My Dad turns the big 5-0 today!
Happy Birthday to my number 1 reader, my Dad!
(I know you said it's just another birthday, just another day, but it's a bit more special than that! Special enough to warrant a mention on my blog!
Love, Daughter #1
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Back Home
Ok we are finally back home after 22 hours flying and very delayed planes. We were suppose to get back to Sydney at 7:45 and we didn't land until 9. I was so worried that mum wouldn't check whether the flight was on time and come really early. Thankfully other members of the family were able to inform her. Okay so now I'm going to do a quick recap on my time in new york.
Sun 25th - Harlem
As you all know we were late for our Harlem tour and got lead around by some random guy. The singing was very nice but i can't believe the service went for 3 hours!!! I love Mary Poppins, the sets and costumes and the dancing was fabulous.
Mon 26th - Statue of Liberty
So today we went to the Statue of Liberty and had to get through security stricter than in airports; you had to take off all jackets, belts and watches. I wasn't too worried about the low flying plane as I figure there is nothing I can do to stop a 747 and all the cops were calm but Alicia and everyone else in the line were freaking out. The Statue of Liberty was very cool with great views of Manhattan.
We then finished our Hop-On Hop-Off tour with our tickets only valid until 3:42pm. The buses were late and there was a huge crowd of people waiting at the stop. The bus pulled up at exactly 3:42 and we managed to get seats. So we went all around New York and got dropped back at the hotel.
Tues 27th - Central Park
Because I am such an early bird and the others are not, I would wake up at 6:30 and go for a walk around Manhattan. This morning I got a coffee (there is a starbucks on every block and at least 5 in a 2 block radius of our hotel) and walked to Bryant Park and the City Library which unfortunately didn't open till 11am. So I caught the subway to Union Square and sat in the upstairs cafe of Growers Market and people watched. Then I went to the Virgin Megastore which was having a sale and I finally went to the Strand Bookstore. It was beautiful, 18 miles of books really cheap and a great variety. I only had 30 minutes there so I didn't get to see it all but I want to bring the store home to Sydney. Also when I walked in the lady at the counter asked if I worked there.
Anyway I went back to the hotel and we went for brunch and a walk in Central Park. I don't think Claryse and Alicia realised how I walk, which is very fast and for a long time. Whoops. But we saw the statues of Alice in Wonderland and Hans Christian Anderson, the Boathouse and the Bow Bridge where all the movies are filmed. Then we went to the Museum of Natural History which was very nice and informative.
That night we went to West Side Story and wore our new dresses, looking very chick and sex-and-the-city in our heels. The musical was very good but I prefer Mary Poppins
Wed 28th - Sex and the City Tour
Again I went for one of my morning walks. I walked all the way from 50th St to 14th St along 7th Ave. I had a great morning although I think we insulted the bellhops at the hotel because we carried our own bags down to the lobby. Then we went to the Sex and the City Tour. Is was really good. We went down 5th Ave past Tiffany's, Saks 5th Avenue, Cartier and all the big brands and designers. We went to Magnolia Bakery where I bough 5 cupcakes (they are that good) and then we went to the bar were everyone else had a Cosmo but we just had to sit there, miserable and underage. Our last stop was the HBO store where Claryse and Alicia went to town. Then we had to hoof it back to our hotel to make it to the airport by 4.
Our taxi driver was a maniac, even when he was in a single lane he couldn't drive in straight line. Even I got carsick and I have never been sick in a car in my life. We got to the airport and had to sit there for 2 hours because our flight was delayed and then was further delayed taking off. They had to play a movie we were waiting so long on the runway.
In Los Angeles, because we were so late arriving the plane was delayed again so were were sitting in the airport at 12:30 am waiting for this stupid plane. But we did spend 40 minutes playing with this really cute baby and having a conversation with her mother. The flight home was good. I slept most of the way and watched a couple of movies.
So now I am home, unpacks and washing done. I had a 6 hour nap this afternoon and I am going to bed as soon as I finished this post because I do not want to suffer 3 day jetlag again.
So this is Haylee posting for the last time on her New York Trip
Sun 25th - Harlem
As you all know we were late for our Harlem tour and got lead around by some random guy. The singing was very nice but i can't believe the service went for 3 hours!!! I love Mary Poppins, the sets and costumes and the dancing was fabulous.
