Our Holiday in New York

New York 2006

Friday

Although we were only going to New York for a few days we still decided to stay overnight at the Radisson SAS Hotel at Manchester Airport. It's just so much easier and stops me from panicing (as much). We arrived at Manchester Airport early afternoon so after checking in we decided to get the train to Manchester Picadilly which only took about ten minutes. We went to the Arndale Centre where they had a Chocolate Hotel Shop which had lots of gorgeous chocolate, what a pity we were going on holiday.

Saturday

Up at 5.30am and off to Check-In. The plane was slightly delayed due to high winds in New York but we were the lucky ones as the other plane due out after ours was still in New York so a 30 minutes delay didn't seem so bad. After a 7 hours and 50 minutes flight we arrived in Newark airport where it seemed to take forever to clear customs. We then had to wait 20 minutes for a taxi. The travel agent had recommended getting a taxi from the airport but she was a bit wrong on the cost. It cost us a whopping $75! We were not impressed. We checked into the Skyline Hotel. It had mixed reviews but we found it a great budget hotel and it was only a block away from Broadway.

This was our first trip to New York and I had been looking forward to going for ages so we wasted no time and set off to explore the city. Our first stop was of course the FAO Schwarz toy shop. We had to queue for a whole block but it moved very quickly and very soon we were in the store looking at hundreds of Patrick and Penelope Puppies. We bought a small fluffy Patrick Pup to match with Pippa from Vegas (although she is slightly smaller) and named him Brooklyn.

We then watched some FAO Schwarz staff dancing and playing the hugh piano keyboard, made famous in the film 'Big' before setting out into the city once more. It was really weird as we'd never been before but we saw all these things that we recognised from watching hundreds of different films. It all seemed very familiar as we passed Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall. Next stop was a huge Disney Store and then on to the Rockerfeller Centre were we saw the famous Christmas Tree in Rockerfeller Plaza.

We headed back to the hotel along Broadway. The streets had suddenly got very busy and there were huge neon signs lit up everywhere with hot dog and pretzel sellers on every corner.

Sunday

We started the day with an American buffet breakfast at the hotel to get us up and running. We set off walking, past Times Square and on to Macy's Christmas window displays with interactive sounds and animatronics.

We got to the Empire State Building at 8.30am and there was a hugh queue already. Luckily it moved very quickly through security and there was no queue at the ticket barrier at all. We paid $34 for admission to the 86th floor observation deck and Skyride flight simulator, plus a $14 upgrade to visit the newly re-opened 102nd floor - the very top of the spike! We got an amazing view of the city which stretched for 25 miles, even if it was a little chilly in the wind. Its just something you must do in New York.

Our next stop was Grand Central Station which was wonderful. We looked around the great hall, food court and Christmas craft market. We then saw the Christmas light show projected onto the walls and ceiling of the main hall.

We thought we ought to see a show on Broadway so we headed to the Golden Theatre and got excellent seats to see 'Avenue Q'. Adam had wanted to see the show for a while but we had just missed it in Vegas so this was perfect. It was a fantastic show and really funny. It was about life and love but with puppets. It featured full nude puppet sex (which must be a first!) and songs included 'It sucks to be me', 'We're all a little bit racist' and 'The Internets' for Porn'. adam bought a signed poster of Kate Monster for charity.

After a quick pit stop to drop of the poster and collect more warm clothing, as it was freezing cold, we headed back to Macy's for a bit of shopping. I bought a Snoopy bag and some knickers! The staff were great and very friendly, we also got loads of discounts.

We passed Toys R Us but there was still a hugh queue outside so we avoided the place and went to Hershey's Store instead, uummm lots of yummy chocolatey things.

Monday

Up early and after an American buffet breakfast we set off walking through the city towards Battery Park. We went past Madison Square Gardens and Hudson Street before arriving at Ground Zero. There were lots of building work going on but not a lot else. We continued on to Castle Clinton and got ferry tickets that would take us to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. We got on the 'Miss Ellis Island' ferry and set of to Liberty Island complete with coastguard armed escorts.

It was absolutely freezing on Liberty Island with viscious cold winds but there was a clear blue sky. We took photos of the famous New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty. We also had some fantastic chilli cheese fries in the cafe and a hot chocolate to try and warm us up.

We then got the next ferry on to Ellis Island. The building had been restored to its former glory and was wonderful. We even had our photos taken as new immigrants.

We braved the cold weather and sat on the top deck of the ferry back to Manhatten. The views were fantastic.

We took the subway to Times Square and went to Toys R Us. I bought an I-Pup to keep my I-Dog company back home. He was a little blue cutie. We then had a quick stop at Hershey's Chocolate Store before going to T.G.I. Fridays for tea. I had one of the strongest Long Island Iced Tea ever and it made me quite jolly. It went down very well with the pulled pork burger!

All the guide books we'd read said that there was a shortage of restrooms in New York. However, Charmin had bought a nightclub in Times Square and turned it into restrooms for the holidays. There was a hugh sign advertising them outside and a very cute Charmin Bear so we couldn't resist having a look. It was brilliant and all the restrooms had bows on and lots of staff cleaning and greeting you and escorting you to them. Afterwards you could do the Charmin dance and we had our photo taken with the Charmin Bear sledging. Who would have thought restrooms could be so much fun!

We walked to the Rockerfeller Centre for the 'Top of the Rock' Tour. We saw the most amzing views of the city at night, especially from the very top of the building.

Tuesday

Our last day already! After doing a bit of packing we set out looking for breakfast and ended up in McDonalds. We got to Bloomingdales for when it opened at 9am. Then it was off to FAO Schwarz for some chocolate lava cake and an egg cream oh and Adam met a Princess, then on to Tiffany's and the Disney Store. We then walked back to the hotel stopping off at Hooters on the way. We finished packing, checked out and left our bags there until it was time to head to the airport.

We then went to Central Park, looking at the Christmas market before heading to the Natural History Museum. The Museum was hugh and had an impressive dinosaur in the lobby but it was very traditional and there were no interactive displays. We were wearing out by this point so after a quick rest and some chilli and corn bread we headed back to the hotel.

We had a drink in the bar and all too soon our taxi arrived to take us to the airport. We got there early and were able to pay $25 to book on an earlier flight. The flight took just 5 hours 38 minutes to get us home but as usual after our holiday we were shattered.

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