New York, New York......how to get the best out of the Big Apple in 5 days.....
Step 1: Arrange to freeload on mates couch (purchase expensive Australian bottle of wine duty free as gift - yes smart thinking Lou), 2 blocks from Times Square, even though he wont be there the night you arrive, or for 2 days during your visit. Arrive at apartment after 23.5 hours of travel with little to no sleep and be greeted by doorman (yes a doorman!), get spare key, shower, change, wander the streets to find something to eat and begin to marvel at how much it is exactly like Seinfield, or Friends or any of those New York based shows. Get home, crash out for an hour then wake to friend arriving home. Drink expensive bottleof wine, plus a couple of beers, gas bag until 3 in the morning...finallyget to sleep...ahh..
Step 2: Sleep till 1.30 in afternoon, have ´´breakfast´´ at local diner, have whirlwing guided tour by foot of Midtown on a Saturday night. Tip - do not go anywhere near Times Square on a weekend if you want to get anywhere fast..there are people everywhere and no pedestrain traffic rules (though they are much needed e.g.no stopping for no reason in the middle of a 6 deep wave of people on the sidewalk).
Step 3: Have dinner then hit the beer...Guiness is where its at in New York ...unless of course you end up in an Aussie Bar paying 7 bucks for Coopers Pale at some ungodly hour in the morning. Leave Aussie Bar at closing time but still thirsty so find little dungeon bar that stays open all night. Say goodbye to mate who is flying to Houston in an hour (no he hadnt had any sleep either) and continue solo. Emerge at 7.30 in the morning to a snow covered street and walk 20 blocks home with a grin from ear to ear, marvelling at the beauty of the first fall of the season - bliss!!
Step 4: Crash for 2 hours then meet up with only other person you know in the city tp walk though snow covered Central Park. Chase squirrels until suitable photo oppotunity arises (see photos). Get shouted dinner at overpriced and overrated theme restaurant, but enjoy it all the same - heck, its free! Get home at 8pm and crash...sleep for 16 hours. Thats a record for me but damn it felt good.
Step 5: Use the remaining few hours of daylight to take subway downtown, pay respects at Ground Zero, walk through Battery PArka nd take ferry to Staton Island, waving at Statue of Liberty on the way.....ps she´s no where near as big as she looks in the movies!! Buy dinner (first meal with fruit and veg and no egg, bread or meat since leaving Oz) then return home for another much needed 12 hour sleep.
Step 6: Finally get mopving about midday, wander the streets again for a couple of hours then meet back up with mate after arriving back from Houston. Go to top of Rockerfeller building in -3 degrees temperature for the view of a lifetime. Play silly buggers with secutiry (will Americans ever get a snese of humour?). Go ice skating under Christmas lights in the middle of the city ala typical tourist style but love it all the same. Only fall over once. Find cosy bar, drink beer, eat food, talk for hours.
Step 7: Wake up, pack bag, run to subway for train to JFK and squeeze in amongst thousands of commuters on their way to work. Thank God you left your surfboard behind as fitting in with a pack gave me too many dirty looks. Surfboard would have been hell!
Step 8. Get on plane to Mexico after little to no securty checking and no immigration departure procedure...strange......
