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To preserve my own memories of our honeymoon and for anyone who maybe interested I thought I'd try my hand at a little holiday blogging. The last 6 days have been absolutely amazing. New York City has been everything we expected and 100% more. So much to explore that you would never be able to see it all and such a cosmopolitan mix of people. Everything here is big, brash and honest! Safety always comes first and the New Yorkers seem to say it exactly as they see it. Service is amazing but it comes at a price, we have now accepted that the bill you get is not actually the cost. Another 20% is automatically slapped on. I resent compulsory tipping! But whilst in Rome eh?
Day one, we started at the World Trade Centre memorial. This was a sad way to start the holiday, but also unique to recall a piece of history that we have our own memories of. Our next stop was the Statue of Liberty, really special to see such an iconic place in real life.
Day two, we spent relaxing in Central Park. We ate bagels, read our books and ate snow cones (!) ..... Again there was just so much to see and explore, I felt we couldn't leave without making the scouse pilgrimage to the 'Strawberry Fields Memorial' and stopping at the front door of the luxurious buildings where John Lennon was shot. In the evening we headed to Broadway, this it turned out, was not all Elaine Paige made it out to be. We were expecting classy, we got loud, dirty, busy. Matilda was a brilliant show however.
Day 3, we decided we needed to start cramming more into our days, discovering that getting from a to b always takes longer than you'd expect. We started early at the Empire State (amazing views, obviously). We then took ourselves on an epic point of interest hunt (Grand Central Station, New York public library, the Flatiron building). Next a little shopping, doing the obligatory Macy's and Bloomingdales. For me a memorable moment was wondering from the mad busy noise of the street into a cathedral surrounded and dwarfed by skyscrapers. The peace of the pitch perfect choral singers was beautiful, even a wavering atheist such as myself couldn't fail to feel a little spirituality there. As a last stop we unleashed our inner child, playing on the big piano in FAO Schwartz and getting some souvenirs for the little people in our lives. In the evening we headed to very trendy Chelsea and got our first honeymoon freebie, the bar lady gave us a whole round of tasty (expensive) gin cocktails for free. I'm not complaining!
Day 4, more sites to see. Top of the rock, again great view but 100%25 better than Empire State. Less crammed and with room to sit down and appreciate what you see or do as I did, and take a short gin hangover nap. Next the Museum of Modern Art. In the evening we headed to a baseball game, so great to see a different part of the city and to take in the atmosphere. Jess made the effort to find out the rules. I have to admit, I didn't have a clue, but it was still fun! Enroute home we stopped at Times Square, again busy, loud, so bright it's like day light. But we couldn't leave New York without visiting.
Day 5, our last full day! New York seems to be like some sort of time vortex! Decided to do free stuff taking the Staten Island Ferry and walking across Brooklyn Bridge. On the Ferry we got chatting to a helpful New Yorker who recommended lots of places for the evening. We wanted to try and seek out something for our last night which was a little less tourist and a little more, New York. So we went for a stroll along the high line (locally run garden based on an old railway track) got tea and gin cocktails (I'm hoping this is a theme which continues for the holiday!). In a restaurant which is so hip no one even bats an eyelid when Maggie Gyllenhall pops in for a wee (!). Finally finishing in a live blues bar. Love it! What an amazing day and a great way to finish. I've made Jess promise she'll bring me back one day. I'm leaving feeling so proud of what Jess and I have discovered together in New York and excited for the next leg of our journey!
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Eleanor Savill Glad you're having a cracking time on your Gin-Bar-Tour of the US of A! Well jel xxx