I don't think we're in Melbourne anymore, Toto...
Hello hello. I'm typing this from the crappy apartment in Harlem, New York, in which I will be stuck for the next 48 hours as a freaking hurricane rages along the east coast of the US.
Hurricanes are not quite what I expected from the US branch of my study abroad year. Broadway shows? Yes. Obesity? Yes. Natural disasters? Not so much. But hey. I shouldn't complain. I've spent a solid fortnight traveling northwards up the east coast, from Harry Potter World in Florida to Savannah, Georgia, to Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Washington DC (my personal favourite), to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and finally to NYC.
Harry Potter World was the tops. It's just a small segment of the Islands of Adventure theme park, but it had a kick arse simulated Hogwarts ride, butterbeer (diabetes in a novelty mug) and Hogsmeade!
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but the attention paid to book detail really impressed me. There were editions of the Quibbler, a snapping Monster Book of Monsters, an owlery, a Sneakoscope...
The only dodgy part of the experience was Olivanders. Following a half hour wait in drenching tropical rain, 'Olivander' let us into his shop and creepily spoke at the children, getting one of them to choose a wand. Stuff moved on the shelves overhead. Yawn.
And in other vaguely HP related events, I got to see Daniel Radcliffe perform on Broadway last night in 'How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying'. I had no idea he could sing and dance! It was lots of fun; not my favourite musical, but a good night out.
But the main thing on my mind at this point is Hurricane Irene. Christ on a bike. I think we should probably be physically fine, as long as the windows in this extremely dodgy cheap fourth-floor apartment hold, but public transport might be down for ages, and I really have to leave for Boston on Tuesday. And I'd like to be alive for that. Good luck fellow hurricane watchers!
Hurricanes are not quite what I expected from the US branch of my study abroad year. Broadway shows? Yes. Obesity? Yes. Natural disasters? Not so much. But hey. I shouldn't complain. I've spent a solid fortnight traveling northwards up the east coast, from Harry Potter World in Florida to Savannah, Georgia, to Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Washington DC (my personal favourite), to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and finally to NYC.
Harry Potter World was the tops. It's just a small segment of the Islands of Adventure theme park, but it had a kick arse simulated Hogwarts ride, butterbeer (diabetes in a novelty mug) and Hogsmeade!
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but the attention paid to book detail really impressed me. There were editions of the Quibbler, a snapping Monster Book of Monsters, an owlery, a Sneakoscope...
The only dodgy part of the experience was Olivanders. Following a half hour wait in drenching tropical rain, 'Olivander' let us into his shop and creepily spoke at the children, getting one of them to choose a wand. Stuff moved on the shelves overhead. Yawn.
And in other vaguely HP related events, I got to see Daniel Radcliffe perform on Broadway last night in 'How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying'. I had no idea he could sing and dance! It was lots of fun; not my favourite musical, but a good night out.
But the main thing on my mind at this point is Hurricane Irene. Christ on a bike. I think we should probably be physically fine, as long as the windows in this extremely dodgy cheap fourth-floor apartment hold, but public transport might be down for ages, and I really have to leave for Boston on Tuesday. And I'd like to be alive for that. Good luck fellow hurricane watchers!