28th Sept
Flight out with AA from LHR - asked for extra leg room got a row of 5 between the two of us - yay - spent the whole flight laid down just cause I could! Nowt on the entertainment system and food was average.
Arrived on time, bags came straight out and we hopped in a taxi and were at Chelsea Lodge by 3pm. Had emailed them to request a room on the top floor if poss and we got what we asked for in Room 3E. The room although small was very clean and very nicely decorated (I have pics which I%26#39;ll post when I get them sorted). There was a shower in the room and a sink, both looked new and were very clean, it was nice having the shower in the room rather than having to share one. The toilet was next door to our room and there were two on our floor. These were kept immaculate throughout our stay and we never had to wait for one. Our room had no view but we were hardly ever there so it didn%26#39;t matter. It did, however, have an air-con unit which was a god send!
Walked from 20th to 44th to meet Betty in Carmine%26#39;s where we shared a caesar salad followed by Lasagne (and maybe a couple of cosmos.....) Left there about 9ish and took a walk back to 20th in an attempt to stay awake as long as possible!
29th Sept
Up with the birds and off down to Battery Park to catch the first ferry to the SOL. After all my worrying it was so easy to do - went to the %26#39;will call%26#39; booth in Clinton Castle which is right by where the ferry leaves, to collect our tickets and then went through security to stand in line for the ferry. Ferry ride took half an hour and then we got in another queue to get in to the statue when we were told that we could take backpacks and would have to put them in lockers (leave queue, put backpacks in lockers - be careful once it%26#39;s shut you can%26#39;t open it without having to pay another $1 to lock it again) Backs secure we went to rejoin the queue to get in the statue, half an hour later we got through more security (a machine that blows a harmless chemical on you to check for explosives) and in to the statue. Tbh I was so disappointed, the queues, feeling like cattle, personally I didn%26#39;t enjoy the experience. We skipped Ellis Island and were back in Battery Park by 10.30.
Went to Century 21 and got us both some shoes (I%26#39;m told mine are called FMP%26#39;s by Daisiegee!) and then over to China town to find one of the reckos from this site - first one we found was Nha Trang (87 Baxter St). Steve had Chicken, Chilli and lime on wet rice which he assures me was lovely and I had Pork Balls with Vermerchelli (sp) noodles - now unfortunatlely the Pork Balls looked.....well.....like balls.....and just the thought of that meant I couldn%26#39;t eat them but the noodles were good! Steve and I then split up for an hour to do our own photo projects, meeting place was by Yellow Rat B*stard and Steve, typically turned up half an hour late! Popped in there for a look at the cool t-shirts.
5.30 we went to the Eatery which is where we met these strange English people called the daisiegee%26#39;s.....we bumped into these guys a lot over the period of our holiday! We had a lovely meal here with Karen, David and Betty before they went off to their respective shows/gigs and Steve and I took a slow wander home.
30th Sept
Took a wander up 5th Ave so Steve could purchase a new ipod (his one and pretty much only vice!) The new Apple Store outside FAO Swartz (sp) and it%26#39;s a big glass cube that you walk down into - kinda cool! Having purchased his 80gig black video ipod thingy we had to pretty much run to Telepan to get there in time! Arrived slightly red faced and about 5 minutes late. Met Mr and Mrs Weller, Betty and the Daisiegees (as most of you have already heard!) Lovely brunch, not a place we would normally go but we enjoyed it and the company was great. Left there just after 1 with Steve telling me how much fun Mr Weller was (think Mr Weller may have a new fan! lol!)
As we were on the UWS we went over to Filene%26#39;s and Steve got a few things and then found an Old Navy (not sure which one) and Steve got a ton of stuff from here. Headed back home (stopping off for Pizza) to drop the bags off and get changed for our evening :)
Met up with Mr and Mrs Weller and the Daisiegee%26#39;s again (sure they%26#39;re stalking us!) outside Gramercy Tavern. I wont repeat what the guys have already told you, needless to say we had a fantastic night, it was so much fun and oh yes Karen and Weller I have pictures to blackmail you with!!!!!
Ended the night in a pizza place on Union Square and, unlike Karen, I forced a whole pizza calzone thing down my neck......(can%26#39;t think how I%26#39;ve put on about 6lbs.....)
To be continued......
Here goes.....my trip report.....
Oy you, I want my 6lb back!
Here goes.....my trip report.....
Can%26#39;t wait to see the pictures!
Great start to your report. Next time skip SOL and do Ellis Island.
