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New York, New York!!!
Hi everyone its been a while since the last blog... 2 weeks! lets see if we can remember everything thats happened since then!
On Friday 17th we flew out of LAX airport, but not after a little (5 hours) delay, due to the aeroplane missing a part... so instead of getting to New york at 6 pm we arrived at about 11.30pm and got to the hotel after 1am.
On Saturday it was time to explore the city, and we started with a light lunch - a salad - although we forgot this is america and neither of us could finish the huge portions they gave us (yes, of salad!). then we checked out central park, trump tower, 5th avenue, saw the empire state, madison square garden, times square, broadway, chrysler building, the m&m store (where you can buy m&m's in any colour you like! what a great idea) and bryant park. In the evening we caught a comedy show at the broadway comedy club (where seinfeld does his standup) - very funny evening!
On sunday we met up with Joe ( a friend from school) who lives just across the hudson river in New Jersey, which was to be our home for the next 4 days... After lunch in Jersey, we headed into the city, where there was a free music performance in the Museum of Modern Art. It was supposed to be outside in the garden. It rained. So they brought it inside into the lobby, but kept us queueing in the rain for 2 hours! luckily we befriended a german couple who had an umbrella. We were expecting Jazz music from the lincoln centre, but it turned out that was the week before, and we got some chamber music instead (but it was from the julliard music school, so was excellent nonetheless). Then we met joe again in a 24 hour American diner for some late night snacks.
On monday, we took the train to the World trade centre site, then wandered down to see wall street and the stock exchange, bowling green park, and the statue of a bull (to symbolise taking the bull by the horns in the money world). Then we took the ferry out to a slightly rainy liberty island to see the lady liberty (not as big as she is on TV), and then on to ellis island for the immigration museum. Then we wondered up the road to see city hall, the supreme court, and then half way over the brooklyn bridge. In the evening we headed over to Little Italy for some good old New York Pizza, and the restaurant we were in even had a guy to sing 'that's amore' to complete the atmosphere!
On tuesday, we had a late start, but did manage to se belvedere castle in Central park, and also Grand Central terminal, where we had some of Junior's cheesecake (so big that we had one slice between us and still couldnt finish it!). In the station there is an area where if two people stand in opposite corners and whisper to each other, they can hear each other but nobody else can hear them - all to do with the shape of the roof, but a bit weird too! That evening we went for some great thai food (almost tasted as good as in Thailand!) and then to a great little bar called the back room which Joe showed us too - we needed someone to take us there, because it is completely hidden (its an old speakeasy apparently, and is still hidden from the street!) Once you get there you have to go through a nondescript metal gate, down some stairs, along an alleyway, up some more stairs and to an unmarked door. Through the door is a beautiful 1930's style bar that serves up the drinks in tea cups (with saucers) I guess as a throwbackto the days of prohibition to hide that they serve alcohol. There's even a door disguised as a bookcase in the corner to another room!
On Wednseday we headed over to the Metropolitan Museum of art, which is huge and has so much stuff we only saw about 5% of what they have there, but we did see lots of African art (including some Ashanti gold) and an Egyptian temple (which was given to america when egypt flooded a valley for a hydroelectric dam to keep it safe). That evening we went out with Joe to a bar to play 'beer pong', a US college kids drinking game, which is surprisingly addictive, but so simple.
On thursday, we took a chinatown bus to D.C. to meet Yvette's Uncle Eric, who lives south of the city in Virginia.
Friday was a relaxing day, but we did head over to Culpeper in the evening for a few drinks with some family friends of Uncle Eric.
Saturday we went to DC after a good old American BBQ lunch feast, where we saw the white house (smaller than it is on TV as well), the Capitol building, and the washington monument, before leaving in a hurry when the thunder started. On the way back we called into the hostpital to see yvette's other uncle's (Uncle Richmond) newborn baby girl, Danita.
On Sunday we went to church, as Uncle Eric is the pastor for an interesting service. Then we went to lunch with Uncle Richmond.
On Monday we went back into DC and saw the lincoln memorial, korean veterans memorial and the smithsonian museums. (we had a whirlwind tour of the air and space museum before catching our bus back to New York). Once in NY, we came to our friend Sarah's place (we met on the SE Asia tour way back in April), our home until we leave for the UK.
On tuesday we headed out and started the day with some good old New York Bagels, then went and spent 6 hours in the Museum of Natural history, a brilliant museum. After some Caribbean food we went and pciked up our big rucksacks from joes place in jersey. In the evening, we went with sarah to take a tram ride to roosevelt island (not really a tram, but a cable car!), for some good views of the city, but since there nothing on the island worth seeing we came straight back to some frozen hot chocolate and very rich sweet dark chocolate cake.
On wednesday we saw the catherdral of St. John the Divine (which when finished will be the biggest cathedral in the world), then after a few hours people watching in central park we went up the rockafeller centre to the 'top of the rock'. we went up about 6pm so we got to see the skyline by day, and then after sunset by night! After that we went for another comedy night, which was good but not quite as good as the first one...
today we plan to head to coney island for some rollercoaster fun, ready to fly home(!) tomorrow, wow that was a quick four and a half months!
love to all, see you all very soon!!!!
Yvette and Tom
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