Phil Reimer in New York waiting for the next ship--I love New York—not sure why—just one of those great cities to visit. Maybe it's because it has that Canadian connection. I've been here for 24 hours already, watching Peter Nygard, of Nygard Collection, remodelling his building right in the heart of the city. Yes, his picture is almost the size of the building. Let's face it, the guy started the company almost from scratch and if he wants to have the biggest picture of himself in New York, who's to argue?
Guess who is all over the tube doing commercials for TD bank? Regis and Kelly—nice to see we Canadians are providing work for starving American talent.
I am staying at the Indigo Hotel on 28th Street, right in the heart of Chelsea. That’s the flower district and all the wholesalers are rushing to get their products ready for Xmas. Indigo is a classy 19-storey hotel. It's one of those hotels that are narrow with probably four rooms or so per floor—boutique is the word I am looking for. The rooms are quite elegant with wood floors, great design and although on the small side—everything fits perfectly. Oh yes, the bed, not sure if I could get it to fit as carry-on luggage, but I definitely want to take it with me when I board Oasis this week. One thing more I like about the Indigo hotel, windows that open—how neat.
Remember, streets in NYC can be walked in about a minute. While the avenues are a lot wider, streets are short and narrow so you can get from Indigo to 42nd in a very short period of time. I'll get back to Indigo in our wrap-up blog post when the cruises are finished, but you can see what I am talking about at indigochelsea.com. For things to do, go to nycgo.com. For public transit, go to mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm.
I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me, but after years of skiing like a maniac after taking it up later than usual, I have to get a new knee. I am told it comes with a lifetime guarantee. So until then, it's hobble around, take a break, hobble around some more. In N.Y. that works, they have places to sit outside where they have cut off part of the street--take right in front of Macy’s. What a store! It's an entire block that’s a street and an avenue. It has everything and you need a morning to get around.
The way my schedule worked in N.Y., I didn’t get to see any of the great shows and to add insult to pain, I missed my favourite comic Ricky Gervais by two days. Here is one good thing, I could have gone to the Jets game on Sunday and didn’t.
I am not going to get into all you can do in N.Y. except to tell you the hop on hop off buses work very well, especially Grayline and NY Public Transit will get you anywhere you want to go.
As far as the traffic lights go, most ignore them. So just go with the flow, but look in both directions.
To finish off, does anyone work in N.Y.? I am convinced that with all the people on the street day and night, they are constantly circulating around the buildings.
I can’t seem to end this...As I was on a cruise ship, I did get to see N..Y from the water. Let me suggest that you take one of those circle boat tours to really see the size of this city.
On that note, time to head south to Ft. Lauderdale to board the largest ship in the world--Oasis of the Seas.
All for now.