Leaving is more than just emotionally hard

If anyone ever tells you to take a shuttle to the airport instead of a taxi (or the subway for that matter), yell a loud and emphatic NO in their face. Thinking we were clever, and recognising that there was no way Timon could carry all our luggage on the subway, we booked a shuttle to JFK on the afternoon of the 24th. The blue mini-van was about $20 cheaper than a taxi and it feels a little fancier. We found someone from the landlord office, handed back our keys, signed some paperwork, dragged the bags down to the street and waited - in the rain. 20 minutes later we were snug in the back of the shuttle and on our way. Hands were clasped and tears were threatening but mostly I felt relieved that we were starting the journey. 2 and a half hours later and any relief I felt had died long ago.

Shuttles are the worst! Firstly the weather was terrible (NY was sad we were leaving) and the rain made everyone drive like bigger lunatics. Secondly there is a mad amount of construction going on over the east side so we ended up driving in circles. Thirdly some idiot didn't heed the advice to be on the curb ready and waiting so our driver went in search. When finally we left Manhattan we ended up driving to JFK via La Guardia (not the most direct route!) and then around and around the airport dropping people off at various gates in 8 terminals. Needless to say Timon and I were last.

With our anticipated 3 hour lead reduced to 30 minutes, T was pretty grouchy when it turned out we couldn't sit together. On top of that (but not unexpectedly) we were stuck with a hefty overweight baggage fee. Joy of joys. We found some seats at the gate and waited...and waited. Delayed! Someone does not want us to leave this mighty city. When we finally boarded the plane a lovely man swapped seats with me so I could sit next to Timon. The flight was unremarkable, no food was provided and we arrived in Salt Lake City an hour late, at around 1am.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night

That's it, done and dusted, dolly done-zo. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Right now it is almost impossible to reflect on the last 14 months because we're still in it up to our eyeballs. The apartment is empty and as clean as it can be, the suitcases are packed and the internet is almost severed (goodbye sweet unlimited downloads). I have the heartwrenching agony of doing things for the last time, a brutal kick in the nuts to any sentamentalist like me. I feel OK about leaving the city because I know I can always come back and it will be more of less the same (flying cars maybe?). The worst part is leaving this apartment - this tiny one-bedroom, hardwood space that was so hard to find. I try to think about the stroke-inducing climb up too many stairs or the tiny cockroach problem brought on by too many cats but none of those things can overshadow the amazing times spent within these four walls.

5J has seen its fair share of tears - tears of relief when we finally signed the lease, tears of despair when we couldn't find decent jobs, drunken tears of homesickness and heartbroken tears when we both lost members of our family. I'm sure there were some happy tears in there, I AM a big cryer.

We've had some awesome visitors to our tiny apartment - each one making the space more special. Thanks to Lucy and Lauren and Alice and Ian and Sophie and Emyo and Freyja and Simon and Andrew and Danielle and James and my parents for braving the stairs and the (at times) uncomfortable heat and bedding. I love you all for sharing New York with me and filling my house with memories. For those of you who didn't make it to 5J (Anne, Lyndal, Bradley) - it was still amazing to see you! Then there are the locals, our friends who didn't think that the Upper West Side was too far to go - Jason, Frans, Michelle, Scott, Sydney, Erica and Andy.

Hey Sophie - remember that one time we were stuck in the apartment for 3 days because of Hurricane Irene? Crazy.

So we handed in the keys and dragged our cases down the stairs for the final time. I sneakily wrote our names inside the closet, where no-one will paint over it. I gave 5J a couple more tears and closed the door on an unbelievable year of ups and downs and everything inbetween.

