Three peat

The Hawks had won a third successful grand final when I was in New York!  I remember sitting in bed in the hotel with the radio streaming over my phone, listening to the plays being called by the commentators.  The Hawks started out well and by three quarter time, it was clear they had won.  I put my phone away and went to sleep happy.  In hindsight I should have gone and found a bar in the area that was showing the game, but a win is a win.

It had become a yearly tradition for the Sydney based Hawthorn fans to gather to see and hold the premiership cups.  This was a particularly special year, as the Hawks had completed a three-peat.  I had run out of hands to hold all of the cup!

Everyone had huge beaming smiles.  How often is it you get to see your team win once, let alone three times like this?  A lot had happened since the Hawks had last won as well.  The year before, my brother and I had been in Melbourne to watch the Hawks beat the Swans, and now he didn't even live in Australia anymore.

Everyone joked around and laughed.  As people left, we all arrogantly called out "see you next year".  Such presumptuousness!

Walk in the park

My last full day in New York had arrived.  I thought it would be best to spend it with friends.  Early in the morning, I went to catch up with Rachel in Soho.  She hadn't been living in New York for all that long, so we both went to get breakfast in one of the fancy restaurants in the area.

After I said goodbye to Rachel, I headed up to Central Park to catch up with Reks.  She hadn't been living in New York for very long either, having moved there from London.  We walked through the park on this beautiful day, admiring the scenery and watching the random shows.  At one point, some of the performers tried to drag me into the middle of the performance before I made a lucky escape.  It was all part of the tried and true shake down and the person who took my place wasn't allowed to leave until he parted with $20.

Over the last few visits, I've probably only walked a small fraction of Central Park.  It is such an enormous space in the middle of New York and its presence adds to what makes this city so special.  I can't think of many cities in the world which have a dedicated park space the size of a small city located within its heart.  As we walked around, we saw a Jewish wedding happening and joined the small crowd of people watching the happy event.

Before I headed back to my apartment to pack, I walked over to get a Papaya King hotdog.  They're probably the best hotdogs in New York and it was kind of on my way back.

I then went back to the apartment and packed my things.  It was sad for many reasons.  Not only was the trip over, but it also meant I had to go back to work.  That alone was enough to depress me.  I decided against a cab to save some money and tried to get the subway to JFK.  Several lines were closed and so my well timed trip out to the airport became far tighter than it should have been.

As I walked to my gate inside of JFK, I saw a Shake Shack.  I wasn't hungry, but it would be the last time I would be able to get any of their burgers for a long time so I jumped at the opportunity.  One for the road wouldn't hurt!

Spring Awakening

I was down near the Meatpacking District and I needed to get back to Midtown.  I was hungry though, so I popped into a pizza joint for a quick slice.  The rain outside suddenly started to come down hard as I ate my pizza and drank my grape soda.  As I sat eating my pizza, others started to dart into the store for some refuge from the heavy downpour.  They would shake themselves off, then look at the pizza with an almost "why not" expression before buying a slice.  A New York slice seems so universal in this city, an activity that seems to be common to all.

I had bought a ticket to a show earlier that day, so once I finished eating I caught the subway back up to Broadway.  The options for entertainment in New York are so varied.  One of those options which is constantly available are the shows on Broardway.  I had been taught about the cheap ticket booth in Times Square and had bought a half priced ticket for "Spring Awakening".

My seats were fantastic, and I was only a few rows from the very front.  I sat down and waited for the show to start with almost no expectations about what I was going to see.  I didn't know this show, I didn't know the story or the background.  I was a true clean slate.  What I saw was incredible and inspiring.  The story and music in Spring Awakening are catchy and memorable, but this production was something different again.  Half of the cast was deaf and so the production was built around their dancing and movements, with other actors providing the singing as required.  It was seamlessly done and the additional actors didn't crowd or overwhelm the stage.   When the show finished, the entire theatre jumped to its feet in applause, with many people giving the sign language version of applause with their hands outstretched into the air and waving.

