New York

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22nd August, 2022

Had a bit of a sleep in today. Went down for breakfast and then walked to Times Square.

We were going to get the hop on hop off bus but we got sidetracked and ended up doing a bit of shopping. We looked in Hard Rock Cafe, Old Navy and some souvenir shops. Luckily, we had put our coats in our backpacks coz it started to rain. We decided that we were too late to start on the bus and besides we would have gotten wet coz its opened aired at the top.

We went to Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Centre to have a look out the Observation Deck. By the time we had gotten to the top, the rain had gotten a bit heavier and some cloud had rolled in so we couldn’t see very much. It was a bit of a waste of money but oh well, you get that sometimes.

Once the rain had stopped, we walked back to the room to dry out. On the way, we saw a policeman standing watching the crowd. Sandra asked if she could have her picture with him which he agreed to. She suggested jokingly that maybe he should “arrest” her and he almost did. His hands were on his handcuffs and he was ready to cuff her. We all laughed and we left. The coats were dripping but it didn‘t take them very long to dry as its still warm.

Once we were dry, we went back out and walked past Grand Central Station and went in for a look. As we were walking out, we saw another group of police, so again Sandra asked if she could have her picture taken. They were very agreeable. Once the pics had been taken, we started to walk off and realised we had no idea which way we were going. So the cops, shaking their heads and laughing at bloody silly Aussies, pointed us the right way. We were almost out when we saw a sign pointing to The Summit which is another observation deck. We went round and round in circles and then up and down escalators till we could find where we were supposed to go to buy a ticket.

Eventually got the ticket and went up to the 67th floor. It was really amazing. A great experience with lots of different displays on each floor, mirrors on one, silver balloon on the second and a visual art display on the third. We had a drink on the outside viewing platform and watched another rain band approaching. We just managed to get back inside before it started.

When we got back to the hotel, I recognised one of the tennis umpires here for the US Open so I asked him for a photo.

Sandra had a bit of a nana nap and then we went to find a rooftop bar so we could see some lights. It wasn't the greatest bar or the greatest view but we can cross off a rooftop bar at night.

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