Footie Art

I did manage to check out some footie art here (above) at Columbus Circle, on the Sunday before I fell to the fever, check out the pictures, below is a painting of England 3 Lions, tied to the victory of 66. In the exhibtion it explained how us Brits had invented football, but find it hard to win. humm..

 

Nigeria shockingly knocked out so early and the hosts South Africa, always smiling..

Above the USA picture, presumably in choppy water and not on a pitch is symbolic?

The Netherlands and New Zealand below. Interesting &nice to see the US getting into the spirit,when I lived in California they insisted on calling it Soccer and had no idea or interest in a World Cup.

Sick as a Dog, in the height of Summer

Apologies for the lack of posting! I have been very poorly, as if it all caught up with me at once, after moving in for only 3 days, I fell to a fever.. of course being sick and confined to your bed is the same as anyone might imagine.
After 8 days of being ill though, I finally conceded to seeing a Dr.
As the US currently lack an NHS we had to find somewhere they took the uninsured, and ended up at a rather large Boots or Superdrug type place called Duane Reade, the waiting room was just a row of chairs basically in the shop, and a room for a 'nurse' and another for the Dr.
Suffice to say the waiting time and the Nurse care was very much NHS, she wasn't able to spell Beclamethazone and asked me, I wasn't really able to talk due to lack of coughing and breath. She got irritated, said nevermind.
He was as my GP was, friendly and proffessional. Prescribed me my medicine and sent me on my way.
In a matter of minutes. But then came the crushing part of having to part with $135 plus $16 per prescription!

I have a way to go before I'm really on form, but as if on purpose, I saw 'Taube' from House a few minutes later walking up the street...a actor Dr after seeing a real Dr.. this must be the perks of NY.

By the way it's blazing hot outside, and still not on form to go chill in the park..still World Cup is on..happy days..

World Cup Footie in the Apple

Despite the fact I am in the land of the people we were up against for our first group game in the world cup, I proudly bought an England shirt- (prob never would if I was in England!) and wore it to the Beer Garden in Queens where we were meeting up with a couple of friends.

It's well known the Americans are not really into football and instead call it Soccer. Football to them is that helmet donning Rugby like game that I cant really say I ever got my head around, but the atmosphere and the sheer number that came out to support thier country in this beer garden was in the hundreds!

They had flags, costumes, Uncle Sam's.. they even had a woman who had bought her face paints with her and painted the Stars and Stripes on peoples cheeks.

They also had a chant 'U-S-A! U-S-A!'
to which a couple of English supporters and I mean two, stood up to sing 'You've only got one song, you've only got one song, you've only got-one-song'
It was really funny and a great atmosphere.

Just when the game was about to start, a woman who had been chanting USA leaned over to me and said you will win, and we both just laughed! after I arrogantly said "I Know!' It was really fun and I thought it was great how two opposing teams could have a laugh and share banter, whilst watching it miles away from South Africa- the true meaning of the World Cup.
Then they went mental when they scored! Mental! Like they were so surprised- as were we! It was funny, but I'm sure the 12 of us English in the place were thinking we'd score again!
Then the mood changed, there were about 4 guys, rather big burley blokes, yelling '*uck the British!" many times, of course they weren't even playing the British, but to point this out seemed like risking my life.
These guys were very loud, a small minority but spoiled the game for me a bit none-the-less.. I saw it as pointless, racist and bordering on US hooliganism. They had a lot more people join them in shouting '*uck BP' which is equally pointless and little to do with the people of England. This is the first time in my life in the US I've ever felt anti- British sentiment, and never felt so keen to defend my country and it's people in all my life.

This guy (on the right of this picture) at the end came up to me and said 'Boo to this woman, Boo!!' right in my face.. I was a little taken back. But when I realised he was so jubilant, I had to point out (much to the chagrin of my boyfriend who wanted me to ignore him), that the USA team didn't win.. it was a Draw.. a Tie, whatever they call it here, and I wouldn't be too proud of that goal really, it was hardly the mastery of football.
Me and my big mouth, though he was drunk and an English guy was standing next to him winding him up long before I got there!
Then.. the next day, this was the headline of the New York Post?!?!

