After our 2 day drive along the coast, we arrived in Los Angeles, though we didn't really see much of the main part of the city itself as we stayed in the Hollywood Area. Personally not expecting much from this part of the trip, I was pleasantly surprised. The city itself was more or less everything I was expecting it to be, a bit of a generic concrete jungle, but it was the people here that made the place. Among the more pretentious crowd who seemed to make a point of trying to ignore your very existence was a network of up and comers and wannabes: a group of dreamers whos friendliness to everybody they met was both beneficial for themselves and the atmosphere of the place we were staying. Along with these people were those with the "regular" jobs: the cabbies, the hotel staff. Individuals in particular so friendly and so helpful. It is clear that there are many reasons that these people might be like this, but as an outsider looking in, it felt refreshing and friendly. Despite my reservations about the city itself, at no point did I feel out of place and I was always comfortable here.
We didn't get up to much on our first day here other than checking out the area of the Sunset Blvd that we were staying. Don't let the dreamy name fool you by the way. This is a busy, noisy 6 lane road that is a far cry from the idyllic nature its name suggests.
Day 2, we took a walk into main Hollywood where we found the Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theatre which is used for a lot of movie premieres and took a tour of the Kodak Theatre, home to the Academy Awards. This tour was enlightening and the host was extremely charismatic and entertaining, though admittedly, having never sat through an Oscars ceremony and with only a passing interest in celebrity and movie awards, this was definitely part of the trip that was more in tune with Leigh's interests rather than my own.
Day 3 saw us take the VIP Experience at Universal Studios Hollywood. No trip to LA is complete without a visit to Universal Studios and the VIP Experience, though expensive, was really incredible. I appreciate Leigh has already talked a little about this, but it was almost as exciting for me as it was for him, though for different reasons. The set piece and effects examples were tremendous, including the flooded Mexican town and Subway earthquake, but highlights of sets from real shows and movies included the Bate's Motel from Pyscho and the 747 crash site from War of the Worlds which was incredible and haunting in equal measure. Perhaps the highlight of the whole trip was the mini tour around the street set of Desperate Housewives. I'm only joking, of course, it was certainly not the highlight, but it was awesome to see Wisteria Lane up close and personal, complete with a deer munching on the flowers in Susan's garden! I'm going to regret admitting that aren't I...
The theme park tour was pretty cool too, though I must admit, there didn't seem to be much there, perhaps there's more rides at Universal Florida? That said, the Terminator 2: 3D experience was pretty incredible. For someone so familiar with 3D graphics and modern technology, I even surprised myself by ducking out of the way at one point. For a 15 year old production, it was fantastic. The Simpsons ride is certainly worth a nod as well, making you feel like you're riding a rollercoaster despite never actually moving.
So that was pretty much our LA experience done and dusted. We went out for drinks pretty much every night, meeting the random up and comers to the movie industry as well as visitors from outside the city and spent our last day waiting for the clock to tick over before heading to the airport. It's always the sad bit of the holiday, but after a painless flight back and journey up the M40, I'm really looking forward to my own bed! That is, of course, after I've got all my washing sorted, bugger!
I'm sure Leigh will probably want to add a little more to this: LA was very much his playground and his dream so it's perhaps a little unfair for me to write so much about our time there, but I felt it needed doing while it was still fresh in my mind. You'll see more of it in his video shorts too I'm sure!
For now, I'm going to leave the blog. I'd like to do one last passing conclusion of the trip as a whole, but the tiredness from our two-day travel is beginning to set in and I'm in work tomorrow, so I need to get my head down! That's it for now!
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Driving Down The 101
Well, mostly California State Route 1 actually, but we hit the 101 on a few occasions. So, after our last night in San Fransisco, we went to pick up hire car and after a brief panic of not being able to find the damn thing, we set of on our trip down the Pacific Highway towards Los Angeles.
This was the first time I'd driven abroad, so getting used to driving on the other side of the road from the other side of the car was a bit strange at first, but I quickly got used to it and we were rocking around the streets of Frisco on our way out the city.
