I can has Van Gogh?

I never thought I would be so moved but I tell you what, walking into a room full of Van Goghs and Monets and the like-it was amazing! These are works I had studied when I was younger and to see the real thing up close in person...wow! The Metropolitan Museum of Art was a real highlight of this leg of my New York stay-even moreso because I didn't expect it to be! This time tomorrow I will be in Dublin. I'm quite scared, to be honest...also I've met some really cool people here that I will miss. Hopefully I will meet some cool people in Dublin too...right now it's 3 aussies, an argentinian (the second, one left yesterday), a french clown, a guy from the netherlands and a mix of people from other european countries. The argentinian guys are an absolute hoot! One left the same time as the other arrived...but I have a newfound respect and adoration (if you can call it that?) for argentinian people :). I've been socialising with the other travellers here much more than at the last place I stayed at in the city. I was worried this place would be cold and alienating like the last one but it's anything but! I'm so glad! Today a few of us went to chinatown, which was an experience! I'm blogging from my phone so I can't go into much detail but let me say it was an experience! It was so cold, too...-4`C (roughly 22`F) and windy. I know I've been in much colder temperatures but for some reason this was really biting me. The play offs were tonight and the poor bastards were playing in -2`F temps (like -15`C, roughly) but the New York Giants won so now they are off to the Superbowl! Yesterday I ran some errands and went for a long walk down Central Park. Also went to the Magnolia Bakery in the early evening-there was a massive line outside waiting to go in! But oh man I'm glad I waited...the cupcakes are so delicious! So, so, delicious...the frosting is so yummy I want to know how they make it! The day before yesterday I went to the New York Aquarium and Coney Island in Brooklyn. The aquarium was quite good-they had a nice cnidarian exhibit and seahorses and a sweet walrus...poor guy was swimming the same lap of the tank over and over again. The underwater equivalent of stereotypical pacing. Argh the heaters in this hostel are crazy-so noisy! Plus the room is boiling hot...at least it's not freezing like the other night. The good desk guy is on tonight, not the usual grumpy bums they have here. Anyway...I think I have already said how Paul the aussie and Pablo the argentinian and I went ice-skating in Central Park the other night...and we saw a racoon! So I had best leave it there for now. I wonder how much it costs me to update this from my phone...most probably still less than paying to use the internet here! Mucho dinero... Ok have fun in Australia and eat a sausage roll for me...I'll eat a slice of greasy NY pizza for you! xxx leash

Dude, where's my iPhone?

I'm blogging from the Apple store, just south of Central Park in NYC.

The iPhone is so sweet-I want one!  But it's not going to happen.  All the cool features like the browsers and stuff won't work in Australia I don't think.  Plus you have to sign up for a plan to buy one so meh maybe in a few years when it comes to Australia...haha

Last night me and two young guys from the hostel went ice skating in Central Park-it was really fun!  I only stacked it once and that was because some guy skated the wrong direction and straight into me.  Head on collision!  I'm ok though.  Pablo stacked it a few times and hit his head-poor guy! Paul is the only one who didn't stack it which is funny because he had never ice skated before!!  We saw a racoon in the bushes on the way back to the hostel too-so cute!

Today I went for a walk through the park again-it's about 2 deg C here right now but at least it's not raining like it was the other day.  Good day for me to leave one of my gloves at the hostel-argh!  Saw a Peregrin Falcon in the "mall" in Central Park, quite cool.

Oops people are coming and wanting to buy the machine I'm using to blog from.  JUST WAIT-LOL I CAN SEE YOU LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER.

Ok really should head off.

Take care!!!  

xxx lisha

ARGH!

It all started when I dropped my bagel in the sink this morning....it's not been a good day from then on. I bought some mango last night and I had it for breakfast and it was gross-tasted nothing like the kind of mango I wanted! Juicy North Queensland mango-mmmmm. But no, this was hard and not juicy at all.
Anyway, I went to pick up some boots (two pairs of leather boots for $118-BARGAINNNNNN) so I could have some shoes to wear with my skirt and my credit card was *denied*.

What. The. *expletive*???

