Post by goz on Jun 10, 2019 21:33:40 GMT
All correspondence will be entered into.
Being in America for two weeks was a revelation. ( See how I made this thread topical?)
Jet lag is subsiding (or those non-believers in jetlag, you should try a 30 hour journey door to door punctuated by maybe four hours of dozing on a noisy crowded aeroplane sitting up, despite drooling intermittently... onto a neck pillow thingy)
As planned I spent one week in Denver studying and observing homelessness whilst staying in one of the most beautiful old Denver Queen Anne houses in leafy beautiful streets eating wonderful food, walking a lot and discovering the city whilst others in my party did the business of allocating significant funds to try to alleviate the misery of the American poor. There are some people inside and outside of America who STILL care for the welfare of others less fortunate, though there is a problem of scale due to the draconian laws in USA and the present administration and the general attitude that each person has responsibility for themselves and no-one else despite their lack of fitness to live life without help in many cases through no real fault of their own ( mental illness, abuse returned servicemen age disability addictions etc etc etc )
In New York, I stayed in an up market hotel ( one with room service and use of free bathrobe ) bellboys who were ethnically diverse and the most wonderful people once you got behind their faux politeness and training to drool over you) with wonderful background stories to tell and ambitions to fulfil. I also enjoyed the taxi drivers ( though once again our limousine driver was from Dominican Republic, had a wife and 7 children and was dismissive of other immigrants who had not made a life for themselves by hard work as we drove by bodies asleep in the gutter). I was more of an 'observer' than a tourist though I did some touristy stuff. I walked kilometres and kilometres, (even miles and miles) patted a zillion dogs ( by asking permission first and then chatting to their owners so I got some on site info not usually available to a tourist. I met some wonderful people tough I suspect dog owners are not necessarily representative of New Yorkers being probably slightly nicer people) I ate McDonalds, had a room service burger and chips, ate in a deli a diner and lots of varied restaurants. I ate a hot dog with the lot in Central Park and then needed a bath if not a hand wash owing to asking for ALL the sauces and sauerkraut. I went 'upstate' to near White Plains and had a lunch in a New York financiers house. I gave food to some homeless who were pathetically grateful and traded mercilessly on my Australian accent and looking like an ageing white hippy with my long blond hair and boho clothes, except when I decided to wear this amazing dress I bought (on sale in Macys in Denver)for the wedding which was black glitz all over and /or jeans and a funky 'Made in Nepal by victims of the earthquake' T shirt.
I nearly got taken out by a New York cyclist ( they ALL go 30 miles an hour through red lights) and was NOT killed by a gun ( though about 10 people WERE in New York whist I was there and 4 in Darwin) and I cannot believe the traffic in New York. It reminded me of Asia where there are road rules butt EVERYONE thinks that they don't apply to them Hence the constant 24 hour honking which I always thought was an exaggeration in movies butt now realise is real.
America was everything and more that I had hoped and whilst I enjoyed every minute, I have to admit to heaving a sigh of relief in the taxi on my way home from the airport to my quiet peaceful unpolluted seaside haven in Sydney, that I would never wish to live there, however my up and coming nephew and new niece in law love every minute and plan to stay there, maybe until they have a family of their own. IMHO it is not a great place to have children if their regular education includes 'lockdown drills'.
Being in America for two weeks was a revelation. ( See how I made this thread topical?)
Jet lag is subsiding (or those non-believers in jetlag, you should try a 30 hour journey door to door punctuated by maybe four hours of dozing on a noisy crowded aeroplane sitting up, despite drooling intermittently... onto a neck pillow thingy)
As planned I spent one week in Denver studying and observing homelessness whilst staying in one of the most beautiful old Denver Queen Anne houses in leafy beautiful streets eating wonderful food, walking a lot and discovering the city whilst others in my party did the business of allocating significant funds to try to alleviate the misery of the American poor. There are some people inside and outside of America who STILL care for the welfare of others less fortunate, though there is a problem of scale due to the draconian laws in USA and the present administration and the general attitude that each person has responsibility for themselves and no-one else despite their lack of fitness to live life without help in many cases through no real fault of their own ( mental illness, abuse returned servicemen age disability addictions etc etc etc )
In New York, I stayed in an up market hotel ( one with room service and use of free bathrobe ) bellboys who were ethnically diverse and the most wonderful people once you got behind their faux politeness and training to drool over you) with wonderful background stories to tell and ambitions to fulfil. I also enjoyed the taxi drivers ( though once again our limousine driver was from Dominican Republic, had a wife and 7 children and was dismissive of other immigrants who had not made a life for themselves by hard work as we drove by bodies asleep in the gutter). I was more of an 'observer' than a tourist though I did some touristy stuff. I walked kilometres and kilometres, (even miles and miles) patted a zillion dogs ( by asking permission first and then chatting to their owners so I got some on site info not usually available to a tourist. I met some wonderful people tough I suspect dog owners are not necessarily representative of New Yorkers being probably slightly nicer people) I ate McDonalds, had a room service burger and chips, ate in a deli a diner and lots of varied restaurants. I ate a hot dog with the lot in Central Park and then needed a bath if not a hand wash owing to asking for ALL the sauces and sauerkraut. I went 'upstate' to near White Plains and had a lunch in a New York financiers house. I gave food to some homeless who were pathetically grateful and traded mercilessly on my Australian accent and looking like an ageing white hippy with my long blond hair and boho clothes, except when I decided to wear this amazing dress I bought (on sale in Macys in Denver)for the wedding which was black glitz all over and /or jeans and a funky 'Made in Nepal by victims of the earthquake' T shirt.
I nearly got taken out by a New York cyclist ( they ALL go 30 miles an hour through red lights) and was NOT killed by a gun ( though about 10 people WERE in New York whist I was there and 4 in Darwin) and I cannot believe the traffic in New York. It reminded me of Asia where there are road rules butt EVERYONE thinks that they don't apply to them Hence the constant 24 hour honking which I always thought was an exaggeration in movies butt now realise is real.
America was everything and more that I had hoped and whilst I enjoyed every minute, I have to admit to heaving a sigh of relief in the taxi on my way home from the airport to my quiet peaceful unpolluted seaside haven in Sydney, that I would never wish to live there, however my up and coming nephew and new niece in law love every minute and plan to stay there, maybe until they have a family of their own. IMHO it is not a great place to have children if their regular education includes 'lockdown drills'.
