We eventually surfaced and set off a bit later today, around 10:20 a.m. I think, embracing a more leisurely holiday rhythm. We wandered down to the subway entrance at the other end of our road to catch the uptown C train. Our destination was Columbus Circle, a bustling roundabout that sits right on the south-west corner of the magnificent Central Park. It’s quite the hub, this spot, with plenty of shops buzzing around its perimeter, including the rather swanky Time Warner Center, a colossal glass structure glinting in the morning light.
Chicken Soup & Chainsaws
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| Chainsaw sculpture |
Once we emerged from the subway, we made a beeline for one of the many food kiosks dotted around the edge of the park. Brunch was calling, and I opted for a comforting pot of chicken and noodle soup, which came with a crusty bread roll, all washed down with a large coffee. Perfect for a slightly crisp New York morning. While we ate, we couldn't help but admire the impressive skyscrapers that frame this part of the city. Many of them are these incredible edifices of glass and steel, acting like giant mirrors reflecting the older buildings around them and the blue sky above, creating a dazzling, almost futuristic cityscape.
We had a good stroll around the area for a while, just soaking it all in. Then we came across a rather unexpected bit of street theatre: a group of people expertly carving intricate ice sculptures, not with delicate chisels, but with roaring chainsaws! It was quite the spectacle – a blend of raw power and surprising artistry, and certainly not something you see every day. We stood and watched them for a good while, fascinated by the skill involved in turning a block of ice into something beautiful with such an aggressive tool.
Dino’s and Dumb Dumb
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| Old Bones |
With the ice sculptures duly admired, it was time to move on. We hopped back on the subway, heading further uptown to the American Museum of Natural History – or AMNH, as those in the know call it. Now, it wasn't the cheapest attraction, setting us back $18 each to get in, but honestly, it was worth every single cent. The place is absolutely colossal inside, a sprawling labyrinth of knowledge with something like 30 different halls to explore. You could genuinely get lost in there for days.
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| Jane & Dumb Dumb |
One of the early highlights, and clearly a massive draw, was bumping into "Dumb Dumb," the giant Easter Island head statue made famous by the Night at the Museum film. We, of course, had to have our photo taken with him. I’m pretty sure they used the grand exterior of the museum for some of the opening shots in that movie too. It was hilarious watching pretty much everyone who walked into that particular hall; "Dumb Dumb" was the first thing they saw, and almost without fail, they’d immediately start re-enacting the "You give me gum-gum!" scene. Brilliant! After a good deal more walking, admiring everything from towering dinosaur skeletons to intricate dioramas, our stomachs started to rumble. We decided to try the cafe inside the museum for some lunch and a well-earned beer. Big mistake. It’s not a place we’d be rushing back to. The food was seriously overpriced for what it was, and let’s just say it wasn’t the tastiest meal I've ever had. Still, silver linings and all that – I made very good use of their free Wi-Fi while we were there, catching up on a few bits.
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| Hayden Planetarium |
By this point, it was getting dangerously close to closing time, and we realised we hadn't even managed to cover two-thirds of the museum. It’s just that massive! We made a quick dash to have a look at the Hayden Planetarium, which is an impressive structure in itself, before conceding defeat for the day. We’d definitely have to make another trip here, either tomorrow or at least before we headed home; there was just too much amazing stuff to miss. It was becoming clear that my well-organised, meticulously planned daily schedule was, for the most part, completely out the window. We seemed to be rearranging our plans on the fly most days, but hey, that’s half the fun, isn’t it?
Time Square Squeeze
When closing time finally rolled around at the American Museum of Natural History, we somehow managed to exit the building and walk straight into what felt like the entire population of the museum simultaneously trying to cram themselves into the adjacent subway station. It was absolutely heaving – I suppose it was to be expected, with everyone being turfed out at the same time (how very dare they stop us from looking at old bones!). We squeezed onto a train heading for Times Square, blissfully unaware of what awaited us.
Now, I’ll say this for Times Square on a Saturday night: if you’re not a fan of crowds, it’s probably not top of your list of relaxing places to be. The place was utterly, overwhelmingly packed. You could barely shuffle along the pavement without having to engage in a bit of polite (and sometimes not-so-polite) barging. At some points, you just got swept along in the human current, a bit like trying to swim upstream in a river made entirely of people. I genuinely thought I’d lost Jane on a couple of occasions in the sheer crush of bodies. Our plan had been to find something to eat before heading back to the hotel, but that was proving to be a mission in itself.
All the decent-looking restaurants were, predictably, full to bursting with queues snaking out the doors. In the end, we admitted defeat on the sit-down meal front and ended up grabbing some sandwiches (and, crucially, a few tins of beer) from a corner shop. It wasn’t exactly gourmet, but it meant we could retreat to the relative sanity of our hotel room to eat.
A little later, I decided to dive back into the chaos and head out to Times Square once more. The mission? Secure some of that glorious free Wi-Fi. I had updates to share, emails to check, and absolutely no intention of handing over twenty dollars a day for the hotel’s overpriced internet.
Twenty bucks for something invisible? Daylight robbery. So, I found a spot amidst the madness, connected to the digital world, and let the city swirl around me.
