Work and Play

New York is unlike any other city on earth. Day or night, the streets of Manhattan are humming with relentless energy. The city is always awake and constantly on the move. Traffic is everywhere. People fill the sidewalk at all hours. The night sky glows with reflected light. The vibe is unmistakable. It’s infectious. You feel like the city is going places - with or without you.

Yet despite everything, the city feels a little underwhelming this time. The novelty of the Big Apple has worn off. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been here. At least a dozen or more separate trips over four decades. Once we're done with this trip, I'm not sure I'm in a hurry to come back.

Since arriving on Monday, Garry and I have filled our free time between meetings with a random selection of activities. Most are return visits to sights we’ve experienced before. For example, on Tuesday, we visited the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.  I've always loved its distinctive Frank Lloyd Wright–designed spiral gallery. I’ve been here several times before. However, it was a first for Garry.

This time, the museum's central rotunda was hosting an exhibition by Rashid Johnson. It's a rather odd collection of floating shelves, hanging palms and layered wall panels. For me, though, the most memorable highlight was seeing Franz Marc’s quirky Yellow Cow painting. While I’m not a huge fan of his work, there’s something oddly mesmerising about this joyful bovine.

Afterwards, we crossed 5th Avenue and walked back to Columbus Circle through Central Park. Our route took us past many of the park’s popular spots, including the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, the Obelisk, Belvedere Castle, Bow Bridge and Bethesda Fountain. We both marvelled at the geese bravely standing on the frozen lake alongside Bethesda Terrace, waiting patiently for tourists to toss them another meal.

On Tuesday evening, we took the train to Greenwich to catch up with Aedhmar and Kelvin. Over the years, they’ve become tremendous confidants, business mentors, and good friends. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since we last saw Aedhmar in London. As always, dinner turned into a lengthy night as we debated the future of our business and caught up on our respective lives. We missed the last train home and had to catch an Uber back to Manhattan. We finally rolled into bed shortly after 3:00am.

Yesterday was a recovery day. After a quiet morning, Garry and I walked across Manhattan to Hudson Yards. We’d hoped to climb the Vessel. However, it was closed. Instead, we walked the High Line as far as Little Island at Pier 55. The island is an artificial structure built over the Hudson River. It features a landscaped public park with contoured hills and an amphitheatre. A hilltop lookout offering uninterrupted views of Lower Manhattan and New Jersey.

Little Island opened in 2021, a few years after our last time in New York. Hence, it was on my bucket list for this trip. The island is supported by 132 pot-shaped structures, known as "tulips", which are suspended above the water. The tulips vary in height, between 4.6 and 18.9 metres above the waterline. It’s a fascinating structure. 

Last night we ticked off another bucket list experience. Our evening was spent watching the New York Knicks basketball team trounce the LA Clippers at Madison Square Garden. You can learn more about it here.

 

Today, after a lazy start, we filled the afternoon with some industry research. This included a visit to the New York Library to see the original Winnie the Pooh and Charles Dickens writing desk, and a visit to Fao Schwarz, an upmarket toy store still decked out in its Christmas trimmings. We also made a quick detour to the Rockefeller Center to see its famous Christmas tree (a 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce) and seasonal ice skating rink.

We finished our day with a quick trip to the US Intrepid aircraft carrier museum. However, we barely had time to tour the US Growler, a first-generation nuclear missile submarine, view exhibits on the hangar deck and explore the command island superstructure before it was time to go. Our pre-theatre dinner tonight was at Barbetta, an Italian restaurant on Restaurant Row, a block off Times Square. Our friends Jacqui and Mandy recommended it after dining there last year. It was a classic, old-school Manhattan local neighbourhood establishment.

Tonight’s Broadway performance was Six: The Musical. I’ve always wanted to see this show about Henry the Eighth’s six wives. On paper, it promises a lot. Six talented women knocking out power ballads for 90 minutes.  Sadly, the experience we got was rather mixed. Two performers were exceptional, two were average, and two weren't up to the task. Garry hated it. I desperately tried to like it, but ultimately left disappointed. 

Afterwards, we consoled ourselves with a mouthwatering diabetic treat from the aptly named Bakery & Desserts in Times Square. That’ll be 16,344 steps today, thank you! 

Tomorrow we're off to Long Island to spend time with Triple 8, a supplier we've never met in person. They're also taking us for dinner at the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport. This hotel is another bucket list item. Watch this space!

UPDATE: 10 January

Follow this link to learn more about our time at the TWA Hotel. It was awesome!