Playing the tourist in NYC

So we woke up on Boxing Day morning to the sight we had been hoping for all week.....snow! Not just a light sprinkling but about 2 feet of it on the ground. We walked outside & the cars parked on the side of the road were all completely covered, stairs & sidewalks were invisible....& it continued to snow. We had no time to spare though as we embarked on a massive week. You see we had all bought attraction passes that entitled us to admission into about 50 attractions over the next 7 days. So much like when we were in Paris, we made a list of all the must-sees, got the map out & plotted our itinerary.

Photo: I don't think this guy's going anywhere!

First stop was the King Tut exhibition....& what a spectacular exhibition it was. Andrew & I are both fascinated with Egyptian history & artifacts (which is funny cos it's one of the places we havn't been yet!), so we particularly loved this attraction. We couldn't hang about though cos we had a date at Radio City Music Hall for the backstage tour. The famous Rockettes were playing at the Music Hall at the time of our tour so we were even lucky enough to get to sit in one of the VIP booths for the first 10 minutes of the show. It was totally kitsch but even so it was hard not to get caught up in the excitement....in fact it even had us all wishing we could go to the full show. So I guess there is method in their madness in letting us see a sneak peek! The tour continued & we got to see the dressing rooms, costume room (I have never seen so many sequins in one place) & we got to meet a real, live Rockette. I'm not really sure how she manages to walk with her leotard so far up her....um, you know!!

Photo: Insidthe theatre at Radio City Music Hall

Photo: See what I'm saying?!

The day was rounded out by a visit to Madame Tussuad's. It's funny how amazingly life like some of the models are & how terrible & plastic many others are. For example, Ozzie Osbourne is amazing but the Beatles are a disgrace! Anyway, I'm not sure when i'll get another chance to grab the likes of Bon Jovi, Daniel Craig & Brad Pitt on the bum so I'm not complaining. Plus, even though Shawn, Andrew & I had all been to Madame Tussuad's before, it was really cool to see Bec going for the first time. She got really into it, even swinging upside down next to Britney Spears!

Photo: I felt quite comfortable here......


The next day the weather had gone from pretty, fluffy snow to sharp blades of ice whipping through the air threatening to take out an eye. Unfortunately it also meant that our carefully constructed plans were a bit tattered. We were meant to be doing a Gossip Girl tour but it was cancelled & many of our back up plans were closed. We ended up at Carnegie Hall & it was a revelation. I had no idea how historic the place is & how gorgeous it is on the inside. It was also cool walking the halls & being able to name so many of the amazing artists that have performed there over the years. Unfortunately the outside of the building was under refurbishment so we didn't really get a good look at it...but it was snowing so hard & was so cold we probably would have peaked out from our beanies & kept running for the subway anyway!

Photo: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!


We ended the night on a huge high with a performance of Wintuk by Cirque de Soleil. It was gob smacking. The show had a winter theme & the costumes were all floaty & sparkly & the range & talent of the performers was amazing. They did anything from roller skating & tight rope walking to trampolining & acrobatics. I'm pretty sure we all sat with our mouths open for the entire 2 hour performance.

The next day the weather hadn't improved much. We jumped on the subway & headed out to the ferry docks to catch the boat for the Statue of Liberty...but you guessed it, it was closed! Instead we headed to Ground Zero to check out how much progress had been made since we were there in 2004. Surprisingly it looked quite similar to how we remembered it....a giant hole in the ground! At least now they have agreed on how to use the space & all the surrounding buildings have either been torn down or repaired. I look forward to returning to NY in 2013 to see the new Freedom Tower & gardens......hopefully!!

Photo: This is "The Sphere", a sculpture that was recovered from the World Trade Centre site


But, our day was not over. From Ground Zero we headed into St Paul's Catholic Church where they have a permanent exhibit of photos taken during the days after September 11, as well as thousands of letters & memorials to the many people who lost their lives. It is a very sombre place & we were also there for the daily service that is held at 12.30pm which was extremely emotional. There were many different people from all different cultures & religions in the church during the service & even the babies managed to remained silent for a few moments.

