New York New York...:-)))

Brooklyn Bridge
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I finally got to New York,,,, Yayyyyyy.....

My friend Lori picked us up from the airport and it was so great to finally be able to see her and sit and chat and meet Gordon and the kids.....

We are staying in their house which is at Larchmont, just the other side of the Bronx,,, such a lovely suburb,,, looks just like the "Desperate House Wives" street,,, its so beautiful here with squirrels running around,,, so cute but of course the locals hate them..:-)

We were so tired,,, Saturday was just chatting and resting.....The time change thing is really starting to affect us......We had just gotten use to local time and then had to fly to New York which is 3 hours difference again,,, so it is definitely taking its toll. Our sleeping pattern and eating times are really off,,, and all we want to do is sleep

Statue of Liberty
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Sunday Lori Gordon and the kids went on their trip to Cairns Australia....We said our goodbyes...... I really hope they can visit me in Brisbane in the near future.....

Such a lovely family........

Monday - I took myself into New York City.......Larchmont is about 30 mins to Grand Central Station.... I got to Grand Central and nearly died,,,, this place is so big I was totally lost and confused for about an hour trying to figure out where the heck to go from here and how to use the subway....... Luckily for me, Lori and Gordon had given me a subway map to use while I was here...Once you know how to use the subway its quite easy.....

Central Park
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Today I experienced my first subway trip.......My goodness there is some serious Mofo's here... I made my way to the WTC (Ground Zero)......There is so much construction going on still.....They are rebuilding apartments and a memorial for the victims of 9/11.... I heard a tour guide say that the apartments are not selling but they are still building them,,,,I would not like to be the sales manager of that project.....

Right across the street is St Paul Church......Its a beautiful old church built last century but today it is a memorial to the workers and victims of 9/11.....In the months of clean up the workers would go to St Paul’s and find a place to eat, sleep and be counciled on what they were seeing and experiencing.....No money changed hands and all the support was given on a volunteer basis....... Something I read which was abit of a shock was the amount of Vix Vapour Rub the workers went through,,,, they use to cover themselves in it so they wouldn’t smell the decaying body parts,, only the vix....

Subway Train
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Next stop was Times Square..... I have to say I was abit disappointed,,, its similar to Vegas with glitzy lights above the shops etc,,,,but more of a New York feel.....I was only there about 10 mins and moved on...

That was enough for day one and headed back home....Jake was still in sleeping mode so I figured I needed to get back and see if he was out of bed yet.....

Tuesday - Jake and I both headed into the city today......Even Jake was shocked how big Grand Central was......its a beautiful old building that is decorated in style,,,,there are loads of restaurants and eateries.....It seems its the place to go for a meal,,,all of the restaurants were filled with business men and women....... I really like Grand Central,,, great place to sit and have a coffee

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First port of call was Brooklyn Bridge.....Today was really hot, 100 degrees F, New York gets the humidity as we do so it was perspiration plus today. We headed off and planned on walking across the bridge but it was just too hot,,, we got about a third of the way and headed back....We got great views of the city though...

Next stop was city hall......Nice building but not much to say other than City Hall has a nice park.....

Then we made our way over to Park Avenue,,,,, This is where all the rich and famous live....Went right past the Trump Tower....Didn’t get to see Mr comb over though!!!

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On the way over to Central Park we were on the subway and the conductor made an announcement that due to a police investigation 59th Street subway was going to be closed and to make our way to the street level quickly and swiftly.... Of course we were heading to 59th Street and when we got to the street there was police and fire trucks and detectives.... Had no idea what was going on but we got out of there real quick....Nothing was on the news so I figured not much had happened...

Got to Central Park and it was more beautiful than I had expected....We walked from the south entrance over to the west side to 72nd street and that took us over an hour....Its such a pretty place and there is music and lots to eat and loads of people just sitting and enjoying the peace and quiet..... I am hoping to get back here by myself before we leave so I can just sit and read a book and soak in some New York atmosphere....

China Town
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We then took a back trip to China Town..... There is some great knock off's here... I saw some excellent handbags but I didn’t want to have to carry them around, as I wasn’t sure what we were going to do for the rest of the day... I am heading back here on Friday to buy up before we head to LA... so if anyone wants anything email me before then... Not as cheap as Asia but better quality....

Wednesday - Today is a stinker.... Its well over 100 so we are sitting at home and having a day of rest.... tonight we are going to check out Larchmont and see if there is anything much to do... we are loving our time here but I am starting to think about home and work and I am missing everyone so I am starting to look forward to coming home...:-) Only 7 more days till we depart...

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Wednesday night we experienced a New York storm…. Holy moly, it was a big one, the thunder was so loud car alarms were being set off in the street,. The streets flooded and there was a black out for several hours. We got our power back though at around midnight

Thursday – Today was full on…First stop was The Empire State Building…. I have a fear of heights so I wasn’t that easy for me to be up so high. Now that the WTC buildings are gone the Empire State Building is now officially the highest building in NY… I got a self-guided audio tour while up at the top. I am glad now I did because I would have turned around and gone straight back down…. I felt vunerable especially when the audio tour talks a lot about the 9/11 tragedy. As much as I really enjoyed it, I was glad when my feet were on the ground.

Street Food
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Next stop was the South Ferry terminal. I didn’t want to talk a tour right up to The Statue of Liberty as I had heard it wasn’t that good and you see more as you approach rather than when you are there.

I took the Staten Island Ferry over to Staten Island and the ferry went right past the Statue of Liberty. We got a perfect view, but the Statue is a lot smaller than what I had expected. In pictures it looks like she looks over New York City….. No way…. New York looks over her….. She is about half the size I had imagined but still something worth seeing. The round trip took just under an hour and there were great views of the city and Staten Island as well… Well worth it.

Next stop was back up to China Town. Ok I couldn’t help myself and I bought a few handbags…. I will only mention the word few!!!

Next stop was Little Italy. I just walked around and had a look. Lots of boutique shops and restaurants. I stopped at a street cart and grabbed some lunch… 3.50 and I got some sort of chicken curry, rice with Indian spices and salad…. The meal was a generous size and really yum.

New York has lots of street stall food. I couldn’t go home with out trying some and it was the best bought meal I have had so far….

I headed home tired and broke and I think that may have been my last day in the city. Friday I may stay home, wash clothes and get ready for our flight on Saturday morning…

Not to be..... Friday Jake wanted to head into the city one last time to get in some last minute sight seeing. Friday we headed off and had one last look at Grand Central and China town.... Jake and I bought more stuff but we were really tired and couldnt take in anymore so we headed home, this time for the final time.

New York was fast, fun and we both had a good time...