Friday to Friday - The Last Week

I have had this sick feeling in my stomach since we got home from Europe that our time in New York is nearly up. Really I've had it since I finished working at Greenacre but I had so many distractions in between. Freyja and Simon were booked to return to the UK on Saturday 18th Feb so we ticked off a few last things (more dumplings, an early morning film at Lincoln Square) and sent them on their way. We quickly returned to our old ways of couch-sitting, internet surfing and an unhealthy attachment to pyjamas. Apart from having one of my best friends by my side, Freyja's visit served another purpose - distracting me from the mounting list of things to do to finalise our affairs in NY. With an empty apartment those things reared up and served me a full plate of anxiety.

Number One - we have finally planned and booked our flight/accommodation for post-Salt Lake activities. We've decided (based on lack of money and masses of heavy luggage) to skip Las Vegas and fly direct from SLC to LA. For some bizarre reason the 30 minute flight from SLC to Vegas was only available in a 6 hour itinerary that sounded like no fun. We've booked a dorm room (yuk!) at The Banana Bungalow in LA which was recommended by a couple of friends.

Number Two - the cat must go back. The worst part of any foster experience is the return. Not only because Blanka had been an amazing companion but because the trek to the shelter is inhumanly long and torturous. Tuesday night - done.

Number Three - everything in our apartment must go. Luckily our Aussie pals Frans and Michelle put their hands up for the XBox, TV, AC and microwave AND they arranged for their current housemate to collect the stuff in his car (they're in Oz at the mo). That happened Tuesday night and we snuck in a few extra treats like a lamp and a TV table. We posted a flyer in the lobby advertising our couches and guitar and junk but only had one interested party who decided against any of it in the end. The sub-letters from January laid claim to the rice cooker, printer and various bedding and kitchen stuff (including the vegemite) which took a huge weight off our apartment and my shoulders. The rest was either donated to Goodwill, left under the stairs or thrown in the bin - with the exception of the unused sleds and guitar stand that went with Durell. Jason was conned into helping T carry both sofas down to the street where they were either nabbed by locals or taken by the garbage men.

The long list of other things to do includes canceling the internet, canceling the phones, canceling the bills, finishing our taxes, changing our forwarding address, cleaning, packing and saying goodbye :(

This one time I turned 29

The morning of Thursday 16th February dawned sunny and cold - just the way I like it. I was awoken by the sizzling sound of bacon frying in the pan which led to the most awesome breakfast in bed of said bacon, vegemite toast, tea and candles. The tea was spiked with salt as poor Freyja had not learned our highly sophisticated identification techniques for various condiments and seasonings (salt in little box, sugar in big box). Actually poor ME really. After breakfast I was greeted by pink balloons and presents in the lounge-room, which included a bottle of wine, candy, cheetos and an I Heart NY mug.

The first port of call for my special day was the NBC store at Rockefeller Plaza. Timon bought me a spectacular tee with Tim Riggins (Friday Night Lights) on the front. We then subway'd to 14th Street so I could have the best lunch of all time at Vanessa's Dumplings. On the train home I jokingly suggested that Timon had left my present behind (all the while stashing it in my handbag - hilarious I know). Little did I know that Freyja had indeed left her purchases tucked under the table at the dumpling shop. I ran up to the apartment to call and check while F & T went shopping for supplies.

When they got back I received the most beautiful, giant helium Ariel balloon from Timon that stayed up in our apartment until last Friday.

Next stop on the party train was Blockheads for their world famous frozen $4 margaritas. I donned my first party dress of the evening and we claimed a corner table in anticipation of further arrivals. After slyly mentioning my birthday, I was given a free mega shot of tequila complete with candle.

We worked our way through some veggie burritos and an endless supply of corn chips with salsa until people started arriving. Those who joined us (and thanks to all) were Jason & Grace, Sydney and Dan. Around 8pm we trundled over to the Ding Dong lounge and met up with Anna, Adrienne and Scott. I went back to the apartment with Frazz to change into my second outfit - the infamous catshirt/dress and towering heels. Luckily I was drunk enough to pull it off, or at least think that I was. The rest of the night was spent talking and laughing and taking photos by candlelight at Ding Dong. At one point I remember meeting a supposed ex-ballet dancer who looks like a trucker and who was adamant that he'd been to Australia before - Johannesburg, Australia. WRONG.