The car was a Chrysler Sebring Convertible, as Leigh already pointed out. Now we paid pretty much double the price of the other cars for the benefit of getting a convertible. It still wasn't ridiculously priced (the most expensive bit was the $25 a day surcharge they added for me being under 25), but in retrospect, I wished we'd have used the money we'd spent on a different, non-convertible, better-powered car. The Sebring was laughably underpowered. It made a lot of noise under heavy acceleration, but offered very little in the way of transferring that to actual movement. To make matter worse, it handled the road like... well, most American cars, I imagine. Along the highly tight, cambered cliff-top curves of the coastal road, driving the Sebring felt like trying to throw an Ikea furniture set down a bowling alley. To rub salt into the wound, most of the time, the weather wasn't even good enough to drop the top down. It was dry and fairly warm, sure, but it was hardly the sunny Californian paradise I was expecting, so the convertible aspect of the car was a bit pointless.
But that road. That road was simply incredible and it really didn't matter what car I was driving. It had everything; typically long, straight roads that stretched out to the horizon with beatiful sweeping vistas on either side; roads through stereotypical American towns and villages; the tight curving cliff-top sections between Monterey and Cambria; the Outrun-style high wooded stretches with wood cabins lining the road. It simply was the most incredible stretch of road I've ever driven and comes highly recommended. It almost makes a trip to California worth it in itself, though I believe Leigh's brown trousers may disagree! The only thing I'd advise is to get a car with a bit more punch. Even in something relatively day to day like a Golf GTi, this road would have been an even more amazing experience.
We had a few stops along the way, including Santa Cruz, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Santa Barbara and Malibu, also passing through Monterey and the Big Sur. We stopped at a stunning cliff-top location called Ragged Point, which was by no means cheap, but an excellent location and really well furnished and tranquil with beautiful sea-views. Their restaurant also served some of the best food we had all holiday. We didn't really have much of a choice to stay here as we were losing the light on the first night of the drive and I didn't too much fancy driving the road in the dark as the fog was beginning to settle.
After Malibu on the second day, we finished our drive into Los Angeles towards our hotel in West Holywood for the final part of the holiday.
The Final Countdown
So I'm sat here back at my desk in sunny Coventry (no, really!). I have a hot mug of tea to my right and the washing is in the machine. As Leigh said, it's time to be drawing a line under the amazing holiday we've just been on, but I've realised that actually we've talked very little about the latter part of the holiday from San Francisco onwards.
In the interests of keeping the blog filled with as much information as possible and as a point of reflection, I thought it important to run down the things we got up to while they're still relatively fresh in my mind.
The second day in San Francisco began with a cruise out into San Francisco Bay towards Alcatraz Island. If Saturday could be summised as a day of William Shatner quotes, then Sunday was the turn of Sean Connery. We were indeed visiting The Rock.
This was both fascinating and eerie in equal measure. Neither of us had really appreciated the history of the place from it's beginnings as an Army fortification during the Civil War through to the Native American Indian invasion in the 20th Century as a protest to being forced off their land. It was, of course, the island's history as a state penetentiary that brings it the most fame however - home to the some of the worst of the worst criminals in US history including The Birdman and Al Capone. Perhaps the strange thing about wandering about the prison as part of the audio tour was the feeling that this history really wasn't that long ago, a point made more prevelant by the placing of photographs in areas where the criminals stood, almost side by side by your position as a visitor to the island.
Later that day, we made a trip to the famous shopping district of Union Square via our first of two tram rides. Incidentally, the Americans call these "trolleys" which caused much confusion later in the holiday when I spoke to somebody who said she'd enjoyed riding trolleys round San Francisco. My instinctive thought was "bloody chavs get everywhere".
Union Square and the areas around it were incredibly impressive, home to one of the best shopping areas I've ever seen. Roll over Oxford Street, you're not a patch on San Francisco. Perhaps what made me laugh the most was that, despite the size of the buildings, the class of shops and the friendliness of the people, I couldn't help but feel like the whole of this area reminded me of Birmingham City Centre. Strange, I know, but oddly true.
On the way back to Fisherman's Wharf, we decided to dip out on having a look round Chinatown as we were both knackered, instead choosing the fine dining tastes of the local Hooters. After this, we descended upon a local bar, got really quite drunk, had a moment of scary realisation that we'd spent hours in a gay bar, only to realise that it wasn't a gay bar, it was just a bar in San Francisco. We then finished the night with a fantastic karaoke rendition of Wonderwall by Oasis to an indifferent Californian crowd. Brilliant.
