Kris & Chris & The World

New York was AMAZING - I was expecting it to be cool, but not nearly as fantastic as it was. There is something about the city, it has such a great vibe. We stayed in Chris's brothers apartment in Greenwich Village, it was on the same street as the building they used as the image of the apartment buidling in Friends so I was pretty excited about that. But also it was in a great area and really close to the subway, well actually that didnt really matter because New York is actually a pretty small island.

The first night we were there I was pretty confused about what the time was so we just went down to Times Square and to one of the oldest bars in New York for a burger, but it was straight home to bed for me cause I was struggling! Not to worry though the next morning we got up early for Jody's Tick it Off Tour - Wall Street, Statten Island Ferry, a helicopter flight over the city, lunch at Nelson Blue a NZ place (where I had the best bacon & egg pie since leaving home) and then a Ranger's ice hockey game at Maddison Sqaure Garden. Then in the afternoon I went shopping of course with Jody's girlfriend Giarna and then we all met up at a local bar in the East Village to watch the Superbowl as the New York Giants were playing the Green Bay Packers. The bar was really small but everyone was super friendly and at the end of the night the owner bought us a round of drinks. It was a pretty full on day, but I loved it.

The next day we took off by ourselves and decided to walk to the Brooklyn Bridge....it was so cold it felt like little needles were sticking into us. But it was a beautiful blue sky and we didnt want to waste the photo opps!! The Brooklyn Bridge was awesome and the views of the city very cool, but eventually I was so cold we had to head back. We had lunch at a crazy cafe in the East Village with Jody and Giarna - it was great to spent time with them as they knew all the great places to go. That night we went to a restaurant called Ninja, where you were served by Ninja's and sat in your own Japanese house thing complete with sliding doors. The food was amazing and a few dishes included Ninja 'magic' with swords and fire and smoke. Would recommend it if you every go to New York. After dinner Chris and I went to a Jazz bar on the street we were staying, and watched some fantastic live jazz. The bar was everything you would expect it to be - small, cramped with old dudes playing some tunes and a beautiful girl behind the bar. The only thing missing was a cloud of smoke hanging in the ceiling.

On the third day we went shopping (again!) and then met Jody for lunch after walking up half of Broadway to his office. Next stop was Grand Central Station, which is the most beautiful train station I have ever seen. Then we walked up 5th Avenue in search of Tiffany & Co, which we found next to Trump Tower. So finally I got to go to Tiffany and buy myself something pretty. I did however make Chris come in with me to look at the engagement rings...ha ha ha..... Afterwards we went for a walk around a frozen Central Park and finished off the afternoon with a drink at Trump Tower, which was extremly gold and 80s. That night we went to a crazy show that involved people spinning off cable and running on treadmills, a giant swimming pool that decended from the ceiling and had girls running around in it and ended with everyone dancing under the sprinklers, including me and Giarna - its hard to explain but it was one of the best theater experiences, and at one point made me feel physically sick!

On our last full day in New York we went to The Natural History Museum, which was a bit of a let down to be honest, but had some great dinosaur skeletons - which I loved. We also went through Central Park again and visited Strawberry Fields, the monument to John Lennon. And were in time to watch the regular hippie laying fresh flowers in a peace sign. We met Jody again for lunch at a great Italian place and then I did some more shopping... That evening we went up the Empire State Building which was freezing cold, but gave amazing views of the city. It was wicked to see all the lights, its so beautiful. We ended the night by a trip to China Town and it was the worst experience of the whole trip.

On our final morning we went shopping (yes AGAIN) and had lunch at the Boathouse in Central Park - which was very flash and a perfect ending. Then it was off to Buffalo to go up to Toronto to stay with Chris's sister, Lissy. Toronto was a completely different experience, but just as good. We spent lots of time with Lissy, Tony and their two kids and after the whirlwind of New York it was fantastic to have some family time. We had a great night out on the Friday watching Giarna's friend's band at a local pub and the next night we had a late Christmas dinner complete with a huge turkey and a drunken table tennis tournament in the basement. And it was snowing!!! I shovelled snow out of my first drive way, which I enjoyed but I am sure you wouldnt if you had to do it every day. On our last day we went to Niagara Falls!!!! Which was totally unexpected as I hadnt realised it was so close. It was pretty spectacular especially as it was frozen so the landscape had a surreal and magical look. But it was freezing, so we didnt stay too long!

We got back to New York so late that we only got about 3 and a half hours sleep before we had to leave for the airport, but actually it worked out really well as we managed to stay up all day and adjust back into the right timezone. It was a really fantastic trip for loads of different reasons; the vibe of New York, the shopping, the friendliness of Americans, time with family. The list could go on, all I know is I want to go back.

Paris in two sleeps, I am such a lucky girl.