Chewie, We're Home.

I think you know when you're home. Your feet hit the floor of the airport. Your heart is a little lighter and a random old lady appears out of nowhere and asks;

"Boy, why are you crying?"

And you respond in the only way you know how.

"I don't know. A tear for every happy thought."

To some people, Orlando Airport is nothing but a dingy dive of an airport. But for many, myself included. It's a magical gateway that welcomes you home.

And this visit was no exception. I was overcome with emotion I had to pull myself aside for a moment and get myself together.

I cant explain it, just ever since I visited this place for the first time, it's felt like home. I never feel at home anywhere. Even, at home. But here, it seems to hit different. Having the dream of working at Walt Disney World for a year and having to leave was one of the most painful moments of my life. And to this day it is still painful. It sent me into a spiral of despair that I could not control. I think for the most part I hid it well, but many people knew.

I honestly didn't know how bad it was until nearer the end of the year and realising, I probably need help and to come off my meds. That has most definitely helped... not necessarily move on, but manage the feelings in a more healthy way.

The grief of giving up that life was compounded as, before moving to Florida, as much as I was relieved to be out of that situation, I was still grieving a previous life. I had just gotten out of a 12 year relationship... Hoping that this experience would help me heal. And it did. Though I made the mistake of getting into a groove, a routine. My mind went into, "this is my life now" mode, and I made this place even more of a home.

And when that was taken away (and yes, I knew it was going to happen eventually, still doesn't make it any easier) and then returned back to Australia. It was just a huge reminder of the things that I no longer have, not just the routines and familiar places that I had gotten used to the year prior, but the routines and familiarities of the many years prior.

All that is to say, landing back into what is my land of milk and honey was a very emotional and reflective moment. So much emotion and thought all flooding in and through me at once.

Orlando to me is more than just the place Disney World is. It's the smells, the roads, the 7ELEVEns, Publix, the wetlands, the drives, the vibe and recently it's especially the people.

And tonight will be the first time in a while seeing my brother from another mother.

So off I went to grab the car from the rental desk and head to my hotel room in Flamingo Crossings. And of course, the elevator that greeted my as I went to my room was fitted out to look like the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.

Chewie we're home, indeed.

After a shower and a nap (in an actual bed that felt like a bed) I headed off to the Transportation and Ticketing Center as that night Tucker would be piloting the Monorail around the lake for the end of his shift. And so for an hour or so that evening I spent it just looping the track and popping out at most of the stations, chatting, getting back in and continuing around.

Honestly one of the best times I have had to that point in a long time.

Their the times I kinda enjoy the most. Don't have to have plans... Need to do some shopping? Happy to come along. Building some furniture? Happy to help. Just wanna sit in the park and read? Happy to bring a book and join.

After he finished work, we headed off to the IHOP on Bronson and properly caught up, made some rough plans, set some basic expectations for the week ahead and then headed off to meet back up in the morning for our adventure at Universal Orlando Resort.

New York, New York

These vagabond shoes

Are longing to stray,

And step around the heart of it, 

New York, New York.

- Fredd Ebb                                                                                    

Again, sleeping on what is basically a concrete slab with no CPAP machine gets me up super early. Which is sad, as the last time I stayed here the bed was actually super comfortable... Whether or not it's the bed, or that I put on 25kg since last staying here, you decide.

So I had a plan for the day, and that started by heading to Times Square again for a bit of breakfast and to wait for the stores to open so I can do a bit of nerdy exploring.

Thanks to the folks at Times Square McDonald’s who humoured me and made my breakfast burger for me. Basically just a McDonald’s big breakfast except everything thrown in between the hotcakes. Just feels different when other people do it for you! 

With my energy for the morning attained, it was time for our first stop. A toy store that had the big piano seen in the movie BIG with Tom Hanks. Though since then FAO Schwartz had moved from 745 Fifth Avenue to Rockefeller Centre, the Big Piano remains and has a prominent position by the window overlooking the square.