That can't be. Seriously there is something wrong there. So I've got a massive headache and have to try and call the bank and be like 'What's going on?!?'. I know I bought a plane ticket on it which took a chunk out but seriously I can't see how it would be maxxed.

On top of that-I can only apply for an Irish working holiday visa from London. And I spoke to the lady in the Canberra embassy (the only other place I can apply from) and she said from there (where she is) it takes about 3 weeks to approve the visa. This is so fucked. Sorry I'm think I'm allowed to swear for that one.

Things do not bode well for Elisha!

Stay tuned we'll see how this turns out sooner or later.

omgomgomgomg!

ZOMG!!!

Last night I went out for a walk (to get ice-cream ok I have a problem!) at like, 11.20pm and my hostel is on 94th street and 3rd, and the place I wanted to go to was 89th and Lexington (5 blocks down and one over) so I'm walking down Lexington and when I get to about 92nd street I see all these guys bustling around the door of a restaurant with cameras-a real scene! So I stop at the corner and seriously like, 5 seconds later TOM CRUISE and KATIE HOLMES walk out and into a big black SUV parked right near the door.

Seriously! I couldn't believe it!!! I saw her first, because she was much taller than most of the people around her and she had on big black sunnies and her trademark 'pob' hairstyle. Was wearing a very graceful looking white dress. I thought 'no way...it can't be...' then when I saw a guy with a pageboy hairstyle and who was head and shoulders *shorter* than she was, I knew it! Then they turned briefly and I saw their faces and that just confirmed the whole thing.

So awesome! The one time I don't take my camera out....actually....last time I went somewhere without my camera we saw a moose within reaching distance (almost) from the car so maybe if I want to see cool things I should leave the camera behind. Catch 22, hey.

Anyway, they were coming out of Sfoglia restaurant on 92nd and Lexington on the Upper East Side of NYC. I can see why now, it has curtains blocking off the door and the windows-although that might have just been for that night.

You know what topped the whole night off? Ben & Jerry's have bought out a new ice cream flavour (Fossil Fuel) and it's delicious! Right up there with Half Baked, I reckon (a big call!).

So yeah...that's my story! Cool, huh?
-lisha

Once

Howdy!!

This movie (Once) has been following me across the country. It's not even at the cinemas anymore, it's on DVD. I didn't pay too much attention to it the first time I saw it (in Fairbanks) and now in New York I came in half way through so I haven't seen it all but it's about two young adults in Dublin who randomly meet and start up a friendship. Everything happens for a reason! The main song in it though is stuck in my head now....

Bought the lonely planet guide for Dublin today and have been having a quick look through it. I was (and still am) nervous about going to Dublin but reading the guide it sounds like it could be somewhere I will enjoy or be comfortable in. The people are talkative and self-deprecating and love taking the piss. My kind of city! It's a shame everything there is so expensive. Really really really need to find a job there. But what I need to do before I go is find out the confirmation number for my flight so I can print out my booking sheet (oops).

This stupid computer is too slow so I'm not going to upload my photos tonight. Today I slept in then took the subway across to Brooklyn and walked back across the bridge. It's pretty cool, the bridge is multi-level where the cars drive in their lanes and in the middle of the lanes, up above, is where the pedestrians walk. There are minimal barriers though and places where you could, if you wanted, walk across a narrow catwalk right to the edge of the bridge-you'd think they would have it fenced off or something. It started to snow a little on the way across, which is nice because I like snow. But it wasn't anything that was settling on the ground. Which is nice too, because I hate slush. Ok I tell a lie I have two photos I can show you:





Today was a very productive day. If by productive you mean expensive. But now I have done pretty much all the souvenier shopping I wanted to get done so I shouldn't need to spend any more money on things other than transport and food for the next few days at least...
Went to the Nintendo store in Rockefeller Plaza-that place is awesome! They had DS consoles and Wiis set up everywhere with different games on them so you could try the games out. Mario Galaxy is really cool...but then a kid wanted to play so I had to stop :-( They also had a nice little display of different Nintendo systems from over the years.
Trundled all over the city carrying heavy bags and bought some groceries and now I'm back at the hostel. As usual, there are lots of Aussies here but they are solo travellers generally and the common room here isn't as busy as the one back at the Big Apple Hostel.

