New York City

The Big Apple is a lot like every other typical city, and yet unlike any other city in the world. You get all the things you expect in cities - bad traffic, crowds, and city lights - but in a much grander scale. The roads seem to run on the chaos principle, the amount of people wandering the streets is incredible, and the lights daze you more than any other city, with huge neon signs. I'm sure other cities in the world would have these things too, but perhaps not all these things at once at such an extreme. It's what makes New York unique.

We got into town at about 10:30 after catching an airport shuttle from La Guardia airport. On that shuttle ride we got to experience first-hand the chaotic nature of the roads. It was like the crazy traffic around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris - seemingly no road rules, and yet amazingly no accidents. When we got to our hotel (which is really a hostel), we waited a while before being able to check in due to the phones ringing off the hook with people trying to find a place to stay... apparently it was a good thing that we booked in advance.

After sorting out our things inside our room, we headed out in search of some of the many sights of New York City. The first stop was Strawberry Fields at Central Park, where there stood a small memorial to John Lennon, near the place street crossing where he was shot. The subway going to and from Central Park was quite packed, emphasizing the crowdedness of the whole city. Apparently the city holds about 18 million people - almost as much as the population of Australia!

Rockefeller Center was next, where we had a quick stopover at Nintendo World (had to be done) before heading up to the top for some views of the city. It was nice, and a lot more worth it than the Sears Tower disappointment in Chicago. Alas, my camera was getting to the point of no return in terms of operation. When we were done there, we checked out some shops, then crashed back at the hotel for a quick nap before heading out at night.

Times Square was an awesome sight. You've seen it on TV and in the movies, but it's something you really have to experience for yourself. You notice the lights even at daytime, but when it's night time, and you stand in the middle of that square, you know you're in New York. The lights dazed me momentarily, and I was in another state of mind (I would say 'New York state of mind' but that would just be too cheesy, so I won't).

We ate at a nice Forrest Gump-themed restaurant then had a look around various shops at this famous (insert any colour here) light district - something that many of the people that night had done. You just don't stop being amazed by the sheer volume of bodies walking around at all times of the day. One particular place we took note of was the ticket office where they sold cheap tickets to Broadway shows, which is on the cards for tomorrow night.