I walked back into the evening air, truly awed by what I had seen.  The talent of the performers was undeniable, but the courage and dedication of the deaf performers was as inspiring as anything I had seen for a long time.  Walking around outside, the noise and lights of Times Square seemed even bigger than normal.

It was getting late now, so I got the subway to head back up to Spanish Harlem.  When I got out of the station, I walked past the taqueria near the apartment.  It was still open, so I immediately went inside for a quick taco snack before bed.

Food and a show, it's an easy way to enjoy New York.

Whitney and Mona

My time in New York was nearly over, but I still had enough time to complete some final cultural visits.

I went over to the Whitney to have a look around.  I hadn't had a chance to visit the last time I was in New York, so I was excited to see what it had on offer.  Besides having an incredible building, it has some pretty weird and wonderful exhibits on display.

For a New York gallery, it has a huge space, but there didn't seem to be any particular theme which drove what they were trying to show.  It must be difficult for many of these galleries to get the right balance between the older (but more famous) pieces that everyone wants to see and some of the newer (but clearly less popular) pieces that no one has heard of.

There were a few pieces in the Whitney by Jasper Johns which I really liked.  His work with the American flags in particular caught my attention.  Besides the obvious fact that they were American flags, the texture and the style embodied true "Americana" for me.  It looked like something which had been created in the sweeping plains in the country's West.  Something which had been made from weathered scrap wood on someone's ranch.

After walking around the Whitney all morning, I walked across town to visit MoMA.  I remembered my visit to MoMA from my last visit and I had fond memories.

MoMA is in such a huge space, it means that it's able to maintain a truly enormous permanent collection of works, whilst still giving lots of attention to some different temporary exhibitions.  The Andy Warhols were all still on display, their bright colours grabbing at the attention of everyone who walked past.

The Piet Mondrian section was still there.  I still remembered when I was first properly introduced to his works back at the Tate Modern all those years ago.  I loved his work then, and I still love it now.

One of the loveliest pieces in the entire museum is a small work by Dan Flavin called "Roses".  It's quite a small work, but it literally glows.  Dan Flavin was another artist that I grew to admire when I first walked through the Tate Modern when I was younger.  "Roses" is such a different piece to his other works.  Flavin often created huge works, large scale pieces which used the light to create structures and images that took up an entire space.  It was often close to being installation art, such was its size and also because of its ability to dominate a room.  This lovely little work though, it was different.  It was a small little sculpture, shaped like flowers inside of a lightbulb, which let out only the faintest of light which brought out the colour of the flower.  It was a subtle, but beautiful work of art.

The space of MoMA is also exceptional.  From the outside, it seems fairly non-descript with its imposing and clean facade.  Inside it is a towering building, with huge rooms and vast open atriums.  There is even a small garden, hidden away from the busy streets where you can sit and contemplate the world.

New York's cultural side is really something to behold.  It is such an amazing concentration of different ideas and values.  I'm really not sure there's anything like it anywhere in the world.

Big city

This city is incredible.  It really is one of my (if not my actual) favourite places in the world.  I love just walking around and looking at the views, stopping by the random shops everywhere and soaking in the atmosphere of all the different neighbourhoods.

I caught the subway across to Brooklyn Bridge Park so that I could look at the skyline.

I sat in the park and I looked across the water and admired the beautiful view.  The size of the imposing Manhattan skyline doesn't make me feel small or insignificant as you might expect.  It has the opposite effect on me.  It makes me feel invigorated.  I look at it and I think about all that is possible, about all the heights that people can reach if they are working together in unison.  It is a scene that demonstrates what adversity can be overcome when we strive for something great.  For me, it is one of the most inspiring views in the world.

After walking around the park, I went and bought a shake at Shake Shack (always chocolate with some malt added) and walked back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge.  I felt I had been overindulging of late, so the walk did me good.  It was a scenic walk and there were dozens of other people who had the same idea.  The weather was exceptionally good, so I couldn't really blame them.

The walk across this famous bridge is a great way to see the city, and the walk across the water comes with a strong breeze which helps to clear the lungs.  It takes you out of the density of the city and into the natural surrounds.  It also gives the truly wonderful experience of seeing Manhattan slowly growing before you as you get closer and closer.  As you're about halfway across you feel completely enclosed by the web of cables that cover the bridge.

