I arrived at my hotel in Chelsea, Manhattan around 6pm on Easter Sunday. It was perfectly located on 24th St just off 6th Avenue, away from the overcrowded and touristy locations. Suitably jet-lagged and running purely on adrenaline, I rendezvoused with my colleague and we went for dinner at a French restaurant just around the corner. No sooner had I cloaked my jacket (oh yeah, it was cold…. about 8 degrees) but the attendant remarked at what ‘amazing hands’ I had! A hand sketch artist apparently, who took an immediate liking to mine. Bless. I was quite spaced out at the time, and given my company, I thought it best not to see where this could go. Rather, I blushed like a little girl and went to our table.
After dinner, my colleague (who had arrived the day prior) went back to the hotel to catch up on some sleep, so I decided to explore the neighbourhood. A little timorous at first given my current state of mind, but I soon found myself surrounded by the soaring neon ‘scrapers of Times Square. Like a deer in headlights I was, so rather than reach the same fate, I detoured back downtown passing the Chrysler Building & Grand Central Station before literally stumbling upon the Empire State Building. Seizing the moment (and given I’d pre-booked an open tour pass online before leaving Sydney) I ventured to the top of the icon. Breathtaking… not just the views but the weather! God it was cold. And the wind… sweet Jesus! No wonder he fuckin’ rose on This Day! After about half an hour I was concerned I’d tempt fate and try to fly off the edge so decided to head back to the hotel. The room was adequate. A massive bed (which would prove useful come Friday night ;p)
No Easter Monday holiday in New York so it was off to work for the first day of training. We walked the 8 or so blocks to the DoubleClick office on 8th Avenue. Like everything in NY, the scale of operations was massive. Our co-workers take up about half a floor on a square block. There’s a real chance you could not know someone who worked in your office! Not surprisingly, they are a very intelligent team. The internet advertising industry is obviously further developed in the US market than it is in Australia, and as a result, the cream has certainly filtered to the top. Our recent acquisition by Google should only accentuate that. As Nooglers (new Googlers, as the saying goes) we benefit from their unique culture, no more so than with their fully-catered kitchen of chefs! While we only saw the lesser extreme of this in our Sydney office the previous week, here in NY, where Google coincidentally share the same building (albeit two floors) as DoubleClick, the food hall is simply incomprehensible…. a dedicated macaroni & cheese bar, design-your-own salads, a grill & carvery, plus vegan, vegetarian and kosher selections, plus a beverage fridge that would rival that of a 7-11. Then there’s dessert! Needless to say the whole experience was a mouthful. After a long and overwhelming day in the office, we ventured local again for dinner (like we needed more food?!) but not before I bought some gloves…a necessity this time of year in New York if you have any intention of using your fingers for their intended purpose.
Tuesday was filled with more introductions and meetings at work which made the evening’s retail therapy even more rewarding. After browsing the local boutiques it was time to hit 5th Avenue. Fabulous with a capital FUCK! I spent a small fortune at Abercrombie & Fitch. I blame that on the hot, hot, hot, semi-naked model in the foyer that lured me off the street. Do you come with the jeans? I have no excuse for melting the plastic at Armani Exchange. Prada, Louis and Gucci oh my! No ruby slippers were gonna send me home. As I paraded back up 5th like a packhorse, I succumbed to the bright lights of Rockefeller Centre and its ice-skating rink. Despite my sheer exhaustion, as an addict from way back I piped-up, cloaked my goods and hit the ice! It was quite surreal. And I didn’t stack it once, thankfully, as that surely would have ruined the new suit I was wearing which I purchased prior to leaving Sydney. Yes, I was quite the corporate sight that night. Cardin on Ice! I cut my session short so as to visit the ‘Top of the Rock’, widely regarded as a better view of the City than the Empire’s.
The mid-week hump, while surely not as noticeable for one in New York, was punctuated with after-work drinks in Greenwich with the Ad Exchange team. While at least 15 headcount for the NY office, my colleague and I were about to launch the product in the Australian market as a dynamic duo! The night was spent networking and learning the finer points of Whisky. Surely beneficial could I have remembered any of it!
