New York, New York! Day 2: Uptown TV & Movie Tour, Rockefeller Center Tour, Top of the Rock and Times Square.

31 May 2014

On our second full day in the city we got the subway to Times Square and then walked to the meeting point for our Uptown TV & Movie Tour run by On Location Tours, which we were able to do through the New York Pass. The tour started at McGee's Pub, which was inspiration for MacLaren's in TV show How I Met Your Mother. We got on the tour bus just as it had started to rain; we were fortunate to be doing something sheltered for the morning and although it meant I couldn't take photos out of the bus windows I was happy to be out of the rain and able to sit and enjoy the ride!

New York Police Dept., Times Square

Spiderman, the Cookie Monster and the Statue of Liberty x 2 hanging out in Times Square

The Inspiration for MacLaren's in How I Met Your Mother

The tour was great as we saw lots of famous and iconic locations including Cafe Lalo which featured in You've Got Mail. We were able to get off the bus there and take a look inside so I managed to get a couple of photos. We also saw locations for Gossip Girl, the apartment building used in Elf, the diner used in Seinfeld, the building used as Chandler's office in Friends and many others. Our tour guide was very good, an actor who had actually been in a couple of episodes of One Tree Hill, he made the tour very funny and enjoyable. We were shown clips of the films and TV shows to put the locations into context, which made it very surreal to be in the place where so much film history has been made. The tour was also good for getting our bearings in Uptown Manhattan as we gained an idea of where everything was for the rest of the week!

Cafe Lalo featured in You've Got Mail

Cafe Lalo Interior

After the TV & Movie tour we walked to the Rockefeller Center to buy our tickets for a tour there later in the day. We also saw the famous LOVE piece by Robert Indiana, and St. Patrick's Cathedral, an 1879 structure, nestled between the skyscrapers, a contrast of old and new. Although the Cathedral was under restoration with scaffolding obstructing the exterior beauty of the building, the interior made up for it, a piece of history in a modern city.

LOVE, by Pop Artist Robert Indiana

St. Patricks Cathedral (under restoration)

Inside St. Patrick's Cathedral

The Rockefeller Center tour showed us the history, art and architecture of the buildings. This was also included in our NYPass and was well worth doing as you actually begin to understand what you are seeing. Headsets are used on the walking tour so you don't miss a word your guide tells you as you walk around busy New York streets learning about the Rockefeller Center from its very beginnings.

30 Rockefeller Plaza

Radio City

A project of the 1930s, the Rockefeller Center's architecture and art is of the Art Deco style. Its from an era of great interest in innovation, technology and looking to the future. The famous piece above the entrance to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Wisdom, depicts this theme together with the pieces on either side, Sound and Light, which represent radio and film.

Wisdom. 1933.

Inside 30 Rock is the mural American Progress by Jose Maria Sert, a replacement to the original by Diego Rivera which was considered offensive as communist Lenin was featured in the piece. American Progress is a much more positive depiction of the USA, as it shows what can be achieved in the development of the country using intelligence and hard work.

American Progress. 1937. by Jose Maria Sert in the Rockefeller Lobby

Time. 1941.

We were told by the tour guide about protests and issues between Rockefeller and the Church in the development of this Atlas statue opposite St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then also how it actually became favoured by the church as it looks from behind somewhat like Jesus on the Cross, and it is he who has the world on his shoulders. The Cathedral also appears to fill the globe, meaning that it can be interpreted as religion being of utmost importance to Earth.

Atlas. 1937.

Atlas. 1937. and St. Patrick's Cathedral

Prometheus. 1934. Rockefeller Center

30 Rockefeller Plaza

After the tour we went up to Top of the Rock which had amazing views over all of Manhattan, including Central Park and the Empire State Building. We got there just in time for sunset so were able to see the city in both light and darkness. 

View of Central Park

View of The Empire State Building and Lower Manhattan at Sunset

Me and the Empire State Building!

Sunset

Lower Manhattan at Night

Empire State Building and One World Trade Center at Night

After Top of the Rock we headed to Times Square to see it at night. It's pretty surreal being in one of the most iconic places on earth!

