NY Day 4: Choppers, Shoppers and a Bearded Tranny

Weather was treating us good with bright warm sun. After another fatboy breakfast we headed straight over for our helicopter tour. Before we boarded we had to be cleared by the security guard who high-5'ed everyone. The flight was good but spoilt by our Grand Canyon tour we did 3 years ago. No commentary or cool soundtrack, just a quick buzz down over the Statue of Liberty then back up the Hudson to look at Central Park and back home in 12 minutes. Kerry didn't feel too good so I took the photos.

Walked down to the World Trade Centre site. Found the best deli ever called Amish with the best sandwich and piggy-sized cookies. Site was crowded and gave a strange, spooky feeling. Although we were effectively looking at a building site you couldn't help think of that fateful day. One of the buildings next door was being dismantled from the inside brick by brick because everyone objected to hearing an explosion from demolition. Next to the site was the most over-rated shop of Century 21 which was a glorified TK Maxx with worse clothes.

Spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering around Greenwich Village, Meat Packing district and other areas looking for cool shops. A couple stick in the mind worth mentioning. Evolution caught our eye for the skeletons and skulls for sale. Inside were bizarre items such as stuffed snakes, mammoth hair, fossils, stuffed monkeys hanging from the ceiling and shiny beetles encased in clear plastic.

The other shop was (I think) Hotel Venus. Although the interior design and clothes were worthy of mention it was the transvestite shop assistant that took the freak of the year award. Skinny black guy dressed in a tight mini skirt and high-heel boots with a Charlies Angels flick blonde wig contrasted strangely with his curly long pirate beard!

For the evening we travelled up towards Central Park again by subway to witness some b-boy crews making easy money from their breakdancing - you couldn't get more New York than that! After very late meal, we did the Central Park carriage ride with some East European making short conversation.