Mon 26th - Statue of Liberty
So today we went to the Statue of Liberty and had to get through security stricter than in airports; you had to take off all jackets, belts and watches. I wasn't too worried about the low flying plane as I figure there is nothing I can do to stop a 747 and all the cops were calm but Alicia and everyone else in the line were freaking out. The Statue of Liberty was very cool with great views of Manhattan.
We then finished our Hop-On Hop-Off tour with our tickets only valid until 3:42pm. The buses were late and there was a huge crowd of people waiting at the stop. The bus pulled up at exactly 3:42 and we managed to get seats. So we went all around New York and got dropped back at the hotel.
Tues 27th - Central Park
Because I am such an early bird and the others are not, I would wake up at 6:30 and go for a walk around Manhattan. This morning I got a coffee (there is a starbucks on every block and at least 5 in a 2 block radius of our hotel) and walked to Bryant Park and the City Library which unfortunately didn't open till 11am. So I caught the subway to Union Square and sat in the upstairs cafe of Growers Market and people watched. Then I went to the Virgin Megastore which was having a sale and I finally went to the Strand Bookstore. It was beautiful, 18 miles of books really cheap and a great variety. I only had 30 minutes there so I didn't get to see it all but I want to bring the store home to Sydney. Also when I walked in the lady at the counter asked if I worked there.
Anyway I went back to the hotel and we went for brunch and a walk in Central Park. I don't think Claryse and Alicia realised how I walk, which is very fast and for a long time. Whoops. But we saw the statues of Alice in Wonderland and Hans Christian Anderson, the Boathouse and the Bow Bridge where all the movies are filmed. Then we went to the Museum of Natural History which was very nice and informative.
That night we went to West Side Story and wore our new dresses, looking very chick and sex-and-the-city in our heels. The musical was very good but I prefer Mary Poppins
Wed 28th - Sex and the City Tour
Again I went for one of my morning walks. I walked all the way from 50th St to 14th St along 7th Ave. I had a great morning although I think we insulted the bellhops at the hotel because we carried our own bags down to the lobby. Then we went to the Sex and the City Tour. Is was really good. We went down 5th Ave past Tiffany's, Saks 5th Avenue, Cartier and all the big brands and designers. We went to Magnolia Bakery where I bough 5 cupcakes (they are that good) and then we went to the bar were everyone else had a Cosmo but we just had to sit there, miserable and underage. Our last stop was the HBO store where Claryse and Alicia went to town. Then we had to hoof it back to our hotel to make it to the airport by 4.
Our taxi driver was a maniac, even when he was in a single lane he couldn't drive in straight line. Even I got carsick and I have never been sick in a car in my life. We got to the airport and had to sit there for 2 hours because our flight was delayed and then was further delayed taking off. They had to play a movie we were waiting so long on the runway.
In Los Angeles, because we were so late arriving the plane was delayed again so were were sitting in the airport at 12:30 am waiting for this stupid plane. But we did spend 40 minutes playing with this really cute baby and having a conversation with her mother. The flight home was good. I slept most of the way and watched a couple of movies.
So now I am home, unpacks and washing done. I had a 6 hour nap this afternoon and I am going to bed as soon as I finished this post because I do not want to suffer 3 day jetlag again.
So this is Haylee posting for the last time on her New York Trip
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Last Day in NYC
Today is our last day here in New York City... we're going on one last tour.
Last night Claryse & I went out and got last-minute gifts and souvenirs. I think you can't come here and not get a tacky "I Heart NY" souvenir of some sort. (Did you know that "I Heart NY" is a registered trademark? Too funny.)
We really haven't had enough time to do everything. There's still so much we haven't done, but we've had to condense what we wanted to do so that it would fit into our schedule. We've all had to make sacrifices, leaving places early and not staying as long as we would have liked, just because we don't have the time to do things at our leisure.
Our flight leaves tonight at 7.10pm. We have yet to take a "big yellow taxi", so we're taking one to the airport! We have to be all packed before we leave for our tour this morning because as soon as the tour's finished, we have to bust our butts to get to the airport 3 hours early like they recommend.
We have had such a great time here. The general consensus is that LA was really great, but New York is "A - mazing"! We all keep saying "I'm totally coming back here" or "I could live here". It's really an awesome city, and 4 days was not enough! I think we've all got the travel bug!
