Welcome to New York!... you eat my sandwich and I'll punch ya face in...

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We jumped in our hotel shuttle and quickly realised our driver was a bit of a character... he saw Martin was a big guy and it was a squeeze for him in the back so he offered him to sit up with the driver.. as he sat down the guy joked.." you eat my sandwich and I'll smash ya face in"..or words to that effect,.. he then drove a few hundred yards talking to control ...idiots..dumb ass.. and words like that before stopping in the middle of a three lane highway .. getting out of the truck and abandoning us to walk back to the terminal to get the 3 passengers her had left behind.. the other cars had to manouver around us. We heard the back door open cases get thrown in and some "dumbfuck"..his words not mine was getting a roasting.. He was a nutter but friendly. Martin watched him wind his way around the mass of yellow cabs and drivers beeping and scooting off in all directions and was amazingly quiet.. he was starting to think tat in just a weeks time he would be driving amongst this madness...

The driver drove around the houses and stopped to let a young girl off at Grand Central Station.. insulting every other pedestrian and driver along the way - it was an experience.. I was sure we were staying just a block or two away from GCS but we drove on for ages before he stopped to let us out at the wrong Best Western!... now whos' a Dumb Ass? he said he would take us back to the East side as he was going there anyway but was in a hurry as he had a lap dance booked for 7.30!.. It was fun.. crazy but fun

Best Western is clean and comfortable we have a two bedroomed apartment with lounge kitchen in a great location. We dropped off our cases and rushed out to get some food and pick up our tickets for the attractions MIke had booked.. yet agin he knew where he was going, hailed a cab and we were in TIMES Square collecting tickets for the bus.

TIMES SQUARE OMG ... Wow...



We walked.. gazed..stopped ..clicked.. its an awesome place you look around then UP.. its vibrant and alive and amazing.

We stopped at Bubba Gump I had wanted to eat there and Jackie was amazed I hadn't seen the movie Forrest Gump so have been told I must watch it when we get home. We reseved a table and in no time a voice shouted MURLEY table for 4 - it's time to chow down!... and we did! Jackie and I shared a delicious back rack of ribs and strawberry lemonade. I love Bubba Gump and plan to eat there again to have the Mac n Cheese shrimp..

Scrum..Diddly Umptious!!

It started to rain as we left which was cooling in the evening heat and although we had planned a night tour of the Empire State Building it was two in the morning and we were flagging so we walked a few blocks back to our hotel and our doorman Sam made us a cup of tea.. time for bed and in need of a good nights sleep we hit the sack.. in the city that (like me never sleeps)... Man don't these aircon units make a lot of noise?.. and the sirens?..

Its's now 5.12 am local time and Martin's phone keeps going off.. that's going to cost him big time but he wouldn't listen..I told him about the bolt on's and excessive telephone charges MEN eh?.. still can't be too annoyed it's his BIRTHDAY.. 50 Years today .. better write out his card before I try to get some sleep before breakfast downstairs.. back soon

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