New York, New York

Last Saturday I flew to New York to meet up with my family. The flight was not very exciting, but there was a little dog travelling in the seat in front of me! I got a cab to the hotel and found it strange that I hadn't heard from them seeing as how they were supposed to arrive before me. Turned out the worst had happened-no Wi-Fi! Anyway, after that and some reuniting we went for a walk around Times Square. It was so busy and the streets were very packed!

The next morning we got up early so we could fit the most into the day. We walked through Times Square to Bryant Park where there were these little markets and a huge Christmas Tree overlooking an ice skating rink. We then made our way to Grand Central Station to have a look, it was incredible inside. We could picture where all the scenes were from all those movies!

We also walked to The Chrysler Building and Saint Patrick's Cathedral- the largest Catholic cathedral

in America. We were able to have a look inside, even though there was a service going on. We had a look at the Christmas display in the window of Saks on 5th Ave and then walked past Trump Tower, where there were all sorts of protesters, before going into Tiffany & Co. I had a bit of a look, and my Mum and Sister bought things. It was quite cold by then, but we went for a walk through Central Park anyway. Again we could picture it just like we had seen in the movies.

On Monday we got up even earlier and got the subway to Lower Manhattan to see The Statue of Liberty. We had to go through so much security before boarding and then it was only a short ride over. I found the history of it very interesting. The thickness of the statue is that of a coin! We climbed to the top of the pedestal and had a very good view. We also got the ferry to Ellis Island, and learned a bit about new immigrants to America, this is no longer in use. While we were  in that part of town we went to the 9/11 memorial, it was quite unusual but was a place of reflection.

The next day we went up to The Empire State Building. The view from the top was really incredible, and they had a bit of a museum on the way up. We went 86 floors up, it was a bit foggy, but you could see as the fog moved. From there we walked to Macy's and had a look at the Christmas display for the Peanuts Movie, but we liked the decorations they had inside better. My Mum and Sister also bought handbags!

We were starving by then and got a bite for lunch before walking to Maddison Square Park,which had a really nice Christmas tree and a gingerbread village, the Flatiron building which I found very fascinating, and Little Eatily.

On our Last day in New York we caught the subway from Grand Central Station to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was raining, so we walked over it all huddled under umbrellas. After that we got the subway back and stopped at a place called Burger Heaven for lunch before going to the Museum of Modern Art. There was some cool art there including Starry Starry Night by VanGough, which I recognised from Doctor Who! There was also a Picasso sculpture display, as well as work by Monet and Pollock.

We then made our way to the Rockefeller Center go  to The Top of the Rock. They warned us there would be zero visibility, but it was our only chance. It was windy and rainy up the top, but you could see as the fog moved. It was difficult to time photos though. We went to M&M's World after that, which we couldn't believe existed, before having Dallas BBQ for dinner. That was a really huge meal which we shared.

We managed to fit in most of what we wanted to, and we all would like to go back, but just to visit. New York is just a bit too noisy for us quiet little Aussies!