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USS Arizona
One of the more sobering experiences I’ve had in Hawaii (apart from losing my thongs) was visiting the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbour.
The memorial, situated above the rusting body of the Arizona stands as a headstone to the shipwreck and the 1,177 sailors that were killed on her during the December 7th 1941 surprise attack by Japanese forces on the US forces stationed here in Oahu. Many of the men killed that day still lay inside the Arizona, and the site is an active military cemetery.
The white platform built above the site offers visitors a place to remember the sailors killed that day and to look over the hull of the Arizona that lays just below the surface. The prominent gun turret that rises above the surface and the hatches nearby leak “the tears of Arizona”, oil that still seeps from the hold. It pools below the monument, seeping out from the wreck and staining the posts.
The memorial was very interesting to see, and really does make one think about not only the men killed on the boat that day, but the fact that on that day the lives of an entire nation of people changed with the US entering the war. I could not help but wonder how I would feel if I was the radar operator that day who dismissed the incoming blips as “nothing to worry about”.
This is my last post from the US, because I right now I am sitting looking over Honolulu airport, waiting for my boarding call. I’ll be travelling into the future by crossing the International Date Line soon and landing in Sydney before heading to Perth. Hawaii has been amazing and a fitting end to a pretty amazing adventure. I’m sure there will be a couple more debriefing posts from Sydney and Perth but, for now at least, I say farewell and thank you to the United States.
New York Yankees
New York has just been one life experience after another and with last night I struck off yet another goal: watch a Yankee’s game at Yankee stadium.
I am not much of a sports fan. I do watch a bit here and there, but I find it hard to enjoy going to watch say, the footy. Going to the baseball however was a whole different experience. The game moves suprisingly fast, and almost constantly there is crowd involvement with quizzes, sing / clap along’s, mexican waves and other general shenanigans.
The game I watched was Yankee’s v. Oakland Athletics, and while it was a bit of a white wash towards the end in favour of NY it was still an enjoyable watch. I saw a couple of good double plays and a whopping home run from Posada.
The ground is amazing. Situated in the Bronx the new Yankee Stadium is MA-HOOS-SIVE with a capacity of around 53,000. It is well organised and laid out, with HD screens everywhere, heaps of kiosks and views are great from pretty much anywhere, including the nosebleeds where I managed to score a seat. Getting in and out of the ground took no time at all, and the Subway at 161st street is right at the gates.
Overall the atmosphere is what made the night. The crowd was energetic and positive. Music got people up and dancing between plays and one highlight was when YMCA came blasting over the PA and even the ground crew got involved with the dance. Funniest stuff I have seen in a while. When I look at the photos I still can’t believe I am doing this, it seems unreal.
Central Park
Once again rain has followed me on my adventure and a trip to Central Park turned into a 100 block swim through pouring rain.
In the moments when the rain let up a little I did manage to a few shots of the beautiful park that runs down the middle of Manhattan. The park is huge, around 843 acres and I only managed to walk through about half of it before the rain really started coming down. It runs for around 50 blocks from W 59th in the south to W 110th in the North. The park was commissioned in 1853 as an oasis from the busy city. Before that people would congregate in any open space available, including cemeteries just to get away from the noisy town.
The Park is a mix of dense vegetation and winding paths (such as the Ramble) to landscaped gardens, open fields and sporting areas. It is very peaceful and beautiful. One day soon, if the weather clears up I’ll visit the rest of the park that I missed out on seeing. I hope you enjoy my overcast photos!