Hi Everyone,

Although we've actually left New York now, we've finally managed to add our photos and so heres a little bit about what we got up to in New York......
Sunday- it didnt really sink in two either of us that we were in new york when we first landed but after seeing the line of yellow taxis outside, it finally felt like we'd hit new york and were on the telly or something :-)
the taxis took about 50mins to get to our hotel and the taxi man was really nice and chatty until he got his tip ( i told craig we should have given him more !!!) and then he especially went quiet when he had to try and lift my rucksack out of his boot as well :-) i really dont know why travellers have to use a backpack, in my opinion suitcases are a much better invention!! especially as i cant actually stand up right whilst wearing mine!!
well next was the hotel and from the outside it looked really nice so we were just keeping our fingers crossed about the inside as the price we had paid......but.... it was really nice, people in america are sooo friendly and literally after everytime you say thank you for something, they say 'your welcome' (i think they'd keep saying it even if you said thank you 50 times :-)
We did know that our room had no bathroom and we had to use a shared one (new york hotels are very expensive, especially on a backpackers budget) but it ended up ok, as the shared bathroom turned out not to be shared as we were the only ones using it and had our own key to it and it was very clean so that was a bit of a result. Also although we had no private bathroom, we had a plasma, a fridge and a micowave in our room, work that one out..............
Anyway we decided to get a bit of a early night so that we could wake up bright and early and be true tourists with our camera in tow.
Monday- was up and out by 10 and turned out that the subway (starting to get use to this american slang :-) Craig's even starting to say restroom instead of toilet) was right outside our hotel and times square was literally 3 stops down, so hopped off there and straightway just looked amazing with all the busyness of it all. decided to go on an open top bus so that we could see where all the attractions were and what ones we wanted to fit in before we left and it was definitly a good idea as it went to Times Square, Macy's, Madison Square Garden, Empire State Building, Greenwich Villiage, Soho, China Town/ Little Italy, World Trade Centre, South Street Seaport, Lower East Side, East Villiage, United Nations, Rockfellers Center, Central Park and then back to Times Sqaure and we could jump on and off the bus at all of these places for 48hrs. We decided the first stop would be Greenwich villiage as the man said there were nice places to eat there but we ended up walking along to china town and you'll all be so impressed with me as they had suitcases and stalls full of guggi, L.V and all sorts of bags and i managed to resist them all, although craig did end up buying a armani/fake :-) watch for 15quid!! We then hopped back on our bus and the next stop was the world trade centre so we jumped off again and took a walk along there, felt quite strange taking pictures and a bit dis-respectful after what happened there but then also seemed weird seeing all the building work being carried out on re-doing it all.
Then decided to walk down to get on the boat to go and see the statue of liberty which was really good, took loads of pictures but were really annoyed that although we got the boat over there and you can walk around it, we went to go through the door to go up it and found out you needed to book tickets two days in advanced, which obvisiously we were too unorganised to do :-) was still really good though although some of the pictures are a bit hazey as it was begining to get foggy.
We then jumped back on the bus which was now at the point of going along the eastvilliage, where the tour guide told us about loads of buildings that famous people live in, so we took loads of pictures and if im honest now it just looks like we've got dozens of pictures of random buildings as we cant remember the stories behind any of them :-)
we then went past the christmas tree and ice rink in rockerfeller centre but was told that the lights were being turned on on wednesday night and we were leaving wednesday am so that was a bit annoying, we then went passed central park but decided that that one was prob best left until daytime, as it was now getting dark and also along with the empire state building the following night when it would hopefully not be as foggy as it was then.
So after an action packed day (was absolutley brilliant) we literally went back to the hotel for an hour just so that we could charge the battery for the camera and then headed back on the subway to Times Square again, which was now even busier, even brighter and just buzzing!! Decided to go for a bit of dinner at planet hollywood (just so that we could say we had eaten where all of the stars had :-) then done some more walking around as theres just so much to see and then decided to go to the cinema (next best thing to the theatre as they're all on strike!) must admit we both did fall asleep within 15mins of being in the cinema as we had done sooo much during the day, but even coming out of the cinema at 1am everywhere was still buzzing and it was a monday night!! was a little jubious about getting on the subway at that time of the morning but even that was still packed that it was fine!!
So one more day to tell you about......
Tuesday- We decided that as central park wasnt far from our hotel and nearly went down as far as times square that we would walk through the park instead of the subway, so off we set, me with my 5 layers of clothing and sweating after 2mins of walking :-) but it was really beautiful and we took a few pics. well after about 50mins (and after asking a lady which way to head to at least get to times square end and being told to stick to the right of the park) we finally got to the end to find out from some men trying to get us on their bikes with a buggy that in fact we hadnt seen any of the parks attractions... the ice rink, the friends fountain, all of the statues, the sex in the city restaurant, the towers where ghost busters was filmed, john lennons memorial and honeslty about 20 others things, so we then paid the bike man to ride us in his buggy to see all of the things we'd missed in our 50minute hot walk throught the RIGHT side of the park :-) but it was definitly worth it.
Next we decided to hop back on our bus near times square and got off somewhere for some lunch and thought as we hadnt seen any famous people on the streets, we'd do the next best thing and went to madam thusauds which was really good, few dodgy ones but some really realistic ones as well. Then back to the hotel to re-charge camera battery (we kept taking too many pics! and draining it) for our last night in new york :-(
once out again we went to the empire state building and just can not describe how brilliant the view is, the pictures definitly dont do it justice but it was amazing. Cant say it was the highlight of new york as honestly the whole time we spent there was great!! finally had a walk around, saw a different ice rink and christmas tree that had turned its lights on, managed to find some shops with the christmas displays and even though the christmas tree lights werent on at rockerfeller center, we went passed it again and it was still full of christmas themed things, music, lights and loads of people, just seemed magical! Although i did get stopped by a man saying he was a director of a film and i had just walked through their scene of turning the christmas tree lights on! so after him chatting for 5minutes and me being so apologectic that apparantly i deserved a 'i love new york hat ' he actually worked for the soup kitchen and wanted 10dollars for the hat he had put in my hand and 10dollars for the hat he then put in craigs hands!! :-) and there i was thinking i was going to be famous and in a film :-) well we had to buy one because to be fair to him he had me going, he wasnt like the usual sales man, he had me intersested for a minute and everything :-) lost a few dollars to a few homeless people that i felt sorry for as well, but everyone in new york is sooooo nice and its so christmasy you cant help being a constant good mood!!
well that was new york and will definitly go back again in the future, hoping the rest of our trip will be just as good.

We're at craigs aunties in florida now, her house is amazing and its like a different world out here, so the backpack and sleeping bag are on hold for the next two weeks now while we be luxury travellers :-) off to a disney park park tomorrow so should really head off to bed now, craig got bored of my taping away about an hour ago now :-)

Hope everyones well, will write again soon

love Aim and Craig xxx