The night ended peacefully with mozzarella sticks and hilarious youtube clips in 5J. I only nearly fell over 3 times in those heels and felt the evening was a classy success.

Freyja and Simon's Excellent Adventure

Oh I wish that we had more money. If we did I would have certainly organised a more dignified and fancy way to transport Freyja and Simon from JFK airport to our apartment. As it were, we are broke, so subway it was. Unfortunately it took an eternity and at midnight, after a long international flight, the last thing you want to do is share a New York subway with crazies and nightcrawlers. Sorry Freyja and Simon!

I tried to make up for it with mozzarella sticks and cat cuddles which I think worked for the most part. We started Saturday with the traditional Julia walking tour of the city, starting on Broadway, taking in Columbus Circle, the bottom of Central Park, The Plaza hotel, 5th Avenue and some east side treasures. A couple of new spots have been added to the tour, including the Serendipity cafe from the film Serendipity and the view of the Queensboro Bridge from Woody Allen's film Manhattan. We lunched at the Moonstruck Diner where we take most of our guests although I'm not sure why - the food is pretty gross. It's nostalgic for being one of the first diner's Timon and I ate in during our stint living in the Pod Hotel. We then walked by Bloomingdale's and the Marilyn Monroe grate to catch a glimpse of my number 2 favourite NY landmark - the Chrysler Building. We cruised through the over-heated Grand Central Station and gazed upon the roof for 20 minutes, then ducked into the HBO store before heading home.

On Sunday night we made the trek to the Bronx after walking the High-Line and downing some coffee at Kava. Scott prepared his famous mojitos and we sat around gas-bagging in the kitchen, getting progressively drunker, louder and on my part, quite obnoxious. Freyja, Scott and I went on a 7/11 snack run and ended up with the dreaded Four Lokos which made things even worse. I chatted with some cops about the merit of Funyans and they diplomatically edged their way away from the drunk girl and out of the store. The rest of the night is a bit of a blur but luckily (or perhaps unluckily) there are a zillion photos to document my descent. I nursed a pretty heinous hangover the next day.

The next few days were spent looking at things, going places and having fun. And drinking. We perused Greenwich Village and ate at the excitingly named by disappointingly not related to the TV series "Quantum Leap Vegetarian Restaurant". We ate the BAD Burger 24 hour diner with vegetarian everything. That exhausted my research of vegetarian eateries. We drank aplenty at the Library, a dive bar in the LES that offers 2 for 1 drinks and ferried across to Staten Island to glimpse the Statue of Liberty for free. Freyja found an awesome trivia night in Brooklyn that included free hotdogs, free pretzels, free candy and free skee-ball which made for a great night. F & S went on a walking tour that couldn't have been anywhere near as good as mine and we basked in the glow of late-night Times Square.

And then comes my birthday......

Home Sweet Home

The first thing I did when we arrived home from our Euro-trip was organise for a new foster cat. I know we decided that Redford would be our last one but honestly, he was a bit of a dud and I couldn't face a whole month of cat-less-ness. We collected Cascabel from the shelter and immediately changed her name to Blanka. To be fair, there was some debate, but I let Timon have this one. She was instantly awesome and cuddly and settled into our apartment in 10 minutes. Here is a pic:

Despite the bliss of sleeping in our own bed after a month of hostel/hotel/floor beds jetlag reared her ugly head and had us up and about by 9am for a week. Even with all this extra time we did nothing at all but enjoy our apartment, watch TV and loll about in our pyjamas. With the move-out date set for Feb 24 our landlords began showing the apartment to prospective tenants. This meant that we had to be clean and ready for strangers to come through at any time between 11am and 4pm. Let me tell you - it is awkward to be sitting on the couch when people come to look through your living space, silently judging your setup and worldly possessions. Luckily the apartment was rented quickly and we only had to endure that violation twice.

