Still in America

New York was fascinating as it is built entirely on a bed of rock. Central park is man made and approximately 20 acres I think. The kids loved the squirrels as we don't have them in Australia, so we took a few photos. It's a pretty clean city, the 'locals' are all well dressed and stylish, but not particularly friendly (unless you're tipping them). But then again, they live in a city and I think most city people are a little more reserved no matter what country you are in.

The hop on / hop off bus is a great idea as you get to see all the major attractions and can choose when to get off and look a little closer, or just sit back and take photos.

go when it's warmer

The Empire state building has the capacity to be amazing, but security and the anal way Americans tend to heard people like sheep has a tendency to suck most of the joy out of these attractions. 'Please stay in the line ma'am/sir', was the most common comment I heard from them; they don't really speak to tourists unless they are paid to.

The Statue of Liberty was pretty good; the museum part being the best as it told the story of all the migrants and what they had to endure to become a citizen in the land of the brave and the free. It was a shame it was so bitterly cold and the crowd was unbearable; we decided not to walk up inside the Statue because there was a 2 hour wait.

Ground Zero was, I must admit, something I hadn't paid a great deal of attention to after the initial shock had worn away. But being there and being able to visualize (to a degree) how horrific and terrifying it must have been, was heart breaking.