The Empire State - Big Ben

Taking my mind back to the last time I recorded in this blog seems a long time ago. Quite a lot has happened since then. Some very exciting, others not so thrilling and maybe the reason my thoughts have been elsewhere, not recording the events as they unfold on this adventure.

I went to the MET, saw the Seinfeld restaurant, took in views of the city from the observation deck of the empire state building, found a good coffee (colombe on broadway), had a sloppy Joe, ate the best pancakes in New York (Clinton St Baking Company), had a slice at a famous pizza joint (Joe's Pizza) at 4:30am, went to possibly the most exclusive nightclub in the Meat Packing District and partyed alongside the prince of Saudi Arabia and got a terrible haircut performed by an ancient Russian lady who had been in Melbourne for the '56 olympics.

I still was sad to leave as there were many other things I would have liked to do but I'm sure Ill be back.

Friday evening came along and it was time to head back over the river to Jersey for a flight over the pond to London. There was a direct bus from Time's square to the airport which I had caught when I arrived in New York in the opposite direction with no hassles so with no a worry in the world 3 hours before my flight I wandered down to the port authority station with a big touristy smile to wait for the bus... and wait for the bus... and meet a very attractive German girl who had a solid american accent.. and wait for the bus... getting a little worried now that it was 2 hours before my flight and I was still in Midtown Manhattan when I needed to be somewhere in close proximity to Newark airport. I had to keep a brave face however, if not for my sake then for the sake of Ruth (the german girl) who was hitting lifetime high anxiety levels as her flight was at the same time as mine. The bus finally came but was stuck in some serious Friday night New York traffic. With the tension building inside the bus I had to be Ruth's rock, in the back of my mind I was picturing a nice clean place to stay for ocktoberfest and some fun hang out time in Germany.

I was doing magnificently, suprisingly well infact until Ruth informed me that she was not alone on her travels and had left a man-friend in Costa Rica. With no-one's rock to be, the new york traffic only condensing around and the temperature approaching a scorching... (actually the bus had air con) I was starting to fall apart.

With me beggining to crumble and her boyfriend in Costa Rica, Ruth was clearly on the brink of a panic attack, another girl from Denmark who we started chatting to wasnt making matters any better, chatting away as her flight left another hour after ours. It was up to me to hold things together once more. I was able to calm both of us down, practically tackling Ruth from getting off the bus when it stopped at the first (the wrong) terminal and with a "take those fingernails out of your mouth Ruth, 'She'll be right' (not that I have ever said that before discovering the awesome power of the Australian accent) we were off the bus, checked in and saying our goodbyes at the gate lounge.

The flight over was "well rough" as it was a 5 hour flight that took place whilst 12 hours of time (New York to London time) elapsed on my watch. I was off the plane, onto the heathrow express, out to Hammersmith and into the car with Michelle who picked me up from the tube station.

A quick shower and I was out and about in London Town on the Big Bus Company open top bus. This was my kind of sightseeing. Trafalger Square = done, Picadilly Circus = done, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London Eye = done, done and done. All in an afternoon's work. Brilliant.

The next day I was off to Lord's in the morning to see all of one and a half hours of test match cricket, over into the Notting Hill Carnival for some Jerk Chicken and a few spectacular displays of West Indian music and dance and back home for another lovely home cooked dinner.

This morning I was up a little earlier and with a cooked breakfast in the belly shot down to Hammersmith tube station for a day at the Natural History Museum (One of the things I missed in New York). On the way to the tube station I felt a sting on my right hand. I looked down and there I saw the number one enemy of the Englishman in the summer, the european wasp having a good crack at my middle finger. I shook him off and waited to see if I was one of those people who were alergic to wasp stings. Having always I assumed I was and therefore having a slight phobia of wasps and bees I was getting a little worried. Anyway, on I walked and with nothing but a bit of throbbing and itching I was on my way to South Kensington station on the tube.

London to be continued....

The museum was great. Felt like a little kid again running around looking at dinosaurs and blue whales. Playing memory and sensory games etc etc.

My last day on London saw attempt to see the changing of the guards which didnt take place on that particular day, go for a killer workout at crossfit central london and get my revenge on those bloody trafalger square pigeons that terrorised me out of my mind when I was but 3 years old. Was a scared of them some 18 years later? No siree... I came out from under my metaphorical pram and was now the terroriser as apposed to the terrorisee. Photos above.

Workouts at crossfit central London

5RFT
5 power clean at 70kg
20 double unders

4:35

Practise:
HSPU
Pistol
Butterfly

Last day:

All the following for time:
200m 20lb MB OH carry
3 Rounds with 2 min rest btwn rounds
32 situps abmat unanchored
32 pushups hands off ground
32 pullups
32 box jumps 24 inch
200m 20lb MB OH carry

Total time: 25:15 (I think)