NYC trip '08
So I've finally found some time to do an entry about NYC. I shall do my best to keep it brief, but I do tend to end up waffling a lot, lol. I have a few photos, but not nearly as many as you'd think. We just didn't seem to get the camera out that much.
Thursday
So we got two planes from Manchester to Paris to JFK, NYC. The stop over in Paris kinda sucked a lot 'cause the airport was rubbish. I did manage to nick a couple of Euros off mum and go on the internet for 15 mins though (although I spent half the time trying to work out how to use the French keyboard >.<) The flight to JFK was pretty good though. 'Cause we must have been one of the first to check in, we got put in the buisness class seats upstairs in the jumbo (I'm assuming they just wanted to fill the plane up...), so we had loads of room and a TV each, as opposed to no room and one TV per several rows, lol.
We arrived at about 7pm local time and got a cab to our hotel (Milford Plaza on 45th and 8th). We checked in and stuff, then went out in search of a place to get a good burger, lolol. We ended up on 9th, I think, and got our burgers (rather expensive, mind you). Then we pretty much went back and to sleep after that 'cause we were knackered, lol.
Friday
We got the subway straight over to Brooklyn in the morning and found a diner to have breakfast. I had a peanut butter and jelly bagel, mmm! Then we went to the NYC Transit Museum. Not really my thing, a such, but it was cool learning about all the history and then getting to sit in all the subway trains from the different decades.
We went for a wander through the Brooklyn Bridge part of Brooklyn then, particularly Water St. (I think it was called Water St.), which mum actively sought out for a bakery, which we didn't end up getting anything from. We did buy chocolate from the chocolate shop opposite though, lol.
Then we trekked all the way across Brooklyn Bridge on the pedestrian walkway. So we were back in Manhattan and went to China Town for lunch. We found a nice restaurant (it was more late lunch/dinner, since we were going to the theatre later), and which served up nice food, heh. Then we went to Yellow Rat Bastard and bought t-shirts and things. I have another Tinkerbell t-shirt! Lolol. I think we got a taxi back to the hotel after that and got ready to go out to the theatre.
The theatre (Majestic theatre, lol) was literally round the corner from the hotel, which was good. We were sat in row E and row G, just off to the right, so were really close to the stage. Phantom of the Opera was amazing! Could hardly have had a better first Broadway show. Really really great! The only downside was that my eye had been playing up all day and so not only was I in my glasses but my eye was really light sensitive, so I had to keep looking away from the stage, bah.
I went back and pretty much straight to sleep after the theatre 'cause my eye was giving me so much grief.
Saturday
We had breafast in a pretty shitty diner first off. I still have no idea why we went in there, but whatever. Then we split off into two groups. Adrian and Henry went off one way and mum and I went the other. Mum and I first went to a pharmacy to get me some drops for my sore eye, then we went to seek out this knitting shop she'd found on the internet. We found it fairly easily (somewhere's on 34th, lol) and ended up spending, like, an hour in there! Mum is a knitting fanatic right now and she plus the two women in the shop went into full out knitting geek mode (I was rather perplexed). We left with a bag of wool and about $150 less, lolol.
We stopped in the diner next door and had tea and cake. Then we went onwards to Macy. Dear gods, it was meant to be a day for us both to do stuff we wanted, but it all seemed to be what mum wanted and what she assumed I wanted. I hate Macys, like really. It's just...I don't have the patience for such a large store. I hate shopping, so...lol. Anyways, we left eventually, and then went back uptown to the NYC library, since I'd expressed an interest to see inside (I know, I'm a geek). Anyways, glad we did, though I was too tired to really appreciate it.
We met the other two back at the hotel and vegged out for a bit. Then we went to this Italian restaurant on 9th that Raye had recommended me. It's called Basilica and is really tiny, and it was really nice! The food was good and the staff were really friendly and welcoming. I know it was raining hard that night, so we pretty much made it back to the hotel after our meal and collapsed, complete with soaking shoes and socks, lol.
Sunday
We had breakfast in a much nicer diner this time. I had the most hugest Belgain Waffle ever! and drowned in syrup, haha. Then we got the Subway down to Union Sq. and Henry and I made a beeline for Forbidden Planet. I didn't end up buying anything *sadface* My own fault, I suppose, though they did have the upstairs closed for some reason. Henry bought a Shaun of the Dead figure set, lol. Then we met up with mum and Adrian again and walked downtown to Greenwich Village.
Mum found another knitting shop down here but luckily didn't spend as long in this one or indeed spend as much money, lol. We also went to the Peanut Butter & Co. cafe/shop and actually stopped and had something this time. I had peanut butter chocolate pie. Mmm sooo good. Also, while we were in there they played a Conor track!! Peanut butter and Conor Oberst!! :DDD
We went back up to Union Sq. then and got caught in the middle of a Zombie attack!!