Times Square at Night

George M. Cohan Statue

All of the Lights

1540 Broadway

Me in Times Square!

Thanks for reading! Look out for my next post; Day 3: The Natural History Museum, Lincoln Center, Riding Bikes around Central Park and Grand Central!

New York, New York! Day 1: Tour of SoHo, Little Italy & Chinatown and the 9/11 Memorial.

I have dreamed of visiting New York for years and I never thought that I would actually get there so soon. I'd hoped that I would be able to go while on my year abroad but the fact that it was on the other side of the USA made it feel not so likely that I would get there. So when it was actually booked it was surreal, and that feeling continued until we were there in the city at the end of May. I was so happy that we got to go in the springtime so we could see Central Park at its most green and beautiful and experience the city in warm weather. NYC completely exceeded my expectations and I absolutely fell in love with the place. I'm going to do several posts instead of one very very long one as there's a lot to fit in!

We flew into Newark Airport in New Jersey as the flight times from LA were much more suitable for us compared to JFK and we also got to cross off another state in the process! We got the train into Manhattan and headed to Times Square to pick up our New York Passes which allow you to go to most of the attractions and museums in the city for a set price. We found it to be well worth the money as we saved about $100 on tickets over the week we were there. The pass includes some things you wouldn't think to do such as hiring bikes to cycle around Central Park and also guided tours which make the experience much more interesting. After collecting the passes we decided to stay in Times Square to get some dinner at Planet Hollywood before getting a yellow cab to our apartment in Brooklyn which we had booked through website, Airbnb.

Cast-Iron Architecture of SoHo

30 May 2014

For our first day in the city we had booked a walking tour of SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown which are in Lower Manhattan. Our guide was very enthusiastic, an aspiring actress, and she told us all about the areas. SoHo gets its name from being South of Houston St. and it is well known for its Cast-Iron Architecture which gives the buildings their decorative facades. The area has had an interesting and constantly changing history going through periods of affluence and decline. It has now become a trendy neighbourhood with sought after property. We also found out on the tour that it is the birthplace of a recently very popular pastry in America, the Cronut, a combination of a croissant and donut, created by Dominique Ansel. We saw the bakery, which is known to have queues around the block when the Cronuts are available and people often queue for several hours. Unfortunately there weren't any available when we were there but I'm not sure I'd wait that long for one anyway!

Cast-Iron Architecture

Next on the tour was Little Italy where we were shown many Italian restaurants, most impressive of which was Lombardi's, the first pizzeria in the USA. The tour guide also told us stories about the Italian Mafia which she named "The Family" so as not to offend anyone. She also pointed out a few places on the tour where there used to be Speakeasies (bars which illegally sold alcohol) during the Prohibition of 1920-1933 and a few still exist in the city today. That night we headed back to Little Italy for dinner at restaurant, Da Gennaro, where I had some really tasty ravioli!

Lombardi's

Little Italy

The tour also showed us Chinatown and the guide pointed out all the best restaurants and gave people the opportunity to try some of the food. After the tour had finished we walked to see City Hall and the very grand Manhattan Municipal Building and then decided to visit Ground Zero and the new 9/11 Memorial Museum.

Manhattan Municipal Building

Being at the World Trade Center site was surreal. Although I was only eight on 9/11 I remember the day and how scary it was, even thousands of miles away. I can't imagine what it was like being in the city on that day. The two water fountains at the site are a powerful and beautiful memorial to the victims, and to the loss of the towers which were so iconic in Manhattan's skyline. The newly built World Trade Center building stands tall, an impressive structure; I liked how it almost blended into the sky with its reflections.

