Day 87  New York City 4

Thurs 23/8   13298 steps
Song: Down Town by Petula Clark

Once again, we spent the morning trying to sort out how to get my bike home to no avail. We walked through some slightly dodgy neighborhoods to get to the Fedics shipping offices near the river, who we were told might help us, but they do not do ocean freight. They merely informed us what we already knew. By this stage I was ready to leave the bike behind.
We took the train to the Chelsea area to walk the high line, but needed lunch first. It was already after 3pm. So we walked a couple of blocks until I realized I was going the wrong way. We turned around and when we finally got to Eately, we were starving.
What a wonderful shop, you could spend the whole day there. There are many different eating areas, but David said he wanted to go to the meat restaurant. Our meal turned into a superb 3 course eating adventure. We shared “oh wow” porchetta and pork terrine appetizers, each coming with wonderful bread, then we shared a bowl of pasta, and finally a 20 oz ribeye with roasted eggplant, most of which we took home. Thank you, Celeste, for the recommendation, although I may have to come and see you about a loan. ($$$)

By this stage it was too late to walk the High Line so we walked back into Times Square. We did some extra steps as I lost my sense of direction again walking past the the iconic Flat Iron building, which is so beautiful, you don’t mind seeing it from both sides.
Then we went on a different bus tour called the Ride. You are driven in a bus with cinema style seating facing a large window. There are 2 “comedians” doing the narrating. There were also “random” sightings of street artists and interaction with people on the pavement who wave as you pass by. Although it is definitely cheesy, it was fun and we had some good laughs. It was also quite informative. We learnt that Times Square was once a red light district, until it was cleaned up and turned into a family area by removing the sex shops and adding lights. One of the buildings supposedly is empty because they make more money from advertising on giant screens that cover a large portion of the windows.

Chuckle of the day: The guy who brings the dishes at Eately, not to be confused with the waiter who takes the order, was a short, stocky guy, looked a bit like a prize fighter, and he came to arrange our table exactly as he wanted it before he brought out the food. David and I sat like 2 school kids to afraid to put our glasses down in the wrong place.
What I learnt: “Shipping” in America does not imply that a ship is used. That is Ocean freight and difficult to find, unless you are moving a large crate.