A quick run down of NYC

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We have just left NYC after a week of non stop madness. I have been trying so hard to be good and keep this blog up to date but it is just not working so I am going to try and do a week in one go and then stay up to date for the rest of our trip (keep your fingers crossed!).

Our NYC experience started off with a 2 hours wait on the tarmack at JFK airport due to a snow storm and back log as they tried to get the ice and snow off departing planes etc... a very exciting start.

Our first day we went to see the New York Knicks play in Madisson Square Garden which was very exciting - for Tim... no it was great, although after only two hours of sleep on the overnight flight from LA, I was having trouble staying awake. That night after the game we headed to Time Square to see all the lights and crowds.

Our second day was spent walking through the down town area, China town (bags and perfumes...), Little Italy, the Financial district including Ground Zero. It was really a very moving place, there is an overwhelming sense of sadness there that we both felt and walked away with tears in our eyes. I also found myself getting very angry at all of the tourists there taking photos and laughing and treating it as another tick on their lists of attractions...

That night we managed to get tickets to see the New York Rangers playing ice hockey at the Garden. I am still to find out how they turn the bball court into an ice hockey rik... if any one knows, please pass it on to me!

Tuesday we went to the Metropolitan Musuem of Art, the Met. It is fantastic there and we spent the day looking at fully furnished rooms from Europe, armour and weapons displays, the Egyptian areas. There was also an exhibition of Van Gogh's pen and ink drawings and a history of his life that was very interesting.

That night we met up with one of my cousins that lives in NY for dinner. It was great to catch up (thanks again Susan, we really did have a good night). After dinner we headed up to the top of the Empire State Building. It really was very beautiful from up there at night - despite the bitterly cold wind, and I mean bitterly. We were able to last about 5 mins then had to run inside and defrost before we could brave another 5mins!

Wednesday we did the shopping strips of fifth avenue, Lexington, etc. It was great, but very expensive... I only came away with one new cute little cardigan! After shopping we headed to Bryant park just near our hotel for some ice skating, we were so proud of ourselves, skating around without holding on the rail... with everyone else rushing past us and spinning and going backwards (and they were just the kids!).

That night we went for our first Broaway show, Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest, The Woman in White. Neither of us were really that impressed... it wasnt really what we were expecting, the story or the standard which was a bit disappointing.

Thursday we did the Statue of Liberty which was great. We had a really nice clear blue sky day so the colours of the statue really stood out. We then walked back up through the financial district, found the bronze bull statue, took a photo, kept walking...

That night we saw the NYC ballet in the Nutcracker which was absolutely beautiful! It was at teh Lincoln Centre for performing arts that I had not heard about but was huge, and so prettily lit up with a christmas tree in the middle. For dinner we were very proud of ourselves finding a gorgeous little italian restaurant where the food was fantastic and the fairy lights set the atmosphere.

Ok, we are up to Friday where we bought a ticket on teh hop-on, hop-off bus to take us to see Brooklyn. It was interesting to go there and see but I dont think we had the best tour guide so it was a bit "ho-hum" the tour. The best part was we got off the bus in Brooklyn and walked back over the Brooklyn bridge to Manhattan. It was fantastic, the best views of the bridge I have ever seen and you could look down through the wooden sleepers to the river (a little un-nerving).

That night was our second Broadway experience of Chicago, with Huey Lewis (from Duets) playing the lawyer. It was fantastic (again with the word fantastic...)

Saturday was our last day in NY and we took the bus tour up to see upper Manhattan and the Harlem area. It was really interesting seeing that area of the island that I hadnt ben to before, it does have a very different feel, I wish we had more time to get off the bus and look around.

We also headed to the top of Rockerfella Centre that has just opened as an observation deck. This gave us the daytime view of Manhattan which I am not sure is as impressive as the night time, but still worth the trek.

We also had a cruise around Manhattan booked for late that afternoon. We really did get the best cruise time all by accident. We left at about 4pm just as the sun was setting and have gorgeous views of the sun setting through the bridges over the river, the downtown skyline and over the Statue of liberty. Tehn the sun eventually set and we got a night time view of the city from the river and went right to the base of the statue to see it all lit up - absolutely... fantastic, what can i say? (Tim just said he is going to buy me a thesaurus for Christmas...). After a Cuban dinner just around from our hotel- one of the nicest meals we have had, we got dressed up and went to Tavern on teh Green, the posh restaurant and bar in Central park. It was fully booked so we couldnt get any cakes but we had a drink at the bar, which was in the attic of the building with a heavily sloped ceiling - it all added to the charm.

THat was NYC in a week. Sunday morning we packed up early and caught the bus to Philly. It is such a nice change of pace after NYC. And our hotel is so cute (the free make you own waffles for breakfast helps too!).

Yesterday we saw the Liberty bell, Liberty hall, the oldest continually residential street in America and some otehr sites here before returning to the hotel for complimentary tea and snacks at the hotel - a civilised change after our almost youth hostel accommodation in NYC.

We are here for one more night, possibly seeing a basketball game tonight (I have to make up for a poor choice of making Tim see the Woman in White, apparently...).

I wish I could send you all photos as well but we ran out of memory on the camera, downloaded them to a CD and then, they all got deleted before I could find a computer. I will have to put these ones up when we get back.

I hope you are all going well, miss you all.

Steph

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