Do they know the game at all???? I think this says it all.. Come on Eng-ger-land! I'll be watching again this Friday this time, probably at home on the couch! Oh and feel free to post comments if you think I'm a chicken and should brave it out there again.. in the city that misinterprets scores...

New Yorker ways..

We finally have the keys and bought the basic furniture for our new home, and we move in officially on Friday :) happy days! We will move from the very noisy neighbourhood of the Lower East side, and up by the park in the Upper West!!
Though I will need to live without my creature comforts like a dishwasher (I guess I am spoiled) and even a washing machine in the house. I'm gonna have to go to the base of our building to get it done... feels a bit like a student. So instead of boring you with my week of waiting for furniture to arrive and buying mattresses and other such exciting events I thought I'd include some of the things I've noticed that are culturally different, sometimes traffic conscious, sometimes funny, sometimes fashion focused....

Crossing the street

London-
Wait on the pavement for the green man to show when it's time to cross.
Or leg it quickly with a decent gap in the traffic.
New York-
Walk into a road, where traffic is coming thick and fast, straight past you one option is to wait for the 'white man' signal (I've no idea what else to call it -we call it red and green man!) and cross safely.
Another is to stand in the road- literally the road- even if the flashing red hand is going-walk across anyway, and if there is a car coming then wave it away with your hand (as if this is going to stop a hunk of metal crashing into you) whilst finishing with a run- I saw someone do this- the shock stopped me from getting my camera out in time.

But it has to be said with the traffic rule of it being 'OK to turn right on a red', Car's will not always adhere to giving way to the pedestrians, so you need to kinda stand in their way- I saw a man get nudged by a van the other day..

Messages on the Tube/Subway
London-We have posters that say please mind the gap between the train and the platform or announce 'Mind the gap'
New York- Have a poster that says 'Stay stylish, stay aware.. no matter what your footwear is, step over the gap' such a fashion conscious city, not really warning you of getting mangeled between the train and the platform, but first order of the day is to 'stay stylish ;)'

Bars
London- You sit with you mates and have a few Beers enjoy the evening bantering with your group, get hammered, you go home.
New York- You might start sitting with your mates, then start chatting to the table next to you, then perhaps the whole bar (if right layout) and have a great laugh with total strangers. You'll also add a dollar to every drink you buy to 'tip' the barman to kinda do his job, but on the plus side he'll buy you drinks back if you're at the bar long enough, and that's a nice few free beers..you get hammered, you go home.

I'm sure I'll be adding to this! more pictures to follow..

A little get away to Nantucket and the beer drinking Squirrel

To ease our transition and to get more acclimatised, the boyfriend suggested we take a long weekend down to Nantucket. Amazing dosen't even begin to describe it.

It's tranquil, idyllic and peaceful. People are friendly and the isle being only 14miles wide make it small enough to while away the time just looking onto the horizon.

In case you had more in mind to get you going you have that option too, hire mopeds or a Jeep as we did and drive up along the sand road in a 4 wheel drive, the mopeds took us up to trails, and the Jeep took us into the beach, where Seals were swimming just meters from us just as curious about us as we were about them, and then more amazing scencs of wildlife surrounds you birds nesting and Hare's running around, horse shoe crabs and snapper head turtles.


Course we were there when FIGAWE was happening, a boat race for 200 miles from Hyannis - a nearby port to Nantucket and back, the race is over three days so particpants arrive into Nantucket Saturday night get truly bevvied up.. well plastered is more like it, to return on the Monday, and the tranquil island turns into party island, people are in great spirits and really friendly, we were at a bar downing a few beers and fried jalapeno rings- who knew you could fry the little rings into batter- when a nice lively group came in and were encouraged by our bar maid to do a dance of the 'squirrel', he said he'd do it when he was more drunk, but she persuaded him by changing the music and a tad jeering from his mates, and well pretty much the whole bar.. then course, he showed everyone his squirrel- that'd be yes, the squirrel in his pants! Thank heaven the bar was quite high up where we were sitting, so I got away with no visuals, though it put me off those Jalapenos!