WELCOME BACK & HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Meanon

[Merika]

Meanon called yesterday and is resting from her great trip to NYC! I'll let her tell you what her impressions were of her first USA visit (note the word FIRST) and what all she did on her holiday.

She also had a birthday last week!

[twinkle]

HAppy birthday, Meanon !!!! We all miss you dearly!

Happy birthday to your queen as well !

[Luba]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEANON!

I miss you, too!

[Paul]

hi, hb

[darkangelism]

happy birthday

[Vautrin]

DA is even double posting to congratulate you Meanon,

Happy Birthday!

[Adonaicole]

Happy Birthday Meanon,

I'll be sure and drink a toast to you..Cheers.

:happybday:

[BattleaxE]

:smileyparty: Happy Birthday Meanon.

[Samson]

Originally Posted by Merika

Meanon called yesterday and is resting from her great trip to NYC! I'll let her tell you what her impressions were of her first USA visit (note the word FIRST) and what all she did on her holiday.

She also had a birthday last week!

Hi, Anjie!!

I'd post an appropriate celebration pic, but I'm sure Merika would delete what I've got in mind......

[Star]

happy birthday meanon!! can't wait to hear all about your holiday to the states!

[Meanon]

THANKS everyone I just LOVE birthdays. And the pic was appropriate given the amount of champers consumed (however alternatives can be received via PMs :wink: ). Like the Queen, I have two Birthdays, Official (usually spent with family) and Unofficial (with friends). This time they ran seamlessly into each other and then combined with the jet lag, I'm exhausted.

Things I love about NY:

The architecture (skyscrappers and Dutch 17th century side by side)
Views of the City at night/from helicopter
The taxis
Central Park
Opera at the Lincoln Centre
MoMA
The concierge and doormen at my Hotel (I miss them already)
The comedians (non stop entertainment wherever we went)
The people (half of them friendliest on Earth/half most vile)
The variety and contrasts (places to go/things to do)


Things I'd have difficulty with if I lived there:

The pretentiousness (sex and the city is not a comedy as I thought, but a documentary)
The degree to which money and beauty matter (they do everywhere but I've never seen them matter so much as in NY)
The crowds
Bottle service in clubs


It's a City of contrasts, just like Jamaica where I grew up. I think maybe all really great places are. I knew we'd have fun but I didn't expect to love it so much. I could never live there but I can't wait to go back. The three of us who went made a pact that we would return and buy an apartment there if we ever win the lottery.

[darkangelism]

sounds like you had a good time, im sorry that i couldnt have given more specific places for you to go, but i think you figuring iut out for yourself was good, same as if i had been there. Everybody has a slighly different vision of what NYC is, all depending on what you see, do and expereince, but you have it right that it is a city of contrasts, and money matters a lot there, its very class based, poor people stay together and so do the rich.

[Meanon]

All your advice was helpful, DA. I'd loved to have seen you, Merika and everyone else there too. It's just so far away. Not like your trip from London to Bristol. When did you say you were coming back?

A waitress told us to try Time Out for what was on and they had complimentary copies in the hotel. Lorro was in her element, she loves hard core dance and there was such choice. I can only tolerate about an hour of it before I am ovecome by an irresistable urge for pop.

[darkangelism]

i have no idea when ill be going on any trips, maybe in the fall sometime, depends on work, i have 2 weeks of vacation time.

Someday we will all get to meet at once.

[Meanon]

I just met one of my uni friends. He's planning to set up a clinic in NY when he graduates and has offered me a job there. 8O 8)

What fun! It's totally impractical with the kids being so young. He reckons we could make such a packet that I could commute. You can tell he doesn't have kids. But I think he will need help to set it up, I could visit to do that. Actually, I can think of all sorts of short term training/courses I could offer too. Another one of my friends intends to set up shop in Grenada, he's already bought land there. I hadn't thought of the course as providing that kind of opportunity.

[darkangelism]

that would be interesting if you did some work in NYC, then id have to come out.

[Merika]

Oh Meanon...that would be FABULOUS! What a great experience it would be for you.

[twinkle]

Originally Posted by Meanon

I just met one of my uni friends. He's planning to set up a clinic in NY when he graduates and has offered me a job there. 8O 8)

What fun! It's totally impractical with the kids being so young. He reckons we could make such a packet that I could commute. You can tell he doesn't have kids. But I think he will need help to set it up, I could visit to do that. Actually, I can think of all sorts of short term training/courses I could offer too. Another one of my friends intends to set up shop in Grenada, he's already bought land there. I hadn't thought of the course as providing that kind of opportunity.

You are a true inspiration , meanon! And you'll do just fine, UK or US!

[Duke]

I'm sorry I haven't responded to this topic earlier, shame on me

I'm just glad to see you back Meanon. I do miss you when your gone and it's obvious that I'm not alone.

[Meanon]

Don't be silly! It was lovely hearing from you by PM instead, Duke. It's been really great having time to post again (I get two weeks off work/uni at Easter) but now I'm way behind on my assignments. So it's back to work, work, work.

Merika/twinkles - cheers! It may well not work out but it's just the incentive I need to make me work, nothing else was having the desired effect!

money matters a lot there, its very class based, poor people stay together and so do the rich.

It is very class based but what bothered me was the way money affected so profoundly the way people treated each other. I heard people speaking to service staff in a way that just wouldn't have been tolerated here. Peoples reactions to us varied so much too - dressed up or out in jeans and hoodies - it was like we were in two entirely different places. As I say, that happens a bit elsewhere too but nowhere near to the same degree. It wasn't just the rich, it was ordinary people (taxi drivers, people waiting in queues etc). Does that seem like the NY you know? I wonder if we weren't partly influenced by staying in such an expensive, trendy hotel. The staff were great. I think I've got the pic thing sussed now (fingers crossed):


The friendliest doormen in NY!

[darkangelism]

americans in general are materialistic, and money matters, but once you get to know people its not that bad.

[sweetbilly]

Happy Birthday!!

[twinkle]

Originally Posted by Meanon

Don't be silly! It was lovely hearing from you by PM instead, Duke. It's been really great having time to post again (I get two weeks off work/uni at Easter) but now I'm way behind on my assignments. So it's back to work, work, work.

Merika/twinkles - cheers! It may well not work out but it's just the incentive I need to make me work, nothing else was having the desired effect!

It is very class based but what bothered me was the way money affected so profoundly the way people treated each other. I heard people speaking to service staff in a way that just wouldn't have been tolerated here. Peoples reactions to us varied so much too - dressed up or out in jeans and hoodies - it was like we were in two entirely different places. As I say, that happens a bit elsewhere too but nowhere near to the same degree. It wasn't just the rich, it was ordinary people (taxi drivers, people waiting in queues etc). Does that seem like the NY you know? I wonder if we weren't partly influenced by staying in such an expensive, trendy hotel. The staff were great. I think I've got the pic thing sussed now (fingers crossed):


The friendliest doormen in NY!

that picture is sooo cute, both men are quite attractive, if I may

[Meanon]

americans in general are materialistic, and money matters, but once you get to know people its not that bad.

It's not bad at all. It's just different. People are the same underneath the world over, the variation is cultural. That sort of thing interests me.
People were very friendly wherever we went, much more so Londoners are to foreigners.

that picture is sooo cute, both men are quite attractive, if I may

You may, I'm sure We had a theory that the hotel had a policy to employ only beautiful people.

(cheers sweetbilly )

[Duke]

I may have missed it, but how was your birthday after all Meanon? BTW, another year smarter or still the same