While I'm sure at the stores opening in 2018, it may have likely been 1000x better, these days it is probably just popular for its brand recognition. But still, it was a wonder to behold such an amazing range of toys, set out unlike anything we have here in Australia. Toys R Us in Singapore, that's a whole 'nother story though!

From FAO we then headed basically across the road to the Nintendo store in New York. While yes, I am primarily a Sega and PlayStation boy, I do kinda have a soft spot for Nintendo and what they have done for the electronics and games industry as a whole. The Gameboy, game-changing.

When I arrived at the store, I was told that unless I was here to trade and buy Pokémon cards, I would be limited to staying on the first floor. Card trading, it seems, takes place for the first hour or so of trading. Once that died down, the staff opened the stairs to visitors, which led to a few displays of Nintendo history, both released products as well as concepts, and of course, more Nintendo merchandise!

 

I wish I had planned to actually be as excited to be there as I was. I would have bought quite a few items. Maybe next time... 

After paying homage to the plumber, I realised I was pretty close by to another destination where "everything is awesome", so I made a b-line to the Lego Store at Fifth Avenue!

Here I was greeted with a veritable wonderland of Lego displays, Lego merchandise, and fun play areas. We don't really have proper Lego-owned stores in Australia; we have licensed stores run by an independent company. So stepping into a REAL Lego store is something special!

A two floor wonderland chock-a-bloc full of Lego-ey goodness. 

Downstairs was primarily Marvel Superheroes, and wonderfully detailed dioramas of New York locations as well as a magical tree built entirely out of lego, whilst upstairs too continued the lego displays but had housed the interactive elements of a lego store, such as creating your own lego portrait, create your own mini-fig and lego learning.

If you follow along on my vlogs on YouTube, you would think that it is from here that I head over to the Hudson rail yards to begin my trek along The Highline. However that would still be a couple of hours later, as first I headed back to Grand Central Station and explored the promenades and not so crowded areas.

Just outside the dining concourse was the MTA shop. Here they had quite an impressive model railway display and a lot of New York Subway merchandise. Have your favourite subway service? They will most certainly have the shirt, model train, hat or homewares so you can celebrate and show off your love of the A,C,E or 1,2,3 train, or whatever subway line your heart belongs to!

Heading out of the station and towards 42nd I wandered across an exhibition of Stephen Wilkes "Day to Night" series of New York locations. Central Park, Flatiron, Coney Island and more was on display. Very impressive and creative photography, both visually and technologically.

But sadly, I could not ignore the one truth that had lingered from before even entering the station itself from Park Ave. 

Avengers Tower is a lie! Do better New York!

When done looking over the exhibition, I exited from Grand Central on 42nd Street because Google Maps had promised me a Jollibee just outside, however that was not meant to be, as the site which Google proclaimed would house said Jollibee had only just been purchased for renovation and would not open till later on in 2025.

So I headed back down into the Subway and caught the 7 to the Hudson Yards where I found a Shake Shack to satiate my hunger.

Last time I had Shake Shack was in Singapore and it was gloriously tasty... their shakes are soo delicious too, and very much worth doing the dance of my people! Though in America, they all seem to have the same problem... not enough seating. I almost had to use a "Disney Table" until at the last minute a couple of people vacated. I could see another person eyeing it off too... It was close. But do not fear, I reigned victorious and claimed my territory for Australia!

The Hudson Yards is an office, shopping, entertainment and arts district just off the Hudson river once formally, I believe, the central railway yards for freight in and out of New York.

One of the more famous landmarks of the Hudson Yards is the Vessel. A giant explorable art installation. For a fee you can scale the installation, I was happy to appreciate it from the outside (translation: I ain't paying to climb no stairs!?!).

The Hudson Yards is also where the beginning of the Highline is, a stretch of elevated old freight lines converted into a scenic park with a walkway from here down to the Meat Packing District of NY.

I don't think I really knew the meaning of cold until I walked this route. The temperature this day was already a sizzling 3℃, and now adding to that the wind chill coming through the buildings from over the nearby Hudson River.