Anyway...if I get up early tomorrow I will ride the Long Island Railroad and head out to Montauk. If I don't, then I will....hmmm I'm not sure what I will do. Maybe go to the Botanic Gardens in the Bronx or Coney Island or the Aquarium in Brooklyn.

Here are the lyrics to the song from the movie:
When Your Mind's Made Up

(Glen Hansard/Markéta Irglová)

So, if you want something
And you call, call
Then I'll come running
To fight, and I'll be at your door
When there's nothing worth running for

When your mind's made up
When your mind's made up
There's no point trying to change it
When your mind's made up
When your mind's made up
There's no point even talking

You see, you're just like everyone
When the shit falls all you want to do is run, away
And hide all by yourself
well there's no point that's gonna warn to help

When your mind's made up
When your mind's made up
There's no point trying to change it
When your mind's made up
When your mind's made up
There's no point even talking
When your mind's made up
When your mind's made up
There's no point trying to change it

So, if you ever want something
And you call, call
Then I'll come running


I suppose that's all from me tonight!
xxx lisha

Pics!

Ok went up the Empire State Building yesterday. Timed it well so I was there for dusk so I saw the city light up as the sky got darker. Quite pretty :-) It also started SNOWING when I was up there, unfortunately it never reached the ground as snow...only as rain/drizzle.

Went to get my hair cut cos I saw a special '$23 shampoo and cut' so I thought SCORE and went in and it turns out the blow dry isn't included and the blow dry costs $40! But stupid me didn't ask that before they started. I figured if I'm paying so much for a blowdry I'll ask them to do something complicated with it so I get my moneys worth. So yeah now I have slightly shorter, squeaky clean hair that looks like it's been set with rollers haha. Bouncy bouncy!

Upper East Side is pretty nice. It's quiet but there is still a bit around. I'm getting a bit lost up here but that will sort itself out once I get more accustomed to where I am in relation to N/E/S/W. I saw some dog walkers yesterday, three of them (one on each corner of the block) and no joke they had a bundle of like 8 dogs each! It was so funny! I tried to get a picture but it didn't turn out too well.

I think that's all that's happened lately. OH I went to the Irish Consulate place and despite it being beautiful inside and everything the people were about as helpful as an ice cube in a furnace so all I got was a stupid pamphlet and I'm still none-the-wiser about getting the VISA. I might get a calling card and ring the Irish Consulate back home to see if they can give any advice. Some sales are still on so I bought some 'respectable' clothes for when I go job hunting...all that is missing is the boots/shoes!

This stupid computer is taking forever so I haven't got all my ESB pics but here are a few:









That's Times Sq down in between those buildings!


Ok stay cool :-)
xx lisha

Just a quickie...

Went to the Museum of Natural History today....WOW it was the most fantastic museum I've ever been to! I could have spent days in there! I haven't seen 'Night at the Museum' but I'll have to now to see what he gets up to in there. They had actual dinosaur fossils on display and the best collection of stuffed and mounted animals from all over the world I had ever seen. I would love to be a curator in a place like that.
The history of humans and human evolution was also great-they had exhibits on world religions and a good section on the history of the african people. I never really learnt about that stuff before so it was all very interesting for me.

I'm going to Rochester tomorrow which will be good :-) Then I have to sort myself out for what I'm doing when I get back to NY. I've started applying for jobs online but without a work visa they probably will bin them straightaway. Fingers crossed though!

Oh one weird thing that happened today-I met the guy who designed the t-shirt I was wearing! I'm wearing the one with the cupcake saying 'AH MUNNA EAT CHOO!' and he called out to me 'I designed your t-shirt!' and I thought he said 'who?' so I was like 'umm...I got it from threadless.com' and then he's like 'No I mean ME, I did!' so I talked to him for a little while...that was pretty cool. He seemed happy to see one out and about being worn :-P

Took a long walk through Central Park yesterday. I know I said before it wasn't very beautiful but that's being too superficial to say that. Inside it really is quite pretty even though all the trees have dropped their leaves. Bethesda (sp?) fountain and terrace was especially beautiful. Of course my camera decided not to work so I don't have pictures of it. I'll have to go back. The Mall was very beautiful-it's one of those 'New York Scenes'. Reminded me a little of the walkway up to Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park (Sydney).