On the other side of the bridge, I kept on walking until I reached Russ & Daughters.  New York's old Jewish eateries are spit into delis and appetizers.  Traditionally, the delis deal with all of the meats like the pastramis and salamis, whereas the appetizers deal with the various fish like sturgeon and salmon.  Sadly for New York, it seems like the continued gentrification of the city is pushing more and more of these great places out to the wayside.  Thankfully Russ & Daughters remains and it still does a great bagel with lox.

I didn't have anything to do that day, so I just took advantage of the good weather to walk around.  I walked up towards midtown and looked at the elegant art deco forms of the Chrysler Building.  There's no climbing to the top of this building, and you don't really get much out of visiting it.  Instead, it is there to be looked at from a distance, to be admired from a far.

As it started to get dark, I walked over to One World Trade Centre.  I had booked a time to go to the very top, so I needed to get in line to make my way up to the top.  Before heading up, I stood at the bottom of the building and looked straight up.  This is now the tallest building in New York, a reminder of the loss of the old towers which used to stand in this space.

From the viewing floors near the top, you get an incredible view of the whole of New York.  I've always enjoyed going to the top of the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, but this may now take the crown of the best viewing platform in New York.  It's location downtown along with its height means that you can see far off into the distance all the way to Midtown.

I loved standing at the windows and looking out at the city.  Even from up here, it was such a hive of of constant activity.

The New

I'm glad I went to Montreal.  It was a nice change from the United States.  It's such a close flight, I'm surprised there aren't more Americans visiting for a holiday.  Maybe that old cliche about Americans never leaving America is sadly more true than we realise.

I was back in New York now.  I had a few more days before I would be heading back home so I wanted to embrace as much of this great city as possible.  I got myself an airbnb up in Spanish Harlem which was now firmly in the grips of gentrification.  I had been traveling for a while, so I had some chores that I needed to do first, in particular laundry.  I walked downstairs and found the closest laundromat.  Hanging around in a laundromat felt like something out of a sitcom.  The low hum of the machines and the occasional sounds of Spanish conversations continued on as I sat there patiently waiting for my clothes to wash and dry.

Once all my chores were done, I set out for the New Museum in Nolita.  I had tried to visit the last time I was in New York, but it had sadly been closed.  New York is filled with galleries and museums, but the "New" would definitely be considered one of the "big" galleries of the city, even if slightly below the likes of Mona, the Guggenheim and the Whitney.  I went in and found it almost deserted.

There was a strange mixture of art and displays throughout the gallery.  There wasn't a particularly theme to anything and each floor seemed dedicated to its own particular show or category.  I wasn't quite sure if there was a permanent display, possibly this was what was there on the top floor, with all the other floors instead seeming to be dedicated to temporary exhibits.

Nothing really grabbed me.  The displays were interesting enough, but nothing was memorable.  What I actually found to be far more eye catching was the interiors of the building itself.

There was a sparseness to the design of the building, with huge amounts of polished concrete, white and light being used to accentuate the clean designs.

I walked around for a bit before I walked towards the cobbled streets of Soho.  The contrast between the New and the old world charm of Soho was as dramatic as it comes.

Le Marche

Breakfast in Montreal had to involve bagels.  I still remembered them from the last time I visited Connie in Quebec.  They're thinner and a bit chewier than their New York cousins, but still delicious.

Walking through the city had been nice, but we thought it would be more interesting to go out and have a look at some of the parks and local forests.  I had seen a lot of built up cities over the last few days, so this suited me.  The parks and forests were calm and peaceful places.  They were also enormous.  I really was loving the forests of North America.  The long drive through the US and the wanderings through Quebec were so peaceful.  The forests and the bush of Australia felt so much rougher in comparison..

The city side of Montreal was nice, but the natural side of the place seemed to be much nicer.  The forests of North America have a size and density to them that I'm not used to.  There are big forests in Australia, but they don't seem to be as verdant and dense as these North American forests.  The parklands were also lovely places to walk around, and were very well maintained.

