Start spreading the news........ we're leaving today

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Driving into New York in the morning rush hour was a thing you have to see to believe, people using their horns as much as their brakes and as for red lights they may as well not be there. Anyway we managed to negotiate the traffic and with carefully planned directions thanks to google maps the night before we found our hotel no problem, the fact it was about 45 stories high also helped! We managed to check in but our room wasn’t ready until later so we ditched our bags and headed to take our trusty car back, hoping to get it there in 1 piece, which thankfully we managed.

We were due to meet our Danish friends at their hotel in the early afternoon so it gave us the morning to get a headstart on where and where not to go in the Big Apple. Our first port of call was Broadway where George Benson says the Neon lights are bright and there is always magic in the air which i am sure is true when it is dark so that would have to wait until later. We did manage to get to Times Square which was bustling with people and advertising boards but didn’t realy have the buzz you would expect. We headed to meet the Danish family at their hotel and they had managed to check in early so after a quick catch up and plans made for our time in New York we all headed over to our hotel so we could check into our room and show off the fact our hotel had a swimming pool on the 27th floor with views out the the east river to Long Island but most impressive was the view of the Crysler and the Empire state buildings which were only a few blocks away! Our room was also fantastic and a contender for our best accomodation of the trip although it is also the most expensive! Time was now ticking on so we all headed out to get some food at a local coffee house which was realy nice then said our goodbyes and we headed back to take advantage of our pool which was as good as it sounds, even managed a few lengths which is the most proper exercise done in a while.

The next morning we got the tube to the southern tip of Manhatten where we were meeting the family and all heading out on the staten island ferry to get our best glympse of the statue of liberty. The best thing about this trip is that it was free! You could of course pay to actualy go the statues island and go up to the top but the queue was realy big and everyone has recommended we do the free trip, so that was our plan. We managed to find the family in amongst the hoards of people and we were greeted with a smile and a bag containing something....a gift! It was 2 I Love NY t-shirts which were perfect for our days activities, mine was white and lisas was pink. We then returned the generocity and bought the 2 girls foam statue of liberty crowns which they were well pleased with. All kitted up we headed on the ferry which wasn’t too crowded and the weather was gorgeous so made for a nice boat trip as well. We got pretty close the the statue and we thanked our zoom lens again so we could get some good pics. Once at the other side (staten island) we had to get on the ferry and wait 30 mins for the ferry back (it is realy run for commuters going to work) so we just basked in the sun and took some silly photos with our t-shirts and crowns, very entertaining. Back on the boat we got some more pics of the statue and of Manhatten which looks incredible with all the densely packed high rise building, a marvel to see.