Suffice to say, the next day my head was stinging and I really wasn't in the best of moods to be making the planned cycle trip across the Golden Gate Bridge. So we got the bus to the San Francisco end of the bridge instead and decided to walk it. Word of warning: It's bigger and longer than it looks. Much bigger. It doesn't help when you spend the latter part of the walk aiming for the coffee shop on the other side, only to realise that it's just a toilet block when you get there and have the realisation that you've got to walk all the way back before you can get a drink. Serious missed opportunity here in the ice cream department too.
Anyway, despite almost crippling ourselves walking across and up the hill on the other side to get the fantastic vantage point offered at the top, we headed back to town. It's also worth pointing out that we had some great food during our time in San Francisco, oh and we both got refused service for alcohol by a bar on the pier! Ridiculous!
So a brief summary of San Francisco, from me at least as I know Leigh's opinions are slightly different. Incredible city, really distinct, generally really friendly people, lots to do, awesome shopping district, excellent coastal/bay location and a place to really get your creative juices flowing. It's no wonder that it draws so many visitors each year. After New York, I didn't expect to be impressed by a city again, but San Francisco proved me wrong!
In the interests of keeping the blog filled with as much information as possible and as a point of reflection, I thought it important to run down the things we got up to while they're still relatively fresh in my mind.
The second day in San Francisco began with a cruise out into San Francisco Bay towards Alcatraz Island. If Saturday could be summised as a day of William Shatner quotes, then Sunday was the turn of Sean Connery. We were indeed visiting The Rock.
This was both fascinating and eerie in equal measure. Neither of us had really appreciated the history of the place from it's beginnings as an Army fortification during the Civil War through to the Native American Indian invasion in the 20th Century as a protest to being forced off their land. It was, of course, the island's history as a state penetentiary that brings it the most fame however - home to the some of the worst of the worst criminals in US history including The Birdman and Al Capone. Perhaps the strange thing about wandering about the prison as part of the audio tour was the feeling that this history really wasn't that long ago, a point made more prevelant by the placing of photographs in areas where the criminals stood, almost side by side by your position as a visitor to the island.
Later that day, we made a trip to the famous shopping district of Union Square via our first of two tram rides. Incidentally, the Americans call these "trolleys" which caused much confusion later in the holiday when I spoke to somebody who said she'd enjoyed riding trolleys round San Francisco. My instinctive thought was "bloody chavs get everywhere".
Union Square and the areas around it were incredibly impressive, home to one of the best shopping areas I've ever seen. Roll over Oxford Street, you're not a patch on San Francisco. Perhaps what made me laugh the most was that, despite the size of the buildings, the class of shops and the friendliness of the people, I couldn't help but feel like the whole of this area reminded me of Birmingham City Centre. Strange, I know, but oddly true.
On the way back to Fisherman's Wharf, we decided to dip out on having a look round Chinatown as we were both knackered, instead choosing the fine dining tastes of the local Hooters. After this, we descended upon a local bar, got really quite drunk, had a moment of scary realisation that we'd spent hours in a gay bar, only to realise that it wasn't a gay bar, it was just a bar in San Francisco. We then finished the night with a fantastic karaoke rendition of Wonderwall by Oasis to an indifferent Californian crowd. Brilliant.
Suffice to say, the next day my head was stinging and I really wasn't in the best of moods to be making the planned cycle trip across the Golden Gate Bridge. So we got the bus to the San Francisco end of the bridge instead and decided to walk it. Word of warning: It's bigger and longer than it looks. Much bigger. It doesn't help when you spend the latter part of the walk aiming for the coffee shop on the other side, only to realise that it's just a toilet block when you get there and have the realisation that you've got to walk all the way back before you can get a drink. Serious missed opportunity here in the ice cream department too.
Anyway, despite almost crippling ourselves walking across and up the hill on the other side to get the fantastic vantage point offered at the top, we headed back to town. It's also worth pointing out that we had some great food during our time in San Francisco, oh and we both got refused service for alcohol by a bar on the pier! Ridiculous!
So a brief summary of San Francisco, from me at least as I know Leigh's opinions are slightly different. Incredible city, really distinct, generally really friendly people, lots to do, awesome shopping district, excellent coastal/bay location and a place to really get your creative juices flowing. It's no wonder that it draws so many visitors each year. After New York, I didn't expect to be impressed by a city again, but San Francisco proved me wrong!
Saturday, 13 June 2009
oh and just one more thing?