A long way from Tennis Sydney’s Thursday night Virginia Slims, I found myself at Madison Square Garden for a New York Rangers game. That’s ice hockey for all you sport un-enthusiasts (*eyeroll*) I donned a supporter cap for fear of being mistaken as a New Jersey Devil, grabbed a footlong (hotdog, puhlease) and took my seat in the Stadium. My first hockey game. Now, I know you’re not supposed to go all the way on the first date but my cherry was popped. Talk about being put away in the change-rooms! In keeping with tradition, my elation was premature with the Star-Spangled Banner bringing me to my knees even before kick-off (or rather the ice-hockey equivalent?) Still, only a minor penalty compared to the butt-ending, hooking and slashing that was to follow. Where do I sign up?! A goal in the dying minutes thankfully clinched a 3-2 victory to the Rangers. Sweet. I may have even embraced the poor fan that was sitting next to me. Competitive sport… what’s not to get?!
Saving the best for last, and spookily so, Friday night was Culture Night. In every sense of the word. Broadway’s blinking neon had been enticing me all week… Wicked, Young Frankenstein, Chicago… the choice was endless. But there was to be only one. Rent. The Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical about Bohemians in the East Village of New York City struggling with life, love and AIDS, and the impacts they have on America. An all-time film favourite of mine. After a season-extending run on Broadway, the show is to close early June so my mind was made up. And I wasn’t disappointed. Even the chattering Girls-Night-Out behind me couldn’t dampen my spirits. I mean, please, this isn’t a midnight Rocky Horror screening. Shut. The. Fuck. Up. I didn’t pay to hear you pinch the decibels, bitches. Nevertheless, I was moved in more ways than one that I commemorated the affair with a cast-signed poster. All proceeds going to charity. That’s a tax deduction, right? After a quick costume change at the hotel afterwards, I fought the bitter winds and ventured out to one of the bars marked on my mud-map. Feeling rather Dorothy*, I kept circulating the lounge until something caught my eye. It wasn’t long. Or was it. A trio of pilots. Black American. Grounded… but on my cloud nine. They took me under their wings (pun intended) as they soared Upper Manhattan. The service was exceptional, notably Boston Boy’s. Boston may be known as America’s Walking City but there was certainly nothing slow-paced about this pilots’ trajectory.
A consequently sleepless night had me feeling rather drained (ahem) for the final stop on my itinerary… the Sex and the City Tour. Gay dear? Who dear? Me dear? No dear. It had to be done. If only for the complimentary cupcake and discounted cocktail! A busload of more than 50 fans were treated to a 3½ tour of notable ‘On Location’ hotspots… the Pleasure Chest, where Miranda purchased ‘The Rabbit’; Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker St, where Carrie & Miranda devoured sugary cupcakes to overcome their troubles; Scout (actually named O'Nieal's), Steve & Aidan’s bar in the West Village. The highlight, seeing the steps to Carrie’s apartment. After disembarking the bus, I had planned to visit the Met Museum but time was quickly running out with my impending flight home that evening so there was only enough rope to briefly swing by Central Park, on what was a glorious day in Upper Manhattan. I then walked the 25 blocks back to my hotel (like I said, the vagabond shoes were killing me) before collecting my luggage and heading out to JFK.
It’s surreal to think that I was just in New York. The whole experience, by its very own definition was phantasmagorical. Or could that be the result of the bottle of wine I’ve consumed in writing this?! In any case, it’s something, somewhere, I’ll never forget. Ever. And anyone that knows me and my inherent mind of a sieve, can understand the magnitude of just that. I even purposely watched those in-flight movies that featured New York, as a final parting tribute. The City will never look the same as it did this past week.
“As we drive along this road called life, occasionally a gal will find herself a little lost. And when that happens, I guess she has to let go of the coulda, shoulda, woulda, buckle up and just keep going.” Carrie Bradshaw in 'Sex and the City'
*Doh-rah-thee: adj. Separated from others; solitary or singular. A long way from home.