Any patch of sunlight was a very welcome reprieve.

As this was also the 4th day of me wearing the same dress shoes, shoes that weren't meant for the amount of walking that I had done, my feet were beginning to blister and give out. I had passed where I was going to finish, across from my accomodation at Chelsea, as I at least wanted to say I have walked the whole Highline.

So I made it to the end, where funnily enough, I was greeted with the familiar scent of cooking beef. It was indeed another Shake Shack!

From there I headed back to my accomodations in Chelsea and called it a night...

Or so I thought.

I received a call from the luggage company, they had found my luggage and it would be arriving at the airport shortly. If I could meet the baggage supervisor for the current shift before they clocked off at 7 there would be less of a kerfuffle getting it through customs and into my hands.

Other than the obvious reasons, this was welcome news as my laptop battery had died and my phone was at 10%.

So I did what anyone who dearly missed their luggage would do, headed straight to the airport, and on the train I was greeted with a wonderful sunset.

Getting a bit of a pro at training it back and forward from the city to the airport!

As I arrived in the International Arrivals, so did the baggage supervisor with my cargo.

Happily reunited, with my winter wears, my chargers, and most thankfully, my CPAP machine... never thought I'd ever be happy to see that. I'd been avoiding using one for sooo many years!

Off we went, back to our accomodations to set up chargers and to have a wonderful nights sleep.

Both fortunately, and unfortunately, it was a really good sleep.

The bed still as uncomfortable as heck, but I had managed to sleep in!

I had a ferry at an East River pier to catch to New Jersey to see the Kevin Smith present his anniversary screening of his most derided film!

Back sore, muscles tired, I hurried to get ready as soon as I could. Sadly though to no avail. I got to the pier and the ferry had already left. 

On further inspection, I noticed a slight something-something I overlooked. I was planning my trip using the weekday schedule for the ferry... It was the weekend. There wouldn't be another ferry until the afternoon. In which case, it would be too late anyway.

Not one to waste the day, I remembered I had promised my step-dad that I would take some photos of a boat docked in New York that he was interested in. In fact it was only a couple of piers up the river.

The Wavertree, or as I lovingly call it, that scrap metal floating in the East River, is one of the last ships of its kind built. With an incredibly storied history it is close to a miracle this ship is still in existence, and in its current condition also!

It is now part of the South Street Seaport Museum.

From there I explored more of the piers surroundings and headed off to the Financial District to check out Wall St and other sights, such as the final resting place of Alexander Hamilton

I knew I wanted to adventure around Central Park before leaving new York, so from the Financial District I headed back to Penn Station as I was hankering for some Panda!

I don't know how to explain Panda Express, except to say delicious "Chinese" cuisine for an insanely affordable price. The same order here at our equivalent establishment, Charlie Chan, would cost me north of $30... without the drink or free fortune cookie! Even with the exchange rate making everything roughly 40% more expensive, this was still well under!

After a full belly it was time to work off the feed by hiring a bicycle and riding down 8th and around Central Park. I was a little thrown off at first as I didn't realise Central Park traffic only flowed in one direction... after a couple of "sorry's" I got my bearings and began exploring around.

After a bit I returned the bike to a rack and set off on foot and explored this majestic, yet stupidly noisy park.

One would assume it would be a wonderful serene park, a place to enjoy the sounds of solitude, ducks and geese on the lake, squirrels squirrelling away their nuts, but sadly no. It seemed there was a busker almost every 50 meters providing what they thought would be the soundtrack. And at Bethesda Terrace, it seemed like a busker convention. A cacophony of noise.

This noise, mixed with the bike ride, mixed with the Panda was just a little overwhelming for me for some reason, and set my anxiety off, and well. The dance was ready to begin. I had to find a venue and fast.

With the dance done, and the sun beginning to set, there was one last item to do before bidding adieu to this great place. Finally. Visit the observation deck of the Empire State Building. I've heard that when you visit the observation deck, a lot of people are disappointed as they don't recognise the city all that well because they cannot see the Empire State Building!

