Thoughts from Noo Yoik!

As I said in the previous post we are determined to keep away from the usual tourist things people do. Hence we've been up the Rockefeller Centre to the Top of the Rock - well worth the view but my oh my - the queues! Six queues between entering the building and getting on the elevator (That's like a lift type thing!) Six!

Posers being taken for a ride!

Oh! And we've done the horse and buggy ride through Central Park - driver was Irish and had plenty to say, but to be fair he told us loads of really useful stuff. I now know where Diana Ross lives . . .

And - err - we've been to see Brooklyn Bridge plus the Dakota Building where John Lennon was shot and Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Ah! And Ground Zero too! But - other than that we've avoided the tourist thing . . .

On that white knuckle ride from the airport to our hotel we passed a Lobster Restaurant in Seventh Avenue. Tania said she really fancied eating there one night so we did on Saturday. I've never had lobster before but thought I'd give it a go after all Tania had told me about it. Only one word can adequately describe the taste sensation we had. And that word is shite. Tania got her meal knocked off the bill - apparently lobster is not supposed to be very tough and rubbery.

The New Yorkers are so pleased to have us amongst them that they celebrate by ringing church bells every morning at seven. You can imagine just how thrilled we are to be woken up like that - what with the jet lag and all!

I was watching the news and weather on telly yesterday morning. In Chicago there were warnings of thunder storms with large hail stones. In the Mid-West they have deep snowfalls with motorists trapped.  In New York they warned of unseasonably muggy weather - I'd settle for that. And in Alabama they were awaiting a tropical storm. That's a whole year's worth of UK weather in one forecast.

The High Line

For those of you who haven't been to New York since 2009 I offer you, out of the goodness of my heart, a little tip. Be sure next time to walk the High Line. Over on the west side of Manhattan it used to be a freight railroad track that ran above the streets. When it got to the point of demolishing it the locals kicked off and asked for it to be preserved - and that's what they've done. It's a long yet narrow garden - still with the old railway lines left in place in some parts - a great walk and a fabulous opportunity to see parts of New York from a different perspective. Absolutely recommended. When I get back to the UK and my trusty laptop I will put some photos on here of it - pop back and have a look and see for yourself.

Tania posing above 23rd St

Today - Sunday where I am - I was taken for a surprise birthday present this morning. Alas there are some things we have no control over and that includes the weather. A low cloud - very, very low cloud - hung over New York all day. And that is why we couldn't do our romantic helicopter ride around the city. We are going to look at the weather as soon as we wake up each morning - the first time it's clear we will be zooming down to the Heliport at South Street and taking to the skies. Brave, brave gesture by Tania - she is no fan of flying at the best of times and most certainly is no fan of helicopters. Watch this space for further news . . .

And my last thought in this little diatribe. I am only a bit surprised that you can shop for clothes in New York until eleven at night - I hadn't really expected it to be quite so late. I'm not at all surprised that the city never seems to sleep. But I never expected rush hour traffic on Sundays! Solid, man. Absolutely gridlocked.