Photos (part 2)

[Maria]

Guess where I went for mid-term break?

[Bob Jefferson]

Can you give us a clue?

Great pics.

[Maria]

Ta! It was soooo cold. I thought I'd lose my fingers taking those night time shots. It was -12 C during the day. My second pic is a homage to Wangi.

[Bob Jefferson]

Made me think of Woody Allen.

[Maria]

This one is especially for Sandra (and to make Bob think of Audrey Hepburn, who is far prettier than Woody Allen).

[Porty]

Brilliant pics M. Was NYC everything you imagined it to be? Did you go to Normas or Cafe luxembourg?

[Maria]

It was brilliant Porty. Loved it all: saw only a fraction. It is such a buzzing city. Frequent return trips are most definitely required (and are being plotted ). We didn't make it to Norma's for breakfast as we were advised bookings were required and we were never quite sure when we'd wake up! We also found a nearby diner that did an excellent eggs benedict.

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the Cafe Luxembourg either, though we had planned to go. We were on the opposite side of Central Park and by the evening we were all much more tired than we had anticipated. Even though we used the subway to get around as much as possible, walking on those sidewalks really take it out of your feet, so we tended to dine close to our hotel. It is one for our next visit

[Poppy]

The first photo puts me in mind of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" (a colorized version!!).

[Porty]

I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. You are effusing a bit like I did after my first visit there in about 2001. I cannot recall going anywhere that so matched my expectations, it was everything I imagined and as you say there's no time to do it all. I've not been in the Winter just high summer and in the autumn with Foxy for what i think was her 40th ?

it is exhausting doing the touristy bit. Did you do the Staten Island ferry?

Did you got to Ground Zero? Were you struck with how small a space it is and have they started work there?

So many questions.

[wangi]

Looks like you had a great time Maria - that first shot is super!

[Maria]

[teddygirl]

Wow, fantastic pics, Marya, especially that first one, simply stunning. Glad you had a nice holiday.

[Maria]

Thanks TG. Was all too short a visit and now it's back to the same old routine.

[Porty]

Your Ground Zero experience sounds similar to mine. It was very moving to overlook the scene and recall those pictures, For me this was compounded by the mention of Michael Stewart on the Memorial boards who I'd known well from University, he was killed when the first plane struck.

The small size of the area took me aback a bit. I had visited the TT a few weeks before 9/11 and it seemed like a massive area. I'm glad they have kept it understated, although the Americans do seem to do memorials well.

Generally speaking I found people were more friendly and had more time than other big cities, like London for example. What was you experience? Were you a wee bit frightened on the subway? Did you go to Grand Central Station?

[Maria]

I'm glad I didn't have any personal connection with anyone killed Porty or I'd have been a weepy mush. It was moving enough seeing those strangers' faces gazing out from the poster.

Apart from the size of the site, the other thing that I hadn't realised until then was that three towers came down that day.

NYC was far friendlier than London. I remember while working down in London at Thames Poly, taking groups of foreign students into the city to see the sights and being ashamed of the rudeness displayed by locals towards the students. The NYC residents were far removed from the gruff stereotype I had expected. Guess I've watched too many films!

The streets were much cleaner than Edinburgh and one day two inches of snow fell which made it even more magical.

The subway was a great way to get around fast, but the latest we used it was about 10 o'clock at night. I wasn't frightened (I was happy to use it on my own) as I had heard lots of reassuring things from others who had used the subway, but we did see a few rats on the lines while waiting at station platforms. Think Homer was a bit more freaked by them; he kept telling me that they were the black rat which carries bubonic plague and that they can 'leap the height of a man'. Still wasn't bovvered Even the beggars were more polite. We had the usual South American guitar group, a solo blues singer and a trio of homeless men that harmonised beautifully on some gospel songs. I believe that it is illegal for them to come aboard and ask for cash and I suppose if you rode the subway every day it would get annoying, but I didn't mind. It cost $24 for a Metrocard for a week's unlimited use of buses and subway, so it was probably our best bargain from NYC!

Lots of folk wanted to know where we were from and had stories to tell about their Scottish great great grandfather etc. The most bizarre was the African American security guard at the Empire State building who told my son that it was a 'bluenose building' and that if he was a Celtic fan we wouldn't get in

Apologies to folks, as this thread is turning into my travel journal. Maybe I should just buy you a drink Porty and we could weep into it together ?

[ecm]

I'm waiting patiently 'til you get round to telling us about the shopping experience.


C'mon. What did y'all buy?

[Porty]

[Maria]

Well, you have to understand that Homer only agreed to the trip on the understanding that it was sightseeing only with strictly no shopping so I only managed to fill one suitcase with my purchases

Matt stocked up on Nintendo DS games at ToysRUs and basketball stuff at the NBA store, while Homer looked at bike shops and (fortunately!) concluded that prices over here were now more or less comparable so we wouldn't be taking a bike back on the plane with us - yes, we've done that before!