That didn't really concern me all that much. I wanted to see what "The King" saw. I wanted to see where beauty slain the beast. 

With King Kong being one of my most favourite of films, It was a bucket list destination for sure.

However, it seemed that my Master Card security check had other ideas. It didn't trust the transaction.

So with that crushing disappointment, I decided, instead of catching the subway, I would walk the marijuana scent soaked streets one last time all the way to my accomodation.

Arriving back at the accomodation I packed my bags preparing for tomorrow's early departure to then realise that my flight from New York didn't leave until 5:30 that afternoon! Looking up the airline I noted that tomorrow's challenge, get booked onto an earlier flight to arrive and settle into Florida a little bit sooner.

And a success that was. The lady at the check-in counter was fabulous and had me arriving in Orlando before my original flight was even due to leave New York.

And with that, I was off. The Captain giving us seated on the right hand side of the aircraft a wonderful send off.

I would really like to come back to this city again sometime, either well into Spring or Autumn to see the differences in the city, but I'm a creature of habit and enjoy my winter travels.

Maybe someday.

Chelsea Morning

"Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning
And the first thing that I heard
Was a song outside my window
And the traffic wrote the words
It came ringing up like Christmas bells
And rapping up like pipes and drums"

- Joni Mitchell 

Well, I'd like to say I had a good night's sleep, but I didn't.

Primarily because the bed was the most egregiously uncomfortable excuse for a bed I have ever slept on, and secondly, I didn't have my CPAP machine with me so I awoke choking on my enlarged uvula... a fun way to wake up, guaranteed... Granted better than waking up due to an asthma attack.

So very low on energy and remembering the previous day's events I had started to try and plan out what to do. 

Looked at the weather forecast and yes, it was going to be a cold week, the entire time. Although I may not feel the weather like most people do, still doesn't make me any less susceptible to catching viruses and weakening my immune system in this weather. 

So, looking at the things that I had planned for the days ahead.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert... well couldn't do that anymore, as they have a dress code at the Ed Sullivan, and I didn't have anything with me at that time that would pass for a television taping.

But I still had an anniversary screening of Cop Out, with Kevin Smith over at Smodcastle Cinemas in Jersey.

I wanted to visit Central Park, visit the Wavertree, a few nerdy stores like FAO, Disney and Lego. Explore Grand Central a bit more and walk along the Highline elevated parkway.

Still a bunch of achievable things to do.

At that point it had just passed 8am, and I just needed to get out of the room, so I jumped on the subway and headed to Time Square.

I sat and chilled while watching the taping of Good Morning America, and then it was time for the Disney Store to open.

After the Disney store, set about Broadway, looking for the theatre housing SMASH! a musical based of a TV show from about a decade ago, that was about putting on a Broadway play called Bombshell! A Marilyn Monroe musical.

I found it and was disappointed that they weren't opening for early previews, as sometimes happens. (UPDATE: Since not taking home any Tony awards the show will be closing in July... a very short run indeed.)

I was still tired but getting a little hungry.

I decided to head back to my accommodation, take a little nap, and then maybe if I'm still feeling the same, adventure out and get something to eat.

I had slept for a lot longer than what I thought I would have, but I am so glad I did.

As I stepped out onto the street, I was met with a scene I had only really seen in movies.

Snowing in New York!

I know, I know, it happens all the time... but when I was there last year, in the actual dead of winter, it didn't. Now visiting in the cusp of spring! 

For me, it definitely made up for missing out on a taping of Stephen Colbert.

This put me in a glorious mood as I headed off in search of a Chick-fil-a for some chicken soup and nuggies.

I Don't Fear Flying, I Fear What Happens After I Land!

In my last blog I alluded to this trip being a test. A test of mental fortitude and humility.

So, let's start with a bit of history. 

I am an optimistic pessimist, or as I like to call myself most of the time, a realistic optimist.

I always hope for the best, but deep down I know it's just going to go all wrong.