It was some Zombie convention/march thing that was raising money for the homeless. Was hilarious! Especially when we were inside the Wholefoods shop and they just descended and everyone stopped dead; most laughing, some spoilsports complaining, lol. We hung about in the Square for a bit and then got the Subway back up to the hotel.
We went to Bravest bar for dinner, which is a sports bar on 2nd that we went to last year and liked so much. Mum and Adrian had huuuge steaks again and me and Henry had giant burgers. Sadly, I still know next to nothing about baseball. I think it was Tampa Bay v Philadelphia this time around, lol. We then walked back and stopped in Times Sq., taking in the atmosphere and buying one or two things, before heading back to the hotel.
Monday
Our last day! We made for Central Park, via a semi-decent diner for breakfast and also a costume shop. We spent ages in there and I um-ed and ahh-ed over costumes for Halloween and guess what...ended up leaving with nothing more than some sparkly orange nail polish (which, for the record, I never actually used). We then reached Central Park and walked up the West side until we reached the lake. Everyone but myself went on the rowing boats. I stalked off on my own, determined to find the Alice in Wonderland thing mentioned on the map. I did eventually find it:
It's a memorium for some woman named Alice who loved looking after kids or something, lol. I also had a Reece's peanut butter cup ice-cream, mmm. I met back up with the others and we walked back to the hotel via 5th Av. and the Disney Store! Soooo much better than any Disney stores over here, lol. Then we had to go back to the hotel because it was time to leave *sniffle*
We flew from Newark this time and I maybe fangirled over being in NJ >.>. The flights back were okay, apart from some arses in front of us who were obnoxious, selfish pigs. They tilted their seats like as far back as they could go, so we hardly had any room and our TV screens were right in our faces. Urgh! I wish they had fixed seats in planes only, or at least a sensible limit on how far you can tilt your chair back, 'cause it's just not fair. Anyways, we went back via Amsterdam and it was only a very short stop over this time, thank god. So we got home safe and sound and exhausted, lol.
So twas very good! Although next time I am definitely not going with the family, gawd they drove me half crazy. I think I'm still feeling tired from it all now, lol. I'm still a couple of journal entries behind, so expect them over the course of tomorrow, lolol. Think I might sleep now. Soooo tired.
Thursday
So we got two planes from Manchester to Paris to JFK, NYC. The stop over in Paris kinda sucked a lot 'cause the airport was rubbish. I did manage to nick a couple of Euros off mum and go on the internet for 15 mins though (although I spent half the time trying to work out how to use the French keyboard >.<) The flight to JFK was pretty good though. 'Cause we must have been one of the first to check in, we got put in the buisness class seats upstairs in the jumbo (I'm assuming they just wanted to fill the plane up...), so we had loads of room and a TV each, as opposed to no room and one TV per several rows, lol.
We arrived at about 7pm local time and got a cab to our hotel (Milford Plaza on 45th and 8th). We checked in and stuff, then went out in search of a place to get a good burger, lolol. We ended up on 9th, I think, and got our burgers (rather expensive, mind you). Then we pretty much went back and to sleep after that 'cause we were knackered, lol.
Friday
We got the subway straight over to Brooklyn in the morning and found a diner to have breakfast. I had a peanut butter and jelly bagel, mmm! Then we went to the NYC Transit Museum. Not really my thing, a such, but it was cool learning about all the history and then getting to sit in all the subway trains from the different decades.
We went for a wander through the Brooklyn Bridge part of Brooklyn then, particularly Water St. (I think it was called Water St.), which mum actively sought out for a bakery, which we didn't end up getting anything from. We did buy chocolate from the chocolate shop opposite though, lol.
Then we trekked all the way across Brooklyn Bridge on the pedestrian walkway. So we were back in Manhattan and went to China Town for lunch. We found a nice restaurant (it was more late lunch/dinner, since we were going to the theatre later), and which served up nice food, heh. Then we went to Yellow Rat Bastard and bought t-shirts and things. I have another Tinkerbell t-shirt! Lolol. I think we got a taxi back to the hotel after that and got ready to go out to the theatre.
The theatre (Majestic theatre, lol) was literally round the corner from the hotel, which was good. We were sat in row E and row G, just off to the right, so were really close to the stage. Phantom of the Opera was amazing! Could hardly have had a better first Broadway show. Really really great! The only downside was that my eye had been playing up all day and so not only was I in my glasses but my eye was really light sensitive, so I had to keep looking away from the stage, bah.