Photo: St Paul's

Photo: Some of the thousands of paper cranes that were sent to Ground Zero from school children in Japan


With the sombre part of the day over (or so we thought), we decided to go & see a new exhibition called Bodies. It is a massive collection of real human parts that have been dissected, filled with different dyes & put on display to show not only how the human body works, but also how some of the choices we make in life effects to our bodies. The most disturbing sight was the healthy lung next to the lung of a smoker. Truly disgusting! Probably the most fascinating museum I have ever been to though.

To end the day it was back to midtown & into the NBC building for a behind the scenes studio tour & a trip up Top Of The Rock next door. During the NBC tour, we got to see the studios of the Dr. Oz Show, The Jimmy Kimmel Show & the set of the old Saturday Night Live studio. It was really cool to see the studios, especially when you see how small they really are but what was cooler was watching the DVD of clips of all the different shows that have been filmed there. Or more importantly, having a competition to see how many you could name!! After the tour, we headed up to the roof of Rockefeller Centre to see the gorgeous New York skyline at night. As with any big city, New York is at it's best when all lit up at night.

Photo: Empire State Building in Christmas colours :)

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..........

On the 23rd of December Char & Char (our friends from Sth America) arrived in New York for a days stop over in the city before flying home to the the UK. It was so much fun catching up with them in another new city. I think one of my favourite things about travelling is meeting new people & seeing them again all over world.

Photo: Ice skating at Rockefeller Centre......the people around the edges are all in the queue!!

We headed out into the cold to check out the Christmas tree & ice skating rink at Rockefeller Centre which was breathtaking of course. We gave the ice skating a miss once we saw that it was a 3 hour wait. Instead we went shopping at the NBC shop (or smurf heaven as it turns out!) then went for lunch  at TGI Friday's. Dessert was delicious.....chocolate brownie cake doused in Baileys...yum, yum! Then it was time to goodbye to the Char's....again!! Really over all the goodbyes :(

Photo: Not happy Jan......


We had to march on though cos we were due at our happy hour appointment at the comedy club. Well, that's what we thought! We arrived about 15 minutes before happy hour was due to start & the club was closed...I mean absolutely no sign of life. So we went in search of a bar nearby in the hope that the club would just open in time for the show. That's where the evening started to go a little pear shaped.

The bar we found was called The Slaughtered Calf & it was an Aussie bar....Yay!! Within 30 seconds of being in there we had all signed up for the $20 all-you-can-drink deal which included basically all drinks except premium spirits & boutique beers. Woo hoo! Sadly we made the rookie mistake of going in too hard, too early & within about an hour I was smashed & Andrew was trying to carry me home. Apparantly it made for a very interesting ride home on the subway when I kept giggling uncontrollably & causing all sorts of scenes. Well, that's what Andrew tells me but I don't know.........I am good girl after all, just ask my Daddy!! Oh yeah, so we never made it to the comedy show.

The next morning was rough....& Bec & I had to be up & looking respectable cos we had a date with the Sex & The City tour. Luckily we pulled it together & the tour was a blast. We got to see so many of the locations from the show & the movie & we got a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery. The funniest stop was at the sex shop where Charlotte got "The Rabbit".........the perfect girls day out really topped off by some shopping in the HBO shop buying all our Sex & The City crap!!

Photo: Sitting at the bar from Carrie & Big's rehearsal dinner


It also seems it was the day for inappropriate behaviour in public....& before you assume it was me, one was a guy who was walking around in the West Village with no pants on. Not a very smart move when the temperature was around 1 degree!! Then when the boys were having lunch, some dude walked in & had wee right there, on the floor in the restaurant. Yuck, yuck. yuck!!

The rest of the night was spent eating Chinese take out & skyping everyone for Christmas. It was weird sitting in an apartment half way around the world, on Christmas Eve, in minus 4 degrees, watching everyone at home on skype, heading out for Christmas lunch wearing shorts & t-shirts.

