World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas
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Sunday 9 January 2000
Highlights: Birthday Present (LOL)
We left our terrible Hostel and killed time walking around the city. As it was my birthday Jon splashed out and got me a Burger King Meal!
We spent a while at the public library using the free internet before catching the first bus on what would be a 25 hour journey crossing another time zone as we head west.
Saturday 8 January 2000
Highlights: Art Institute of Chicago, ‘Second City’ comedy club
After our extremely long day yesterday (little sleep on the bus) we slept in to about 1 pm, which due to the time zone change felt like noon.
There isn’t a great deal to do in Chicago during the day unless Museums appeal and we had recently seen a lot of them. We did however enjoy the excellent Art Institute of Chicago. In particular they had a brilliant 17th to 19th century French collection with many Master from our European countries.
We then visited the ‘Second City‘ comedy club for their production of Chicago 4.0 and afterwards a comedy improv performance. Both were enjoyable but after the excellent New York shows we had high standards. We got back to the hostel around 2 am.
Friday 7 January 2000
Highlights: Jazz and Blues music, the view from the Sears Tower
Leaving last night from Buffalo we arrived in Chicago around 10.30 am. Today marks the half way point of the trip. We ended up staying at the Arlington House Hostel which turned out to be a real dump. It took a while to find a working hot shower (two floors above us).
Thursday 6 January 2000
Highlights: The stunning Niagara Falls.
Today we set off for the beautiful and stunning Niagara Falls. The Falls actually divides Canada and the USA which meant my first ever visit to Canada happened today!
You can see the Falls from both sides but the Canadian side offers the most magnificent views while the USA side is more side on. Nature has. Related an awesome sight and even from the top you still get sprayed with water. Seeing frozen water around the Falls was hard to comprehend, I mean the water is moving so fast how can it freeze in the stream, I guess it just gets that cold. The ice added to the beauty of the place.
It was weird walking into another country. I had to wake up the Canadian guard in order to get my passport stamped. In Australian leaving and crossing into another country is such a big deal, but not at a USA – Canadian crossing obviously.
We caught a movie, the excellent ‘Being John Mavovich’ and caught the 11.30 pm overnight bus to Chicago.
Wednesday 5 January 2000
Highlights: Free falling snow!!
The bus arrived at 7.15 am, surviving another overnight bus trip we found out we couldn’t check in to the hostel until 3 pm 😦 This gave us a chance to explore Buffalo. The major Mall bans anyone under 18 during the weekday, hard to imagine this anyway else, I guess they don’t want mallrats and are encouraging school attendance.
At 9 am we noticed people buying pizzas, quite unbelievable. We visited the local Library, not for learning but for the free internet to check emails and replies. It’s getting easier to connect with home with free internet.
We then bought $4.50 tickets to watch the ‘Green Mile’. Not a bad movie but it tries a little too much at times to play on your emotions.
We have revised our future schedule dropping Cheyenne and Salt Lake City and adding Santa Fe and probably Denver. We have also added an overnight stay in Deadwood switching from Rapid City in South Dakota.
It then snowed!!! The first time in my life I got to watch snow dropping from the sky. Something I so wanted to see on Christmas Day in New York had finally happened. In Australia you have extremely hot December and January but you watch movies with snow at the same time. I run outside like a little kid, watch snow flakes on my tongue, it was pure joy…… for about 10 minutes then I realise just how cold it has to be to snow :). Still what an experience!
Tuesday 4 January 2000
Highlights: Cambridge University, Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Early in the morning we went up to Harvard and visited the world famous Cambridge University. The University is enormous and the buildings date back into the 1720s. The whole area is alive with young people returning to their studies after the Christmas break. The newsagent had newspapers from around the world reflecting that they hosted student similarly from this regions.
We then visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History. The displays are quite extensive and very informative. Jon left the Museum early to redo parts of the Freedom Trail and take photos of what he missed yesterday. I stayed for around 4 hours and then explored down town Boston.
