The Big Apple - Day 2

What do you do in the city that never sleeps if you can't sleep. You get up and you walk the streets. Such an interesting place. We even tried to photo bomb Good Morning America which is filmed at the ABC studios just across the road from our hotel.

After breakfast we headed off to the Top of the Rock only to find that it was closed due to the poor visibility. Not happy!!! The attendant was very helpful and suggested ringing later to establish if and when they might open. So instead we walked to Grand Central station which is s stunning building. Next stop on our walk was Bryant Park, a beautiful small oasis on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. It has what is reputed to be the best public restrooms in the city. We were stunned to find fresh flowers, classical music, very clean ammenities and a helpful attendants who took pride in ensuring that the facility was spotless. Not far along 42nd Street we found the Pandora shop. I may or may not have bought a couple of NYC charms!!! We then walked back to our hotel to plan out what we might do next.

We returned to the Rockefeller Centre in the afternoon after receiving info that the visibility, whilst not perfect, was at least reasonable. It was busy, and a fast lift ride to the 67 floor saw us at the first lookout. Even though it was quiet hazy we could still see the skyline and took a number of iconic photographs ourselves. We then climbed the stairs to the next floor and had another look at the skyline. It was impressive and on a clear day would be very spectacular. After completing our viewing we descended and moved out onto the streets of New York to catch the 'Hop on, Hop off' bus. We chose the downstairs air conditioned section and enjoyed 30 minutes of commentary before jumping off at Strawberry Fields in Central Park which was established to honour the memory of John Lennon who was assassinated outside his apartment block which, is directly across the road. We walked across Central Park and it's certainly an impressive area. Large shade trees, a massive lake where people row small dingys, walking tracks, roads, restaurants, open spaces, playgrounds and even a zoo, can all be found within the park. It's a beautiful place amongst an incredibly busy city.

We had a very early dinner so that we could attend an early performance of the stage show Miss Saigon. We ate at Carmelita's which is a very large Italian trattoria just off Times Square. It is a noisy busy place but the food was traditional and very good. The veal scaloppine was absolutely delicious. 

After a short walk we found ourselves seated in one of the many theatres that can be found along Broadway where we really enjoyed what was a wonderful production of Miss Saigon.

Exploring the Big Apple - Day 1

Today Stephen and I headed off to visit Lady Liberty, Ellis Island and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. We even tackled the trains and successfully made our way from Midtown to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The cruise out to Liberty Island was fabulous with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and of the Statue. Our guide Ashleigh was very informative and passionate about the history of the Statue. The tour actually took quite a bit longer than Stephen and I had expected. The queues for the ferries on both Liberty Island and Ellis Island were also very long. With this in mind we decided to skip the Ellis Island section of the tour and head back to Manhattan for the short walk north to the 9/11 memorial. 

We had a short stop for a cold drink at the famous O'Hara's Irish Pub, which is just across the road from 9/11 and during the tragedy was used as a haven for the first responders. The walls are covered with badges and patches of emergency services from all over the world. 

After regrouping in the cool pub we walked across the road to look at the reflection pools and fountains that now mark the foundations of the twin tours. It is a very solemn but beautiful space. Our next stop was the museum. We entered just before 3.00pm and didn't emerge until 6.00pm. It was a very moving and enlightening experience and certainly one that both Stephen and I would highly recommend to anyone visiting this vibrant city.

Dinner was a quick burger in our hotel restaurant which, has the most amazing views of Times Square. Now it is off to bed early, as our bodies are still struggling to catch up with the time difference and lack of sleep. 

It's a very long way.....

After 27 hours we are finally in NYC. Both flights were smooth and uneventful and all transfers worked as they should. Neither of us slept well at all so we are very tired. It is now 7.30pm on the east coast of America. We have settled into our room and been for a quick walk around Times Square. Wow! There are people absolutely everywhere. The size of the billboards, the colour, the noise, the yellow taxis, the smells, etc are a real assault to the senses. We are heading off to bed before adventuring out to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the 9/11 memorial tomorrow. Haven't seen Donald yet. He obviously doesn't know that we have arrived yet.