One World Trade Center

9/11 Memorial Fountain

The 9/11 Memorial Museum had opened to the public only a week before we went and had been surrounded by controversy. I was interested to see what I would think about it upon visiting. We spent nearly 3 hours in the museum as there is a vast amount to see. It was gut-wrenching to see the devastation that had been caused and such personal items of those who lost their lives. I had mixed feelings while walking around, wondering whether it was right to be there, whether it was disrespectful to have these artefacts on display to the public. The museum can be seen as positive in that it educates generations to come about what happened on 9/11 and is a place of remembrance, however this notion was hard to fully grasp in the first part of the museum where photography is allowed. It seemed that people, in this technologically absorbed world, were more interested in taking photos of the place than actually stopping to think about what they were looking at, the tragedy of 9/11 and what it all meant. Also, being the USA where there seem to be gift shops in every attraction and museum you go to, perhaps it should not have surprised me so much that there was one in there. It felt completely out of place, even if the proceeds go to a good cause, it felt too commercialised for a place which is supposed to honour the victims of such a tragedy. However, the parts of the museums where NO photography was allowed did seem to really effect people. The personal stories of those involved, about their lives and not just their deaths are told and artefacts from the day bring home the reality. People from all over the world can connect over the tragedy; I may have been eight years old and thousands of miles away on the day of the attacks, but the memorial museum made me feel a sense of loss. I think to an extent that day changed everyone, it certainly changed the world we live in.

Quotation made from the steel of the towers

One of the artefacts in the area where photography is allowed: The Survivor's Staircase

Sorry for the kind of sad second half of the post but you can't really write about 9/11 without it being sad. My next entry will be about Day 2: Uptown TV and Movie Tour, the Rockefeller Center Tour, Top of the Rock and Times Square!

5000 Miles Away From the Beach.

Today marks one year to the day since I flew to California. One year ago I was sat in Heathrow Airport waiting for my flight to take me on my adventure, the biggest I've ever had. I was reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac, an American writer of the Beat Generation, and these words stood out to me, I've had the page bookmarked ever since:

"What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-by. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies." - Jack Kerouac, On the Road 

I thought of how appropriate the words were in that moment. Just a few hours before I had said goodbye to my family and I was now alone, but I was only excited for what awaited me. Going to the USA seemed like a dream come true, I had waited years for this and had completely surprised myself by not being nervous at all; I realised I was ready.

Just a few highlights

Now this quote is relatable again. It reminds me of all the people I've met and had to say goodbye to over the last year, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I've had the time of my life and had experiences I could only dream of before. I can't believe it's been a year since I went, time has flown by. It has been a hectic, crazy time and I've struggled to keep up with this blog but I'm determined to finish it, even if it is a little late!

I now have to look forward to what comes next, to keep the memories I have made, the lessons I have learnt, and use them. I have to look towards another dream to pursue and I have a few, most of them involve travelling of course. I think once you've experienced just how easy it is to pack up a car or book a cheap plane ticket and go see a new place in a day, a weekend or a week you don't want to stop seeing new things. It's a big world we live in and I want to continue to experience, in Jack Kerouac's words, the "crazy ventures" it can bring.

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller

I have two more posts on New York and San Francisco and then I will finally have finished documenting my time in America, 5000 miles away at The Beach!

Warner Bros. Studio Tour.

Being the huge film and television fan that I am I'd wanted to visit the Warner Bros. studios for the whole year I was in the USA. Getting to see the sets and some of the things that go on behind the scenes is a really great experience! It's really interesting to see the streets which are featured on screen so often, and you realise just how much work goes into making the set look as realistic as possible and how quickly it must be done. It's cool to see how it transforms onto the screen. The tour around Warner Bros. was well worth the money; I had been so excited to go and it lived up to my expectations, maybe even exceeded them as I saw the sets of some of my favourite TV shows such as The Big Bang Theory and Friends. Yes, Friends was completely filmed in Burbank, LA, it was never actually filmed in New York! It's pretty amazing how they can deceive the audience by using a few establishing shots every now and then throughout an episode! 

I couldn't take as many photos of the sets and studios as I would have liked as photography isn't allowed in some areas, however it wasn't too much of a problem as I was too busy looking around anyway!

