Elizabeth (and her two roomies, both of whom are named Emily) was kind enough to let Lauren and I (and Mike) crash her place for the weekend, so that we could see the sights of the big apple... we wined, we dined, we danced, we shopped, and we saw sights - such a great weekend! Our Friday night adventures kept us out till about 2:30am, so on Saturday morning we took advantage of one of my favourite aspects of NY life - free delivery of just about everything imaginable... how nice to be able to wake up at 10:30 and have bagels and yummy walnut-raisin cream cheese delivered right to the door! (yes, I know, how lazy are we!) Then we hit the shops of SoHo and Greenwich Village, including the infamous (and very tiny!) Purl shops of yarn and fabric (so loving that fabric store - almost makes me want to start quilting).
Mike showed up on Saturday evening after a very typical for him flight cancellation/rescheduling debacle, and then we again feasted on the delights of the big city - Brazilian food this time, in a little restaurant called Casa (I've forgotten what part of town its in). Then we eventually found our way to this great little dive of a bar that came complete with a light-up floor that's straight from Saturday Night Fever - except it was under the whole bar, not just the dance floor. Sunday was spent doing more window shopping, a visit to Tiffany's to ogle the diamonds, Bryant Park, Times Square, Rockefeller Centre (the tree is up but its not lit yet), and a wander through Central Park. Then a stop for a pint, a quick trip back home to put on extra sweaters, and then a quick stroll along Brooklyn Bridge before dinner - the perfect end to a fun day of absorbing the city atmosphere by wandering with a local rather than playing tourist - a much better way to travel, I think.
This was my first visit to NY, and I absolutely loved it - its definitely going on my list of places I could live one day. Ottawa is a small city - barely 800,000 people, and it has a very small town feel to it sometimes... I miss the endless high rises, the availability of everything at every hour, and the feeling that there's always something new to see just around the next corner. London is a bit like that too, I suppose, but I tell you, those English shopping hours just about kill me! (Sunday is just as good a day for shopping as Saturday, even at 4:30 in the afternoon! And who wants to be up at 8am on a Saturday to shop anyway? what's wrong with staying closed till 10am Saturday, so that you can be open till 6pm on Sunday?!! But that's a rant for another post - probably one this spring, when I'm back in Newcastle!)
Anyway, here are a few photos from the weekend...
Lauren, Elizabeth and I beside a Canadian sponsored ice rink at Bryant Park
overlooking the rink was this "Canadian" Lounge, Celsius - none of the food was overly Canadian - no poutine, for example... forgot to check the beer list
Mike and I in Times Square
the girls in Central Park, looking chilly
a pond in Central Park on which you can sail radio-controlled boats in the summers
Lower Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge
A view from the other side of the bridge - the tall red and yellow building is the Empire State Building, and the Chrysler Building is the pointy one at the far right
us ladies on the bridge
2 comments:
Ohh, that looks like such a great weekend. You really packed in a lot. And I love the idea of bagels and cream cheese delivered to the door. What a perfect way to start the day.
Gotta love NY.
When you're back do post about the horrible shopping hours. I could go on and on about it. It's silly for shops to be open from 9 to 5 when most people work those hours!!! And closed on Sundays! Grrrrr!!!! Try getting to every place you need to go on a Saturday, ha ha ha.
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