We can all be something bigger

Published on Thu 24 Jun 2010

It's been a busy couple of days. Yesterday I went to London for a slightly weird PR event where they gave us free beer during the England game but I'm not entirely sure what was being promoted. Oddly, a couple of guys I was at school with and haven't seen for about 10 years were there. They didn't know what was being promoted either. I managed to meet up with three separate people afterwards which was nice, and London is such a great place to be when it's sunny. And England won, and contrived to not be playing their next game during any of The Morning People gigs on Saturday, which is a bit of a relief.

I was in London on Tuesday as well to go and see The Hold Steady at The Forum. I've been quite addicted to them for a few months now, so it was good timing that they were playing. I could only get tickets for the seating on the balcony (Andy got his on eBay and got standing - I didn't think of that) but actually it was fine. The view was better than it would've been downstairs and there was plenty of room. Everyone else looked a bit miserable for some reason. We'd gone to the pub beforehand so didn't get in until most of the way through the support band but, unsurprisingly, they didn't grab me. I don't even know what they were called. Seemed like nice chaps though - very pleased to be there.

The Hold Steady were great. They've lost their flamboyant keyboard player since the End of the Road and replaced him with someone about as flamboyant as me. I wonder if it was his choice to have absolutely no attention drawn to him, even while doing solos and things, or if he wasn't allowed near the front because he's not on the posters. There he is on the right at the back. One step away from behind a pillar.

To be fair it probably made no difference because, despite the guitarists actually being lit up, it was virtually impossible to take your eyes of the singer. If he wasn't jogging on the spot or flapping his hands hummingbird style, he was pawing at the air like a cat or doing his best Vitruvian Man.

They played pretty much everything I wanted to hear (Stuck Between Stations, Chips Ahoy!, Constructive Summer, Sequestered in Memphis) and (which I was particularly impressed with) only did the 4 songs I like most off the new album. It's good when a band knows what their best material is. I got quite excited. The people sitting near me didn't seem especially pleased about it. I did keep spilling my pint.

My other big news is that I've now got HDTV. How I Met Your Mother in HD. It's probably a 5 year high point.

So, a bit more New York...

On the Tuesday morning I got the subway down to the fort thing where you get the ferry to Liberty Island and, after a quick trip to Starbucks, bought a ticket for that and Ellis Island. I'd been told there'd be huge queues if I didn't get there early, and I didn't get there early, so I was relieved when there were only about 5 people ahead of me in the ticket line. It was short lived. Somehow on the way in I'd failed to notice the huge snake of people going round the entire park waiting to actually get onto the boat. Fortunately I was still engrossed in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo so I spent a contented hour reading in the sun moving slowly towards the dock, blocking out the terrifying clown and terrible, terrible violin player who were trying to earn a crust by entertaining the crowd.

Eventually, slightly disappointingly, I had to stop reading and go through the metal detectors to get on the boat. I didn't manage to get on the top deck, but the views through the window were still pretty good.

When I got onto the island, there was a (I think civil war period) school marching band, though I'm not sure that the saxophone had become popular by then, having only been invented 25 years earlier. And sounding dreadful.

I watched them for a bit then got an audio guide and learned some interesting facts about the statue while walking around it. I didn't actually realise that it's built on a fort. Or that it's hollow (though I guess that's pretty obvious). Or that that quote about huddled masses comes from a poem that was written to help promote it. I did realise that it's really effing big. 

I spent about an hour wandering round, enjoying the views of Manhattan,

then got the boat over to Ellis Island where immigrants who couldn't afford first or second class boat tickets were processed. It was interesting, if a bit full of really, really annoying school children.

At one point they stole about 50 foam Statue of Liberty crowns and ended up being chased around by staff. I was relieved when they all got onto the ferry.

When I'd finished looking round the museum I decided to tick off the other really touristy New York thing and go up the Empire State building. Even in a city full of tall buildings it dwarfs the others.

And I reckon contains about 20% of the world's marble

I thought that there would be another mammoth queue, what with it approaching sunset, but it looked very much like they normally have to deal with a lot more people than were there

The views were stunning.

They're missing a trick by not having a bar up there though. I'd have been there for hours. As it was I did a few laps then went to the bar at the bottom of the building and had a delicious strip steak, some tasty orange flavoured beer, and a conversation with a barman who couldn't understand that someone from England could possibly understand the concept of baseball. I pointed out that it's just watered down cricket, where they always catch the ball because of the huge gloves, but he was having none of it. Fun though, and another good day.

I have to go to bed. I'm seeing Bon Jovi tomorrow. Oh wow, CSI in HD. It's probably a 5 year high point.