This morning I visited the Empire State Building. I arrived there pretty early, around nine thirty because again I woke up around four in the morning.

It was easy to find because you can see it in the sky from a few blocks away. Once you get in the line stars. After the first line you switch to the second line, and then you get the opportunity to buy a ticket. With my ticket I could go up to the second floor and stand again in another line. This line is for the check of your bags and to pass through the metal detectors. Finally you get to wait in the last line. You then enter in the lift, and that lift shoots you up to the 80th floor. On the 80th floor you get out and need to get in another lift that brings you all the way up.

Once on the top floor I have to admit it was worth the hassle. The view across New York is beautiful.

If there is one thing that is abundantly available in New York it is cops. On every corner of every street you can find a cop. Before every big or important building there is some person in a security outfit. If you want to park your car they will search your trunk and in some cases they check the bottom of your car with mirrors. In the metro it is swarming with cops and metro employees. When you enter a museum they check your bags and in every room you can expect to find security.

A safe situation, but it gave me a very strange feeling. Yesterday when I was heading to my car I was walking though a street where there was even a little sign, indicating that there was an atomic bomb shelter… This really gives you some food for though.

Yes, I did it. yesterday I visited a museum. I went to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, right next to Central Park. Of course I strolled through Central Park on my way there and during my first steps in the park I encountered a squirrel! That’s is a sight you don’t see very often, I thought. The animal was circling around me with about one meter of distance. I think it was looking for some food.

I made a few pictures of the squirrel and continued towards the museum and then it hit me. The entire park was full of those squirrels! I encountered hundreds of them. I spend some time viewing an amateur baseball match right there in the park, and then continued to the museum which I really enjoyed. Nice African masks, Knights armor a lot of statues and paintings.

Just went to get my car… a Chevrolet Cavalier, and of course it is an automatic with a nice CD player and air-conditioning. Not a small car, but here in America it is small, in fact, it is the smallest car they had.

After checking the car for damages I could take it out for a spin. I got in, started the car, en yes! On the background there was loud music. Some black rapper with a heavy beat. The previous driver had left the radio in such a way that it seemed like Herman had been driving the car.

The only bad thing is that I’m staying 3 more days here in New York, so I needed to park the car somewhere for the nice sum of 30$ a day :-(

Since this post the time is correct again. :-p The time indicated with each post until now was the time set on my PC at home. Now I’ve changed it to the local time here in America.

It is already my second day in New York. Again I woke up at 4 in the morning and what could I do… sleeping more was impossible because the city was calling. Calling with sirens of police cars, honking horns, noises from the hotel, and you name it. I just arranged to extend my stay a few days more until the 4th of July.

In the hotel, that is being operated by a lot of Chinese people, there was a manager listening to my request to stay a few more days… First there was a problem because I booked the room through an agency which resulted in a very look rate for the room. Finally we reached a deal where I could move to a smaller room for the same price and that I could get this room without paying taxes (???). I didn’t mind and went to get my stuff and move it to my new smaller room, but the room was already occupied… I returned to the manager and without looking gets me another key and another room. He yells a little at some concierge, and I went to move again. The resulting room proved to be even bigger that the original one. A bigger bed, a bigger couch and even a little table. I’m feeling lucky. :-p

This afternoon I’ll go and find the rental agency for my car and see if the car can remain parked for a few more days, because parking space in New York is very limited. Afterwards I’ll try and find a nice camera to make some digital shots.

It is really early, a quarter to 10 and I’m already online…. pffff.

It is my first entire day here and it is a little after 12. The jet-lag was very noticeable…. around 8 o clock last night I was really beat and around 4 in the morning I was wide awake. Today I passed the statue of liberty (which was much smaller as expected) and I passed ground zero. All this searching for some huge electronics shop which I eventually did not find. I also ate a typical American hotdog. :-p

I got a new phone… the cheapest prepay I could find. The number is: 917-621-6083.

I’m really enjoying myself. I just walked across Broadway and am still impressed. First I sort of got lost in a Toys ‘R Us shop and afterwards I got a very big medium milkshake at the Mac. Then I was just walking around the chaos of people, cars, taxis and famous people. :-p

Of course I also went by the Virgin store, looking for interesting trance music. The offer was just huge. Now I’ll spend my last 6 minutes of internet and then I’m off to find some food somewhere.

Oh, even here!!! Sad supporters all dressed up in orange. :-) They are the typical fans of the Dutch football team. Their colors make them easy to recognize, and there are quite a lot, more that I would have expected.

YEEEEHESSSSS, I have arrived!!!!

And it is really COOL!!! I am in New York, on the 23rd floor of a very small but comfortable hotel… just below Central Park and nest to Times Square.

But first things first, the entire story from this morning. First I drove to Noordwijkerhout at a quarter to seven I believe… afterwards my father and mother brought me to the airport and made sure I passed the customs. After customs I was frisked twice and needed to fill in a long list of questions. All my bags were searched, and people expressed surprise at seeing the large amount of food I brought, but they let it pass.

I ended up inside the plane and spend quite some time listening to music I brought on my mp3 player. I arrived in New York half and hour early where I was questioned again and my bags were searched again. Still I was able to pass the checks quite fast and then I was in. :-D

In New York I took the subway to my hotel, and when I left the subway and made my way to the surface I was really surprised. Everywhere I looked I saw huge buildings, shops everywhere, yellow cabs everywhere… really nice and my hotel was right in the middle of it all :-p

The time here is 2 minutes past 4, so you can calculate the difference yourself. Internet is everywhere and right now I’m in an easyinternetcafe, that is located just next door to my hotel. Now I only need to get MSN running.

My phone is just as expected useless. I’m going to have to get a new one. Also I need to get some public transport card for a few days and of course a camera…

I am leaving… My passport is nearly expired, so I will probably have some issues, but I have good hopes that I will be in America this afternoon.

I hope I will not miss you guys that much, but in this day and age online access is available everywhere and the world is getting smaller and smaller, so keeping in contact should not pose any problem.

See you in 2 months :-)