Kiwi Klippings

New York, New York

New York certainly is a very busy city with people from every race and creed
living here.

We have done the Statue of Liberty thing, been up the top (as far as we were
allowed to go) of the Empire State building, seen Ground Zero, Times Square,
went to see Phantom of the Opera and shopped ‘til we dropped.

We found an altogether lovely costume jewellery store on 5th Avenue and I have added another watch to my collection. Don't ask me why, I have now bought four of them since I have been here.

Our hotel is in the midst of Broadway and not far from Times Square so there is activity, motion, horns tooting, people walking, street vendors, you name it they are there.

In the midst of all of this Linda spotted a sign – Unnecessary Noise Prohibited – oh really?

Central Park is just as lovely as anything you have ever seen in books or
movies and Linda and I went to a most wonderful restaurant there for lunch, Tavern on the Green. I had the most expensive BLT ever for lunch - about US$24 - so you can imagine what the other items on the menu were like.

This place was so lovely and fresh, bowls of fresh flowers on the tables, lots of windows and soft lighting with green outlooks towards Central Park. White décor with lots of floral paintings and an amazing array of coloured chandeliers and light fittings.

Linda and I also discovered a lovely Italian restaurant (Trattoria Daniella – 728 8^th Avenue) close to our hotel and have given them quite a bit of our business. When you find a good restaurant, on your travels, it seems nice to be able to stick with it. It seemed easier than working our way through the myriads of eating houses that New York had to offer.

It would have been a crime to come to New York and be in the midst of Broadway and then not go to a show so we had to choose. Some shows were eliminated because they were not open on Monday nights and that was the only night we had available to go. Linda and I had never seen the Phantom of the Opera and it was right next door to our hotel so that is what we decided on and we did not regret our choice. It was a real treat for both of us.

A great way to get around New York, if you are there for a short time and want to get to see the inner city is to buy a pass for their double decker buses. These will take you on different loops around the city, commentators accompany the buses and add interesting detail of all the landmarks and activities going on around you. The roof has been removed from the top level so that you have open air views of the city as you move around. Most people sit up here and it is a great way to get an idea of what is going on. Be warned - it can be cold, so take a jacket at least, and be prepared to duck your head in relation to overhead traffic lights and branches of trees. You can freely pick up or get off the bus at regular intervals along the way.