Lots of people were taking the opportunity to walk around the parks and all the food they brought with them was clearly helping to keep the local squirrel population fed.  I found a few new squirrel friends and their fatness was astounding.

We walked up to the top of one of the parks and we were able to see the full skyline of Montreal.  As expected, there was nothing particularly memorable about the city itself.  There was no building or landmark which stood out and it just looked like a fairly standard city.  The abundance of greenery was probably the one thing I took away from looking out towards the horizon.

The city seemed quite liberal, or at the very least lax, in the open flaunting of the law I saw.  On the outskirts of one of the parks we were walking around, we saw a couple of guys going through their drug dealing transaction.  This in and of itself is not anything necessarily out of the ordinary, and it happens in cities around the world.  What surprised me was when the dealer pulled out his precision digital scale and started to weigh out the drugs on one of the benches.  Later on, we walked back towards the city.  As much as felt outside of Canada at times, I was definitely in Canada.  There were constant reminders of that fact!

Everything around me had the Canadian flavour and style to it.  Yet at the same time, I couldn't shake the feeling of not really being in North America.  The United States was only an hour or so away by plane, but it could have as easily been an ocean apart from me.  We went to one of the big markets in Montreal and browsed through the abundant local produce on offer.  It felt like I was in one of the local markets on the outskirts of Paris.  With the French being spoken around me and the neatly organised tables, it did not in anyway feel like a market in North America.  I looked at the tins of maple syrup to remind myself of the reality of the situation, before buying a couple of boxes to take home as gifts.

I was reminded of the last time I had visited the US and the lack of vegetables I had eaten during that trip.  The side trip up to Ottawa had given me lots of fresh produce to eat and I couldn't help but think that this trip to Montreal had offered me the same.

As I stood outside of the market looking at the enormous pumpkins, I still felt a bit confused.  Montreal was an interesting city to visit, but it seemed to be the coming together or so many different cultures.  The Canadian, the French, the Quebecois, the American?  The French and Quebecois cultures were definitely what was desired the most, but the strength of the Canadian and American influence was also clearly growing.

Maybe it wasn't right to think about this from a Quebecois and Canadian perspective?  Maybe this was just another part of Canada that wasn't being properly brought out for the rest of Canada.

Quebecois

The New York wedding was over and everyone was starting their respective journeys back home.  I still had a bit more time though.  Since I was up this side of the world, I decided I would go and visit my friends Christina and Eric in Montreal.  The flight was short and I had always wanted to go to Montreal.  My last trip to Canada had been to Ottawa, so I wanted to see something a bit different.  The Quebecois side of Canada would definitely be a change.  On arrival in Montreal, I was immediately confronted by a Tim Horton's and reminded that even though I was seeking out a change, there were some things which would remain very much the same.

There was something very hipster about Montreal.  There was a love for old things and an old look.  Much of the city reminded me of life in the 90s, and this was made strikingly clear to me when I walked past a video rental store.  Here in Montreal, this lone outpost for past technology stood resolute against the onslaught of time and progress.  Even the people seemed to take a bit more of an old fashioned to how they dressed, with lots of dark colours and baggier clothes.  At times, I felt as though everyone was inspired by a Nirvana but when I saw a girl walking past me in a tartan skirt, knee length socks and a rock and roll t shirt, I realised that Nirvana probably didn't go far enough.  This was all just part of the Montreal look.

The weather in Montreal can get exceedingly cold, but it was still nice autumn weather for me.  One of my old bosses had lived in Montreal for years and he described to me how much of the city was designed so that it could operate "underground", with series of tunnels and underground malls interconnecting to allow for people to move about without ever being exposed to the cold winter winds.  Walking through some of these tunnels and looking at the maps, I was surprised at the sheer extent of them and how seemed quite organic.  There was no central theme or design, but it was instead very much different plans and designs that happened to then connect together.

The outside was a bit different.  The city had a much more classic look than I expected.  It felt a bit like a smaller version of Manhattan without any of the newer elements to Manhattan.  Whilst it was quite similar visually, it was definitely much quieter than New York.