So this is it, the last of the blogs from the continent of these united states.
To say that this experience has been a good one would be a total understatement. this experience has been amazing. for those that don't know, the whole point of this excercise, as i guess with anyone who travels, was to broaden our minds, help re-invigorate our creative juices, I can now safely say that its done that.
Yesterday we visited Universal studios and yes the rides we're very entertaining, but more to the point we got to travel around the studio lot itself. It was interesting to see that even a hollywood studio, although on a bigger scale, looks on the inside exactly like my old university, sometimes it easy to see only the glitz and glamour of hollywood and forget that behind the scenes there are people working seventeen hour day just to get the props correct, or the set built, dresses fitted, wood cut and faces painted.
What i saw on our tour of the studios will last with me forever, and has pushed me even further to be back here making movies with the best....
On a side note, we saw Jamie Fox heehee.
So the farewell to the states begins keep an eye out for the rest of the video blogs they will be arriving shortly. Jim may say a few words but as from me this is Leigh from Hollywood signing off see you back in blighty...
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
I like driving in my car.....its not quite a jaguar......its a chrysler
So we're about to begin the next step in our trip across america, san fran was beautiful and it shall be missed. We've now got a 10 hour drive down the west coast so as you can imagine not many updates will be available.
Our destination is L.A. the home of all my heroes and villains.
Till the next update TTFN
Monday, 8 June 2009
Sunday, 7 June 2009
oceans one
Yes yes so I took in Vegas to its fullest, got hammered, spoke to gorgeous girls, got fed cranberry vodka by a stripper and it was fantastic......
Vegas shall we say is a holiday all in itself, the ibiza of america, great times are had while there but i don't think i could last a week, barely got through 48 hours!!
Oh by the way the next new york blog is on its way so keep it focused people...
Saturday, 6 June 2009
...And Vegas Can Keep It
Bit of a snappy finish to that last post so apologies for that. I've got a chance to finish what I was saying now!
So, our last night in New York was pretty awesome, as had been the rest of the trip in general. With a last lunch in Central Park the following day, we boarded the plane to Vegas. The flight was relatively eventless with the exception of a bit of turbulence and flying over the Grand Canyon which was impressive even from thousands of feet. We also met Chaise, a Bronx New Yorker who happened to be staying at the same hotel as us in Vegas, The Luxor.
Upon landing, we were initially really impressed by the city's sights and surrounding desert landscape. Checking into the hotel was something else... a far cry from our small New York hotel, The Luxor was massive, glossy and in your face. In fact, that's a pretty good description of Vegas in general.
Unfortunately, and this is where Leigh and I will differ in opinion, I have to say that I didn't like the city that much. It didn't have any of the class or sophistication I had imagined or was led to believe. I was expecting swanky casinos, classy women and amazing hotels. Instead, the place was full of tacky buildings, strip joints, hookers and people out to get as wasted as was physically possible. Not that I have anything against that of course, it was just I've seen it all before in places like Tenerife and it simply wasn't what I was expecting. Although it was nice to meet a fair few English and Scottish people while we were there, going to a city full of tourists was never a part of the America trip I thought I'd resent so much! They say that you either "get" Vegas or you don't. I think I fall firmly into the latter camp, though I have to admit, after a few drinks, everything does begin to make sense. That said, I can get wasted and have trouble finding my way home in Birmingham rather than having to travel to the middle of a desert for it. Party pooper I certainly was.
Thankfully for me, we spent most of our whole day in Vegas on a trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Travelling via minibus, propeller-driven plane and coach, this was again simply awesome and another stand-out moment of the trip. The flight was a bit rough and I was glad to not have to get back on that plane again, but the bus trip through Arizona's forest-lined roads was fantastic. Both Leigh and I wished we'd driven this part of the trip, but I can definitely find myself coming back here for a longer stay at some point in the future. The place was lush and beautiful with stereotypical rural American roads.
As for the Canyon itself... words can't come close to doing it justice. It looks enormous from the air and it's even more stunning from the ground. Looking into the chasm, it looks like a scenic Hollywood backdrop, extending forever into the horizon and deep into the abyss. I even (rather foolishly) took my life into my hands at one point by clambering down to one of the more vertical outcrops where everybody else was staying firmly behind the handrails. It just had to be done though. Standing on that rock was one of the most incredible things I've experienced, as moving as the lights of New York by night and by the time I clambered back to the relative safety of the footpath, my heart was beating out of my chest. Don't worry though Mum, I never got close enough to really put myself in danger!
