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Tombs, Turner And Times Square..!
Aug. 4th, 2017 10:55 pmIt’s always good to squeeze a bit of culture into these foreign sojourns and after playing amongst the mounds of snow outside in its’ extensive grounds, it was time to actually look at the Egyptian exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
The first thing that needs addressing is the sheer size of this place, there were exhibitions in this monster of a building that were bigger than entire museums in Manchester. And then there were another five or six similarly sized showcases on the same floor. Then another three floors… You get the idea, like this place was somehow hoarding everything that had ever happened and then putting it out for our eyeballs to gaze at.
It had its’ own full size tomb, shipped over from Egypt itself! I mean, this is all a bit ridiculous, isn’t it?
I have to admit, after knowing the apparently true tale that there was a cursed Mummy on the Titanic, I did walk about pondering exactly how many people died a death due to the appearance of some monarch’s bric-a-brac in this location. Probably none, but you never know…
It was a really well meated out exhibition, it was almost labyrinthine in layout, where you could actually get lost.
Unfortunately, for students of more social history, there’s only so many sarcophaguses, statues of cats and broken pots that you can look at before thinking but what of the regular folks? What did they do? How did they live? How did the Pharoah’s decisions make their lives better or decidedly worse?
That aside, eternal children that we are, we snapped up a Tutankhamun pen in the gift shop
before leaving.
Having only really lived off bagels and M & M’s during the early stages of the day, we opted to take the opportunity of going into Hard Rock Café when it wasn’t monumentally busy.
It’s weird, there were many tables but the servers must be psychic or something, sitting us down right next to where Weezer memorabilia was and adjacent to the other customised Simpsons guitar made by Slayer’s axeman. It only featured drawings of characters who appeared in the episode that they were in, a really nice touch.
As for the food, the combo starter alone was 2,500 calories, so we ordered that, couldn’t finish it and didn’t need a main course or desserts; you Americans sure can eat!
We bobbed about on Times Square, like tourists on some wave that is populated by sharks, desperately trying to take a nibble out of your dollars, whether it be ‘rap stars’ flogging their CDs, hot dog vendors or the tat shop, where we bought no end of awful gifts, like spoof odd Katy Perry fake IDs, Trump playing cards and condoms with puns on them.
Toni also got groped by the guy they call the ‘Naked Cowboy’, I’d never heard of him before, apparently his occupation involves, getting his paws all over women, making them blush to the colour of our red sofa and then getting away with it by being brash. Sounds like a swell old time!
After a bit of casual molestation, we upped the respectability by doing some actual sightseeing, running our eyes over Radio City Music Hall and St Patrick’s Cathedral (during the day.) We did see them both before, albeit starving and horribly jetlagged on the Saturday evening!
Back to the hotel for a change, as we’re oddly off to the theatre to see a folk-punk gig, Toni idly checked the internet for bands while we were here and guess who would come up but one of our favourite bands ever (Frank is in both our Last.FM’s top 20 artists! – Awesome Birthday Present #3!)
When it turned out that it was taking place in an off-Broadway theatre (which when we were arrived, had thirty foot soldier statues as part of the décor), it only meant that I wanted it more! Frank Turner, on Broadway, in New York, what’s not to love?!
Obtaining tickets was a joy, from England, we could select two seats together in the first block of seating, front right. Although the map suggested there would be a disabled person in between us, even though we had two numbered seats next to each other! As it turned out, this was a glitch with their booking system and we were sat together anyway.
As I was beginning to embrace Spotify willingly by this point, I cheerfully gave Canadian support band Arkells (8) a few spins beforehand. On record, they seemed exceedingly average but as proven by their show, I can see why Frank would rate them…
Their dedication to crowd participation (and not just by demanding circle pits or people to move) but with some good humour and sharing their tribulations getting there through the snow, it was an enjoyable half an hour. Giving Frank the best part of two hours to play.