Photo: Christmas Eve in New York City :)


We woke up the next morning, hoping desperately that it had snowed overnight.....sadly no, it was just freezing. So we had present time ( & I was spoilt!!), got dressed & jumped on the subway, headed for Queens & Christmas lunch. We arrived at the little pub we had chosen called Sidetracks. We were greeted at the door by the gorgeous owner of the place & our day was perfect. It is a small, family owned, Irish pub full of families who were all obviously regulars. The owner made the rounds of all the tables where she was on a first name basis with at least half of the tables. Dinner was also delicious. The full English Christmas dinner with turkey, ham & all the trimmings. It was a lovely, friendly, relaxed day in the company of some of my favourite people. The only thing missing was the rest of our families.

Photo: Mmmmm....Christmas dinner :)

Photo: Merry Christmas


Now, what do you think could have made this day any more perfect??? The Boxing Day test!! We found an Aussie bar (a different Aussie bar!!) that was showing the test live. Weird huh? Having Christmas dinner then going to watch the Boxing Day test....all on the one day :) If only the Aussies had read the script & kicked the Pom's butts.....oh well!!

Photo: Ahhh yes, the obligatory cricket club hat!



So we went to bed on Christmas night having experienced Christmas in the cold...not quite white but the festive season's not over yet........

Start spreading the news........

We arrived safely back in New York.....& I have to say it felt positively tropical compared to Niagara. No snow either......yet!

Our first task was to check into our funky loft apartment in Midtown & do some grocery shopping to fill the cupboards. The apartment was gorgeous, quality furnishings & linen....just typically New York! (translate: small) Some homemade pumpkin soup & warm rolls later & it was time to head to JFK to pick up Bec.

Photo: Cute huh?!

Photo: Andrew's bed!!


Firstly the estimated 45 minute subway ride took over an hour & a half (due to traffic - huh?) so we ran into the arrivals hall about 10 minutes late. The place was empty. The baggage carousel wasn't even going around anymore so a quick check of the board & sure enough her flight was EARLY!! When does that ever happen?? Well, after an hour of pacing, going upstairs, going downstairs, asking at information (damn privacy laws!!) & finally convincing some poor, harangued lady at the first class check in counter to page said missing person......still nothing!! Uh-oh......we hadn't even met up with Bec yet & we had lost her!

After over an hour we started to think..."Hmmm, maybe she arrived early, saw we weren't there & got a cab into the city?".....so back onto the subway we got & back to the apartment. BUT there was no Bec at the apartment. By now panic had set in so all I could do was sit in the lobby of the apartment building & wait. Over 3 hours after she was due I finally saw Bec pull up in a shuttle van outside & we spent the next 5 minutes jumping around & squealing on the sidewalk (yes, I did just say sidewalk!!). What a relief :)

So we all settled into the apartment, happy to be one big happy family again, & bec & I talked & giggled into the wee hours. Next morning there was a knock on the door....Shawn had arrived too!! You guessed it, more squealing & jumping around (mostly from me) & the last member of the family was here. The adventure could now begin.

Photo: Together at last :)

First stop was Times Square. I will never get tired of the sight of Times Square. SO many annoying tourists though ;) Actually it wasn't too bad. We were accosted about every 5 steps by some other random asking us if we "like comedy??". "Of course" we would answer, "We're Australian!". So 4 x $10 tickets later we were promised a great night out...oh, & did I mention happy hour with $3 cocktails?? Sweet, activity 1
booked!


The next couple of days were spent walking around the city, drinking lots of Starbucks, shopping, visiting Borders at Penn Station (Note: the most disgraceful excuse for a store I have ever had the displeasure of shopping in!), eating & shopping some more. We also traipsed across town to the Dakota Building, You see, Bec had make the fatal mistake of uttering possibly the most unbelievable statements I have ever heard....."Who is John Lennon?" What the?? How is it possible to live in the 20th or 21st centuries & not know who John Lennon is? Now, Bec will probably regret that phrase for the rest of her life (you can just imagine the curry she got for many, many days to come) but it did mean that we had to go to the Dakota Building to show her where the legend died.

Photo: Who's that guy again??