Then we had the second of our two beery nights out in Vegas, meeting up with Chaise again and drinking into the early hours. That we had to get up at 5.30am didn't seem to be too much of a major issue at the time (though I have to say, Leigh was definitely way more hardcore than me as he carried on drinking and hit the slots long after I'd hit the hay).
So the flight this morning was enjoyable, probably the smoothest I've ever been on, helped of course by the fact that we were in First Class and it sounded as though Kevin Costner was our pilot. And so I sit here in sunny San Francisco. I've managed to banish the culture shock of Vegas from my memory and we've already spent half a day enjoying the beautiful hilly landscape of Frisco. We've seen some of the famous streets, nearly been run over by a tram and rather embarrasingly discussed the pros and cons of why they'd build Starfleet Academy in the city whilst listening to Lee quoting lines from Star Trek IV involving Humpback Whales. So for now, you'll excuse me if I leave this essay for a while as we've got a city to explore!
So, our last night in New York was pretty awesome, as had been the rest of the trip in general. With a last lunch in Central Park the following day, we boarded the plane to Vegas. The flight was relatively eventless with the exception of a bit of turbulence and flying over the Grand Canyon which was impressive even from thousands of feet. We also met Chaise, a Bronx New Yorker who happened to be staying at the same hotel as us in Vegas, The Luxor.
Upon landing, we were initially really impressed by the city's sights and surrounding desert landscape. Checking into the hotel was something else... a far cry from our small New York hotel, The Luxor was massive, glossy and in your face. In fact, that's a pretty good description of Vegas in general.
Unfortunately, and this is where Leigh and I will differ in opinion, I have to say that I didn't like the city that much. It didn't have any of the class or sophistication I had imagined or was led to believe. I was expecting swanky casinos, classy women and amazing hotels. Instead, the place was full of tacky buildings, strip joints, hookers and people out to get as wasted as was physically possible. Not that I have anything against that of course, it was just I've seen it all before in places like Tenerife and it simply wasn't what I was expecting. Although it was nice to meet a fair few English and Scottish people while we were there, going to a city full of tourists was never a part of the America trip I thought I'd resent so much! They say that you either "get" Vegas or you don't. I think I fall firmly into the latter camp, though I have to admit, after a few drinks, everything does begin to make sense. That said, I can get wasted and have trouble finding my way home in Birmingham rather than having to travel to the middle of a desert for it. Party pooper I certainly was.
Thankfully for me, we spent most of our whole day in Vegas on a trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Travelling via minibus, propeller-driven plane and coach, this was again simply awesome and another stand-out moment of the trip. The flight was a bit rough and I was glad to not have to get back on that plane again, but the bus trip through Arizona's forest-lined roads was fantastic. Both Leigh and I wished we'd driven this part of the trip, but I can definitely find myself coming back here for a longer stay at some point in the future. The place was lush and beautiful with stereotypical rural American roads.
As for the Canyon itself... words can't come close to doing it justice. It looks enormous from the air and it's even more stunning from the ground. Looking into the chasm, it looks like a scenic Hollywood backdrop, extending forever into the horizon and deep into the abyss. I even (rather foolishly) took my life into my hands at one point by clambering down to one of the more vertical outcrops where everybody else was staying firmly behind the handrails. It just had to be done though. Standing on that rock was one of the most incredible things I've experienced, as moving as the lights of New York by night and by the time I clambered back to the relative safety of the footpath, my heart was beating out of my chest. Don't worry though Mum, I never got close enough to really put myself in danger!
Then we had the second of our two beery nights out in Vegas, meeting up with Chaise again and drinking into the early hours. That we had to get up at 5.30am didn't seem to be too much of a major issue at the time (though I have to say, Leigh was definitely way more hardcore than me as he carried on drinking and hit the slots long after I'd hit the hay).
So the flight this morning was enjoyable, probably the smoothest I've ever been on, helped of course by the fact that we were in First Class and it sounded as though Kevin Costner was our pilot. And so I sit here in sunny San Francisco. I've managed to banish the culture shock of Vegas from my memory and we've already spent half a day enjoying the beautiful hilly landscape of Frisco. We've seen some of the famous streets, nearly been run over by a tram and rather embarrasingly discussed the pros and cons of why they'd build Starfleet Academy in the city whilst listening to Lee quoting lines from Star Trek IV involving Humpback Whales. So for now, you'll excuse me if I leave this essay for a while as we've got a city to explore!