Last night Claryse & I went out and got last-minute gifts and souvenirs. I think you can't come here and not get a tacky "I Heart NY" souvenir of some sort. (Did you know that "I Heart NY" is a registered trademark? Too funny.)
We really haven't had enough time to do everything. There's still so much we haven't done, but we've had to condense what we wanted to do so that it would fit into our schedule. We've all had to make sacrifices, leaving places early and not staying as long as we would have liked, just because we don't have the time to do things at our leisure.
Our flight leaves tonight at 7.10pm. We have yet to take a "big yellow taxi", so we're taking one to the airport! We have to be all packed before we leave for our tour this morning because as soon as the tour's finished, we have to bust our butts to get to the airport 3 hours early like they recommend.
We have had such a great time here. The general consensus is that LA was really great, but New York is "A - mazing"! We all keep saying "I'm totally coming back here" or "I could live here". It's really an awesome city, and 4 days was not enough! I think we've all got the travel bug!
Broadway!
I have now seen two uh-mazing shows on Broadway. This first we saw was "Mary Poppins: The New Musical". It was "practically perfect" (the title of a song created specifically for the new musical). It was so uplifting and amazing. We bought discounted tickets at the TKTS stand on the day of the performance. The seats were in a really great spot; we had orchestra seating not too close to the front. This version of Mary Poppins featured a villain, who was quite scary. The highlight of the production was during the tapping performance to "Step in Time", when Bert tapped up the wall and then continued to tap and sing while upside down on the roof! Now that's talent, and he's from Australia.
The second musical we saw was tonight. It was my favourite musical of all time - "West Side Story". It was everything I expected. It was fabulous, it had quite a different feel to Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins didn't exactly feature dangerous weapons and gang violence. The dancing was absolutely brilliant.
I have now achieved my dream of seeing a musical on Broadway, not once but twice!
This will probably be my last blog from America, but I will be sure to give you a review of the holiday when I get back home.
Until next time,
KeEP dANcInG...
Claryse
The second musical we saw was tonight. It was my favourite musical of all time - "West Side Story". It was everything I expected. It was fabulous, it had quite a different feel to Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins didn't exactly feature dangerous weapons and gang violence. The dancing was absolutely brilliant.
I have now achieved my dream of seeing a musical on Broadway, not once but twice!
This will probably be my last blog from America, but I will be sure to give you a review of the holiday when I get back home.
Until next time,
KeEP dANcInG...
Claryse
A day of massive proportions.
Today we had brunch in Central Park... well I'm not sure if you could call a banana and a chocolate chip cookie from a vendor store brunch, but that's what we decided it would be.
Central Park was amazing. I loved it. Claryse said it reminded her of Hyde Park, just bigger and better. She was certainly right about the "bigger" part- it was huge! It houses TWENTY children's playgrounds. There were tonnes of people around but because the park is so big, it didn't feel crowded.
And, most noticeable, it was so GREEN! The trees and flowers and grass looked so alive compared to what ours looks like in Sydney.
After spending a few hours idling away the time enjoying the park, we went to the Musuem of Natural History. That too was massive! It seems America likes doing things on a larger scale here! :)
We looked through displays of American mammals (most of them looked foreign to me so I spent a lot of time reading the little panels beside the dioramas!) and then we went to the Ocean exhibit, where they had a life sized Blue Whale model hanging from the ceiling. Again- huge!
Also, did I mention it was really hot here? Apparently we arrived just in time for the NYC heatwave... like I said, it was a day of massive proportions.
Central Park was amazing. I loved it. Claryse said it reminded her of Hyde Park, just bigger and better. She was certainly right about the "bigger" part- it was huge! It houses TWENTY children's playgrounds. There were tonnes of people around but because the park is so big, it didn't feel crowded.
And, most noticeable, it was so GREEN! The trees and flowers and grass looked so alive compared to what ours looks like in Sydney.
After spending a few hours idling away the time enjoying the park, we went to the Musuem of Natural History. That too was massive! It seems America likes doing things on a larger scale here! :)
We looked through displays of American mammals (most of them looked foreign to me so I spent a lot of time reading the little panels beside the dioramas!) and then we went to the Ocean exhibit, where they had a life sized Blue Whale model hanging from the ceiling. Again- huge!
Also, did I mention it was really hot here? Apparently we arrived just in time for the NYC heatwave... like I said, it was a day of massive proportions.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A New York kind of day
Today NYC put on another fabulous day for us... perfect weather; warm but not too humid, sunny but not blinding.