One strange thing about Montreal was there really wasn't anything that stood out for me.  There didn't seem to be an iconic building or street which could be used to advertise it to the world.  Instead, it was just a whole series of relatively tasteful buildings, all arranged in a grid pattern for easy access and walking.

It didn't mean that there weren't lovely parts of the city.  At one point, Eric and Christina took me to this innocuous looking pub.  At the back, it had a courtyard surrounded by the high walls of the adjacent buildings, covered high with lush ivy.  It was a beautiful place to sit for a drink.

The rest of the city was all nice, but again, not all that memorable.  I liked the vibe and the atmosphere of the city, but there really was a greyness to everything that seemed to make it hard to distinguish the buildings.

We had been walking all day, so we left the city centre and went to get some dinner.  Eric thought that the best place to go would be an old Montreal institution called "Le Banquise".  This restaurant was open 24h a day and specialised in all things poutine.  We ordered some strange beers (I got an apricot beer which was quite good) and then we started looking through the poutine menu.  I love poutine, but I was only used to the simple form of chips with curds and gravy.  Here at Le Banquise, they upped the stakes further and also included various different topping options.  Given we were in Montreal, I thought that adding the Montreal smoked meat option seemed to be the best approach.  The plates arrived overflowing with chips, curds and meat.  It didn't look like all that much, but it was delicious.  Eric and I quickly finished our plates and then we moved onto cleaning up Christina's plate.  I contemplated ordering another plate, but then thought the better of it.

The weather was very chilly in the evening.  We started to walk back to their apartment.  In the night, the city looked much nicer.  The old style of the buildings seemed to suit the evening lights.  As we walked down the old streets in the suburbs, they pointed out to me the peculiarities of the split levels and the staircases leading from the outside up to the top floors and the metal frames made for scraping snow off of shoes.  Everything felt very cosy and I thought that maybe this was a city that would be best enjoyed in winter.

Greek wedding

I woke up with a bit bleary eyed.  Dinner the night before at the Greek restaurant had been fun, but we had all overindulged.  I was still sharing the twin room with Reh and he was snoring in his bed.  He was in a far worse state than I was so I left him to keep sleeping off the booze.  I had a shower, got changed and walked out into the fresh morning air of the city.  I was hungry and I needed something to stop the hangover.  I looked at my phone and found the closest diner to where I was staying.

I pushed open the metal door of the diner and walked straight in.  There was no one to greet me and instead I made my way towards the counter stools.  Sitting at the counter, there was a constant buzz of activity both in front and behind me.  The waitress in front of me handed the menu to me without a word but with a smile.  I looked through the list of options and settled quickly on the corned beef hash.  To wash it all down, I had a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee.  The entire spread of food and drink is nothing if not comforting.  It's food that's made for cold weather and hard physical work.  It's certainly not the type of food you would want to be eating all the time if you were working in a sedentary office job.

After breakfast, I went back to the hotel and changed into my suit.  Reh had now woken up and was also getting ready.  It was time for the main reason that we had all gathered in New York, Kosta's wedding!  A whole bunch of us had traveled in from various parts of the world to attend this wedding.  In the early afternoon, we all gathered in the Greek church in Queens and watch our good friend get married.

The ceremony was lovely and full of all the traditions of an Orthodox Christian wedding.  Like the weddings I had been to in the past, I loved to see the pageantry and traditions which unfolded before us.  One of the final acts that occurs between the couple at an Orthodox wedding is the placing of gold crowns on the heads of the groom and bride, which the priest then symbolically switches back and forth between their heads.  It's a nice act and for me it creates a link not just between the couple, but also through to the past and their history.

Once the wedding was over, we were all bused over to the reception in Westchester.  I have never seen so much food in my life.  There was a buffet which had been prepared just for the cocktail hour before the formal reception actually began.  By the time the reception began, most people were far more interested in the party than the food being served.  The band kicked off and in traditional Greek fashion, money was thrown to encourage the band to play harder and louder.

The party kept going deep into the night.  The floor was covered in money and once things started to finally wind down, brooms were brought out to sweep the money into boxes for the band.  Most of us were bleary eyed as we began our treks back to the city.