Hope in Harlem

Howdy!
We landed safely with various mishaps like Eve holding a high temperature and me leaving the declaration form behind on the plane; only having a Spanish version to fill in at customs. Ola! Chocolate tea and mustard wasn`t enough to detain us, so we were let through to find a steaming 0100 NYC. Yellow cabs don`t do 5 travellers, so we headed for the bus stop, only to be rescued by a Dudley Moore look a like angel. He had a vehicle for 8 and an orange swinging perpex cross on his mirror. At last on the road to the lights.. except that we went round the other terminals looking for a further 3 people to fill the van! With an extra two, we were grateful for a speeding Dudley to whizz us there quick.

The Manhattan Broadway is everything we had hoped for, and more. The 3 Cs: Cheap, Clean and Central. So central in fact. My dream had been to wake up early and go for a run. With 4 hours under my belt and a burning Eve now cooled and journal writing in the bathroom, I left. NYC 0730 Sunday morning. It felt like I was on the set for Vanilla Sky. We are in the garment area.. probably old Jewish with the odd forgotten synagogue here and there. Shabby, tired and a bit grotty really.But in a couple of blocks and I`m on 5th avenue. Wow! Long sweeping elegant and full of the pricey shops. With no map it feels like I head South, but in fact it`s North to Bryant Park a rennovated Square like the hundreds in London. We later find that all the grass in New York is laid down in Central Park. With Times Square a little further down I decide to save it for later and head South on the 5th. Soaking it all in and being assured I have right of way by a sympathetic and bemused man, I just keep running. A few blocks on I laugh out loud as I spot the form of Hannah`s fridge magnet ahead. It`s breath taking and makes me cry. I realise that we`ve actually done it. We made it here, and here I am in front of the Flat Iron Building! Soon I realise than in the deserted junction, I am not alone. Lone figures are spotted on the tops of roofs. I did know but had forgotten, Antony Gormley`s army of standing figures looking down at the empty roads. I had seen them on the Thames years ago, but it feels more poignant here. I turn back down a seedier Broadway. If it`s the red light district then it`s tiny. On home. I`m only away for 35 minutes. Call into the corner shop for an Earl Grey and 2 toasted cream cheese bagels, and give my last dollar to a guy on our doorstep who `has a birthday` today.

Andy and Jess are not ready to surface yet, so Millie , Eve and I head out to find Times Square. Eve soon counts 101 taxis, Millie is embarassed with my singing and we are surrounded by Mary Poppins PR. Amused by a string of decorated mannequins on Broadway we made our way back intigued by a row of 8 food shops each from a different country.

To skip ahead , we all shared a brunch on Broadway and head down to the Subway for the Natural History Museum. Waiting 30 minutes for a train that doesn`t run on a Sunday, we got an Express train by mistake and ended up in Harlem. Dehydrating we jumped off in search of liquid. Harlem has a buzz we felt at home with. But with a packed schedule time was short. ` We have 10 minutes in Harlem, what should we do?` I asked the sales guy. `The Appollo!` So off we went in blistering heat, 200m down to the place where Ella, Aretha, Michael, Quincy and more nurtured careers, and souls were fed. It felt like a pilgrimage. Acute sense of the awesome. Bump into the $1 birthday guy from earlier and wish him a good day. 2 JWs offered the Watch Tower on the corner. I refused but agreed to have some scripture. Daniel, about the kingdom of God. Then to the Apollo. A shiney jewel in a dusty street. It`s closed alas. So we look at brass plaques on the floor celebrating our heros. I take my new glasses off for the photo, facing the big doors and next to Franklin`s name. Then it happens. The doors burst open and a young woman runs out, calling Jessie`s name. They look at each other in disbelief and embrace. It`s Hope. Hope and Jess were at Rushmore together until Hope moved to Trinidad 4 years ago. She is playing sax on tour in her school jazz band. It was such an impossible encounter.. we are still dumbfounded! We hope to meet up again, but with with our planning it won`t happen quite as smoothly!

On to the Museum we inspect the entrance hall, then escape to some green in Central Park. It really is enormous. We cross the Rambles to paddle in a stream, watch some World Cup Final in the opulent Boat House, climb on burning Alice in Wonderland and play ball. Near the Met a card seller tells Andy where the Strand, the best second hand book shop is, and we buy Huckleberry Finn from him. The Met is big but expensive, and I refuse to pay more than $5 dollars for the 45 minutes we have left. Voluntary donations are accepted but not expected. Having a growing frustration at being charged for everything, I didn`t mind the Paddington stare!

We missed the heavy rain so came out into a steamy 5th Ave. Madison Ave, Park Ave, Lexington Ave.. doughnuts, train to Grand Central. Wow! More Fisher King moments. Sense of direction confused again in busy streets and passed by a beeping car with 3 billowing Spanish flags. So they did it after all! Smoothy bar for pizza and drinks to be eaten in Bryant Square. Beautiful flowers, cheeky birds and seizing legs. All pretty bushed. Head home with memories to pocket. So many!

All have cold showers and crash one by one. Collect an Earl for Andy, and water for the fridge, from the korean corner shop where a rapper is getting on their nerves. This is only day 1. Can hear mum saying to pace it! But it`s so hard not to drink the place in. Millie has already announced she is having her honeymoon here, and the list lengthens of all we want to do ( M and M shop for Jess is the newest addition).

Odd how it`s possible to sleep with a groaning air con unit in the corner. Must go and try again.

Having a great time.
Wish you were here.
Rachel x