What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas
My head hurts, I'm tired and I'm struggling to keep my eyes open. We're sat in Las Vegas airport ready to leave for San Francisco for a 9.30am flight. After 2 nights out in Vegas, this meant a painfully early start for the 6.30am check-in at the airport. Ouch. Thankfully, we've managed to swing an upgrade to first class for this flight, so at least it should be easy enough to chill out on the plane.
An update on things so far: back in New York we bid a sad farewell to the city. Our last night involved the trek to the top of the Empire State Building and I have to say, I didn't think it would be far different to the Rockefeller during the day, but by night the city was simply stunning and beautiful.
I've just heard we're checking in early at the airport, so I'll have to finish this update when we get to San Fran!
An update on things so far: back in New York we bid a sad farewell to the city. Our last night involved the trek to the top of the Empire State Building and I have to say, I didn't think it would be far different to the Rockefeller during the day, but by night the city was simply stunning and beautiful.
I've just heard we're checking in early at the airport, so I'll have to finish this update when we get to San Fran!
apologies from vegas
Hi all just a quick update while we wait to board the plane to san fran... first, apologies for the lack of updates recently, this was due to the luxor, with all of its high tech gambling machines has no bloody wi-fi internet can you adam and eve it!!!!!
Anyway, after a lengthy drinking session last night our vegas experience is complete, we will have videos coming soon with the rest of our New York experience and vegas.
Jim will be writing a blog on our vegas experience shortly but as we continue to nurse our sore heads and await our trip to frisco let it be said that vegas is certainly the biggest playground i've ever seen.
on a last note congrats to don't wait animate on a superb interview well done guys.
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
New York City Day 3
I promised myself I wouldn't spend lots of time in front of a computer while on this holiday and to try and distance myself from technology a bit, but here I am updating the blog again! We still haven't got round to uploading any photos or videos yet so apologies for that... the Internet here is really bad.
Anyway, yesterday was another awesome day in New York City. Our visit to the Statue of Liberty was humbling and the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island was quite eye-opening. Unfortunately, based on the weather forecasts for yesterday, I decided it would be a good idea to not bother wearing suncream or taking my sunglasses. They said rainy storms and when we left the hotel, it was overcast. By the time we got to Battery Park, the sun was shining and it was boiling hot. Hence why, when you see the photos and videos, I'm constantly squinting and am as red and shiny as a really red shiny lobster.
Later, we visited the site of Ground Zero which, to be honest... is little more than a big hole in the ground at the moment. However, we went to the Visitors Centre where they had a collection of witness accounts, objects recovered and some really tragic tales. It was really quite emotional and moving with perhaps the most haunting thing being that they are still recovering human remains from the dig site there.
On a more positive note, yesterday I also flagged down my first yellow cab, had my first authentic NY Starbucks (!), my first NY pizza, first ride on the NY Subway and first American Steak.
Today, we decided to take the trip to the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center... for those that don't know, this is well recommended as an alternative to the Empire State Building as it's noway near as busy, enjoys almost as good a view and the Empire State Building can be seen from the Observation Deck. The visit here was absolutely amazing, it's difficult to describe in words how incredible the view is from the top of New York City. It's also difficult to describe how hilarious it was to watch Leigh trying to film the Manhattan Skyline from 10 metres back from the edge. Admittedly, he did get a bit braver after a little while, as you'll see from the "look, I'm touching the glass, I'm touching the glass video!!"
After this, we headed to do a bit of shopping where we checked out the Manhattan Mall which had some decent clothes shops among a few other places. I finally picked up a cell phone in a Radio Shack and am now kicking myself for wasting the money doing it! It worked out at less than £20, but afterwards I realised I was barely going to use it, but once I finally get the fucking thing working (can you tell it pissed me off?) calls to home are only $20 a minute, so it should be worth it in the end.
After this, we got rained on and made it back to the hotel. Tonight's plan is the Empire State to see the city by night and then the New York Met in the morning before jumping on the plane to Vegas. Hopefully we'll be able to get some videos online by then!
