Diary, October 2005
Blog: Edited, June 2025 – June 2026
PART THREE
DAY FOUR
| Sunday | 14/10/2005 | Baptist Church & Empire State Building |
BAPTIST CHURCH
As it was Sunday, and Nikki a devote Christian, she naturally wanted to go to church. To be fair, she’s never tried to convert me to her faith. However, this was a shared trip that was about supporting each other’s interests.
I enjoyed the Baptist choir, it had a very bluesy feel (my favourite musical genre). During the sermon I felt quite uncomfortable; the preacher was getting everyone to stand up and pray. Being a ‘Born Again Atheist’, this felt a little hypocritical for me. However, not to look out of place, I did stand up. Anyway, it was an interesting experience.
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
We headed to downtown Manhattan, to the Empire State Building. Extract taken from a Google AI search, “Construction began on March 17, 1930, was completed on April 11, 1931, and the building officially opened on May 1, 1931”. This was another must-see on our NYC itinerary.
As you would expect, the queue to go to the top of the building was massive. We eventually made it to the elevator and zoomed up all one hundred and three floors. The views were well worth the wait, stretching out across the city. I don’t remember feeling nervous being that high up, as there was plenty of protective and high fencing all around the pinnacle of building. We found an Italian Restaurant for our tea. The food was enjoyable, however, according to my notes, the service was left wanting.
DAY FIVE
| Monday | 15/10/2005 | Colony Island & World Trade Centre |
COLONY ISLAND
There are some films that can sell a place they are set in. ‘Angel Heart’ directed and screenplay by Alan Parker, hit the big screen in 1987. This has become one of my all-time favourite movies. I first saw it in the Liverpool Poly student union bar, in the early 90s, and now own a copy on DVD. The cinematography and soundtrack created a brilliant atmosphere to the film and it inspired me to visit Colony Island. This only appeared briefly in the film but had a huge creative impact on me.
Colony Island is situated on the outskirts of NYC, a good hour’s train ride for us. The place had a derelict fairground and a few cafes and shops, giving it an eerie atmosphere. It was a great photographic source for my creative library. We had something to eat in a typical American diner. Nikki understandably felt quite unsafe, so we didn’t hang around for too long. I’m glad we made it out there, it certainly met my expectations.
WORLD TRADE CENTER
We headed back into the city to visit ‘Ground Zero’, Nikki’s choice. This is the site where the Twin Towers once stood until the devasting events of 9/11. We only had a view through a tiny cut-out in the perimeter fencing. It was smaller than I had imagined. I personally didn’t feel any notion of significance, given the huge loss of life that had taken place there.
We then headed towards Broadway, NYC’s theatre district. Nikki wanted to get tickets to a show, as musicals are one of her passions in life. We duly booked to see ‘Chicago’, staring Brooke Sheilds. No mention in my notes where we went for tea, probably not that memorable…
DAY SIX
| Tuesday | 16/10/2005 | Greenwich Village, United Nations, Hudson River Walk & ‘Chicago’ Musical’ |
GREENWICH VILLAGE
If I remember correctly, this was Nikki’s choice of venue. However, it was definitely one I was up for. Greenwich Village is a ‘creative melting pot’ of musicians, artists, poets etc. Among the more famous stories of the place, it was where Bob Dylan’s musical journey took off. He was spotted by a talent scout, singing in one of the bars in the area in late 1961. There was certainly a Bohemian feel to the place, very chilled out. A ‘New York Oxton’, Oxton, the Wirral village being my spiritual home. If the opportunity presented itself, I would like to live in Greenwich before my days are out.
UNITED NATIONS BUILDING
A building consisting of some interesting, curved shapes and forms. It was a sunny day, which helped accentuate the architecture. There was a particularly impressive global sculpture in front of the building that added to the brilliance of the place. Fitting for an organisation, such as the UN.
HUDSON RIVER WALK
We got back to our hotel just after lunch and had a few hours to spare before heading out to see the show. I took advantage of the time to have a stroll along the banks of the Hudson River, about five minutes’ walk from our base. It was a very pleasant walk in the autumn sun, admiring the amazing bridges stretching across the water, and soaking up the ambiance of the place. Quite an oasis from the mad buzz of the city.
‘CHICAGO’ MUSICAL
| We went for a pre-show drink and something to eat, just off Times Square. From my notes, I enjoyed a nice pint of Guiness. The show was enjoyable, it had a jazzy musical score, another one of my favourite musical genres. A bonus was the female lead, Brooke Sheilds, who was a teenage crush of mine. We were in the cheap seats, high up, some distance away from the stage. It was quite chilly in that part of the theatre, but it didn’t take anything away from my appreciation of the occasion. |
In the final part, I’ll be checking out an all-American Diner, and getting lost on the subway.
Jarmin Apple
June 2026
"Drop-in and Chill Out" 