Homer bought a knee bandage at a running shop and a pair of insoles. Exciting stuff, eh? It was all the running up and down the East River and round Central Park that was to blame. He went out running for well over an hour on the day it was -12 C (that's without accounting for wind chill!) and came back with the sweat frozen on his eyebrows. The hotel reception were convinced he was more nuts than the subway crazies.

I managed to shake Homer for one afternoon and headed off on my own, so ..... ssshhhh...he still doesn't know what I got. I hit Macy's, Lord and Taylor's and Tiffany's. Macy's offer a discount of 11% to visitors, Lord and Taylor's offer 15% and there is no purchase tax on clothing up to $150, so it would have been silly not to save money by buying up as much Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Liz Clairbourne clothing that I could find wouldn't it? I bought Matt a Calvin Klein suit as we've got a family wedding this summer. It was on sale at 40% off so worked out at £35 - much cheaper and more stylish than a Debenhams one! Both stores were full of Irish shoppers, who all seemed each to be carrying several boxes of Uggs boots. Sadly, my legs are thick enough without a layer of furry boot so I gave the Uggs a miss. I did, though, buy myself and Matt some very fetching earwarmers.

I looked longingly at a couple of handbags (there was a Michael Kors 'satchel' one I coveted) , but reluctantly decided that £200+ wasn't really a bargain for a handbag. I bought a silver shell necklace and some drop earrings from the Metropolitan Museum Shop.

Tiffany's, unfortunately, doesn't offer any discount, but who can resist those little blue boxes? I passed through the ground floor with all those leggy, 'nip and tuck' blondes sipping from champagne flutes and clutching the arms of leathery faced, short, cashmere coated, balding men and took the elevator to the third floor with its 'affordable' silver collection. Needless to say, the elevator guy didn't need to ask which floor I wanted. One glance at me and he knew The store was once more full of Irish visitors, along with men looking for Valentine's Day presents. I took it apon myself to buy myself an Elsa Peretti heart necklace as a Valentine's Day present from my OH and a pair of Frank Gehery earrings as a 'souvenir' present. I also bought my sister an Elsa Peretti necklace as it is her 40th birthday later this year.

I paid my regards at the Apple Store, window shopped at Jimmy Choo and Juicy Couture, but missed out through lack of time on Abercrombie and Fitch (with its gorgeous assistants), Saks on Fifth Av., Bloomingdale's and Century 21. We also didn't have enough time, much to Homer's relief, to head off to the designer outlets at Woodbury Common. There's always next time though...

[ecm]

You did very well to get round all those shops in the time you had. Sounds like everyone got something and that you got more than most, which is quite right and proper.

You're one classy broad, M and in a different shopping league to me. If I'm ever lucky enough to visit NYC it'll be the thrift shops for me.

A girl can dream though.

[Maria]

It'll be, not so classy, macaroni and cheese for tea every night once the credit card statements come home to roost ecm

The real bargains, I believe, are to be had at Century 21 and TJ Maxx, but you have to have good sharp elbows, a bit of luck and plenty of time.

Airfares aren't so bad ecm. It worked out at about £330 for a direct flight so not nearly as extortionate as they used to be.

[Porty]

[quote="Marya"] Both stores were full of Irish shoppers, who all seemed each to be carrying several boxes of Uggs boots. Sadly, my legs are thick enough without a layer of furry boot so I gave the Uggs a miss. quote] Following on from your rationale; do you think the Irish buy Uggs cos' they are not thick enough already?

Christ, I didn't have you down as a shopping professional!!!

[Maria]

[Poppy]

[Maria]

[Poppy]

[ecm]

M, I suspect the amount of spending money needed to do NYC properly will need some serious saving up for. Flights sound well reasonable though.


P, I'm not way out west until tomorrow and I'll be working too hard to do shopping - classy or otherwise.

I don't even need to stock up on cheap lighters these days.

Anyway, as this is a photo thread here's something to keep us on topic and make you less homesick, Poppy.

[Poppy]

Humph! I'm on leave today for Plug's umpteenth birthday and you post that, ecm..................

It makes me feel sick..not homesick!

[Scorpion]

We've had some pretty good weather last weekend so I went for a run on my bike up to Glencorse reservoir. There were so many people there that it reminded me of Princes street Anyway, I took this picture

[Maria]

[SoupDragon]

Fantastic Scorpion


Nicw photys of New york Marya.
Its nearl a year since Clanger 1 was there, hope your hotel was better than the one she had.

She says you could be there a month ans still only see a fraction of it.
I suppose when you think the population of Scotland is crammed into such a small acerage its bound to be busy and forever changing

[Maria]

[Sandra]

[Scorpion]

[arachnid]

[Scorpion]