Anyway, yesterday was another awesome day in New York City. Our visit to the Statue of Liberty was humbling and the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island was quite eye-opening. Unfortunately, based on the weather forecasts for yesterday, I decided it would be a good idea to not bother wearing suncream or taking my sunglasses. They said rainy storms and when we left the hotel, it was overcast. By the time we got to Battery Park, the sun was shining and it was boiling hot. Hence why, when you see the photos and videos, I'm constantly squinting and am as red and shiny as a really red shiny lobster.
Later, we visited the site of Ground Zero which, to be honest... is little more than a big hole in the ground at the moment. However, we went to the Visitors Centre where they had a collection of witness accounts, objects recovered and some really tragic tales. It was really quite emotional and moving with perhaps the most haunting thing being that they are still recovering human remains from the dig site there.
On a more positive note, yesterday I also flagged down my first yellow cab, had my first authentic NY Starbucks (!), my first NY pizza, first ride on the NY Subway and first American Steak.
Today, we decided to take the trip to the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center... for those that don't know, this is well recommended as an alternative to the Empire State Building as it's noway near as busy, enjoys almost as good a view and the Empire State Building can be seen from the Observation Deck. The visit here was absolutely amazing, it's difficult to describe in words how incredible the view is from the top of New York City. It's also difficult to describe how hilarious it was to watch Leigh trying to film the Manhattan Skyline from 10 metres back from the edge. Admittedly, he did get a bit braver after a little while, as you'll see from the "look, I'm touching the glass, I'm touching the glass video!!"
After this, we headed to do a bit of shopping where we checked out the Manhattan Mall which had some decent clothes shops among a few other places. I finally picked up a cell phone in a Radio Shack and am now kicking myself for wasting the money doing it! It worked out at less than £20, but afterwards I realised I was barely going to use it, but once I finally get the fucking thing working (can you tell it pissed me off?) calls to home are only $20 a minute, so it should be worth it in the end.
After this, we got rained on and made it back to the hotel. Tonight's plan is the Empire State to see the city by night and then the New York Met in the morning before jumping on the plane to Vegas. Hopefully we'll be able to get some videos online by then!
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Waking Up in New York
I'm sat in the hotel room after our first day in New York and as Leigh has said, this city is simply amazing. It's surreal to actually be in this place that I've seen on screen so many times and yet I feel so comfortable here. Wandering around Central Park in the sunshine yesterday and seeing Times Square by both day and night seemed like such a casual but awesome experience. The drive in to the city from the airport with the Manhattan skyline on the horizon was stunning too.
Anyway, I need to finish getting ready as we're off to see the Statue of Liberty in a little while and I finally feel like I've caught up with my sleep having barely got a wink over the previous 48 hours. We'll be uploading pictures and videos once we get to Vegas as like Leigh said, the Internet in the hotel is all sorts of crap, so I'll catch up soon!
Monday, 1 June 2009
wow
So we're here then and I can only say wow..... new york is everything and more than I had hoped for its literally amazing. So on to business, videos, they will be uploaded, but great as New York is the internet here sucks..... but trust me, it'll be worth the wait.
Anyway love to all my family next update soon.
Leigh.
Sunday, 31 May 2009
In addition...
Adding on to Mr Coopers excellent opening statement I would like to say that you will be able to follow us and view the videos on facebook also.
Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night
So here it is, the start of our trip to America. In a little over twelve hours, I'll be heading to Coventry's Pool Meadow Bus Station (you can almost smell the glamour) and jumping on the National Express bus to Heathrow Airport. There, I'll be meeting up with Leigh and checking in for the 8.30am flight to JFK Airport in New York.
After 3 nights in NY comprising visits to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State, the Rockefeller Building, Central Park, Times Square and as much else as we can cram into such a small amount of time (hopefully), we'll be flying to Vegas.
We have 2 nights in Las Vegas and should land in the city in time to hit a few Casinos that night. The next day, we get on a plane for a tour of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Taking in sights including the Hoover Dam on the way, we land and then get on a Coach to take us to a handful of the South Rim's most magnificent viewing points. This part of the trip was by no means cheap, but I hope to get my money's worth by standing on the cliff edge and having a wee into one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
(For the sake of the local authorities, please understand that this is a joke. The tour wasn't that expensive.)
