The last few days have been a blur of work and activity. After spending each morning powering through our respective freelance work, we spent most afternoons doing fancy things in old NY.
On Friday we walked the High Line, which is an abandoned train line that was landscaped in 2009 into a scenic walk. It’s incredible. You walk above the streets, past the most amazing buildings and gardens. I had a salted caramel and apricot popsicle from People’s Pops that was extraordinary. Highly recommended. We then checked out the Amazing Bodies exhibit which was fascinating. They use real dead bodies and replace the moisture in the cadaver with silicone to preserve it. Surprisingly less gross than I thought it would be. I ate a traditional diner cheeseburger for lunch and had incredible mexican food and frozen margaritas for dinner, followed by a walk around Central Park.
On Saturday we bought a picnic from Wholefoods (our most favourite place in NY) and ate lunch in Central Park. We hired bikes and rode around the entire park, which is ENORMOUS. There’s an outdoor pool, several lakes, sporting grounds… it’s like a whole other city in there. I then went shopping in Times Square. Big mistake on a Saturday afternoon. Macy’s was out of control and Sephora was full of tourists wanting deluxe makeovers and hours worth of advice. I managed to duck in to quickly buy a few essentials, but I’ll stick to mid-week shopping from now on. I then headed to Brooklyn to have burgers and beer with an old friend. It was a delightful weekend.
More Weird Shit About the US
They call the ‘bill’ the ‘check’
And they spell it ‘check’ not ‘cheque’. I’ve asked for the ‘bill’ about ten times here and I’ve been met with utter confusion. At least twice, I swear the waiter thought I didn’t speak English.
‘Prawns’ are ‘shrimp’
And as such, I never order it because it sounds like a bad 2 minute noodle flavour, not the delicious and awesome seafood delight that it actually is.
Blinkers don’t blink
Which is why they call them ‘indicators’. When a car goes to turn a corner they put on their indicator which is a solid red light. It’s slightly jarring for me but it makes sense. The whole blinker thing in Australia is a bit panicked. I mean, really. You’re turning a corner, not sending out a signal flare.
They drive on the opposite side of the road
Obviously, but that rule also applies to pedestrian traffic. I’ve been blocking up the left lane in many major train stations, with my Aussie left leaning brain. Must remember to stick to the right.
Toilets don’t have flush buttons
They have handles. It feels very old school to flush a toilet with a handle.
The phrase ‘I’ve got the shits‘ doesn’t mean you’re angry
It means the other thing…