Team MBS USA 2008

Thank you from all the girls and Jas and Mike to everyone back in Aus for your lovely messages! Time for a quick interim update, before the really exciting news ETA Sunday afternoon Australian time.

We have indeed made it safely to NY and the weather is really not that freezing after all. This city is absolutely enormous and the views going across the harbour are amazing. Coming into La Guardia airport (one of three, and not even the biggest one), you could see a line of planes stretching back through the fog, following on each other's tail to land. Got introduced to New York by a NY taxi driver and his friend who was called Michael because he dressed like Michael Jackson right down to the pointy shoes. We are staying on Staten Island, which is a free ferry ride past the Statue of Liberty to Manhattan where all the action is. The accommodation is - shall we say - eclectic. A single house that somehow managed to be converted into eight apartments, in a neighbourhood that seems to be just a little on the good side of dodgy. Mike's studio is about the size of a cupboard in a doll's house. But he seems to like it (who wouldn't, after spending a week living with six food- and shopping-mad competitors) and the alternative was wiping out the entire fundraising budget on the first night's accom in a Manhattan condo, and we have found a nice local gym so it's all good.

 

Aside from the gym we've seen Manhattan, been to Broadway (shiny lights, neon sign lights, sparkly lights, building-high backlit advertisements, flashing lights, tourist shops, us looking exactly like tourists, wandering down the pavement gawking up at all the buildings and lights), been downtown and to the west and east sides and about halfway uptown, been to Times Square which oddly enough is actually a street, no square in sight, shopped in Century 21 and started collecting enough baggage for an extra suitcase each, negotiated the "don't you people listen, you have to wait 17 minutes after exiting the subway before your ticket will let you in again" train system, ridden on the subway without getting mugged, become used to mentally adding about 8% tax and 15% tip to the listed price of pretty much everything, seen at least the foyer and clothing shop of the iconic Gold's Gym (suitably impressive, down to the 30-odd different protein shakes available on their cafe menu), and basically scratched the surface of the "you must do this" list.

Tomorrow is the last day before comp, wish the girls luck! The INBF/WNBF World Championships will be held on Sat (that's Sun morning in Aus) in Manhattan not far from Central Park.