Saying goodbye to Boston we caught the 8.15 pm bus to Buffalo which is USA city located right next to Niagara Falls.
Monday 3 January 2000
Highlights: Boston Freedom Trail, Boston Common, State House, Granary Burial Ground, USS Constitution, NBA Game (Boston Celtics v Clevelands Cavaliers)
I had the best nights sleep in weeks, finally other guests with manners. Apparently Jon, in the mixed room, again struggled to sleep with all the noise, so much for his plans when jumping at the room 🙂
Sunday 2 January 2000
Highlights: Leaving the amazing New York City (sob)
We were moved into a private room for our last night in New York hoping for some rest from the larger comings and goings of the bunk rooms but unfortunately we were across from the TV room so that didn’t turn out as planned.
Saturday 1 January 2000
Highlights: New York Cinema, ‘Stand Up New York’ comedy
Despite no drinking the night before I still felt like I had a hangover with very little energy after a very long night and then waking in a new century 🙂 The major pain was having to change hostel rooms once again which meant having to check out and wait to check back in. As a result we visited Times Square again and watch the massive clean up job already underway.
To kill time and experience another typical New York event we paid $9.50 (expensive!) to watch ‘Galaxy Quest’ which was very funny and enjoyable. Cinemas in New York are expensive but also an event, the cinemas we visited had seats like business class on a good airline.
Later that night we attended the ‘Stand Up New York‘ comedy venue. We avoided the cover charge of $12.00 as hostel guest get in free but you still must buy two drinks (total $15). The five comedians were truly brilliant, bringing tears of laughter from Jon and me. Uncensored live New York comedy is a must for any visit. A great night out and a great start to the new century.
Friday 31 December 1999
Highlights: New Year’s Eve 1999 in Times Square!! 💥
Finally it’s New Year’s Eve 1999, the most talked about event for the last few years, the hype, the Y2K concerns, the end of world predictions and I’m here in New York City home of many famous celebrations for the new year!!
There were heaps of terrorists warnings in the days leading up to today. We kept hearing assurances that the computers will not break down and nuclear weapons activate, I guess they didn’t since I’m still here 🙂
We got up early to get down to Times Square to celebrate Australia’s New Year which is one of the first places in the world (New Zealand beat us) and occurs at 8 am NY time. Quite a few people were already in Times Square including heaps of Aussies. Watching on the big screen it looked like a lot of fun in Sydney with no apparent problems. We played up in front of the TV cameras.
(Update: a few days later it was confirmed we made the TV news back in Australia!!).
We went back to the YHA Hostel to rest up and have an early lunch. At noon we returned and got possibly the last great spot in the central area watching the temporary stage and the New Year’s Ball. Times Square was filling very fast, this wasn’t going to be a typical 500k crowd but millions for this year’s event. Our spot was around 46th Street and Broadway.
Every hour, and sometimes half hour, we counted down another country’s New Year’s Eve with dancers on the stage representing that country or region until after 12 hours of standing in the colour time came around.
For the USA / New York countdown the Mayor appeared and the countdown began at T minus 60 seconds. The countdown got louder and louder, it was impossible to think and then the explosion of sounds, light, fireworks and streamers welcomed in the new century.
It was an exciting moment to experience, very colourful and very very loud. It was estimated 2.5-3 million people were in attendance. Despite the concerns there were no problems other than the ripe off mark ups of prices (Wendy’s $1 burgers were selling for $20.95!!). There was also no alcohol with security making sure of that and no movements out so you had better had gone to the toilet earlier:)
Both Jon and me had leg problems at this point. Standing in freezing temperatures for 12 plus hours with little movement is not great for the blood circulation. We didn’t stay for the West Coast countdown instead we literary liked back to the hostel and I believe I got a preview of how I’ll be walking as a very old man, still want and AWESOME moment!!!
Nathan's Insights 