Today we went to see the Statue of Liberty. Since Haylee has become our unofficial tour guide (seriously, she was pointing things out from her maps and guide book today like a champ!) she navigated the subway for us and we went to the Staten Island ferry subway station. Once we arrived, we started climbing the stairs to the dock entrance, only to be recognised as tourists by some man and reminded that we wanted the Liberty Island ferry dock, not the Staten Island one! Hahaha... such tourists we are. We ended up following a tour group of elderly citizens since their tour guide seemed to know the way!
It was a bit windy given that it was still the morning, so I bought one of those "I (Heart) NY" sweatshirts! We waited in the (long) line to go through the security check and then waited again in another, longer line to actually get on board the ferry.
While we were waiting I noticed there were lots of planes and helicopters in the air above us and they kept circling. I didn't think anything of it until the lady in front of us starting saying "I don't like that. I don't like that at all." Then I realised practically everyone was looking up at the sky, confused and worried expressions on their faces. Their was one big 747 flying VERY low, followed by 1 or 2 smaller fighter jets and about 3 helicopters all circling around the Statue. Immediately, it was like everyone thought "terrorist attack" simulataneously. I was starting to freak out, but said it was probably just tourists or something, taking helicopter tours to see the statue. The police and security guards nearby didn't seem worried, so I tried not to worry either but I couldn't shake the anxious feeling the whole time we were there.
Once we got to the island I relaxed a little bit but was still on alert, jumping at loud noises and that sort of thing. Being on the island makes you feel very vulnerable, because once you're on, there's only the ferry to get you off, and there were a lot of people and the ferries only came every half hour. I did enjoy seeing the Statue and took lots of photos and read all about its history. But I will admit I was glad when we left and got back to the relative safety of Manhattan. I kept thinking it would really be a "suitable" place to attack because it is vulnerable, being and island, it is frequently populated by tourists and it symbolises the values that America considers vitally important - liberty and freedom.
Tonight when we got home we were flicking through the channels when we realised along with Swine Flu, one of the top news stories was this mysterious low flying 747. It turns out the Defense Department had organised a photo op without telling the Mayor or the public. The news reports that everyone, the Mayor included, is furious. People in New Jersey were filmed fleeing from their apartment blocks and buildings; "running for their lives", scared another 9/11 was occurring. Apparently the police knew but because it came from the Defense Dept, they weren't allowed to tell anyone, especially the public.
We had a good rest of the day, spent shopping, sightseeing in Wall St and the financial district and going on our Hop on Hop off tour again, doing the full loop this time to see all of Manhattan. Tomorrow is our last full day here in NYC, we're spending it having brunch in Central Park and then seeing West Side Story on Broadway.
We only get 20 minutes complimentary free internet access here at the hotel each day, so I better get going...
Today we went to see the Statue of Liberty. Since Haylee has become our unofficial tour guide (seriously, she was pointing things out from her maps and guide book today like a champ!) she navigated the subway for us and we went to the Staten Island ferry subway station. Once we arrived, we started climbing the stairs to the dock entrance, only to be recognised as tourists by some man and reminded that we wanted the Liberty Island ferry dock, not the Staten Island one! Hahaha... such tourists we are. We ended up following a tour group of elderly citizens since their tour guide seemed to know the way!
It was a bit windy given that it was still the morning, so I bought one of those "I (Heart) NY" sweatshirts! We waited in the (long) line to go through the security check and then waited again in another, longer line to actually get on board the ferry.
While we were waiting I noticed there were lots of planes and helicopters in the air above us and they kept circling. I didn't think anything of it until the lady in front of us starting saying "I don't like that. I don't like that at all." Then I realised practically everyone was looking up at the sky, confused and worried expressions on their faces. Their was one big 747 flying VERY low, followed by 1 or 2 smaller fighter jets and about 3 helicopters all circling around the Statue. Immediately, it was like everyone thought "terrorist attack" simulataneously. I was starting to freak out, but said it was probably just tourists or something, taking helicopter tours to see the statue. The police and security guards nearby didn't seem worried, so I tried not to worry either but I couldn't shake the anxious feeling the whole time we were there.
