Ode to shopping
To alleviate my 30s crisis, I set myself interesting policy for New York trip - no budget whatsoever. Of course, the hotel I picked wasn't 5 star one (pictures to follow, once I get home), but for everyday food I've eaten everything from 2 dollar hot dog to 62 dollar lunch in a 5-star french restaurant. Most of the stuff I've shopped have been cheap (new bag for my laptop, climbing shoes, bunch of books) but it does add up.
Most annoying thing about tourism in NY nowadays is that every damn attraction has it's own security checks to deter terrorism, with various levels of strictness and efficiency. So far my laptop+camera backpack's been prodded by at least 5 security checkpoints, and at Liberty Island ferry (to the Statue of Liberty) they actually wanted to open it+check it was really a laptop+etc just like as if I was boarding a plane. sigh. Some stores also have wanted bags checked in, but luckily all except one accepted "sorry, I have camera+laptop here, are you insured for this?" question and let me keep it. The exception was a bag store, of all things, which I promptly left once they insisted on having my backpack (and considering my backpack contained, among other things, electronic keys to our corporate network, I chose not to leave it at the counter).
Food's been mostly terrible, only few good restaurants I randomly picked being the exception. In general, compared to Japan, there's too much food but unfortunately of inferior quality. The Metropolitan museum was ok, but much advertised Museum of Modern Art was a bore - I spent 20$ to get in and in the end was interested enough to stay inside for all of 90 minutes or so. Weather's been excellent, though, and I've gotten HUGE(tm) pile of pictures that I will dump this weekend (most likely) to somewhere accessible.
Internet access has sucked in general too. *sigh* Typing this from seats in theater of Spamalot musical, waiting for it to start - refreshingly enough, they had free wlan access, third one I've found so far. Of course, I paid $112 for the seat to the musical so maybe it's not exactly free.
I suppose that's it, most likely next one and more comprehensive NY report coming up weekend or early next week, once I am back in Japan and settled (for some definition of settled, of course).
Most annoying thing about tourism in NY nowadays is that every damn attraction has it's own security checks to deter terrorism, with various levels of strictness and efficiency. So far my laptop+camera backpack's been prodded by at least 5 security checkpoints, and at Liberty Island ferry (to the Statue of Liberty) they actually wanted to open it+check it was really a laptop+etc just like as if I was boarding a plane. sigh. Some stores also have wanted bags checked in, but luckily all except one accepted "sorry, I have camera+laptop here, are you insured for this?" question and let me keep it. The exception was a bag store, of all things, which I promptly left once they insisted on having my backpack (and considering my backpack contained, among other things, electronic keys to our corporate network, I chose not to leave it at the counter).
Food's been mostly terrible, only few good restaurants I randomly picked being the exception. In general, compared to Japan, there's too much food but unfortunately of inferior quality. The Metropolitan museum was ok, but much advertised Museum of Modern Art was a bore - I spent 20$ to get in and in the end was interested enough to stay inside for all of 90 minutes or so. Weather's been excellent, though, and I've gotten HUGE(tm) pile of pictures that I will dump this weekend (most likely) to somewhere accessible.
Internet access has sucked in general too. *sigh* Typing this from seats in theater of Spamalot musical, waiting for it to start - refreshingly enough, they had free wlan access, third one I've found so far. Of course, I paid $112 for the seat to the musical so maybe it's not exactly free.
I suppose that's it, most likely next one and more comprehensive NY report coming up weekend or early next week, once I am back in Japan and settled (for some definition of settled, of course).
posted by Wanderer at 02:54
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