After 2 nights in Vegas, we jump on the plane to San Francisco where we'll be spending 3 nights and doing the usual touristy things of visiting Alactraz, Union Square and Chinatown. I even suggested the idea of a cycle ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, but Leigh didn't seem so keen on the idea. I don't know what he's worrying about, I think he thought that might be a bit camp, but I don't really think he needs to worry about that in Frisco!
On our last day in San Francisco, we begin the part of the trip that I'm personally most looking forward to. We'll be picking up the convertible hire car and spending the next 2 days driving to LA along the coastal California State Route 1. Stopping at various points along the way, we'll be finding a motel to stay for a night at and then finishing the journey the next day.
Then we arrive at our last stop of the trip: Los Angeles (or rather West Hollywood to be more specific). Everything we're told to expect is that the place is a dump, but for Leigh this is more a chance for business and for me, I'm looking forward to all the film-related stuff including Universal Studios. After 3 nights in LA, we fly back to Heathrow from LAX to head home. (Insert sad face here).
So the plan for this blog is to keep a diary of the things we're doing while we're over there. Leigh is planning on keeping a video-diary-type thing (he will be able to explain it better, I'm sure) and we'll update it as often as we can. To be honest, the last thing I want to be doing is sitting in front of a computer updating a blog while we're over there, but if it's as easy as uploading a video, then I really don't mind using a bit of downtime to do that!
To be honest, I'm still not excited yet... I'm really looking forward to it, but somehow the whole thing doesn't feel real. I'm sure once I'm sat on the plane in Heathrow it will kick in and I'm fully expecting this to be one of the most amazing things I've ever done, but I don't have the sense of anticipation that I thought I would.
For now, I'll leave it at that as I still have a few bits and pieces to sort out before I go (ironing, yay!). I'm not a Twitter-nut, so I'm not planning on keeping you updated every time I visit the toilet, but hopefully this blog will give you a good idea of how we're getting on in the States.
After 3 nights in NY comprising visits to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State, the Rockefeller Building, Central Park, Times Square and as much else as we can cram into such a small amount of time (hopefully), we'll be flying to Vegas.
We have 2 nights in Las Vegas and should land in the city in time to hit a few Casinos that night. The next day, we get on a plane for a tour of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Taking in sights including the Hoover Dam on the way, we land and then get on a Coach to take us to a handful of the South Rim's most magnificent viewing points. This part of the trip was by no means cheap, but I hope to get my money's worth by standing on the cliff edge and having a wee into one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
(For the sake of the local authorities, please understand that this is a joke. The tour wasn't that expensive.)
After 2 nights in Vegas, we jump on the plane to San Francisco where we'll be spending 3 nights and doing the usual touristy things of visiting Alactraz, Union Square and Chinatown. I even suggested the idea of a cycle ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, but Leigh didn't seem so keen on the idea. I don't know what he's worrying about, I think he thought that might be a bit camp, but I don't really think he needs to worry about that in Frisco!
On our last day in San Francisco, we begin the part of the trip that I'm personally most looking forward to. We'll be picking up the convertible hire car and spending the next 2 days driving to LA along the coastal California State Route 1. Stopping at various points along the way, we'll be finding a motel to stay for a night at and then finishing the journey the next day.
Then we arrive at our last stop of the trip: Los Angeles (or rather West Hollywood to be more specific). Everything we're told to expect is that the place is a dump, but for Leigh this is more a chance for business and for me, I'm looking forward to all the film-related stuff including Universal Studios. After 3 nights in LA, we fly back to Heathrow from LAX to head home. (Insert sad face here).
So the plan for this blog is to keep a diary of the things we're doing while we're over there. Leigh is planning on keeping a video-diary-type thing (he will be able to explain it better, I'm sure) and we'll update it as often as we can. To be honest, the last thing I want to be doing is sitting in front of a computer updating a blog while we're over there, but if it's as easy as uploading a video, then I really don't mind using a bit of downtime to do that!
To be honest, I'm still not excited yet... I'm really looking forward to it, but somehow the whole thing doesn't feel real. I'm sure once I'm sat on the plane in Heathrow it will kick in and I'm fully expecting this to be one of the most amazing things I've ever done, but I don't have the sense of anticipation that I thought I would.
For now, I'll leave it at that as I still have a few bits and pieces to sort out before I go (ironing, yay!). I'm not a Twitter-nut, so I'm not planning on keeping you updated every time I visit the toilet, but hopefully this blog will give you a good idea of how we're getting on in the States.
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