I want to live as many life's as there are in New York and I want to live them now!
Waking up the next morning with the streets already bustling with noise and people up and going I got changed and on my way to my next stop. Mask in one hand and purse in the other I walked across Park Av to the nearest bus stop on Lexington Av. Yes, a bus stop and for the first time in my life I waited for a city bus to pick me up.
Real nervous and a teeny tiny bit confused I got on the bus full of confidence until I realized that there surely must be something wrong with my Metro card, why else didn't it want to swipe? It was only when the very friendly bus driver did the whole thing for me AFTER she told me 5 times to just turn the card around...English is one language we all speak BUT New York English and South-African English is a WHOLE different dialect believe me...I figuered the whole card thing out after a while don't you worry, it was the best thing I could've done!
QUICK TIP: NEVER FEEL BAD TO ASK FOR HELP IN NEW YORK, THE PEOPLE MIGHT SEEM SCARY AT FIRST BUT THEY ARE ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP...TO MY VERY FIRST BUS DRIVER THANK YOU!ps- I RAN INTO HER ON MY SECOND TO LAST DAY AGAIN AND SHE WAS AS FRIENDLY AS THE FIRST TIME I MET HERI was on my way downtown for my 10am ticket at the FRIENDS experience, now to give you a little bit of background I am a MAJOR FRIENDS fan and I do not lie if I tell you that i have watched the series ATLEAST 5 times from season one to ten! Thanks Mia for making me totally addicted to a show that is not even on US Netflix anymore...I will forever be grateful.
So back at the point, now you also know why I just HAD to go.
I got on the bus by 8:30 am, because I figured you know it is a busy city traffic will be bad and rather an hour to early than a minute to late...or so I thought. On the drive all the way down to 23rd st I didn't realize how many things we will pass. We drove past Bloomingdales until we had a stop at the Grand Central terminal train station and when you look to your left you will see the beautiful shimmering Chrysler building which was once named the world's tallest building in 1930!
Now to be completely honest I did not know it was the Chrysler building when I saw it for the first time nor did I realize it when I saw it the second time and even though it did look sooo familiar it was only the 4th time on my very last day that I realized what that strangely familiar looking building was I saw at least once every day!
Anyway back to my interesting journey, the bus ride that i thought was going to be 45min at least with traffic (which there wasn't by the way because New Yorkers apparently only come out around 10am) it took me just 15min to where is needed to be which left me with about an hour before I can get ready and go in.
Well, when in New York there is always something you will walk into if you just keep going and everywhere you will see early birds jogging and walking their dogs, and as I said if you know your map you will be totally FINE!
I got myself a Venti Caramel Brule latte at Starbucks and made my way up the street took a few turns and before i knew it I was standing right in front of the Flatiron building, gasping because I did not know I will walk right into it, I admired it and walked further.
When it was time for me to go inside I did all my walking's, bumped into a few old buildings and shops I didn't knew of and while the top of the never-ending skyscrapers disappeared in the morning mist that fell like a blanket over the city, it was time for me to go and be apart of the FRIENDS set.
They don't know that we know they know we know! Joey doesn't share food and NOOOOOO!!! Could this BE any later, gum would be perfection and The One With...
This is just a few of the phrases I saw on my way inside and I immediately feel home. Do you know the surreal feeling when you know that something is happening, but it is way to good to be true or even real...now THAT is how I felt the moment I sat down on the couch infront of the well known fountain. The dream came true and I was utterly stunned by the fact that I am on THE FRIENDS SET...now for all of you out there I KNOWWW it is just a replica of the real set based in LA, but they did a pretty good job making it feel like home.
From a huge Hugsie, real PIVOT chair and costumes they wore through out the seasons, everything was their. I felt like I was sitting on the couch in Monica's apartment with a blue wine glass in my hand listening to Phoebe saying "I don't even have a Pla..."...if you know you know!! Ugly naked guy I always see on Tv was just a window away and I could see everybody's faces when they ate Rachels English trifle and as Joey would say...Custard, good! Jam, good! Meat, gooood! because in real life IT TASTES LIKE FEET!
The boys apartment was just as they left it the day they said goodbye! The two black lazy boy chairs, the yellow couch where Ross and Joey took a nap and of course the one and only Foosball table standing smack dead in the center of the whole space. But, lets not forget that my most favorite thing to do, was to sit on the white dog standing in the apartment...it was memorable!
My last stop was the Central Perk café and as I sat on the big orange couch I could hear Joey's voice saying "or maby it's because you're all hanging around here at 11:30 on a Wednesday!?"
It was the best experiance I could ever wished for!
QUICK TIP NR1- IF YOU ARE A FRIENDS FAN, THE ONE IN NEW YORK IS JUST THE EXPERIANCE FOR YOU AND YOU WON'T REGRET IT!QUICK TIP NR2- THE EARLIEST TIME SLOT IS AT 10AM AND THERE ARE ONE EVERY HALF HOUR, IF YOU CAN TAKE A BUS DON'T BE THERE AN HOUR BEFORE IT IS NOT WORTH IT. THEY LET YOU STAND IN A LINE ONLY 15 MIN PRIOR TO THE TIME SLOT!Stepping out of my dream come true I had to fall back to real life and the fact that I now need to walk some 20 plus streets back uptown! I was on my way to the Madame Tussauds museum and walked from Lexington on the east to 8th Av on the west and up toward Times Square from there.
Now if you have been to New York before, you know that you get all kinds of people from rich Wall street buisiness men to the homeless lady with a cart full of old blankets, everyone on the streets, but the moment I turned right on 8th Av it felt like someone dropped me off in the outskirts of Johannesburg. People everywhere standing around and I walked, wait let me refrase that...I have never in my life walked so fast to where I need to be my legs were numb and I'm pretty sure that I only took my first breath when I turned on 42nd towards the Wax museum.
It was definably something to see, but if I'm being honest I would not put it in my top 5 on my itinerary list when I visit NY again. Tom Cruise, Prince Harry to Donald Trump, they were all there to see. It was a quick walk through and afterwards I made my way to the subway.
SIDENOTE...IF YOU DO WANT TO GO SEE THE CELEB WAX FIGURES FROM A TO Z THEN I WOULD RECCOMEND YOU TO RATHER GO SEE THEM IN LONDEN!😉Crazy as just the subway downtown could be I found my way to a train hoping that im going in the right direction, fortunate as I can be a lovely lady from Texas started talking to me and showed me the way and where to get off so i dont miss my next stop!
THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE!!!
...to be continued...
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