Silo Artist Trail

Our hotel for the night. Stefano's restaurant is located in the cellar.

After a short walk down to the river's edge we headed south of Mildura through the Mallee and then the Wimmera, stopping to look at the three completed silos that form the Silo Artist Trail. First stop was Patchewollock. As we drove in Stephen and I wondered whether we might be underwhelmed by the artwork but we were anything but. The detail is just incredible and it looks great both from a distance and up close.

Links to news articles about Patchewollock: 

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-05/patchewollock-silos-transformed-farmer-mural-fintan-magee/7958950?pfmredir=sm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-05/patchewollock:-music,-art,-babies/7997016

These large Mallee Fowls can also be found in Patche.
They are made from corrugated iron and timber.

Next stop was Brim. The silos at Brim were the first artwork completed just on a year ago. They are the work of world renowned artist Guido Van Helten and they are awesome. The detail is remarkable. The more you look at them the more you see. The face of the oldest farmer is just glorious. The folds and wrinkles are so life like. This is a link to a short film that shows the painting of the silos. It is very interesting - https://youtu.be/RMEaG6eUyL4 and this link shows the silos from the air - https://youtu.be/qHiirzDO4Kg

Last stop was Sheep Hills. The artwork depicted on these silos is quite different. The colours are stunning but the most beautiful thing about the paintings are the reflections of the sky and wheat fields in the eyes of the two central people. Unfortunately the photos don't do it justice. This artwork was only completed in the weeks before Christmas.

Another three silos have been commissioned and are due to be completed this year. Given the number of cars we saw visiting each silo I would suggest that it will become a real drawcard for the district.

Other interesting links:

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-27/adnate-paints-four-aboriginal-faces-sheep-hills-silos/8059530?pfmredir=sm

https://www.facebook.com/abcnews.au/videos/10155820619749988

Adelaide to Mildura

The Bay Sheffield crew. This photo was taken in Glenelg
before dropping Lach and Cal at Adelaide Airport

Yesterday we drove from Adelaide through the Barossa Valley and Riverland across the border to Mildura. We stopped for lunch at Maggie Beer's Farm Gate. I had one of her pates with homemade bread. Yum!!! The drive is not a hard one as the roads are very good. The environment is hot, dry and fairly flat. The mighty Murray winds its way through the Riverland all the way to Mildura. The orange groves in and around Mildura have been replaced by vines which seem to go on and on forever. We passed signs to many of the famous vineyards such as Lindemans and St. Anne's. We finally arrived at the Grand Hotel. After a short rest we had dinner at Stefano's and it certainly did not disappoint. There were 5 courses. There are no menus - you are simply served what has been prepared for the day, which is based on seasonal produce. We enjoyed all 5 courses but my favourite was the fettuccine with duck livers.

Wild old night in Adelaide

Adelaide was hit by a massive storm overnight. The rain was torrential and the wind extremely strong. Many homes and businesses lost power, there was flash flooding and quite a bit of damage caused by downed trees. The roof on the Glenelg Football Clubhouse was ripped off. The track in some parts was up to 10 to 15 cm underwater. However, the day itself was calm, warm and sunny and competition was able to get underway without too much delay.

Lach competed in the heats of the 130th Bay Sheffield. He ran really well, finishing in 5th spot. He is in the pink in the photo below. Jessica Payne (in the yellow in the bottom photo) from Victoria won the Women's Gift but most other races were taken out by locals. It really was a very enjoyable day of running watched by a large crowd.

They even had a parade of past winners and Hall of Famers. They rode around the track in vintage cars. One of the past winners was actually 91 years young and he enjoyed waving to the crowd and even gave a few kids on the fence a high five.

Bay Sheffield and Glenelg

We woke to rain and it really hasn't improved much over the course of the day. It is very warm and humid but the running has continued with conditions varying from drizzle to torrential. Lach ran in the 70m and competed well. Steph made the final of the 550m after winning her heat but was well off the pace in the final.

Glenelg is a really pretty place and even in the rain it is lovely walking around the beach and along Jetty Road.

Fingers crossed the weather improved overnight and we get a better day for the 120m competitions.