New York - Day 1

We weren't looking forward to flying very much, having just returned from New Zealand recently. But the flight wasn't too bad, though the movie selection was limited and, I must say, particularly awful. (Don't EVER watch "August Rush". You have been warned.)

We arrived close to midnight, and caught a yellow cab to our hotel on Manhattan Island. It was very exciting entering via tunnel, and spotting the famous buildings each time we drove through an intersection. It was hard not to go out straight away, but we played safe and went to bed.

Rose early the next morning and braved the free breakfast room. We were disappointed. Instead of being met with the imagined excesses of American dining (stacks of juicy pancakes smothered in cream and maple syrup) it was cereals, hard pastries and a fast food like hot plate. We resolved to find a proper diner during our trip...

Took our first ride on the NYC subway, which is more like the Parisian Metro than the London Underground. There aren't many shared stops (ie. over multiple train lines) so you don't have to enter very far undergound, which was a nice change. It also means you can in and out a lot faster.

We alighted at the World Trade Center stop, and walked to the Ground Zero memorial. It was very poignant to see the wide break in the skyline, and we had an excellent view of the vast, and deep, foundations.

From there we did some shopping at Century 21, an immensely popular department store with label remainders. For once we were travelling on a currency disparity in our favour (£ > US$), so we both went a little nuts. We actually had to go back to the hotel to drop off our purchases, so that we could get around unencumbered.

After exploring on foot for an hour or so, we caught the subway to Battery Park at the south end of Manhattan Island, and caught the ferry to Staten Island and back. This afforded a great view of the island, and also our first close-up of the Statue of Liberty. She looked a lot smaller than I imagined!

From there we walked over to the lower east side, and took the footbridge over Brooklyn Bridge. This iconic landmark was the largest suspension bridge in the world on its completion in 1883. Every step of the way is a photo opportunity...

We weren't done pounding pavement for the day, so we snuck back over by subway, and re-emerged to explore Wall Street, with a long stop at Tiffany's, ending up back at the eastern waterfront with another great view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

After a slap-up feed of tasty burritos at Mexican restaurant Chipotle (chi-poat-lay) we bought cheap theatre tickets at TKTS Times Square, and went to see Ian McShane in Harold Pinter’s brutally misogynist "The Homecoming" at the Cort Theatre.

There was a relentlessly freezing wind accompanying us on the walk home. Rather unpleasant, but nothing the 24-hour hot chocolate stand in the hotel lobby couldn't fix.