Mission NJ: into Indiana

It has now been about 8hrs which includes a lunch stop for around an hour at Crackerbarrell; "home of good country cooking!" I had a catfish sandwich.

The drive as expected was uneventful up until about an hour ago. We hit Indianapolis at about the time traffic became slow and weather became miserable. There's nothing unusual about either at this stage; they aren't slowing us down majorly and indeed I think we left the worst of the traffic back in Indianapolis. However the weather was so gloriously dry in Wisconsin and Illinois that this has injected some realism into the trip: the weather is going to be like this the rest of the way. There is likely going to be places with a lot of snow or water on the ground too, but hopefully the rain and wind doesn't get worse than a blustery downpour.

Reports from colleagues back in NJ and NY are that most flood water has receded and that folk are assessing and repairing some of the damage. Early reports however indicate that the PATH system; which links me in NJ to work at WTC; will be down for 7-10 days, so looks like I'm not getting to the office anytime soon, at least by conventional methods. Of course, the office building management haven't stated how the area is faring, and with many tunnels and subway flooded the office wouldn't receive many inhabitants anyway, so operating from home may well be the best policy for the next week.

We are now nearly in Ohio where we plan to drive about another 100 miles before finding a late dinner and a place to sleep. Onwards!

Mission NJ: Update from the Road

I haven't used this blog for a while, but as there a few asking for updates on our travel to storm-hit Jersey City, I figured I could use this, at least whilst we have mobile internet signal...

About 2 hours ago we set off in a very full truck towards NJ. It is not overly comfortable but no worse than a budget airline, and at least with this method of transport we can stop and get out!

Doug has picked a route which takes us a few hours South before we cut across; this should mean we avoid hitting the storm head-on, unlike with route through Canada. Our first day of driving should be long and uneventful; but tomorrow we will hit West Virginia for about an hour where the storm is currently depositing 2-3ft of snow. We are however expecting the highway to be open by tomorrow, and likewise expecting the worst of the weather and flooding to have receded ahead of arrival in Jersey City.

What awaits us there is a little bit of an unknown; a colleague lives a little further towards the Hudson river and has had his car swept away by 5ft of water (he didn't heed warnings to move it to higher ground) and the bottom floor of his building was flooded. He is fine but is assessing damage. The good news for us is that our apartment is further from the river and about 8ft off street level with a basement below. This will be bad for whoever is below us but should have spared our apartment from anything catastrophic. Further good news is that another colleague nearer to us is mostly ok barring loss of power. We may be without power when we arrive, but as many millions are out this will be both expected and resolved as soon as possible.

Early reports are saying that transport tunnels are very badly flooded so it is likely many won't be able to get to our office, even if it is open. World Trade Center is a construction zone and is at the end of Manhattan which has seen a lot of flooding. No one at our building has been there to give us an update so we are playing work by ear. Those with power and Internet are able to work from home.

As always we are travelling with caution and of course today won't tell us much from this distance. More updates will follow as I know more! It is also Doug's 70th birthday so we are planning in stopping for something nice to eat this evening before finding a motel. Should raise our spirits!

Parks in NY and NJ

Across 2 weekends recently I visited the two big parks of New York and Jersey Cities respectively.

Everyone knows Central Park, and I was rather annoyed that it took me 4 months to get out there again. But I met Ash for brunch then went and lazed in front of a softball game.

And sunbathed between the odd cloud.


Before heading on past the little lake full of remote controlled boats.


But what about Liberty State Park, Jersey City? It's really quite long, and there's a lot of walking to be done there. I discovered it's only a 10-15min walk from the new apartment, so I headed past the ugly docks and, despite the overcast skies, I started snapping.

The main feature is of course its proximity to the Statue of Liberty; and this is about as close as you can get without a zoom lens, or access to next door Ellis Island. Or a boat.


Regular park-goers were enjoying the large picnic area.

There is of course a look back towards New York City... yet more great views of skyscrapers. In this photo you can see back to Jersey City, Manhattan, and Brooklyn all at once.

Finally, beside the Hudson there was a family enjoying what little wildlife they could actually catch in that river...

But all in all a nice stroll out. Recommended!

The New Office Views

I should probably have done this ages ago.. say, when we moved in over 2 months ago. But anyway. We moved our office upstairs from our temporary home on Floor 30 of 7 World Trade Center, with our view over the Twin Towers site and 9/11 memorial. We swapped it for Floor 46, our own home, and a view across to Brooklyn and way up Midtown. I think you'll agree the views are ridiculous.

