hips don't lie: Music walking tours in New York...and bumping into Elvis Costello

By

Miles Ellingham

PUBLISHED:

05:19 EST, 14 July 2013

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UPDATED:

05:19 EST, 14 July 2013

Naturally, as a 16-year-old, I was a little reluctant to go on holiday with my dad. But a four-night stay in New York as a reward for working for my GCSEs? Well, that’s another matter.

I had wanted to visit the city for years. I had imagined Lou Reed sitting on a SoHo stairwell sipping a brightly coloured drink, Bob Dylan playing in Greenwich Village, and Charlie Parker smoking outside a moonlit jazz club.

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Music history: Cafe Wha? (pictured above) and Fat Black Pussycat, where Bob Dylan wrote Blowin’ in the Wind were essential stops for Miles

As we flew across the Atlantic, I found myself humming songs with a New York theme: Jay-Z’s Empire State Of Mind, 53rd 3rd by The Ramones, and Englishman In New York by Sting.

Our SoHo hotel, The James, was surrounded by amazing clothes shops and bars. It was just a short walk to Greenwich Village too, so after a quick dip in the hotel’s rooftop pool (more of a glorified bathtub) we went out to explore.

Our first stop was Cafe Wha, where Hendrix performed in the 1960s, followed by the Fat Black Pussycat, the coffee bar where Dylan wrote Blowin’ In The Wind.

There was also time for visits to various record stores. They all seemed to be stacked with vinyl – it was as if CDs and iPods had never been invented.

Music was a big part of our New York plans and we had booked tickets for a couple of gigs. The first was an indie rock night at a Greenwich Village club called Le Poisson Rouge. The atmosphere was wild – I was pushed, shoved, pulled and tugged for the entire gig.

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Cool kid: Miles strolls through SoHo in New York, and visits MoMa, the city’s Museum of Modern Art

Our second choice was more sedate – a

night at a famous jazz club called the Blue Note, where we watched

pianist McCoy Tyner (a veteran of John Coltrane’s group) do his thing.

On the way out, I accidentally bumped into a man and realised that it

was Elvis Costello. Dad decided this gave his choice of night out a bit

more credibility.

I wanted to see the big sights during

our stay, too, so the next day we took a walk over Brooklyn Bridge

(brilliant) before taking a cab to Times Square, where I tried my first

corn dog (hugely overrated).

But that stick of battered

disappointment soon faded as we set off to Katz’s. This deli is where

they shot the famous ‘I’ll have what she’s having’ scene in When Harry

Met Sally …, and my salt beef sandwich was so big I could barely see

over the top of it.

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Not a bad spot: Miles bumped into Elvis Costello at jazz club Blue Note

Needing

to work off some calories, Dad and I went on a Rock Junket walking tour

around the East Village. Led by ex-radio DJ Bobby Pin, we were shown the

hangouts of a vast array of rock, punk and jazz’s finest, from the New

York Dolls to Charlie Parker.

The following day we made our way to the Empire State Building – the views across the city from the top were simply stunning.

Later, we took an insane ride on a speedboat called The Beast. We were driven out to the Statue of Liberty while a testosterone-fuelled crew threw buckets of water at us, and Metallica tunes blasted out from loudspeakers. It was a crazy way to see that iconic statue.

As I was planning to take A-level Art, I wanted to see some of the city’s incredible galleries and museums. My favourite was MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), where the works on show include Warhol’s Soup Cans and Matisse’s Dance. The Met was amazing too – one hall housed an Egyptian temple. How on earth did they get it in there? New York had charmed me in a way no other city had before – I loved everything about it. Thanks, Dad, for an amazing trip.

Travel facts

Virgin Atlantic (virgin-atlantic.com) offers return flights from Heathrow to New York from £546. The James Hotel (jameshotels.com) has double rooms from £200.