At the end of that week we did another clean in preparation for the arrival of Freyja and Simon who were spending a week (and my birthday) with us. On the Friday Timon and I went out for a late lunch to Lucille's Grill, the restaurant within BB Kings Bar in Times Square. It's a very cool place and I'd been recommended the pulled pork nachos which look something like this:

After the feast we spent half an hour soaking up the atmosphere in Times Square before beginning the arduous subway trek to the airport. Life can be pretty great sometimes - awesome cat, visiting friends, pulled pork nachos and Times Square.

Euro-Vision 2012: Paris and the UK

I've long held a grudge against Paris for serving up some less than fun experiences on a previous trip. But, being the adoring girlfriend that I am, I swallowed my grudge and booked a return trip so Timon could get some French culture. We arrived in the evening and checked into the fancy hotel recommended by my parents that boasts the world's tiniest elevator (not officially). Despite my efforts to approach the city with a fresh perspective I was floored by a rather brutal headcold and spent the first day in bed. Nevertheless, I cannot deny how stunning Paris is and how totally rad the Eiffel Tower is. The area around the hotel was dotted with beautiful buildings and cute bistros and it all felt very...French. I ate french onion soup, a croque monsieur and red wine and we visited the Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge and the Louvre (from the outside - we weren't THAT keen).

After a couple of days of this we voyaged back to the airport and flew our way to London then trained to Sheffield. We arrived at 9pm and went straight to the pub (after dropping our bags off at Freyja's Simon's house). What ensued was sloppy drunkeness and a late-night binge of Gregg's pastries and pizza. I was pretty unimpressed that what I thought was friendly small talk with a stranger resulted in him insinuating I was a fatty AND THEN another dude teased me for having red hair. But I made it out alive.

The next morning we took a quick train to Chesterfield for a roast dinner at Frannie's. I can't tell you how much I've missed roast lamb and how awesome Frannie's yorkshire puddings are - you'll need to try them for yourself. Drool. Timon spent the afternoon cuddling with Marlo the cat who refused to even look at me. We trundled back to Sheffield and onto Tabitha's house for an evening of burgers, TV and baby Cally. Over the next week we went back and forth between Sheffield and London, between Simon and Tabitha's house and were shown extreme hospitality by all. There was excellent food, excellent company and the discovery of the rather weird Limmy's Show. In London we stayed in a hotel in the east, ignoring the standard tourist traps in favour of a mega Westfield mall and a birthday party Italian feast. We explored Freyja's university and dorm and drank a wealth of cider and beer. We attended a roller derby bout and manned the baked goods stall, selling cupcakes and treats to the crowd. Our trip to the airport was horrendous as we stupidly booked the overnight megabus which was packed to the brim and insanely uncomfortable. For 3 hours.

We arrived back in New York after hours and hours of traveling and approximately 2 hours of sleep (at best). Instead of being welcomed back with open arms as I'd hoped, I got stuck at customs with a woman who had no clue what my visa entailed or what a barista was who proceeded to make me cry with her total ineptitude. We spent an hour trying to get a legitimate entry and after 3 different customs agents we were finally let through. Only 1 and a half hours on the subway, a 3 minute walk and 5 flights of stairs and we were home sweet home.

Euro-vision 2012: Denmark and Berlin

For some crazy reason Timon and I decided we had enough money and were sick enough of New York to spend a month in Europe. There were a couple of really good excuses - Ida was celebrating her 30th birthday in Copenhagen and Timon's friend Tom was available for a boys trip to Amsterdam. But really, were we mad?

