We're busy doing nothing

Fairly lazy day today - spent most of it shopping.  Started at Century 21 and worked north!

C21 is down at the World Trade Centre site, and boy are they getting on with the building work there.  We passed the FDNY Ladder Co 10 building, which has a bronze plaque on the wall honouring those lost on 9/11.  The oddest detail we noticed, on the collection of badges left by firefighters from around the world, was a (local!) West Yorkshire one.  Funny what you spot!

Went to the cinema this evening - Cineworld could learn a thing or two over here!  Saw Despicable Me, which was very funny, and very well made.

We've not done a lot of touristy things this year, but we're enjoying just chilling out and relaxing

Lunch with friends tomorrow.

Back to the old ball game

Started the day finding the perfect breakfast at a cart around the corner from the hotel - coffee, bagel and bacon and egg roll for under $5.  All freshly cooked to order, too.

Spent the morning looking round Fulton Street Mall in Brooklyn - apparently the third largest commercial areas in NYC.  And has the advantage that stores like Macy's were a little bit quieter than their midtown equivalents!  Some of the bling had to be seen to be believed.

To Chris's delight, we found Arby's - shredded roast beef in your bun, rather than a burger.  He's had a hankering for one since he vivsted the US 10 years ago, and thankfully it lived up to the memory.  Made a nice change, but I forgot that a medium over here is pretty much a super-size back home!  Or as Chris says "It's f@#king huuuuge!"

Coney Island and the Brooklyn Cyclones tonight.  Good fun and, as usual, they won!  This week's freebie was a Baseball shirt each.  And we finally got  a cap to fit Chris's head, too!

To top the night off, everyone that wanted to, got a chance to run the bases after the game.  The footing wasn't too good for Chris's stick, but I ran it anyway.  Yes, I RAN round the field!  OK, it's not a massive distance, 120 yards, I believe, but I did it!

Lazy day tomorrow, mostly shopping,

There's a few baseball pics in the Picasa album.

The Best of Times is Now

Stash shopping this morning, to a tiny place called Ink Pad NYC.  Great idea for a shop, wall to wall rubber stamps, ink pads and stuff.  Little disappointed, though, as there was nothing there that I can't get back home - and the prices weren't that great either.  Oh well, was fun to look round, and saw a bit of Greenwich Village, too.

This afternoon, we had tickets for La Cage Aux Folles - absolutely fantastic!  Who'd have thought that Frasier Crane had such a fab singing voice!  It was absolutely spectacular, and I'd love to go see it again.  And again!  I love "I am What I Am" anyway, but seeing it in the context of the show - the hairs on the back of my neck were trembling.

Dinner at Applebees - we're not food snobs, we like chain restaurants - you know what you're getting - and it was a good feed.  Finished off by wandering round Times Square people watching for a bit.

Thankfully, the weather has cooled off a little - it's 8pm, and only 86F.

Brooklyn and the baseball tomorrow.

Bits and pieces

Half past nine, and it's cooled down to a mild and balmy 91F.  Yeah.

People are strange, the world over.  We went into Barnes and Nobles earlier - not at all taking advantage of their air con, oh no!  Now, we're all used to seeing browsers in bookshops, leafing through the books and magazines.  Some shops now even place armchairs for them at strategic points.  That's fine.  There were guys sat in B&N against the wall, with laptops out, using the textbooks!  Barnes and Nobles, replacing Uni libraries the world over! 

Then when we went for dinner, there was a mother, her son and his friend in the booth behind his.  All was peaceful until apparently mum did what mums all over the world do, and teased her son once too often in front of his friend!  Cue very loud, choice language from him, as ever just as the chat around went quiet.  She threw her drink over him, paid the bill and stormed out.  Leaving her son to borrow off his friend for the rest of the bill, and lament that he should have waited til he'd got money off her before insulting her!

Took a wander along to the Hudson after eating - we're about half way between the Hudson and Central Park.  Spotted an open air performance of Cyrano de Bergerac,  wandered past Grant's Tomb and saw some lightening bugs.  Lovely view across the Hudson to New Jersey, too.

Theatre tomorrow, off to see Cage aux Folles.

102F in the afternoon!

Taken from Broadway, looking to the south-west corner of Central Park.  I love air conditioning!

It's too darn hot!

Arrived last night, into the middle of a heatwave!  Temperatures today are threatening over 100F!

The flight was ok - not the best cabin staff we've ever met on Delta though, and we had to wait ages to get into the immigration hall.  On the plus side, Chris's leg had the same effect as last year, getting us fast-tracked to the head of the queue!  And it was a huge queue - several planes all arriving at the same time!

Bit disappointed with the car service we booked - we waited where we were told, they didn't show up, but phoned half an hour late saying where were we and did we still need the car?!  The taxi queue opposite was empty, so we told them to stuff it, and got a cab!

The hotel is fab - clean, well located, staff are courteous.  Only disappointment is that the diner next door that they rave about - closed for renovations!  We found one of their other venues a few blocks down for breakfast today.  Oh boy, that was good!

Shopping?  The usual suspects so far.  Haven't gone down to Century 21 yet, but since the Queen is in town for a 9/11 memorial today, we figured it might be a bit hectic down there!  I found Michaels craft shop last night - no stash yet, but will definitely be going back and going mad there before we go!

No pics yet, not even Chris's traditional thumbs up.  They'll follow eventually!

We're on our way!

The holidays are here!

We're currently sat in the Radisson Blu hotel at Manchester airport - early check in tomorrow, so less hassle.  Big room, comfy bed, fab shower and great food.

Flight is 11am tomorrow, so we'll be over at the airport nice and early and the weather looks set to be scorching hot all week.