Here's most of Manhattan:


With the Empire State Building in the centre, as it should be really:


Across to Brooklyn:


And to Jersey:


And our Emmy Award is looking pretty nice against such a huge city backdrop:


Unfortunately, we had to move onto the floor as soon as it was habitable. Whilst the construction team have done a really good job with the ceiling, we have been trying to complete the "industrial feel" of the place with a polished concrete floor... but it has been messed up more times than we can count. We have some desks, and the glass separators for the meeting room and kitchen areas are in, but we can't finish the job - putting up TV screens, installing desks and lunch areas - until the floor is ready. Nevertheless, here's a sneak preview:


When it is all fully kitted out, I'm sure there will be a new post! Until then, enjoy the views. I certainly do!

An Open Letter to HSBC

HSBC,

Despite having an account for 16 weeks, and 3 separate promises of it being "on it's way", I still have not received my Credit Card.

What gives?

-Alan

Stormy

I love a good thunderstorm. There's something about the loud, scary shows that tell you nature is around you and you can't control it. I love huge thunderclaps and lightning forks. And I enjoy the sort of rain that is more like a waterfall from the sky that soaks you through in seconds. Because, what can you do?

And one thing America has is a good thunderstorm.

I just sat in the apartment on my own and the darkness of the evening coincided with some sudden and horrendous gales. I had to close the windows because things were quite literally flying everywhere. I checked a weather service and there was one of the scariest warnings I ever did see. I wish I had taken a screenshot because the alert has now passed. But it was 5 paragraphs of block capitals telling everyone to GET INSIDE! Because LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURE'S NUMBER ONE KILLERS! One of the number one? What? Frankly I thought a lot more people died of cancer or were eaten by sewer alligators (ok maybe not that one) but this just plain scaremongering, surely? There was more: REMEMBER, IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER, YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

Anyway, I most definitely stayed indoors and I think we must have been right in the middle when the storm hit, because the thunder and lightning were basically in harmony and the thunder was THE loudest thing I've heard in a very long time. Most certainly the loudest thunder I ever heard. There is just so much more of an earthy, shake-the-buildings rumble about US ones over their UK counterparts.

The lightning was plentiful. Forks tore about the sky before the whole thing was over in under an hour. I didn't take any pictures but to demonstrate, here are some pictures I took when I was in NY two years ago, using the video mode of my compact camera!

Pretty cool, I thought.

In less stormy news, I have now secured an apartment for me and my wife-to-be for the next year. Still in New Jersey, as value-for-money seemed so much better, and I am getting to like my 20minute door-to-door commute! More on that later, for sure!

4th of July (Week)

I needed a holiday. Oh how I needed a holiday! I flew to Wisconsin to be with Laura and to experience my first proper celebration of the 4th of July - I just didn't tell anyone I'm British..

I started with a couple of days with Laura at her home near Rio, Wisconsin. She had the house to herself, except the animals she has to feed, and I enjoyed lounging and wandering around the garden, photographing the wildlife..


It was very hot, and had been for ages. The poor garden and vegetables were starting to look rather sunburned.. but I do like this shot of a peaceful farm/garden scene..


Then we travelled up to Washington Island - a trip I have done before and love... though I do feel guilty with Laura doing all the driving. Once there however, I find it to be the most amazingly relaxing place. No agenda, no TV, no Internet, barely any phone reception, though I did try to make my workmate jealous of the peaceful outdoors, such as this quiet, sandy area we found for some light swimming!


The water wasn't just comfortable, it was positively warm! And you could wander out for ages without it being more than chest-deep. The whole island is full of little summer creatures.. some scary-looking spiders around the cabin (none poisonous though!) but plenty of birds, dragonflies, and butterflies fluttering about (I am sounding like my Dad).


Laura's sister, brother-in-law, and niece were present for much of the week too. My future family! Little Cecilia is more than adorable, so I'm glad she got to meet her future Uncle!

Then of course, was the 4th of July fireworks! Except there were no fireworks. Here's why:


Yeah. A few minutes after this, an almighty thunderstorm started and the event was cancelled. This was the only time we were out and the weather wasn't glorious. But we were back in our same seats the day after, for Take 2 - which was fabulous!