On the 7th Jan I saw my family off as they went on their way back to Australia. I cleaned the apartment for the impending arrival of our sub-letters (some lovely Ballarat ladies Anna and Tiffany - small world right?) and squeezed 3 weeks worth of clothes into my hand luggage. The lonely trip to the airport was made even worse by the ever frustrating subway diversions but I made it and boarded my Icelandair flight to CPH (via Reykjavik). Ida's brother Jakob collected me from the airport and we went directly to the party which was being held in the middle of the city. It was awesome to see Ida and her friends and family again and to enjoy some tasty Danish cuisine. After a good 36 hours of awakeness I crashed into bed and didn't rise until 2pm the next day. We had some cosy dinners, saw The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and had a delicious meal at Pastis with Ida's parents over the next couple of days. I even walked my way to the kindergarten where Ida works and spent an hour scaring tiny Danish children who thought I was speaking an alien language.

Unbeknown to me Ida had planned and booked a mid-week trip to Berlin which luckily coincided with the arrival of Tom and Timon. We flew out of CPH late one night and spent a few hours failing terribly at German public transport. We spent our time relaxing, drinking cheap wine, eating massive schnitzels and enjoying the winter sun. One day Ida and I ventured out to the old Olympic Stadium but missed the final tour of the day by 10 minutes. We went to the top of the TV Tower and watched the sunset, went on a tour of an aboveground bunker that's now a private art gallery and climbed to the top of the Reichstag on a miserably rainy day. We met up with Hannah and Jack (from IMAX) who were living in Berlin and went bowling and cocktail drinking.

Timon, Ida and I flew back to CPH and spent a couple of days eating frikadels and shopping for shoes. OH, I forgot to mention that I rode a bike, in the bikiest city in the world, in the rain. I hope you're impressed.

New York Mann-style Part 2

On the 1st January the fam went off and did their own thing while Timon and I planned for his departure to Amsterdam the next day. From what I've heard they visited Lady Gaga land at Bloomingdales and the Guggenheim.

I said a teary goodbye to Timon at the airport on the 2nd after a disappointingly rubbish lunch at Lansky's. Everyone else visited the General's Tomb in Riverside Park.

On the 3rd we braved Siberian winds and went to the 9/11 Memorial Site at Ground Zero. The sun was shining but the air was like ice, not to mention the freezing off-spray from the water features. The Memorial Site is beautiful and poignant but slightly tarnished by the souvenir shop that sells 9/11 hoodies. Later that afternoon we rode the Roosevelt Island cable car (you know the one like from the Spiderman movie) and took the island's 25cent bus for a tour. I tell you, it is weird and cultish on that island. Very Wickerman.

 

The next morning Lucy and I took the long journey to Brooklyn's GreenWood cemetery which boasts a history of being the second most popular tourist attraction after Niagara Falls. A long time ago that is. We rode around on a trolley tour and saw some cool old graves and tombs. Mum, Dad and Lauren went on the Harlem Gospel Choir Tour and ended up on stage singing some tunes for the congregation. Only in America. Their tour finished at BB Kings bar in Times Square where they had so much fun and good food that we went back for dinner. After a side mission to the Waldorf Astoria to check out their lobby. We ate delicious food and heard some cray soul singing from Miss Georgia Brown, a terrifyingly obese woman who could sing like a diva and who shook her tatas like there was no tomorrow.

On the 5th Lauren and Dad went to an icehockey game at Madison Square Garden while Mum, Lucy and I went to 14th Street for Vanessa's Dumplings. We cruised a few shops and met up with the others around 9.30pm for a trip to Little Italy. I'm not sure if Lauren was disappointed by the Frank Sinatra Bar (it sounded fancier than it was) but it was ladies 1/2 price drinks night and there were some drunk mafia types and we had many, many, many laughs.

We wanted to go ice skating in Central Park on the 6th...or so we thought. Once we arrived it turned out that nobody reeeeeally wanted to break their leg or look like an idiot so we ditched that idea and went to Central Park Zoo. There were some really ace penguins, a sad polar bear and some super fun performing seals. On the last night before we all left the country we went out for Lucy's Birthday Dinner. There's a little place inside the Empire Hotel (from Gossip Girl) called Ed's Chowder House (I think) and we had a spectacular seafoody dinner in celebration of the last two weeks and of Lucy getting older.

