but to be aware of leaving the ground is pretty special.
First of all the engines kicking in and speed gathering. Then awareness of lifting off slowly. At first just visually as the world outside tilts then more profoundly in your body.
Seeing Manchester tiny below shimmering and pale in morning sun on a beautiful day as we banked over the sity was special. I tried to make out landmarks I could recognise from the air to see if I could figure out where home was but couldn't manage it.
And that's just getting partway through the journey out. I think I could get a lot from this trip.
A little later flting over clouds. Quite beautiful and not really any sense of motion. Just a slight rocking or flexing of the wing.
At least I can be sure this is something I'm not afraid of. Sometime later still adjusting position I happen to look back. Below is land and buildings. They seem less far away glittering pale and fragile like any topography or human settlement at a distance in the sun.
And now visible ahead as we seem to descend. Another beautiful day halfway across the world.
Just 25 minutes till we're on the ground according to the announcement we just had.
Pale fringes of coast and trails of boats in water an indistinguishable blue from the sky. At first I mistook the boat wakes for vapour trails.
On the ground and waiting for the bus to leave now. Coming in to land was deflating the nearer we came to the ground. Not necessarily for the reasons you might think but because after seeing the world from above I didn't want to come down. I wanted to keep flying.
The deceleration on touchdown made you aware how fast you'd been travelling.
I already want to go away again. China or Ethiopia maybe.
Possibly lucky the journey was easy. Didn't have the quick search before boarding and got straight through customs at JFK.
Unexpected but good that flying where I could see what was below has been the highlight so far.
11/10/10 Morning
First impressions? Things are noticeably older here. That sounds perverse when UK cities are full of Victorian Neo-Classical and Gothic revival buildings. But with the American vernacular [here at least] being so different and the period of expansion later there's a noticeable preponderance of late 19th century/early 20th century buildings.
In the UK a lot of the streets would have been cleared and redeveloped maybe twice in some places.
The other thing people talk about is the scale of things in the US. That's kind of true but it doesn't tell the whole picture.
The tall buildings here seem to be localised and not quite as numerous as you're led to believe. Other things - snacks, trucks, the bridges to Manhattan are obviously different from the UK scale. But mostly that isn't so alien.
The trucks again look antiquated along with the street furniture and scaffolding. That antiquated appearance of things confused me. At first I thought the streets seemed cleaner. And they do. But for a time the age of everything made it look scruffier than it was.
11/10/10 Afternoon
It's enjoyable walking around but it takes time and means crossing into and out of Manhattan on foot. As well as taking time [around 21 minutes over Manhattan Bridge] that's not doing my nerves any good. Two crossings of Manhattan Bridge like that [are] enough for me. The travel card with unlimited journeys for my stay is a great idea.
It also makes me feel less anxious and freer. I can get where I want when I want from now until I leave. My holiday's really started.
[More from the first evening and later in the trip to come - around two and half times the amount so far.]
Comments
Everything looks slightly alien, plasticky or fake - in a good way!
Can't wait to read more!
Really sad to be heading home though. Given that staying flying forever isn't going to be an option I need to get on with residency applications and planning to get away again.
See you soon.