Once we got to the island I relaxed a little bit but was still on alert, jumping at loud noises and that sort of thing. Being on the island makes you feel very vulnerable, because once you're on, there's only the ferry to get you off, and there were a lot of people and the ferries only came every half hour. I did enjoy seeing the Statue and took lots of photos and read all about its history. But I will admit I was glad when we left and got back to the relative safety of Manhattan. I kept thinking it would really be a "suitable" place to attack because it is vulnerable, being and island, it is frequently populated by tourists and it symbolises the values that America considers vitally important - liberty and freedom.
Tonight when we got home we were flicking through the channels when we realised along with Swine Flu, one of the top news stories was this mysterious low flying 747. It turns out the Defense Department had organised a photo op without telling the Mayor or the public. The news reports that everyone, the Mayor included, is furious. People in New Jersey were filmed fleeing from their apartment blocks and buildings; "running for their lives", scared another 9/11 was occurring. Apparently the police knew but because it came from the Defense Dept, they weren't allowed to tell anyone, especially the public.
We had a good rest of the day, spent shopping, sightseeing in Wall St and the financial district and going on our Hop on Hop off tour again, doing the full loop this time to see all of Manhattan. Tomorrow is our last full day here in NYC, we're spending it having brunch in Central Park and then seeing West Side Story on Broadway.
We only get 20 minutes complimentary free internet access here at the hotel each day, so I better get going...
Monday, April 27, 2009
Harlem
This morning we went to Harlem to see a gospel church choir.
Haylee has become our guide so she directed us through the subway,and we did well until we got to our second stop, when we realised we were running late and then the train didn't come as quick as we expected.
We got to Harlem at about 10.35am and we were supposed to meet our tour guide at 10.30. When we got to the address, there was no one there! I was starting to freak out because although we were right near the subway station, we didn't know where we were or where we we going. The doors to the tour guide place were locked, so we were standing there stumped when this random dude asked us if we were looking for the tour. We said yes, and he got out his cell phone and rang the tour guide and ended up walking us to where the rest of the tour was.
They were at the church already, so while he looked for his "man", we took in the huge line waiting to go inside. It was massive! He couldn't find the tour guide, but he took us to one of the members of the congregation, who got us seated up in the balcony where all the tourists sit. It was the longest church service I've ever experienced! We sat there for 2 hrs and 15 mins before deciding the combination of heat (no air con), not knowing where our tour group was, and having another Hop on- Hop off tour booked for today was enough to allow us to leave. I think the service was so long because it was the Pastor's 3rd anniversary so they were having a big celebration. It was very cool, just like in the movies, with lots of "Hallelujahs" and "Amens". The music was fantastic, the choir was rocking. We didn't know any of the songs, but there was a great vibe (except for when we got told off for reaching for our cameras- but I managed to sneak in a few shots before they busted us!)
We're back at our hotel now, just blogging before we go off to lunch and then go on the Hop on- Hop off tour. We'll blog again later tonight hopefully.
Haylee has become our guide so she directed us through the subway,and we did well until we got to our second stop, when we realised we were running late and then the train didn't come as quick as we expected.
We got to Harlem at about 10.35am and we were supposed to meet our tour guide at 10.30. When we got to the address, there was no one there! I was starting to freak out because although we were right near the subway station, we didn't know where we were or where we we going. The doors to the tour guide place were locked, so we were standing there stumped when this random dude asked us if we were looking for the tour. We said yes, and he got out his cell phone and rang the tour guide and ended up walking us to where the rest of the tour was.
They were at the church already, so while he looked for his "man", we took in the huge line waiting to go inside. It was massive! He couldn't find the tour guide, but he took us to one of the members of the congregation, who got us seated up in the balcony where all the tourists sit. It was the longest church service I've ever experienced! We sat there for 2 hrs and 15 mins before deciding the combination of heat (no air con), not knowing where our tour group was, and having another Hop on- Hop off tour booked for today was enough to allow us to leave. I think the service was so long because it was the Pastor's 3rd anniversary so they were having a big celebration. It was very cool, just like in the movies, with lots of "Hallelujahs" and "Amens". The music was fantastic, the choir was rocking. We didn't know any of the songs, but there was a great vibe (except for when we got told off for reaching for our cameras- but I managed to sneak in a few shots before they busted us!)
We're back at our hotel now, just blogging before we go off to lunch and then go on the Hop on- Hop off tour. We'll blog again later tonight hopefully.
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