I think that's about it. Thanks to Lauren for her immaculate photo diary that helped me remember everything we did.

New York Mann-style Part 1

Being a family of highly organised, highly motivated travelers with a thirst for adventure and the unknown, we did an absolute mammoth of things in New York. I was amazed how many things we did that I'd never done before - I thought I'd exhausted the city's tourist traps. As most of the people who read this blog are actually the people who were on the trip I'll mostly summarise the events below.

Note - Lauren was the most avid photo taker so check out her facebook for the pics!

The day after arrival we went on Julia's famous city tour, taking in your typical Manhattan sites of note. We walked down Broadway from 105th to 59th taking special note of the shops I like, the supermarket I use and Lincoln Center. The girls eyed off the new Century 21 shop but I hurried them on. We reached the bottom corner of Central Park and spent some time cruising the Christmas Market at Columbus Circle. We then walked across the bottom of the park and went inside The Plaza Hotel for a squiz. We walked down Fifth Avenue for a bit and stopped for lunch in a cafe. I showed everyone Greenacre Park (from behind the massive gate) and then we walked down Lexington Ave to the Chrysler Building and Grand Central Station. We then went down to Union Square for a chill (I took Lucy to Petco to meet Redford, our most recent cat who was back in the shelter) and then walked through Chelsea to visit Timon on his last day of work at Kava.

On the 23rd we went on the UN tour with Steph and spent some time perusing the New York Public Library. We had lunch at the Moonstruck Diner (keeping in tradition) and waited until dark to go to Times Square. I loved my Dad's face as he gazed up at the craziness of it all, walking through the huge crowd with his face upturned. The girls had booked us into the revolving restaurant in the middle of Times Square for a fancy dinner so we made our way there and spent the evening eating incredible food and taking in different angles of the city. After dinner we walked to Rockefeller Plaza to check out the infamous tree and hang out with another zillion or so people.

On the 24th we revisited the Christmas Market, went shopping for food and built the gingerbread house.

The 25th was Christmas!

On the 26th we visited the Empire State Building (Lucy went shopping and Timon was too scared) which involved a good 2 hour wait but mercifully inside with groovy jazz band entertainment. We walked down to the Flatiron Building and subway'd to Greenwich Village and the High Line park for sunset.

Lucy, Lauren, Timon and I went to Avenue Q on the 27th while Mum and Dad went to the Million Dollar Quarter.

We ventured into Brooklyn on the 28th, via the Brooklyn Bridge. We randomly discovered some old mansions that Dad wanted to see and finished up at the Fashion Institute to see an exhibit of some fashionista's wardrobe. Mum and Lauren snuck off to Bloomingdales and Lucy went off with Steph for a best friends adventure.

On the 29th we suffered greatly at the hands of Mother Nature and endured an epic 2 hour wait in -degrees cold for the Statue of Liberty Island ferry. Lauren had to run off and buy extra socks, Lucy was crippled by the cold and we drank foul foodcart coffee to keep warm. The Statue was glorious though and made the whole thing worth it. Ellis Island was a complete waste of time.

The 30th saw us freezing again, this time at Yankee Stadium for the Pinstripe Bowl college football. We had great seats and the game was mostly interesting but the star was the varsity marching band. It was like in the movies but real! We had dinner that night at Freda's Caribbean which was delish.

On New Years Eve I spent half the day trying to book us into a family-style Italian restaurant. I finally had success at a place called Daniela's, right near Times Square. We were all squished on a tiny table and enjoyed plenty of wine and a great set menu (and some hilariously goofy waiters). We negotiated the crowds and found a spot on Broadway and 51st from where we could see the jumbovision screen of the NYE action. Lady Gaga performed for all of about 5 minutes but our spirits were high nonetheless. After the countdown and kisses we walked over to Johnny Utah's to ride the bull only to be turned away by the $40 cover charge! There were fireworks over Central Park and we made it home A-OK.