Finally, we spent a couple of the evenings on the rocky beach out the back of the cabin, building a campfire, setting off bottle-rockets, and having fun with sparklers and long-exposure camera settings!


What a great week! It was a shame to leave it, but I felt a lot better and more relaxed than before I arrived. Plus, it's good spend time with those important to you, and share places and experiences important to you both.

The whole Flickr set from my trip is here.

June Has Been and Gone

So sorry.. I haven't updated this in ages. And I was going to update it every other day with brief stuff so everyone knows what I'm up to! Instead, I've been posting once a month and cramming a load of crap in there. So to catch-up, briefly, before I *actually* start updating this with more-or-less up-to-date and real-time info (and other hyphenated-words), this is what June has consisted of:

• Working. More directorial visits from London! More drinking..
• My lovely fiancée visited and we had a long weekend where she tried on her wedding dress (I didn't look!) and we walked the High Line (I looked), caught up with a couple of friends, and generally got to know some potential areas for living in. We had fondue! I had never had fondue before.. 
• I saw Mogwai play a small venue in New York; Webster Hall, in the East Village. They were on really early and a fairly short set, but still decent.
• I started looking, properly, for a proper apartment. I think I'm going to stay Jersey-way, because it has proper 1-bedrooms for the price of a wooden room in Manhattan. Brooklyn might be in with a surprise shout however, I will keep you posted!
• I watched as much of Euro 2012 as possible. Pretty much all the games at the weekend could be caught in a bar or two. I deviated from the normal Midtown area for a couple of matches, after it was pointed out as being next door to Webster Hall!
• I set off for Wisconsin, for a much-needed week off and time with my fiancée for 4th of July week... which will be the subject of my next post or two. Coming soon, I promise!

A Nearby Walk

One thing I loved doing in London was wandering. Just picking a direction and going with it. More often than not, I accompanied my fiancée for walks along the Thames, on the path near our flat. I decided to try out some of the new area where I live for the same effect. I was in luck; the nearby Hudson riverside of New Jersey is a nice little walk. Not quite London, but it boasts dramatic views of Manhattan and a few other sights on the way.

I took my camera and walked the area from the harbour at Newport:

Past the little lighthouse:

Enjoying some wildlife on the way:

And eventually into Hoboken:

Hoboken is lovely, if not a little pricey and loud and trendy at the weekends. But it has a nice grassy pier to sit on and some more of the riverside path. You can watch cruise ships go by or just people watch. I did both.

I'm glad I've found a walk to relax my brain for a little bit. I even shared it with my fiancée when she visited, so we have some similarities at times to life back in London.

The rest of the pics from the walk can be found here!

A Day of Nostalgia

Still catching up, but getting there. This involves the day & evening of May 12th - where I had a nostalgic trip between 3 places I had previously visited in NYC when travelling over here for work over 18 months ago.

The first stop was the High Line. This is an "elevated park" - and one of my favourite uses of space in New York. It has been converted from an old rail line which runs between Midtown and the Meatpacking District in Lower Manhattan. When I was here previously, it was only a few blocks long, but was very pleasant. Now it is a proper walk all the way up to 30th Street, and it is still being extended. It is full of grass, flowers, plants, trees, and now water features, a few food/drink stands, and a great view of the Statue of Liberty from afar. It makes a great short cut without having to stop at every intersection, and of course the greenery make it a more pleasant experience whilst you walk. I've since been up here two more times; taking a visiting friend to see it and also when my fiancée visited (more on that later).



After this wander, I kept going North through the less-than-thrilling Midtown area, until I landed upon Bryant Park. I enjoyed lying around on the grass taking photos of tall buildings until Ash turned up, followed by Melissa & Ian, for some beers in the Bryant Park Cafe. Ash and I used to come here often during our trips over as it is one of the few & best places to enjoy a sunny day with a spot of booze. So we enjoyed a seat and a few drinks until the sun went down.



Our final stop was one of Ash's favourite bars, which he took me to a couple of times previously. It's called Lillie's and is on 17th Street - so we needed to get a quick cab over there. It apparently was once a bar in Ireland until they shipped the entire contents over to New York. The result is a long bar, full of "stuff", atmosphere, and usually a lot of people. We had a few more drinks here, before calling it a night



You can find the rest of the pictures from the day/night here if you like.