For example, the last time I went on holiday while having to adult… and by adult, I mean pretending to be a grown up while working, having to pay rent and bills and that sort of thing… it didn’t turn out well.

In fact, that is an understatement to say the least, as 4 months after that my then wife and I were evicted, I declared bankruptcy (due to some not very sound financial advice) and well, that is what I think about every time I go on a vacation these days!

So, as you can imagine, there was a little apprehension coming into this one too. 

Just recently moved into a new place, a little over seven months into a new job, but I needed to get out. It had been a year since living in the USA and I missed it and the people incredibly. So, I had planned a trip to visit the states and visit a few people along the way, but to especially hang with no other, than my brother from another mother, Tucker. 

I am a frequent flyer points hoarder, so I knew that flights would be relatively cheap, which is handy, because everything I had earned to that point had basically gone to my new place, bills, and well, I had a fair bit of unpaid leave due to some mental health issues the months prior.

So basically, it will be activities, accommodation and car hire that would be the main expenses.

Looking into flights, I knew on this trip I wouldn’t be visiting Disneyland this time round as I was optimistically waiting to visit for its 70th anniversary, but I did want to visit New York again to see and do some of the things Simon and I didn’t have the time or money to do when on my way-out last time. 

So booked a flight from Sydney to New York to enter the country, then it would be onto Florida and finish up in Utah, still honestly to this day the most beautiful place I have been, and that's including Bavarian Germany... Basically a quick and easy two-week adventure.
 
This leg of the trip started off uneventful as it usually does when flying from Adelaide Airport. 

- Check in was a breeze.

- Security was quick.

- My McDonalds breakfast order took 35 minutes to prepare and was ready once my flight boarding was called.
 
So, nothing out of the usual.
 
Didn’t really know how much I missed travelling until take off, just the freedom and the excitement of the unknown ahead.

Sydney Airport was as much of a breeze to get through as it possibly can, especially when you have to go from one side of the airport to the other by bus. 

It wasn't until about 30 minutes before boarding was called that we received a notice saying that on our flight from Sydney to New York, the inflight entertainment will not be available.

I thought that was fine, because I basically intended just to chill with music for most of the way and catch up on a couple of shows I'd saved on my phone.

But it wasn’t until boarding that I realised the first thing I myself made a mistake over, a mistake that I hadn’t made in quite a long time and had since forgotten about.
 
I had booked the last row window seat, assuming the flight wasn’t going to be full and that being only two seats, no one would willingly choose the aisle seat there for a 24+ hour flight. Great, I’ll get to rest my head and stretch out comfortably on the way there.

I don't care that the seats don't recline as much in the back, just as long as I can stretch across the seats...
 
But, yea, nah... 

My mistake was thinking the window seat was the window seat. 

There was in fact almost another seat width gap between the window and my armrest. And the armrest was not retractable either. 

So, there was me, cursing to myself from Sydney to Auckland where we had a two hour stop over. 

Remember folks, before booking your flights, always check Seat Guru to know what you are in for. Always.

I made the mistake of trusting the Qantas seat map when booking. It had been a while.

 

Another issue that I had overlooked was that I thought as New Zealand was just a stopover on the same flight number meant we’d be able to stay on the flight while others got on.

I didn’t realise that people use this Sydney to New York flight just to go from Sydney to Auckland, and so we all had to alight as our luggage was also taken off the flight to be sorted and returned to the aircraft.
 
It was a small inconvenience, the customs agents at Auckland Airport were some of the nicest I have come across in the world and made entering New Zealand an absolute delight… I had always thought Australian Customs was laid back, but still professional. These folks clearly loved their job. Joking with each other, with the travellers. Just having a good time, while still being thorough and protecting their border.
 
Another Maccas meal later and it was time to board the flight to New York.
 
It’s amazing how the difference missing that window seat makes when it comes to getting comfortable.
 
I tried laying with my head toward the aisle and my legs dangling over the armrest by the window, but I kept feeling my hair brushed by people walking past and was like, “if that’s a meal cart, I’m a goner”.

