So, as my time in Indiana was drawing to a close, I began to get the itch to actually DO something. Don't get me wrong, sitting in a rocking chair and sweating profusely was very pleasent, well certainly better than moving, but I was starting to feel that I wasn't 'getting my money's worth'.

So, on Tuesday, myself, Kate and Steve took a trip up to Indianapolis to the Childrens Museum. This is a great museum of gadgets, buttons to push, handles to turn and hands on puzzles to solve. It was unfortunately spoiled by being full of children, who had a terrible habit of jumping on the exhibits, trying to make the mock river run backwards and totally failing to be horrified by the Harry Potter section. Now a Childrens Museum for adults only, that I'd enjoy.

Wednesday morning, bright and early I took my leave of Indiana and flew to La Guardia airport in Queens, New York, New York. I took a fabled yellow Taxi to central Manhattan and Rufus' Work, which is at the Pierpont Morgan Library, the library set up by J.P. Morgans dad, who did not appear to be short of a few bob himself. I amused myself around the library for the afternoon, mostly looking at concept sketches by the likes of Michelangelo, and Rufus' office, reading Burke's Peerage which I have yet to appear in, before getting my first taste of the New York Subway as we went to Rufus' abode in Brooklyn. It was not as scary as I had thought, looking and acting like an underground system rather than something from a John Carpenter film, as popular culture had led me to believe.

Thursday, and I felt like a tourist. I got up nice and early and bought a ticket for the Liberty and Ellis Island round trip ferry. Hence I was bobbing about in the middle of New York harbour, approaching the Statue of Liberty while the temperature nudged one hundred degrees farenheit, which translates into blasted hot in Celsius.

'It has to be said' that Liberty Island left me a little non-plussed. The statue is very nice to look at, but it doesn't improve greatly when you can look directly up its nostrils and the exhibition on it confused me somewhat by claiming that Liberty's seven pointed crown represented the seven continents. Would someone please tell my what these seven continents are?

Ellis Island, however, is very good and well worth a visit. Ellis Island was the immigration processing point for new arrivals into New York from 1890 on and they estimate that one hundred million Americans can trace an ancestor back to there. It has some very good exhibits on the processing, as well as where immigrants came from, why, and where they went to. If I had had a relative who had gone through there I think it would have had an even greater effect on me. Oh, and it is officially in New Jersey, bringing my state count up to five for the trip.

On Thursday I took myself off to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It has some very nice room reproductions, and some very interesting ancient items. Sadly, as they are a museum of art they were a bit scanty for my liking on the historical placing and significance of stuff. However, in their modern section they had my favourite painting seen in New York. It was a Salvador Dali called Madonna. I stood there for ten minutes trying to work out why he had taken a perfectly decent religious painting and covered it in abstract blobs. However, on following a little group of cooing old ladies, I viewed the painting from fifteen feet back, where it turned into an ear. Dashed cunning! Don't know what it's supposed to mean though.

I nipped downtown from the Met for lunch and then consulted my guide book, which caused me to have to walk for half an hour, back past the Met in the torrential rain (the heatwave having broken with a vengeance while I ate) to the Guggenheim. I fully expected to see a large wooden boat with an old guy in a big beard and two giraffes peeking over the side go by.

Ah, but the Guggenheim, what can I say. It really is that spirally and I got a fine case of vertigo looking down from the top. Oh and it had a fun wee Picasso of a cat being surprised by a lobster.

That night we went to the pictures,and I highly recommend what we saw, being 'The Others' starring Nicole Kidman. A traditional ghost story/haunted house film with no cheesy CGI and some genuine scary bits. Oh and Eric Sykes!

Saturday was mostly given over to sleeping, but we did go to the Natural History Museum, which feels like it was set out in the days when Native Americans made interesting natural history and looked quite pretty beside the stuffed buffalo. Oh and it claimed that humans have six senses. I learned so many points that the Scottish education system got wrong when I was in New York!

I staggered up on Sunday morning at half past five in preparation for my flight out. Said flight was taking me on a slight detour to Pitsburg, Pensylvania¹ before getting me to Chicago for my return to London. I arrived home at eight thirty the next morning, having dozed on the plane. I promptly passed out on the living room carpet.

Well, here ends another little trip of mine. Thanks for reading those who did, and I shall properly webify the photos soon...

Pictures for interested parties are available.
The American Dream Part One
The American Dream Part Two

Munchkin

30.08.01. Front Page

Back Issue Page