1st December New York

Before you all get excited...the ONLY reason I have fallen behind in my blog is because I have been going out to shows every night...and the internet takes forever to load!!!
Today is my first day in New York!!! Andrew had told me that getaway had done a segment on New York this week called 'New York from the air', so I was able to watch it online. It showed some of the hosts highlights of New York and it included such things as the High Line and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), two things I was interested in seeing. I'd bought a New York Pass so I headed up to the Grayline office to pick it up. It is so busy in New York...I can see that already...but it is also the weekend! I had to queue to get my pass but it didn't take too long. I walked back to the hotel via Times Square...WOW! So much activity here, crowds of people and flashing lights...it's so exciting! The queues at the TKTS stand was insane, so I went to the box office for the Palace Theatre and bought a ticket to see Annie on Tuesday night. I had arranged to meet Lynette and her husband John who were going to show me around some of New York...I was so excited to catch up with Lynette. First they took me to one of their favourite Italian restaurants called Mercato, which just happened to be across the road from my hotel. They then suggested they take me to see the High Line, which was on my to do list, so off we went. The High Line is a 1.6km New York linear park built on a 2.33km section of the former elevated New York Central Railroad which runs along the lower west side of Manhattan. It has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway. They have planted rugged meadow plants including clump-forming grasses, liatris and coneflowers, inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew on the disused tracks, among different plantings of various trees. I even saw a real holly bush! Portions of the track are adaptively used and include rolling lounges positioned for river views. The High Line als includes cultural attractions and has several temporary and permanent art installations, which my photos do no justice to! We also stopped at the Urban Theatre where you can sit and watch the activites/life of 10th Avenue. Next we stopped off at Chelsea markets, where there is an amazing array of gourmet style food shops. We tried some brownie at the Fat Witch Bakery...famous for their brownies and we also went into the Lobster Place to have a look at the huge lobsters they cook to order...a pity we had already eaten. Then we caught the subway where there were these really cute little bronze characters getting up to all sorts of antics inside the station. John and Lynette helped me buy a 7 day Subway ticket and tried to explain the subway system...it sounds a lot more intimidating than London and Paris! We caught the subway to Penn station which is the station near where Lynette and John live. We went for a wander and did some people watching, there are all sorts of characters in New York, including many musicians who play in and on the subway...and many are very good too. We walked past a shoe shine shop, so John suggested I get my boots done....when in New York right! After my boots were all sparkly Lynette and I headed up to their apartment. It is diagonally opposite to Madison Square Garden and It has an awesome view looking south across towards the Hudson River...beautiful. We then headed downstairs and around the corner to their local...Tir Na Nog. We had a few drinks...and by a few, I mean they were all in the same glass...they free pour, so one drink is like three at home!!! I was also introduced to American Football, Georgia were playing Atlanta, and Atlanta one...which apparently was a good thing. We then walked up to a bar and grill called Virgils...and more free pour drinks! I was tired so we headed back towards my hotel, but first we stopped at another Tir Na Nog which was just down from my hotel. It is owned by the same people as the one we went to earlier in the night and John and Lynette know some of the staff who gave us a tour of the newly opened pub. They told us they had a wedding the next day booked for 300 people! It was then time to say goodbye to Lynette and John and thank them for a wonderful day. One of the things I have most enjoyed on my travels are the unexpected days where I haven't gone to the traditional tourist sites but have ended up seeing a whole lot more of the real city than I ever imagined. Thanks Lynette and John :)))))