New York & Cruise trip 2013

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Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday.

Bacchus next door now and what it looks like in Winter time. Red doorway on left is door to our apartment on the 1st floor.

Waiting for the subway train - almost have it mastered!!

Reproduction of lunchtime for the girder workers for the Empire State Building.



Ellen's Stardust Diner - a must for every visitor to New York - all the waiters are very good singers - of all types of songs - apparently they have to do some in the 50s & 60s and some opera - we had the best time in there for a couple of hours or so. The waiters, or servers as they're called are waiting to be 'discovered' or working around auditions for acting around Broadway or films.

Helicopter ride around Manhattan and over and around the Statue of Liberty - gift to the USA from France. The ride was great and quite exciting really. Before you fly it's just like getting on a plane with the waiting, security, and having to watch the emergency drill complete with life jackets etc. It was good fun and we saw things we hadn't seen before nor from that angle of course.

We passed over a ship - Queen Mary 2 which was in dock at the time - didn't look as impressive as I thought it would - always said if I won xlotto then we'd do a big trip on it but now not so sure... always thought it would be very luxurious....

I have a couple of NY lottery tickets which if I win, will be worth $US160M!!!! If we win it you can all come on the Queen Mary 2 with us!!!

If you ever come to New York I would certainly recommend it.

Home to start packing.... after a side trip to Tiffany's, where John bought me a beautiful gold tear drop pendant for my birthday - just love it.

After packing we went back to Times Square for dinner - and mind you this does take some time getting around - 6 blocks to the subway and then taking two trains and walking several blocks to get to a restaurant close to the Al Hirshfeld Theatre to see Kinky Boots! It was a great show although to get 2 tickets meant we had to sit separately. The people I sat next to came from the Hunter Valley in NSW!! So I certainly didn't feel lonely at all.

This show has Cyndi Lauper involved but she is in Australia performing around the country at the moment do didn't get to see her.

On some subways - at different times, you see buskers entertaining the massive number of people who use the subways - some sing on the train or just tell you how poor and hungry they are or just ask for a handout - happens on the streets too - with cardboard signs saying "Hungry, homeless and pregnant' or one said need Money for Weed, Food and Piss..... we don't mind giving some change to the buskers because at least they're doing something for the money.

Also down the road from where we're staying there is a drycleaners who have a lot of sayings out the front - Need a new Boyfriend? Drop your skirt here. Love it!!

A couple of things we've noticed - is the absence of Muslims in New York - we haven't seen one in the 2 weeks we've been here which we found very odd. Also very few motor bikes in fact we've only seen about a dozen the whole time here.

We've had a really amazing time in New York - great for shopping - best shop in Bloomingdales for sure for service, and anything you want to buy - they just can't do enough for you. Other shops have lousy service with staff busy talking to their mates or on the phone and chewing, to serve you. You are there for them not the other way around.

We have done so much, seen all the main attractions, went to 3 shows on Broadway, did the Helicopter ride, tried as many restaurants as we could, did the amazing cruise and all the excursions plus our trips to Toronto, Montreal and Quebec..... not to mention the shopping - for which we had to buy not one but TWO extra suitcases to come home with!!!!

Thank God for Qantas Frequent Flyer points - we heard today that we have Business Class all the way home - Yeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

We should be home in about 30 hours - we're in the British Airways Club Lounge now and boarding in an hour or so and home Friday morning. Home for a week and then off to Sydney and Adelaide for a week.... hard life.....but someone has to do it.

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Photos

Out front of Kinky Boots show
Showtime!! What a night!

Singer at Ellens Stardust Diner
Picture of Ellen in picture behind us. She was the original Ellen behind Stardust.

Ellens Stardust Diner
Server in black on the left is singing to the diners. They do this at lunch and dinner times - they all take turns and sing while they're doing their work - with the microphone in hand.

Bacchus next door to us
Red doorway is the entrance to our apartment on the 1st floor.