New York Encounter

As of the 23rd May 2022 this website is archived and will receive no further updates.

understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.

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Just before our visit to New York in Spring 2006, we were watching the news at home in Cumbria and they were interviewing people at Newcastle Airport who were flying out to New York for the Easter Parade. We were interested given our forthcoming trip and watched as they interviewed a mother and her grown-up daughter saying how they were looking forward to the parade but afterwards thought little more of it as we made final preparations for our own trip. In an unusually warm NYC a few days later, we were in need of a stiff drink - we'd ridden to the end of the line to explore and ended up in an area that tourists laden with 'I love New York' bags probably shouldn't visit (we learned the area had seen a drive-by shooting later that evening) and back in Central Manhattan, needed our nerves calming. We ducked into an Irish bar just west of Grand Central Station and ordered cold beers. As we chatted, we vaguely noticed two other people take seats at the bar next to us. My partner went off to find the men's room and as I awaited his return I glanced to my left only to feel I recognised the two women sat next to me. A few moments later we were exchanging New York experiences, having established that they had indeed been interviewed for the news at Newcastle airport a few days earlier and yes, they had enjoyed the Easter Parade......
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Date submitted:Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:09:21 +0000Coincidence ID:6007