30th October

Headed for the Empire Stae Building- long queues but well worth the frustrating wait.Wow stunning views! Fantastic and very informative commentary with weather to match. Then headed for The Staten Island Ferry for a free return trip{ thanks Alistair, great advice} to see The Statue of Liberty. Others queued 2 hours to pay for an organised trip. Bertie showed off , posing in front of the Statue- stunning photos to follow. We took two and a half hours to walk the length of Broadway- stopping briefly at Ground Zero, a sobering experience. In the evening we were hurtled 50 floors up the Marriot Hotel to the revolving View Room where we had a buffet in the lounge bar. The New York skyline passed behind our glasses of Champagne which we drank very slowwwwwwly- each revolution took one hour { we saw 2 !}

Halloween ! New York goes mad- what incredible costumes! This day is taken very seriously in America. Returned to our favourite funky breakfast cafe where all staff were in costume- some more revealing than others-Brian drooled. Spent the rest of the day exploring Central Park. Such a beautiful place! Then had lunch in the Boathouse overlooking the lake. What a meal! at a very modest cost. All of the "in people" frequent this restaurant{ another great people watching venue.}