I would have gone up the Empire State building this afternoon for dusk but it was already too dark by the time I left the museum (I was there for over 5 hours). Oh well. Another thing to do when I get back.

Went to Madam Tussauds yesterday night. That was creepy. Some of the figures looked very wrong but some of them were so lifelike and just standing around you weren't sure if the people around you were real or not without specifically looking at them.

Sorry my thoughts are all over the place...I have a lot on my mind at the moment.

Without getting too far into my inner workings, it feels like I'm out of place here. I'm not living here or part of the city, just sort of resting on it's surface. I don't belong here and it isn't a very welcoming city...in one way it's nice to slip back into obscurity but I have this want/need to feel *part* of something and this city can't do that for me. I'm not part of anything here-I'm just another face in the crowd and all they want from me is my money. Only one person has actually talked to me as if they were interested in what I was saying and that was a stranger on the subway. It's incredibly lonely here, despite beind surrounded by millions of people. I wish I didn't always look like I was pissed off or whatever but THAT'S JUST HOW MY FACE LOOKS!!! Especially when I'm not thinking about anything or making an effort to look 'happy'. I'm worried it makes me look unapproachable (actually I have been told a couple of times already on this adventure that that's the case) but really I don't know what to do to avoid that?!? I can't go around with a goofy smile on my face all day because a) it's fake and b) it would hurt after a while. I'm enjoying the things that I am seeing in New York but deep down I miss Anchorage. It felt like home to me...
I don't think I can go back though until I work my head out. It's a situation that hurts me because I am at the same time so happy but also crushed because I have unrealistic expectations and my head in the clouds. Need to come back down to earth and see things for how they are and accept it and move on. Too cryptic and I'm rambling...SORRY!

Take care back in Aus (as the mercury gets closer and closer to 30C) and keep your fingers crossed for me. I have to go pack!
xxx lisha

Foxy Lady

What should I do tonight, do you think? It's almost 8pm on a Tuesday night here.

*p.s. thanks to everyone who has been leaving comments-especially Dad!!! Nice work :-)

CONAN!!!!!

Seems like a long time since I last posted here!

I've been doing quite a bit around here in Manhattan. It's a really easy city to get around as the focus really is on moving from one place to another. It gets a bit annoying when you just want to sit down and have a coffee or something and watch the world go by or read a paper or whatever. It's always go go go.
But, briefly, here are some of the things I've been doing and seeing (in no particular order):

-WTC ground zero site
-Wall St and the NYSE
-Staten Island Ferry (good views to the Statue of Liberty)
-Times Square
-The diner from Seinfeld
-The apartment building from Ghostbusters (opposite Central Park...where Rick Moranis' character gets turned into a hell dog or Sigourney Weaver or something)
-Rockefeller Centre+Top of the Rock observation deck
-CONAN O'BRIEN
-Central Park+Strawberry Fields (monument to John Lennon) and the Dakota Building, where he was shot
-Madison Square Garden
-SoHo/that area
-Broadway and theatre district
-Grand Central Station

There is probably more but they've slipped my mind right now.

Unfortunately, I've also been eating more junk food than usual. For one it is cheap, for two it is everywhere and for three they are open almost all the time. Today I had 'White Castle' (as in from Harold and Kumar go to White Castle) and I go in and the board says White Castle (burger) for 53c. Fifty Three Cents??? Score! Then I see that you can buy a 'crate' of 30 for $15, and various 'crate' sizes (up to 100 burgers). I supposed it was for catering or something. I mean, seriously, 100 burgers is alot! But then the two guys in front of me ordered a 30 crate. Hmmm maybe they have a party to go to? Then I order and get my White Castle burger. It's like a dinner roll with a meat patty about the same thickness as stiff cardboard in the middle of it. It was so cute! Totally 53c worth. I can see now why there would be demand to buy 30 of them. Don't get me wrong, eating 30 burgers in one sitting is a whole new level of gluttony but they are so tiny that it wouldn't be too fat of you to split it with 2 friends. White Castle is my new fave. Previously it was the Third-Pounder Angus steak with swiss cheese and mushrooms from Maccas (only the second time I'd gone to Maccas in the almost 2 months I've been in the US! Gimme a break!) but 53c beats $3.99 anyday.