Back on dry land we headed to ground zero where the twin towers once stood which is now a flurry of development but still a sad and somber feeling to the area. We then headed to get some food which involved a very healthy fresh made salad whilst sitting in ??????park watching the world go by. After lunch we all had a walk up broadway and ventured into some shops as aparently shopping is the no1 activity in NY and with 4 females me and Karsten didn’t realy get a choice. It seemed however this was more of a scouting mission for the next day as that seems to be when the realy shopping was done. We headed off around tea time as the family had managed to get some last minute tickets to see Mary Poppins and we headed up to the posh end of town to the Rockerfella centre and 5th Ave where all the expensive shops were, unfortnately they were all just closing so maybe next time! We then had the idea of having a meal somewhere, but who knows where and we headed back to our cafe from the night before only to find it was closed so we headed out to find a TGI Fridays as we had had a nice meal there on our anniversary and the fudge cake was calling out to us. It seemed miles to get there but we made it and sat down only to find the menu was at leat twice the price as any we had seen, it seems they can do that in new york so we smiled and left and headed for a fresh Pizza and Pasta just down the road. We found ourselves again on Broadway with it’s many neon lights and it looked impressive, George was right although i wonder if they are all enegry efficient bulbs...hmmmmm. Fed and watered we headed back to our hotel with the sad knowledge we only had 3 more nights before heading back to blighty...boooo.
The next morning was shopping , the Danish guys met us at our hotel and we headed out first for a coffee to get the day started. Then onto the Teddy Bear factory which is the biggest in the world (of course) where the 2 girls went mad spending what remained of their trip spending money. After that we made our way to the best kept secret in New York, a discount shopping mall called Century 21 which was full of designer this and that at a fraction of the original price. Clothes and shoes were tried on and bought which was great news for me and Karsten as our time following the girls round the store was not in vein. A bit shopped out we planned a picnic in Central Park which was a bit touch and go whether it would actually happen as there were some realy dark clouds around and sitting on wet grass in the rain is nobodys idea of fun. We headed there anyway and got some food from a nearby deli and found ourselves a nice spot by one of the many ponds in the park and again watched the world go by. Central Park seemed a world away from downtown New York although it is actually right in the centre all be it covers 385 acres but still a great snctuary away fro the hustle and bustle. Being 4th July we expected the park to be busier than it was but it was still nice wandering through and there were a few activities going on, the most entertaining being a roller disco which was full of 70s thowbacks but wow could they roller dance! We watched them for over 30 mins before we headed on through the park where the girls caught a sight of people using hulla hoops so of course we all had to have a go. Knackered and now sweating from hulla hooping and being shown up by Emelia we headed back to our hotel via dunkin dohnuts and cake shop, to wait with baited breath for the 4th July fireworks over the east river to start, appartently the biggest in the world and conveniently the best place to see them was 2 blocks from our hotel.
The weather was looking a bit ropey but we headed outside anyway with the masses of Americans and managed to get a rather good spot under the motorway flyover (which was thankfully closed to cars) after about 45 mins wait the fireworks began (as did the rain) and they were pretty impressive and indeed big. After much oooiing and ahhhiing they finaly finished so we all headed back to our hotel were the family were waiting a bit to catch a cab. We said what was going to be our final goodbyes as they were flying out the next evening although there was a chance we may meet in the morning depending on what we were doing. It was all actually quite sad as we have had a realy good time with them through Fiji and now America but we will definitely meet them again either in the UK or Denmark.
Our last full day of our trip and it was raining. We packed and left our baggage in storage before deciding we would help the Danish guys to waste their morning before their flight and we all headed out for a coffee and a last minute look in the shops before we said goodbye (again) and we headed off to get our bags and taxi to our airport hotel as we were flying v.early the next day. We did however have a little dilema. We had decided that we would just get a cab to our hotel as it would be easiest but nowhere near the cheapest as we didn’t realise we would have to pay the fee for the bridge over the river aswell so we put ourselves back in traveller mode and decided to get the train which in all fairness went pretty much straight to where we needed to go. We got on the train no probs and even got a seat, bargain, and we went to the last stop as instructed bby the hotel and then tried to flag a cab for the last few KM. However it seems we were in an area like the bronx which doesn’t have yellow cabs but guys just driving round tooting their horn offering what is realy an illegal cab service. We waited 5 mins before getting back on the train and going 1 stop back where we could transfer to the airport and get a shuttle to the hotel from there. It all worked out in the end and a lot cheaper than a cab.
Our final hotel was realy nice, we sorted our bags ready for the plane and even treated ourselves to a meal in the hotel restaurant which was also realy nice then headed for bed for what would be the last night of our 11 months travelling. Up early the next morning we managed time for breakfast before heading to the airport to catch our BA flight back to the UK. All went smoothly at the airport and our flight back was good, 1 day back in the Uk and we flew out to Crete for a much needed holiday, oh and to see Lisas Folks.

So here I am writing our final blog with the sun shining and with memories of what has to be the best year of our life so far. A big thankyou to everyone who made it possible and we hope you have all enjoyed our blogs............

**Coming soon, a best and worst of our travels!

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