Wednesday, April 28, 2010

end of oz and ny


Our last couple of days in Australia flew by. Our day and a half in Sydney contained a lot of walking, beautiful parks, my 5th and KT's 7th viewing of Wicked, which has now been seen on 3 continents, and a view of the Sydney Opera House on a beautifully sunny day that did not disappoint. Although it felt like we had more travel days than not, we got back to Melbourne in time to see our darling Swedish friend before flying back to the States. After a 13 hour flight and a 39 hour day, we arrived in New York, ready for more adventure.

New York! Walking in the rain for three days, it is amazing that we did not get sick but we couldn't let a little precipitation stop us. Our first night KT and I walked all around the Upper East side in the POURING rain; ruining our clothes, our boots, and having one last rendezvous before meeting up with KT's friend Maggie and our Alyssa the next day. Lyss and I took a ferrry in the rain to Liberty and Ellis Islands while KT got to know downtown Manhattan. Like most cities we have visited, a large chunk of our time was spent walking in the city, Central Park, and our neighborhood. We took a stroll through Columbia's campus as if it were our own, even popping into the Pulitzer School of Journalism.

Broadway is one of the major draws of New York so naturally we spent a good amount of time at shows. A spur of the moment matinee rush brought us into Rock of Ages. We laughed through the entire show and left in an amazing mood, spending the next two days singing the numerous 80's rock songs that appeared in the show. Constantine (yes mom, from American Idol ;-)) was the lead and he was fantastic. Our last night we saw In the Heights, full of sass and latin dancing. Very different than anything I have ever seen with a great cast, music and story. Another evening was spent at Stand Up NY, a comedy club where we saw six comedians, most of whom we recognized from Comedy Central. The entertainment in this city is like nowhere else.

I am sitting at the counter, in the diner on the corner. Tom's Diner, AKA the Seinfeld diner, provided a delicious meal with Lyss and her friend Sasha. And as we are all big How I Met your Mother fans, we quested for McClaran's Pub, actual name: McGee's. Drenched and freezing, I thought about ordering tedmosbyisajerk.com (jerk chicken wrap), but went with Marshall's Mac and Jack. Delicious.

The food, friends and fun we have had in NY has been a great way to end our trip. One last adventure, easing us back into an American lifestyle. And although we were two of very few backpackers in this city, it has treated us right. A nice shower, sweatpants and my own bed are calling my name. It's time to go home.

-Kate

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