Travellers' Tales...

NYC - Part 6 (Weds-Fri)

On Wednesday I got a slight lie in (7.15am!) as I'd bought my breakfast from Starbucks the night before and Aum was on his sleepover. I got to their apartment to help with the school run at 8.15am and then went back to my hotel, went for a run and got changed ready for my tattoo appointment at 1pm.

I had a light lunch en route so I didn't feel faint, and then after seeing the design that Grez, my artist, had drawn up, he set to work. It was more painful than I expected; having my last one on my ribs which is supposedly the worst pain-wise, I thought my upper arm being much more fleshy would be a walk in the park! It still stung, and after about an hour it was really achy and sore, so I'm glad it didn't take much longer!

I was given a bandage over it to protect it (caused some interesting questions at school!) and popped into 16 Handles, an amazing frozen yoghurt place. I had salted caramel and toffee popcorn flavours, topped with raspberries, Butterfingers, peanut butter cups, cookie dough and chocolate pretzels, which definitely helped ease the tattoo pain! 

After collecting Aum we quickly whizzed back to the hotel for him to have a shower and get changed, and then we got the PATH to Manhattan with his cousins and the rest of the clan to see Times Square. We did Toys R Us, including riding the big wheel inside (we got the Scooby Doo carriage!) and then decided to get some food as it was getting pretty late for the kids. We just went to a fast food place, where we got pizza slices and the three adults shared some wine - very nicely served in polystyrene cups!

The kids were knackered at this point, so we headed back, taking pictures along the way of the amazing buildings all lit up. We eventually got to bed at 10.15pm.

Yesterday was my last full day, but I was so tired after the previous night that I needed a lazy day, so spent it packing my bags and sorting everything out for my departure. I wandered to the Jersey Mall in the afternoon, for a meander around the shops, and treated myself to a very American lunch of an Auntie Ann's pretzel and a Dunkin' Donut. Aum's dad (also called Mo) arrived just in time for the school run, which was lovely for Aum, and after a coffee and a change of clothes we went out for dinner with the whole group to a Cuban place called Azucar.

For starter we had a mixed platter of appetisers, including vegetable crochets, chicken wings, prawns wrapped in bacon, pork balls and nachos, and for main I had king prawns in a creole sauce with black bean rice and salad. We had their house special mojitos to begin with which were amazing, and then I had white wine with the rest of the meal. The kids were all really tired after eating so we went home straight away afterwards, and I completely crashed out!

This morning we took Mo to the diner to experience the amazing breakfasts we've been having! I had French toast filled with sweet cream cheese and maple syrup which was gorgeous, and then we dropped Aum off for his final day at summer school. I walked and got the train to Manhattan, and bought a few last minute presents - some Cakes By Melissa for Lydia's birthday tomorrow, some M&Ms PJs as a present for her, and a KitchenAid attachment for my mum. 

I walked to Bryant Park and finished my book whilst eating a ham, mustard, cheese and poached pear sandwich (don't knock it 'til you've tried it!) and then got the PATH back to collect Aum for one last time. Now I am all packed up and ready for my taxi to take me home after an INCREDIBLE 2 weeks!

Traveller's Tales...

New York City! (Part 1)

Last week I got back from New York, and it was the best week of my life! We (there were 3 of us travelling there) went on Tuesday 10th April, arriving at our friend Abi's house at about 2am UK time, which was 9pm in NYC. After a full day of travelling, we were really tired, so set up our beds and crashed out ready to feel refreshed for our first day.

We all woke up quite early due to the jetlag, and got ready quickly so that we could go for some brunch. We went to Cafeteria, which is the place where the Sex and the City girls are known for going in the famous series. I had a waffle with summer berries and cinnamon flavoured chantilly cream and a latte, and most of the rest of us had pancakes. It was the perfect American style first meal for us to have!

After eating, we went to Chelsea Market, which had loads of awesome little food shops, selling everything from lobster to brownies and flowers to bunting! We then walked long the High Line, a disused railway line that had been made into a walkway above the streets. It was cool to have a view of the city from high up, and it was all really well designed with little collections of plants and deckchairs made from the wooden bunkers - they could even move along the traintracks!

We got an Auntie Anne's pretzel for a light lunch and then went and sat in Bryant Park for a bit as the sun had decided to come out. Then we went into the Central Library for a look around, it was enormous! The interior was all very grand and old fashioned, the ceilings looked more like cathedral ceilings than inside a library. It is here that Carrie famously gets left at the altar in Sex and the City, which was another reason why we'd gone for a gander!

Later on in the evening (after we'd ventured to look at Times Square and go into a few shops) Abi took us to a restaurant on Broadway called Stardust, which is where all the aspiring musical stars work to fund their training. It is a typical all American diner, complete with red cushioned booths, baskets of fries and hammered metal tables, and the wait-on staff all get up on a stage and sing songs from different Broadway shows while you eat. I had seasoned chicken goujons with fries and honey mustard sauce, topped off with a delicious warm alcoholic chocolate milkshake with whipped cream. I could have drunk that drink all night! Naughtily, we told the staff that it was Hana's birthday, so she was serenaded by our waiter, which was a hilarious end to the day. We were all really giddy afterwards, so messed around in the M&Ms shop before we caught the subway home and all collapsed into our beds, exhausted after such a busy first day.

We still woke early even on the second day, probably due to the jetlag again. Abi was at work, so it was just the four of us from home exploring for the day.We had decided to do some of the touristy bits that Abi had already done, so our first stop was The Empire State Building as we'd been told it was an attraction that gets busy. We had breakfast at this gorgeous little cafe called Panya (Ryan Reynolds has recently been spotted there) where I had an almond croissant and a very frothy mocha, and then caught the subway. We paid $39 for the full package including a queue jump, which saved us time. We took some amazing photos at the top, it was incredible to see NYC from such a viewpoint. We weren't there long but it was well worth it.

We met Abi for lunch near Bryant Park and went to a salad bar called Pogola where you construct your own dishes - mine had pasta, chicken, avocado, olives, salad leaves, sweetcorn, potato and other bits, there was everything possible to add to it, and it felt slightly healthier than our previous few meals! After lunch we did a spot of shopping (including Forever 21) and bought tickets to see a musical that evening. Then we caught the free ferry across to Staten Island to get some photos of the Statue of Liberty. We didn't get off the ferry as we'd been told it wasn't worth it, but it was good to see the landmark in the flesh.

We then met Abi after work, and went to a pizza place for one of the famous slices NY is famous for, I had spicy chicken and cheese. Afterwards we went to Broadway for the show - Prescilla Queen of the Desert. It was hands down the best musical I've ever seen! It was all men in drag and the costumes were phenomenal. All the songs were well known so people sang everything, and it was really funny; very tongue in cheek. It was the perfect show for a group of girls on a trip to the Big Apple!

Afterwards we went home as it finished pretty late, but Abi and Lydia went to 16 Handles (a frozen yoghurt bar) and saw supermodel Karlie Kloss there, I was very jealous!