I tried a few other interesting positions, but I just could not find that spot, until I just gave up, put my headphones on and eventually drifted off due to pure exhaustion.
 
Not sleeping the night before a flight helps me sleep on flights if I can.
 
I’d never been to JFK airport, so this was going to be a great start to the adventure. I got out my camera, started vlogging the landing, as you do, really prepped and pumped for the adventure ahead.
 
Customs went quite quickly and smoothly, which is why I thought it a little odd, that after about 20 min seeing people grab their luggage at the carousel and walking off, eventually leaving me standing there alone like a weirdo.
 
And then it stopped. The luggage carousel stopped.
 
Checked the flights it was servicing… Yep, QF3, check. But no sign of my luggage.
 
I had arrived in New York, but my luggage hadn’t.

I had dressed for the trip, but not the destination.

It was -3°c, and I was dressed in shorts, leather slip on dress shoes and a light hoodie.
 
As I knew I was going to be taking public transport, not a rental car or ride-share, from the airport to my accommodations in Chelsea (there will be stairs, and lots of them!), I had packed what would usually be used as my carry on, within my main suitcase to save time and hassle of navigating multiple cases.

All I had with me in New York was my backpack full of electronics and lithium batteries.
 
I had approached the oversize luggage room to enquire, and they confirmed that everything had been taken off the flight. I gave them a description of my luggage and then they informed me that given my previous destination, IF my luggage were found, it would not arrive for at least another four days.
 
Now if this was Luek from a year ago standing in the airport in this situation, he would have probably broke. 

Thankfully months prior I had taken the initiative to see a psychiatrist as I had felt my meds were actually making me more emotionally unstable than helping me regulate my mental state, and even though we were now only a month and a bit from weening off, I could already tell, I’m handling this situation much better than I ever though I would have.
 
I thanked them for their help and headed to the subway and to my accommodation.

It hadn’t really hit me yet though. Sitting on the subway, I was happy to be somewhere different, sitting on a different kind of train, in a different country surrounded by different people, knowing I’m going to see different things.

It wasn’t until I checked into my accommodation, put my bag down and plonked myself onto the bed that it dawned on me.
 
I have nothing to change into.

Nothing to clean myself with.

And chargers… well they were in the carry-on packed away in the main luggage either in Sydney or New Zealand... or wherever in the world my luggage may be.

Thankfully my laptop had full charge, so I was still at least able to charge my phone.
 
I gave myself a moment to feel what I guess my brain needed to feel and then decided, there's no more time for moping. Even in my situation, millions of people would kill to be where I am right now.

So, I made a list of things that I’ll need. And headed off to Union Square to buy some essentials.

This would be painful, as mentioned before, money was kinda tight on this trip, and this is an event I didn't account for.

 

Two Targets and a Nordstrom later, I had basic essentials and bought a couple of cheap shirts for layer and an extra pillow. Feeling hungry I headed to the Catholics answer to Chick-fil-a, PopeYes.

Boy Howdy did I miss their chicken!

 

After a satisfying meal, I headed back to the accommodations. It’d been a long day, and my body was needing rest.

Unsure as to how the rest of the week was going to pan out, I closed my eyes, hoped for the best, and drifted off to the sounds of distinct sirens and car horns. 

A soundtrack that can really only be heard in one city. 

A Blog 10 Years in the Making!

Well, not this one necessarily, but this page was made 10 years ago, and I just haven't gotten around to posting anything here yet.

That's about to change.

Right now, I'm sitting here in a hotel room in Ogden, Utah thinking that this is a heck of a way to enter my 41st year on the planet.

You see, for my 40th birthday I figured why not visit some of my favourite places and visit some of my favourite people.

Man Pondering Lifes Choices in an Ogden Hotel Room

Turns out, this trip was going to turn out to be quite the test.

A test in mental fortititude and also in humility.

So, once I'm back in Australia, and a little settled down this blog is going to get a bit of a workout as I transition myself from YouTube superstar to Blogger extraordinaire!