End of Week 1 in the USA

OK guys and dolls We are now in America!!

The flight over with Virgin was good - pleasant staff and good food, always helps.

We get to our hotel by bus, very cheap and with free wi fi (a whole other world here) Our room in in 15th floor and MASSIVE. It has a desk, sofa, foyer and separate bathroom and loo!! The bed is enormous, super king size. We are exhausted and have a nap for a couple of ours. God knows what time it is, our bodies and minds are confused with all this jet setting. Not that we are complaining!

We wake at 1am, 3am and then give up and put the lights on! Finally breakfast is served at 7am and we have yummy bagels, cream cheese, fruit salad, croissants and orange juice.

 Massive 3 floor store devoted to M & M's!

We wander out onto the streets of Manhatten and realise that our hotel is in a great location, very near to Rockafeller centre, central park and times square. We stumble across the tourist info. We buy our New York Passes which gives us 3 days of unlimited visits and tours to the main attractions.

We start walking and head down to Herald Square, feels like a long walk but actually only 15 blocks from our hotel. We find an Old Navy store and buy some warm clothes - it is very windy here.

In the afternoon we head off to the 911 memorial, a beautiful space, designed really well.

It includes two massive pools set within the original footprints of the Twin towers with 30ft waterfalls cascading 

down their sides. The names of nearly 3000 men, women and children killed are inscribed in bronze around 

the edges of the waterfalls.

An original tree that was at the site prior to 911 that was discovered under the rubble and moved to Central Park while it recovered. It was moved back at the end of last year and has flowered. The seeds have been collected and are being grown into new trees which will be given to each 911 memorial site across the world. 

this is a girder saved from the devastation and is in a museum on site. The museum will be open at the end of this year and will also have other items found in the rubble such as the odd shoe, security passes and wallets.

We spend time reading about it and watching and looking. 

After we take a walk around the waters edge and Ravi gets his first view of the statue of Liberty!!

We walk towards Brooklyn Bridge and then up Fulton Street and have dinner at Red a great mexican restaurant that i went to 10 years ago when i was last in New York. Hasn’t really changed much - the food was tasty and the portions big!

Last night we slept until 4am - an improvement.

  

                              We get to use the subway and our now in our stride as traffic is bad overground

 We had a fab day visiting top of the rock, the 70th floor, the views were amazing.

                                          I'm in the picture on the lower deck in case you're wondering

 We had a tour of The Rockafeller Centre, (above) with a great guide and then a tour of Radio city Hall (below)
This place can seat 6000 and had Pulp playing the night we arrived

Ravi trying to be a real live Rockette (Radio City Hall dancer)

I met the Obamas and helped out on reception duties- cost cutting to help the economy 

Ravi met Woody Allan and they discussed an idea for a Bollywood version of Manhattan

This place does amazing ice cream - you choose the filings, then the toppings and they mix it all up with the ice cream flavour of your choice - huge portions so order small!

This is New York folks and its 75 degrees today

NOW THE BIG ONE

                                               
                                                               A present from the French to the USA -The Statue of Liberty

The immigration hall where newcomers were screened and allowed into America if they passed the questionnaires- this place is on Ellis Island and is fascinating.

We both failed the basic questions!! so no green card for us.

                                                     The same hall above as it was when in use at the turn of the century

Ravi and I hired bikes and cycled over Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn - we had a fantastic pizza and then ice cream at DUMBO jetty.

Yes we are on bikes really!!!!!!and this is from the other side of the Brooklyn bridge

Below is the clock at Grand Central station which is extremely valuable 

We found Magnolia bakery Julia - wow fabulous cakes

Look carefully and don’t ask any questions - it is art !

This is the Flatiron building which has a funny triangular narrow shape.It used to be guarded by the police, who had to stop men gathering to watch women’s skirts being blown upwards by the winds created around the building!

This was our view from the top of the Empire State building..amaaaaaazing at night

                                                   
                                                       The top of the Chrysler building (above) is really noticeable at night

Yes I was really here

Another view of times square below where our images are projected onto a large screen

The world famous Times Square which isnt a square at all - but a collection of roads and junctions

These waiting staff are all Broadway wannabees - they sing and dance whilst you eat.......this place is a blast it is called Ellens Stardust diner.

Now thats what I call a desert

We saw a retired Naval vessel,the Intrepid, with great aircraft on board 

including a concorde!

                                                                                  They even had tall ships at Pier 17

On board our New York harbour cruise

Yes we are on bikes again - this time around Central Park watching some street performers

                                                                 
                                                                   We cycled to the famous and interesting Guggenheim Museum.

The Jackie Onassis reservoir is behind us in Central park - 2 billion gallons of water

                                                  Then an adventure - look at the road names and guess where we are!

Ravi then had a great idea to cycle to Harlem (check out the street signs above his head) to find a soul food restaurant.........mmmmmm..........we cycled past a guy thrashing a man with an iron rod on a basketball court, then cycled past an incident with lots of Police and Ambulances and then remembered we did not have life insurance......so cycled back to the  tranquility of central park quite quickly!!!!!!!

This is the  peace John Lennon memorial mosaic at Strawberry fields in Central park.

Our last night was great fun at Dangerfields comedy club in New York.....very funny but never sit in the front row!!!!!!!!

Next stop is Washington DC via Amtrack from Penn station in New York.....