5th December New York

This morning I headed to Pier 83 to take the Circle Line Sightseeing cruise along the Hudson River. It was a 75 minute cruise past some of New York's most memorable landmarks including the Space shuttle, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Due to Hurricane Sandy, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are closed indefinetly so I thought this was probably the best way to see the beautiful green lady! The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from the people of France. She is a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chair lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States...a welcoming signal to immigrants arriving from abroad. After my cruise I headed to Grand Central station and had lunch at Juniors...a branch of a famous Brooklyn restaurant who is well known for their cheescake...and it was divine!!! I then ventured onto the Subway on my own...I know, I had been a little intimidated by it till now, but my feet just couldn't stand walking so far anymore. I got off at Spring St and found the Kardashian's store called 'DASH' for Jess and Hannah (my two little Kardashian fans)...there were signs on the door requesting that only genuine clients enter! I then caught the subway again up to Penn station to shop at the One Direction store (I have a niece who likes them...not for me) and to also have a look at Macy's. I was particularly interested in their Santa section and then found myself having my very own Santa photo taken...let's just say it's been a while! After all that shopping I went back to the hotel to drop off the bags and then onto the Lincoln Centre to see War Horse. I have read the book, seen the movie, so decided to see it on stage. I was a bit skeptical as to how they were going to pull this off and I didn't really like the movie...I think the ending of the story was a bit ordinary. The stage production of this is AMAZING! It is coming to Sydney in March and I will definitely be going to see it again. The way they work the pupets is outstanding! I was sitting in Row C, so close down the front, which made the action at times tower over me, which may have influenced the overall impact of some of the action. I can't stress enough how wonderful this production is so if you do get the chance...go and see it!