Geo: -12.4609, 130.836We had hardly settled into our seats and the flight was over. That little domestic hop, skip and a jump of four hours was a breeze. Scored an extra seat so we had the row to ourselves, tuned in for a couple of movies, a bit of food, a couple of drinks, weathered a little bit of turbulence and we were touching down in Darwin. Effortless.And forget those boring old days of watching the safety demonstrations, Qantas have released a new inflight video that captures the cheeky spirit of Australia perfectly! First time I have seen so many people pay attention to the safety demo. http://youtu.be/fhbXFHrDmTgHave been in constant "Let's celebrate 60 and Mindy & Ian are home" mode for the last week. Enjoyed great extended family time at a birthday bash for Mac ... read more

Geo: 40.7488, -73.9912Today saw a new benchmark for FREEZING. The sky from our 25th floor view of 7th avenue promised blue skies. A second day of perfect views of the New York skyline. And when you are standing by the radiator as it relentlessly pumps out heat it is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security.The -9 C predicted, combined with a slight breeze, was of course the "perfect" day to walk the Brooklyn Bridge.So we layered up....and this is what it takes to achieve the Oompa Loompa look: singlet thermal long sleeved shirt flannelet shirt jumper thermal long johns jeans socks boots scarf hat gloves wind breakerAnd despite the best layering - the cold still managed to sneak in. Seems impossible, but it was actually colder than being on the slopes at ... read more

Geo: 40.7489, -73.9912It was a mad scramble this morning to pack up the room for the upgrade. Almost everything fitted back into the suitcases and bags and we were able to leave all of this with Michael and Anthony while the guest services team worked their magic. We have no idea where we would end up .... other than it was UP. Sort of like a little mystery tour or gamble.With that done and arrangements made, the first order of the day was to get to the Empire State Building. No bananas again (pun intended @Gary). The line looked even longer than on the previous days. Approximately two hours. Plan shelved...again.Oh dear, meant that we had time to visit Macy's and SHOP. We had a quick breakfast on the lower levels and then Mac left me ... read more

Geo: 40.7488, -73.9911Wow, wow and wow. That was billed as an experience of a life time and it did not disappoint. We were Richard's guests at the Brooklyn Diner and it felt as if we were regulars and they had known us forever. And talk about "location" - we were absolutely right there...our own personal viewing area at the first restaurant on the corner of 7th Avenue and 43rd Street.The New Year was welcomed in with a five course meal and any combination of drinks...We tooted. We ratcheted. We sported hats. We glittered. We flashed (in a good way). We yahooed at each 30 minute countdown point. We rioted when the NYPD men and women popped into the Diner (in a good way). We laughed, we talked, we met new people.And all without fuss and crush. ... read more

Geo: 40.7488, -73.9911New York, New York. We had arrived. An early start was a good thing - although we are a little weary after the night flight. Organisation at the airport was absolutely superb. We were lined up and "processed" and popped out the other side of border control without any trouble. Not the smiles and cheery disposition of our Canadian friends, but none the less - efficient.We found a cab easily and for some reason we all found ourselves very very squashed in the back seat fighting for elbow room, leg room and even fresh air. Not sure how that happened but we swerved and honked and barged our way from the airport to the Affina in downtown New York. The rain and the traffic didn't worry us (we had a fixed rate fare!) and ... read more