Well, I'm back in one piece and had the most wonderful time. British Airways delivered us safety to Newark Airport to be met by a smiling Valhala, who ferried us to the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York.
After a good night's sleep, we took the open top bus ride around the city. The guide, Sherwood T, was a would-be entertainer and the funniest guy I had ever met. His commentary was so entertaining, I didn't stop laughing the whole four hour ride (although I was the only one on the whole ride who did seem to find him funny!) We went through Chinatown, Little Italy, Wall Street, Central Park etc. etc. The temperature was over 60 degrees F and the sun shone continually. I can't tell you how thrilling it was to see all those sights.
After lunch, we packed husband off to the Natural History Museum while Valhala and I started on some serious shopping in Macy's: nine storeys of department store heaven. We were actually very restrained and only bought four jumpers, two tee shirts, four pairs of socks, one lime green thong and a denim jacket. We did not stop laughing all afternoon and finished off with coffee and carrot cake in Macy's restaurant…lovely.
After collecting husband we made our way to Applebee's for eats. This was heaving with people. so we had to wait. Valhala was given a vibrator to hold until our table was ready. I was a bit suspicious when this went missing…but it did re-appear (!) and we had a lovely meal (eventually).
The next day was a trip to the Empire State building, all 86 storeys of it. We went to the viewing tower and you have to experience this sight to appreciate it. From there we went on a helicopter ride over NYC. This was amazing as we saw The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Ground Zero from the air. I say 'saw' loosely, as my eyes were shut tight most of the time as we were turning round. After that, we went to Ground Zero to pay our respects. It was only when we saw the long, long list of people who had lost their lives, did the reality of the situation really hit home. Everyone was someone's son or daughter, husband or wife.
We then met up with Valhala who showed us Grand Central Station, which was really impressive. Then more shopping, more laughs and more eating in Applebee's.
Well, all too soon it was our last day and we packed our bags and prepared to say goodbye to a wonderful city and our wonderful friend. So after some last minute shopping and a few hugs and kisses, we made our way back to the airport where once again BA ensured we arrived home safely.
Well, my views of NYC: fast, exciting, thrilling, excellent service, excellent food, extremely clean and we felt very safe at all times. What stuck me most, was how passionate everyone is about their country, how polite and professional their police are and the general friendliness of everyone. Special thanks, of course, to Valhala, who travelled many miles to see us every day, and helped make our stay in NYC and our 35th wedding anniversary, so much more enjoyable.
