mikes midlife round the world in 96 days

This has been a very interesting day.i decided to find the bart and travel outwith the area.i passed through union square which is a shoppers paradise,every top store and name you can think of,unfortunately for me,fortunately for my bank balance it was 9 am .so going from a really upmarket area i walked 2 blocks in the wrong direction and was faced with return of the zombies.wow.this opened my eyes,not so much as in poverty,but lots of mentally and insane people pushing their belongings in trolleys or other means.i since found out from a roommate,most could be ex vietnam soldiers.it was a pityful sight and our homeless are nothing compared to some i saw.
i headed north in the bart through towns and creeks and saw some nices places,i ended up at pittsburg bay,then headed back.
I then jumped of in the mission district,a mexican latin area.yep i was the only white insane guy walking about.but hey thats why im travelling,to see diff cultures.i walked for about 30 mins along a street until i hit castro area.yep i was the only straight person about.Wow so many gays,infact everyone was gay,with the exception of myself.gay and proud and they mean it,flaunt it
Well thats my day so far,i'm gonna get ready to meet joost for more drinks at o'rileys,and they serve a strong g@t,i only had 5 last night and i was wasted,happily.

Well last nights sleep was pretty restless,pillow too soft,roommates snoring and right next door to a nightclub which opened at 11pm.the sound of music was great.not.oh,went down for brekkie,bagels!more bagels!and bread.yes i gave it a miss!
I got up sharp,had a nice hot shower(yes it was hot) and off i went on my daily mission.Down to pier 33 for my tour to Alcatraz.this i really enjoyed and it was good to wander round,see the cells and listen to original commentary from inmates.
Then it was off up lots of lots and steps to coit tower,which had great views of the bay.then away to find the freaky street lombard street,which has eight sharp bends down a steep hill.
Then i was off to the golden gate bridge.this i walked across to the other side and unfortunately had to walk back cause there was no buses.my feet,ankles,calfs and legs hurt so much.i think i may have walked about 10 miles today.wow.not intended cause of the wrong turnings i took.
Well i have been fed now,another chinese meal and i'm off to get ready and hook up with my old room mate for a few beers...
Update.. im just in after a night with jous,he's a good guy and we have much in common..oh and the gin is so so strong here!!
a lot of this seems surreal,ie walking over golden gate bridge,times square,looking over at the empire state building and i just so wanted so much to phone people and say ,hey guess what im doing?.it seems i have been away so long,suppose taking in what i have done in the last 5 days it does seem a long time ive been away but its only the begining.being mostly myself in the last week has not occurrred to myself,but what i have done has impacted a lot and its hard to take in.

Well thats me arrived in gay san fransisco not that i have encountered any yet.lol.American Airlines was a fckin crap plane to get here,staff were ignorant and no in flight meals.even the complimentary drinks were not alcoholic and limited to what amount you got.
After a 45 min drive by minibus to get to hostel the sights of s/f were nice and it was a nice sunny day.the green tortoise hostel where i am staying is located on broadway,however n/y's and s/f's broadways are two totally different areas.
Head north 2 mins and i'm in chinatown which i liked better than new yorks.Head north east 2 mins and you are in the italian area.head northish again and you can have mexican.Take a walk out my hostel door and you can cross the road to garden of eden.No not for and apple but for some forbidden fruit of the fleshy type,lol. Bang in the middle of strip joint area..nice choice mike!.on the good side walk downhill 5 mins and you hit the bay with views of bay bridge.plenty of piers and places to eat.
Tonight there is a pub crawl from the hostel,this is far more busier and you meet more people than the previous one .it has common areas where u can drink your own alcohol,kitchen area and laundry and steam room,mmm?.The rooms are dated and basic,same as toilet and shower rooms,but i'm not in the hilton so what do i expect for $24 per night,though i get free brekkie(not yet tried) and free meals some nights.
well thats me for the moment,catch ya soon....

Well thats me had my last day here and i have really liked nyc.i would def come back here ,not alone but as a couple.so much too do and see and more time is needed,also more money if you really want to enjoy your time.
Today i headed for rockafeller centre and went to the top of the rock.fantastic views of all new york.the history of rockafeller is fantastic and he done a lot for ny.
i then took the subway back towards central park and walked from west side to east.i decided to head to yankee stadium but could not find the train so back i headed back towards brooklyn bridge.i took the trip to ground zero but as i gathered it was a bit of a let down,more like a massive building site.oh and i had my first starbucks,with a nice bit of cake.then i walked over towards brooklyn bridge and this took me over to brooklyn,very cold but a nice walk.i got the train back to manhattan.
After this i went back to hostel to freshen up then over to strawberry fields at central park,not much of a memorial to john lennon but maybe because of time of year the garden was bare.i then took a walk towards time sq again and took the subway to chinatown.i had a quick meal there and then headed back home.
Although ive spent most of my time alone i have enjoyed it here,suppose too much i wanted to do for to tag along with someone else.
oh and if you book a place in broadway like i have make sure you know what end it is at.lol..broadway is the length of the m8 from glasgow to edinburgh,hehe oh and maybe back if you are unlucky.but the new yorkers have the subway and that makes life go so much easier..

well i had a totally restless night with coming and goings of my roommates.sleeping in a single bunk with my head hitting of the top and my feet of the bottom helped a lot.lol
i got up bright and early about 7.30.had a shower and shave and out the door.
i took the subway and now feel i can ride it like any other new yorker.Not.I headed down to the end of the line at ferrypoint and made my way to the free staten ferry which passed by the statue of liberty and over to staten island.got of and done the return trip.what a bitterly cold wind and as i was too find out later the full day was real cold.
i then headed to times square for a walk then back on to subway towards grand central station.that was a beautiful place,just as in the movies.
then out into the cold and down fifth avenue looking for a certin shop called bloomingdales.i never found it cause i was totally on the wrong street.however i did find the empire state building with a 3 hr queue round the block.i gave it a big miss.
so i hailed a taxi to bloomingdales and purchased some items to take back for the kids.ooh and some bags,a big brown bag.a medium brown bag and a little brown bag.i hope i get my reward for those!.
Then that was me back to hostel for quick rest and 10 mins shuteye,then i got itchy feet agin and set off riding the subway until my heart was content.Ended up at times sq to try and take in a musical but could not get any tickets.tommorrow i need to get some.had a quick bite and this is me at hostel now off to my bed for another long day moro..