Louise--Your description of the vermicelli and pork balls at Nha Trang had me ROTFL!
You%26#39;ve got me LOL with your description of lunch in Chinatown. Glad you enjoyed the noodles! - and a whole pizza calzone! Wow! Hope the two of you get back here real soon - NYC just isn%26#39;t the same without you guys. Ta. MMM!
28th Sept – our first night..
Although Louise will have filled in all of the appropriate details from the adventure – I’m here to give you a little spice around the days…
Heathrow terminal and the queues that everyone gave horror stories about – simply weren’t there! – And even security was not a hassle (except for the potato heads that didn’t understand the word “liquid” and assumed that because their mobile phone was welded to their face, they were exempt from any rules!
Flight and taxi ride were uneventful – sadly the third taxi ride where they have been courteous, considerate, careful and road wise – where are all the nutters when you are expecting them?
The room at the Chelsea Lodge was smart and functional – however the shower was lovely and powerful, you had to have the fingerful dexterity of a safe-cracker to ensure that the heat didn’t peel away your skin or left you with a layer of permafrost… made having a shower a sport!
We met Betty in Carmine%26#39;s, where it felt so normal – Like we had just finished at the office to meet Betty for something to eat – I don’t even feel that comfortable somewhere in my own city! -
Another point to note was that the bartender looked like a ex-cop Hollywood style, that although tending bar, could at any minute bust heads and have a street car chase with a lunatic fringe of mad bombers, whilst living a loner lifestyle filled with whiskey and cheap women, until the moment where he falls in love with the kidnapped heiress – even though he’s a bloke with problems and she’s a society girl. Any how – the lasagne was nice and the Ceaser salad is a must!
Took a walk back along the night filled streets enjoying the sounds and pretzel / caramelised nut stench that purveys the neon times square streets (I do think that those stands although edible are more likely the city’s employed de-odourant – devised to hide more sinister smells during the non summer months.
Then sleep overtook the night. More later tar-ra.
Lou had a good giggle about the balls!! And may i say you are right.
Thank you for the update on SOL , i do not intend stopping off there, so thank you for confirming my plans just to visit Ellis Island! I think i have planned well.
oohhh pictures get them loaded dying to see.
Jeez I can%26#39;t even escape him on here these days - always butting in interrupting my stories - lol!
Def skip SOL Nets - will try and sort my pics out tonight (as most of you are aware Steve%26#39;s always take much much longer.....whereas mine are near perfect already - lol!)
29th Sept - Day two
After our first sojourn into the big apple, Louise wanted to see the SOLiberty from close range and not just from the Staten Island ferry… I also agreed that it looks more impressive from closer up (despite having the face of a sour french mother in-law!)
From Battery Park’s queue to collect tickets, then the queue to wait for the entrance to the bigger security tent queue, the non-liquid queue into the ferry (felt like a pre-glasnost moscovite wanting a sausage and a loaf - only with more indignation and less food!), and once your off the ferry there are three more individual and enlightening queues before being able to enter the pedestal of the SOL – ooh the honour!
Last time I want there were no real queues and worries – so that by the time you got to the rather cute and modest display – it seemed about right for the monument… however after an hour’s worth of standing around to read some cardboard history - a thirties clockwork model and a copper big toe seems rather dull…
Did a Chinatown photo exploration – which went somewhat successfully – only I couldn’t get some of the photos that I really wanted (such a squat ugly Korean looking chap – face all puckered sucking on a cigarette against a red tiled wall backdrop which would have been a star photo, except that I didn’t have the balls to take it… Unlike Louise who had five or six pale veiny boiled balls in her soup… I would like to say that those pork balls tasted lovely, but although I haven’t sampled “sweet meats” before – the texture was indeed what I would have imagined them to be like!
After eating ate the eatery (aptly named don’t you think) we walked back and witness a full on police traffic tirade! Utterly brilliant - first to zoom past was the police motorbikes that were travelling as fast as the sirens were screaming, and as they rocketed past us they were travelling so fast that the bikes lifted off the ground front wheel lifting ever so slightly before landing!
Wicked stuff! – The posh cars and patrol cars were next and after a long gap, the three wheel traffic golf cart put-putted past with an equally pathetic horn “Nark- Nark” – oh the humiliation of a high speed response in a golf cart!
Back to bed.
I%26#39;m ROF LOL after reading Steve%26#39;s additions to your post! Hope you%26#39;ve recouped your jet lag.
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