I went back and pretty much straight to sleep after the theatre 'cause my eye was giving me so much grief.
Saturday
We had breafast in a pretty shitty diner first off. I still have no idea why we went in there, but whatever. Then we split off into two groups. Adrian and Henry went off one way and mum and I went the other. Mum and I first went to a pharmacy to get me some drops for my sore eye, then we went to seek out this knitting shop she'd found on the internet. We found it fairly easily (somewhere's on 34th, lol) and ended up spending, like, an hour in there! Mum is a knitting fanatic right now and she plus the two women in the shop went into full out knitting geek mode (I was rather perplexed). We left with a bag of wool and about $150 less, lolol.
We stopped in the diner next door and had tea and cake. Then we went onwards to Macy. Dear gods, it was meant to be a day for us both to do stuff we wanted, but it all seemed to be what mum wanted and what she assumed I wanted. I hate Macys, like really. It's just...I don't have the patience for such a large store. I hate shopping, so...lol. Anyways, we left eventually, and then went back uptown to the NYC library, since I'd expressed an interest to see inside (I know, I'm a geek). Anyways, glad we did, though I was too tired to really appreciate it.
We met the other two back at the hotel and vegged out for a bit. Then we went to this Italian restaurant on 9th that Raye had recommended me. It's called Basilica and is really tiny, and it was really nice! The food was good and the staff were really friendly and welcoming. I know it was raining hard that night, so we pretty much made it back to the hotel after our meal and collapsed, complete with soaking shoes and socks, lol.
Sunday
We had breakfast in a much nicer diner this time. I had the most hugest Belgain Waffle ever! and drowned in syrup, haha. Then we got the Subway down to Union Sq. and Henry and I made a beeline for Forbidden Planet. I didn't end up buying anything *sadface* My own fault, I suppose, though they did have the upstairs closed for some reason. Henry bought a Shaun of the Dead figure set, lol. Then we met up with mum and Adrian again and walked downtown to Greenwich Village.
Mum found another knitting shop down here but luckily didn't spend as long in this one or indeed spend as much money, lol. We also went to the Peanut Butter & Co. cafe/shop and actually stopped and had something this time. I had peanut butter chocolate pie. Mmm sooo good. Also, while we were in there they played a Conor track!! Peanut butter and Conor Oberst!! :DDD
We went back up to Union Sq. then and got caught in the middle of a Zombie attack!!
It was some Zombie convention/march thing that was raising money for the homeless. Was hilarious! Especially when we were inside the Wholefoods shop and they just descended and everyone stopped dead; most laughing, some spoilsports complaining, lol. We hung about in the Square for a bit and then got the Subway back up to the hotel.
We went to Bravest bar for dinner, which is a sports bar on 2nd that we went to last year and liked so much. Mum and Adrian had huuuge steaks again and me and Henry had giant burgers. Sadly, I still know next to nothing about baseball. I think it was Tampa Bay v Philadelphia this time around, lol. We then walked back and stopped in Times Sq., taking in the atmosphere and buying one or two things, before heading back to the hotel.
Monday
Our last day! We made for Central Park, via a semi-decent diner for breakfast and also a costume shop. We spent ages in there and I um-ed and ahh-ed over costumes for Halloween and guess what...ended up leaving with nothing more than some sparkly orange nail polish (which, for the record, I never actually used). We then reached Central Park and walked up the West side until we reached the lake. Everyone but myself went on the rowing boats. I stalked off on my own, determined to find the Alice in Wonderland thing mentioned on the map. I did eventually find it:
It's a memorium for some woman named Alice who loved looking after kids or something, lol. I also had a Reece's peanut butter cup ice-cream, mmm. I met back up with the others and we walked back to the hotel via 5th Av. and the Disney Store! Soooo much better than any Disney stores over here, lol. Then we had to go back to the hotel because it was time to leave *sniffle*
We flew from Newark this time and I maybe fangirled over being in NJ >.>. The flights back were okay, apart from some arses in front of us who were obnoxious, selfish pigs. They tilted their seats like as far back as they could go, so we hardly had any room and our TV screens were right in our faces. Urgh! I wish they had fixed seats in planes only, or at least a sensible limit on how far you can tilt your chair back, 'cause it's just not fair. Anyways, we went back via Amsterdam and it was only a very short stop over this time, thank god. So we got home safe and sound and exhausted, lol.
So twas very good! Although next time I am definitely not going with the family, gawd they drove me half crazy. I think I'm still feeling tired from it all now, lol. I'm still a couple of journal entries behind, so expect them over the course of tomorrow, lolol. Think I might sleep now. Soooo tired.