The Iconic Warner Bros. Water Tower

The studio has a long history, founded in 1923, it has continued to expand and has remained one of the most dominating studios in the industry, producing many of the most famous films and television shows we know and love. The studio has won Academy Awards for Best Picture for several films including Casablanca (1943), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Million Dollar Baby (2004), The Departed (2006) and Argo (2012). Visiting a place where so many classics have been made and also where some of your current favourites are being filmed is quite surreal. If you want to experience Hollywood to the fullest doing a tour of a film studio is a must, and you may even spot a star along the way. The two other main studios where you can do tours are Paramount and Universal. I only did the latter which I found a lot less impressive than Warner Bros. as its less intimate, you are unable to get off the cart and walk around and from my experience you don't see as much. We went to Warner Bros. at the end of May so not much was actually being filmed at that time as most shows are on hiatus for the summer. The majority of the sets were being used for Pretty Little Liars as they film at this time. I enjoyed that as I watch the show, however every tour is different, especially depending on what time of the year you go, so I would really like to go again one day! I also regret not getting to see a live taping at some point in the year as they're free, you just have to apply for tickets, so my hope is to do that one day. One of my favourites, The Big Bang Theory has three more seasons to go so I'm hoping I can get back to see that before it ends! Fingers crossed!

When you arrive at the studio you are greeted by one of the most iconic Warner Bros. characters, Bugs Bunny and then the tour begins at the shop which has merchandise from all the popular shows. You're shown a video about the history and successes of Warner Bros. and then you are led to the cart which will take you on the tour.

Bugs Bunny

Firstly, you are shown around the buildings which act as the New York set and have been featured many times, such as in Friends. The space is created to be adaptable so it can easily be changed to what is needed for each particular project. We were also taken through what is known as "The Jungle" which is only a small area but on screen it can look like the characters are in a large forest and there is also a lagoon which can be filled with water when needed.

A New York Street

We drove past some of the production offices and spotted Chuck Lorre's cart parking space and office who is the creator of The Big Bang Theory.

Chuck Lorre's Cart Parking Space

We then arrived in the area which acts as a Midwest town centre. It has been used in Gilmore Girls as the town "Stars Hollow" and is now being used in Pretty Little Liars as "Rosewood".

Set used in Pretty Little Liars

School Set used in Pretty Little Liars

The Church used in Gilmore Girls and Pretty Little Liars

Near the town square is the house which is used as Emily's in Pretty Little Liars. We were actually allowed to take a look inside and we were told that the staircase was the one used in the Friends episode "The One with the Prom Video" which was cool to see as I remember the episode well (probably due to watching all those reruns!) I've included a clip from the episode so you can see how it came to look on screen!

The Staircase from Friends Episode "The One with the Prom Video"

Screenshots of Ross in "The One With the Prom Video"

We were shown the workshops and design studio where they build the interior sets, and also the props building where all the things that bring the sets to life are stored. They also have some of the popular props on display to see, such as the newspaper street boxes from Batman.

Lighting Props

Batman Props

One of the highlights of the tour was being able to go into the "Central Perk" set from Friends and sit on the famous couch. It was so surreal to be surrounded by a set which I had seen on TV so many times.

Central Perk

Central Perk Set

Central Perk Set

Central Perk Set, featuring Phoebe's guitar

Sitting on the famous couch

We also saw "The Friends Stage" where the show was filmed with a live audience for the majority of the episodes. We actually got to go inside the soundstage where The Big Bang Theory is filmed and saw the set which, although partially packed away as they were on hiatus for the summer months was really amazing as I'm a big fan and I hadn't expected to see it! I wasn't allowed to take photos but we saw Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, Penny's apartment, the hallway with the broken elevator and also the comic book store. 

The Friends Stage

The final stop was at the studio museum which has iconic costumes and props from many films and television shows including The Great Gatsby, Gravity, Harry Potter, Gossip Girl, The Big Bang Theory and of course Friends. 

Friends Props and Costumes

Friends: Poster from Monica's Apartment and Costumes of Ross, Rachel and Chandler

Friends: Monica and Chandler's Wedding Invitation, Draft of Wedding Speech by Joey, Sign hung by Monica

Friends: Rachel's Baby Scan and Emma's Crib Tag and Baby Bracelet, Ross' Employee Badge, Bracelet bought for Chandler by Joey, Bottle of Monkeyshine from the advert featuring Ross' Monkey

Signed Scripts from Friends

The Big Bang Theory: Painting Amy has done for Penny

Gossip Girl: Costumes for Serena and Blair and Dan's book, Inside

Pretty Little Liars Costumes

Harry Potter: Hermione

Next up is NEW YORK!!