All after reading that his ‘hardcore’ fans would boycott it due to the venue, it just seemed to open up the chance for some more of his hardcore, who were less judicious about venues to go instead!
It sounds patronising, doesn’t it? Assuming that because you’re in another country, that Americans ‘won’t get’ Frank Turner (10), they do. Just as they get the best of the sarcasm and humour in stuff like Black Books, Blackadder and any other alternative sitcom from the UK that has successfully crossed the pond to a cult following!
Being the first time we’ve caught Frank since his outstanding 1000th gig in Nottingham Rock City 2 months previously, being a fanboy, I wore the t-shirt, hoping that he’d flash it a knowing smile. A bit far away for that sadly, but I was more than happy to settle for a wonderful show, full-blooded singalongs and dancing in the aisles, the theatre probably never knew what hit it.
Particularly when mobs of sweaty headed, widely grinning New Yorkers and us poured out onto the sidewalk for a subway home.
Well, maybe not home at all, still time to squeeze in the gloriously covert bar, with the best birds-eye view of Times Square. I didn’t take a picture of it though, doh!
If you’re wondering, it’s called ‘R Lounge’, it’s the ground floor of a hotel (but a ground floor a few hundred feet up) owing to it being within a tower block complex.
Best of all, it can’t be seen from the outside, even when you’ve been in, if you look at it
from street level, the glass is truly one way only, so it looks like just another billboard, what a sensational idea and what an unparalleled view.
However, don’t be discouraged heading in, it’s a pretty humdrum looking hotel and I feared the worst when three full lifts of children went up, swiftly followed by an oddly leery stag do (they were clearly about fourteen years old, come on lads!)
The bar is spacious and not unreasonably priced and the view is remarkable, we took a potential glimpse of the future, as a small family, parents travelling to New York with their teen daughter (us in 12 years’ time, perhaps?) took our picture.
I sincerely hope that in a dozen or so years, we can come back and show just how ace this city is to the next generation of our family. Anyhoo, for now it’s nice to be able to walk and talk and take in NYC at our own pace, on our terms, on our last full day of the holiday.
The first thing that needs addressing is the sheer size of this place, there were exhibitions in this monster of a building that were bigger than entire museums in Manchester. And then there were another five or six similarly sized showcases on the same floor. Then another three floors… You get the idea, like this place was somehow hoarding everything that had ever happened and then putting it out for our eyeballs to gaze at.
It had its’ own full size tomb, shipped over from Egypt itself! I mean, this is all a bit ridiculous, isn’t it?
I have to admit, after knowing the apparently true tale that there was a cursed Mummy on the Titanic, I did walk about pondering exactly how many people died a death due to the appearance of some monarch’s bric-a-brac in this location. Probably none, but you never know…
It was a really well meated out exhibition, it was almost labyrinthine in layout, where you could actually get lost.
Unfortunately, for students of more social history, there’s only so many sarcophaguses, statues of cats and broken pots that you can look at before thinking but what of the regular folks? What did they do? How did they live? How did the Pharoah’s decisions make their lives better or decidedly worse?
That aside, eternal children that we are, we snapped up a Tutankhamun pen in the gift shop
before leaving.
Having only really lived off bagels and M & M’s during the early stages of the day, we opted to take the opportunity of going into Hard Rock Café when it wasn’t monumentally busy.
It’s weird, there were many tables but the servers must be psychic or something, sitting us down right next to where Weezer memorabilia was and adjacent to the other customised Simpsons guitar made by Slayer’s axeman. It only featured drawings of characters who appeared in the episode that they were in, a really nice touch.
As for the food, the combo starter alone was 2,500 calories, so we ordered that, couldn’t finish it and didn’t need a main course or desserts; you Americans sure can eat!