I think things on the Visa front are out of my control and I will have to come home. Out of control as in, it's going to cost US$430 to lodge my application for a working visa to the UK. Stiff shit, I guess? It's really a massive shame but everything happens for a reason. Getting an American working visa is a hassle and a half. I hate beaurocracy (sp?) as it is, but the red tape involved in getting a visa to work over here is something out of this world. A real shame...this country is very lovable (so are the people) and there is so much to see and do here.
BUT the fat lady hasn't sung yet so we'll see how it goes. If Covermore get off their fat arses and complete my insurance claim and give me my money back then we might be in business.

I'm not going to Niagara Falls anymore (even though I did get my new passport- finally) instead just going as far as Rochester. Money and time contstraints mean I can't go all the way but I'm ok with that.

Oops got <1min left and I haven't even talked about Conan!

I went to the taping of Late Night with Conan O'Brien (watch it tonight!!!!!) and it was FANTASTIC! I'm so happy I went I had great seats and it was so much fun. Crap 10sec left I gotta go!

HOLY CRAP NEW YORK NEW YORK

Sorry for shouting but....HOLY CRAP!!!

I've only walked a short way around Broadway and Times Square but hot damn is New York busy and jam packed with stuff. I already enjoy being able to walk fast and dart through the traffic. Anchorage has no traffic to speak of and it's not a wise move to run across the road between the cars because a) you'll slip on the ice and b) they all drive 4x4s up there so chances are they won't stop and they'll run you over.
Times Square is nuts. Completely nuts. I think I'm culture shocked. Alaska was so sleepy and comfy, here it's like...nothing else I've ever seen before.

Leaving Anchorage wasn't as heart-wrenching as I thought it would be. Mercifully I was kept distracted right up until I got out at the airport so I didn't have time to sit and stew about it. I am so grateful I met the people I did there, they made my time in Alaska worthwhile. I wish I could say more but...you never know who reads these things! Last thing I need is to get somebody in trouble or start off more gossip or anything like that. Anyway, I do hope I get to go back to work there...it would be very fun I think. I got to take photos with the friends I made there though which was good, but the bad part is the computer I'm on won't take my canon so I only have one pic of me and a friend (Aaron). We had a 'normal' photo before this but he thought he had a gut in it so we mucked around in this one.



Times Square! Seriously like, 50m from the hostel.


Hersheys Building




Oh oh red eye! I'm in front of the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Plaza. It was freezing.


I don't know what building this is but it's damn tall. The Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree is right in the bottom of the pic (NYC equivalent to the Martin Place tree in Sydney, I guess).


Tomorrow I've got a tour, and then need to go to the consulate/embassy to work out my passport and VISA. There are flights to Dublin for $230 if I can only get an EU VISA. Also want to try and get some cheap theatre tickets (there is a way) because there are so many shows around here...Spamalot, Avenue Q, Chicago, Phantom, one with Bob Saget, Mary Poppins, etc etc. Tomorrow night I will walk around again with my canon (and try not to get rolled for it) and get some good quality pics of Times Square, Broadway and Rockefeller Plaza.

Right now I'm in the common room with 2 other Aussies and a kiwi. Ergh. I didn't go halfway around the world to hear strine and kiwi talk. Maybe it's just the impression I get but all the Aus/NZ travellers I meet are pretentious wankers. I'm the exception, of course! haha

I think that's about all I had to talk about for now...New York is so overwhelming. It really is a city for couples I think.

Oops 50seconds left!
Gotta goooooooo