Ground zero, the best brunch, Cafe Wha?

Feeling like we are beginning to get a grip on Manhattan I take us confidently out of the hotel to find the start of the high line (thehighline.org), a one mile long linear park built on a section of the former elevated New York Central railway and now a designated (very small) national park.  It's only a couple of blocks from our hotel and the aim is to stroll down it, enjoying the views of the city and river from the 10m vantage point it offers and then to head to the 9/11 memorial (9/11memorial.org) in the financial district.  After that we will have brunch before heading back to the hotel for a rest before heading out once more, this time to Greenwich village, to a famous NY nightspot called Cafe Wha? We pick up a juice and a muffin on the way and it is only after half an hour and several checks of the map "it's just on the next block" that I realise I am taking us in completely the wrong direction. Along the right road - W30th - but east rather than west.  It will not be the last time during our stay in NY that I do this.  I find it really difficult to work out which direction is uptown and which direction is downtown.  The vertical roads are fine - those that run up and down the island, such as eighth where our hotel is and fifth where all the shops are, but on the horizontal street are much more difficult to navigate, not least because in the middle of a city of highrise buildings, every direction kinds of looks the same.  But anyway, I get us going again and this time heading west and realise that now we are pushed for time.  So, we take plan B and the subway.  Standing at the kiosk trying to buy a one-way ticket to the nearest station to ground zero I am listening to the women explaining how it all works, but I don't understand a word she is saying.  She, in turn, is getting impatient with the fact that I don't grasp what she is trying to tell me. But Janet doesn't either so I don't feel so bad.   A few minutes later we are on what I hope is the correct platform with a single ticket that gives you two subway rides.  Now is that confusing or what?  Two people get to share one ticket.....? 

To get to ground zero you exit the subway at Fulton Street and then follow a long (and surprise, surprise confusing) convoluted route to the entrance to the memorial.  The arduous twist and turns and minimal signage seems to be due to the major construction that is going on which will add a large visitor centre and museum to the current site.  Security is as high as going through an airport and there is multi-stage checking of your ticket.  After the waiting and the checking and the anticipation, the memorial itself is curiously underwhelming. 

From the 9/11 memorial we walk down to Battery Park and stroll along the waterside. We can see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis island just across the water but don't feel compelled to join the throngs of tourists packed into the ferries as they make their way over to get a closer look.  The Battery is choc-a-block with fast food carts all selling the same thing - gyros; hot dogs; pretzels and expensive bottles of water.  Ticket touts are placed every few feet and on-off open-topped buses doing the rounds of the city are grinding slowly along the busy roads.  What we thought was a water taxi system is just another tourist boat doing a 90-minute trip which doesn't match our plans so we retrace our steps, keen to get away from the pressure of the crowds and decide instead to walk to our lunch spot.   

We eat brunch at Jane (janerestaurant.com) which has been recommended as one of the best cafe/restaurants for brunch and sits between Greenwich village and Soho.  It's a lively local neighbourhood bistro and when we arrive at 2pm it is already very busy so we sit at the bar for a while until a table comes free. Like many popular restaurants in New Yorks the tables are so close it almost feels like you are sharing with the couples next to you. This can have its upside because you can casually glance across and see what other people are eating.  Many of our meals while we are in New York are chosen this way.  We walk the mile and half back to the hotel and sit for a while, gathering our strength for the late evening ahead at Cafe Wha?         

All the taxi drivers in New York are self-employed and so pick and chose the fares they want to take. Though we have been the longest in the queue the driver won't take us because we are only going a few blocks and so the old guy behind us who has already tried to push ahead of us once gets to go before we do.  His $60 fare to JFK is much more attractive than our $13 fare to Greenwich Village.  I speak to the hotel doorman who is indifferent. So I take the matter into my own hands and flag down the next taxi myself, not taking no for an answer.  Greenwich village is a lot like the better parts of Soho in London, the bars and restaurants are busy, the shops are still open at 8pm.  Cafe Wha? (cafewha.com) is a famous night spot in New York and resembles Ronnie Scotts in terms of its size and feel except it is a lot less formal.  Tonight the show begins with a comedian called Tony Woods (tonywoods.com) who is on a world tour with his show and whose topics and observations about life are irreverent, controversial and very, very funny.  The house band follows playing covers of well-known songs which gets people dancing in the aisles, on the stairs and on their chairs.  The place really rocks.