Memories of New York

We're just back from an Easter week spent in New York.

It's the 2nd time there for Si and me, the last time we were there was BC (before children) so that would be maybe 15 years ago...gulp

It was Ben's 1st time in New York although not his 1st visit to the states (he's a well travelled child, having been to Seattle (visiting friends) and Florida as well) but it was Jasmine's first visit to the US - shame she had to mar her entry by vomiting on landing - I blame Simon, he was force feeding her Mowams (chewy German sweets) for half the flight, quite approptiate that he had to hold the sick bag(s) eh? Don't quite know why I had to be the one running off to the loo (ignoring the seatbelt signs) to dispose of the brimming bags though...
Fortunately Jas managed not to heave in front of the immigration guy - they must be desperate to find excuses to refuse admittance and I can well imagine that upchucking over immigration guarantees you to be on the next flight home!

Si had pulled a blinder, 'I sorted out a cab to get us from the airport to the hotel' he'd said. I'd been impressed, afterall, he'd been away prior to our holiday and I'd been organising tickets and so on.
But this wasn't just any taxi (imagine this being said in the M&S advert stylee) oh no, this was a stretch limo taxi, with smoked windows and a sparkly ceiling, very bling. Shall have to find the photo (Si took it on his phone...goodness knows what happens to them then). Fortunately Jas had no more vomit left, phew!

And then the hotel, the pic at the top is the view we had from our room - cool eh? With the Empire State building just 3 blocks up to our left.

The first day we were there we seemed to have a monsoon style rainstorm, I've never seen rain like it, stand under a hose pipe and you'd get less wet, but what surprised me about it was that the locals (the women anyway) were wearing wellies, more specifically Hunter wellies, I have a pair here, that I use to walk in the muddy woods with my dog, would I wear them around town? No. Would I wear them around Manhattan? No! I thought Manhattan was the Isle of the Choo or the Manolo but wellies? Perrrlease! So not a good look. A decent pair of leather boots should keep your feet dry enough in the rain, wellies are a little over the top!

In my opinion the American Museum of Natural History is over-rated, it is yawn inducingly boring, talk about old fashioned and Victorian, whereas the USS Intrepid was amazing, it's an aircraft carrier that has seen so much action from picking up space capsules in the sea to being hit several times by Japanese Kamikaze pilots. There was so much to see and do (a way more intereactive experience than the natural history yawnathon) including a concorde to walk through and a submarine too.

One of the highlights for me was a bike tour around Central Park, we had great weather and a good guide, it was a lovely morning, we followed it with a trip to the Apple store on 5th Avenue the day before the launch of the iPad, as we emerged from the store Si got jumped by CBS news and asked his opinion of the newest gadget, Si wasn't impressed, where are you going to stick it, he wanted to know, it's too big to fit in a pocket, you'll have to carry a bag!

When we were booking the holiday Si was concerned that 1 week would be too long, it turned out that 1 week isn't long enough, I need to go back, there's the art museums to see and I'm positive there are shops I didn't get to...I can live without that grating New York accent though, it penetrates through solid concrete I'm sure!