We bobbed about on Times Square, like tourists on some wave that is populated by sharks, desperately trying to take a nibble out of your dollars, whether it be ‘rap stars’ flogging their CDs, hot dog vendors or the tat shop, where we bought no end of awful gifts, like spoof odd Katy Perry fake IDs, Trump playing cards and condoms with puns on them.
Toni also got groped by the guy they call the ‘Naked Cowboy’, I’d never heard of him before, apparently his occupation involves, getting his paws all over women, making them blush to the colour of our red sofa and then getting away with it by being brash. Sounds like a swell old time!
After a bit of casual molestation, we upped the respectability by doing some actual sightseeing, running our eyes over Radio City Music Hall and St Patrick’s Cathedral (during the day.) We did see them both before, albeit starving and horribly jetlagged on the Saturday evening!
Back to the hotel for a change, as we’re oddly off to the theatre to see a folk-punk gig, Toni idly checked the internet for bands while we were here and guess who would come up but one of our favourite bands ever (Frank is in both our Last.FM’s top 20 artists! – Awesome Birthday Present #3!)
When it turned out that it was taking place in an off-Broadway theatre (which when we were arrived, had thirty foot soldier statues as part of the décor), it only meant that I wanted it more! Frank Turner, on Broadway, in New York, what’s not to love?!
Obtaining tickets was a joy, from England, we could select two seats together in the first block of seating, front right. Although the map suggested there would be a disabled person in between us, even though we had two numbered seats next to each other! As it turned out, this was a glitch with their booking system and we were sat together anyway.
As I was beginning to embrace Spotify willingly by this point, I cheerfully gave Canadian support band Arkells (8) a few spins beforehand. On record, they seemed exceedingly average but as proven by their show, I can see why Frank would rate them…
Their dedication to crowd participation (and not just by demanding circle pits or people to move) but with some good humour and sharing their tribulations getting there through the snow, it was an enjoyable half an hour. Giving Frank the best part of two hours to play.
All after reading that his ‘hardcore’ fans would boycott it due to the venue, it just seemed to open up the chance for some more of his hardcore, who were less judicious about venues to go instead!
It sounds patronising, doesn’t it? Assuming that because you’re in another country, that Americans ‘won’t get’ Frank Turner (10), they do. Just as they get the best of the sarcasm and humour in stuff like Black Books, Blackadder and any other alternative sitcom from the UK that has successfully crossed the pond to a cult following!
Being the first time we’ve caught Frank since his outstanding 1000th gig in Nottingham Rock City 2 months previously, being a fanboy, I wore the t-shirt, hoping that he’d flash it a knowing smile. A bit far away for that sadly, but I was more than happy to settle for a wonderful show, full-blooded singalongs and dancing in the aisles, the theatre probably never knew what hit it.
Particularly when mobs of sweaty headed, widely grinning New Yorkers and us poured out onto the sidewalk for a subway home.
Well, maybe not home at all, still time to squeeze in the gloriously covert bar, with the best birds-eye view of Times Square. I didn’t take a picture of it though, doh!
If you’re wondering, it’s called ‘R Lounge’, it’s the ground floor of a hotel (but a ground floor a few hundred feet up) owing to it being within a tower block complex.
Best of all, it can’t be seen from the outside, even when you’ve been in, if you look at it
from street level, the glass is truly one way only, so it looks like just another billboard, what a sensational idea and what an unparalleled view.
However, don’t be discouraged heading in, it’s a pretty humdrum looking hotel and I feared the worst when three full lifts of children went up, swiftly followed by an oddly leery stag do (they were clearly about fourteen years old, come on lads!)
The bar is spacious and not unreasonably priced and the view is remarkable, we took a potential glimpse of the future, as a small family, parents travelling to New York with their teen daughter (us in 12 years’ time, perhaps?) took our picture.
I sincerely hope that in a dozen or so years, we can come back and show just how ace this city is to the next generation of our family. Anyhoo, for now it’s nice to be able to walk and talk and take in NYC at our own pace, on our terms, on our last full day of the holiday.