A brief walk in Central Park & it was time to go back to the apartment to defrost, literally. We did have fun that night though when we decided to order pizza online. Not only could we order it online & have it delivered, we could watch the live progress of it online & it only took 25 mins from the order being place to it arriving on our doorstep. Impressive.

Photo: The New York skyline across a near frozen pond in Central Park....not a good sign of things to come :)

So the shopping continued.....5th Ave with Victoria's Secret, Tiffany & Co, Henri Bendel, Trump Tower....& the list goes on! We even managed to to fit in some 2am shopping at Macy's...cos you can! By the way, I love Macy's.....in a slightly unhealthy way & I love even more that as an International Visitor you get a 10% discount card. Woot!! Another thing I forgot to mention was the most amazing hot chocolate I have ever tasted.....on the top floor at Tiffany's of all places. They had a table set up with blue tablecloths, blue napkins, blue iced Christmas cookies & cups of homemade hot chocolate....all served on a silver platter. Delicious!

Photo: A delicious assortment of goodies in Henri Bendel


Oh, & how could I forget Bloomingdale's & their fabulous, FREE facials!! Bec & I enjoyed being pampered & preened while the boys looked on. Andrew, however, made the fatal mistake of sitting in an empty chair at the Clarins counter & before he could blink a busty, Hispanic woman had lathered up his face with cleanser & was talking to him about dry patches & a skin care regime!! Priceless ;)

Photo: Bahahahahahaaaaaaaa


Next on the list - one last day with the Char's, some comedy & Christmas.....New York style.

O Canada, O Canada!!

After a horrific flight from Lima to New York City (note to self, NEVER fly Continental again!) we arrived safely in my favourite city in the world. After negotiating the subway & making our way to the hotel we went shopping.....come on, we were in New York!! Unfortunately we only had 24 hours to shop because next thing we knew we were checking in with Amtrack at Penn Station for our 12 hour train trip across the border to Canada. The train was actually amazing. A bit like being in first class on an aeroplane....without the hosties & free booze!

Photo: The view from the train


As we watched the countryside slide by the snow started....& it didn't stop until we arrived back in NY a week later. But, I digress.....as the snow got heavier on the ground we passed houses all decked out in Christmas lights with snowmen in their front yards, it was the kind of scene you see in a Christmas movies. Once on the ground in Niagara, Canada we left the safety & comfort of the customs building & entered the twilight zone.

Photo: So much snow gathered on the platform between the carriages!


It was snowing.....not nice, soft, fluffy flakes.....no, small bullets of ice blowing from all angles & hitting like needles!! Add to that the fact that it was 10pm, dark & -12 degrees & there were no taxis. After waiting for about 15 minutes a taxi finally came & before we knew it we were safely installed in a cheap motel in a street with more sex shops in one place than I have seen in my entire life!!

Photo: What a sight!


The next morning we woke up & it had snowed so hard that our door was snowed shut. It was gorgeous but unfortunately it meant we were stuck in our room for a couple of days. We did manage to get out after a couple of days & walk down the road to a giant outlet shopping mall.....2km there & back in snow up to 3 feet deep & temperatures around minus 10....not such a good idea after all!

Photo: At least this snow was light & fluffy.....


Eventually  we did get to go out & see the whole reason for going to Niagara in the first place - Niagara Falls. They advertise a nightly light show that is projected onto the water, so we timed out trip to see the falls in the day light as well as all lit up. It was still freezing & most smart people had stayed indoors but it did mean that we basically had the whole place to ourselves. The falls are spectacular & were made even more so by the icicles hanging off the sides & giant chunks of ice floating along the river. We would stay outside, take few photos then run inside the visitors centre to defrost before repeating the exercise....for about 3 hours. Eventually the sun went down & the light show began.....only it turned out to be half a dozen white lights shining on the water. Not much of a show but it was still nice to see the falls lit up at night.

Photo: Niagara Falls

Photo: Fff-reeeeeezing

Photo: Pretty

Photo: Almost frozen over.....

Before long we were back on the train & heading back to New York for Christmas & New Years......& to see Shawn & Bec after a long 8 months....YAAAAYYY!!

Photo: So the sun did come out momentarily!!