I am in a New York state of mind

Day 3 was the big “go see NY”-day! On our way down to Empire State Building we debated whether to walk or get on one of the double deckers/guided tours, and just a block away from ESB we were talked into a tour.
The tour ticket meant we did not have to line up for the entrance to the ESB, but there were tons of other lines in that building! Security line was one, and then to get to all the elevators, the line through the shop (clever people!), the line for photos, that we bought, of course, and the line to see the view on deck 86! It was a beautiful day, so we took plenty of photos.

On our way back down we had to stand in all the same lines again, but it was worth it – the view from up there on a sunny day was just fabulous!
We got on the bus and headed towards Ground Zero. On our way we passed Greenwich and Carrie Bradshaw´s house, and saw a whole bunch of cops and SC agents outside a famous restaurant that made us wonder what celebrity was there for lunch.

At GZ we walked past the construction site where the memorials will open in 2011, September 11th. There will also be a grand opening of the new WTC (only one) on the 11th of Sep 2014. It still was an emotional atmosphere there, and we were not allowed to take pictures of the site – I just had to take one, though.

The museum was also very interesting, but sad, and brought back the horrific pictures from the TV-screens that day.

After GZ we did the obligatory Starbucks visit and looked at the bridge to Brooklyn before we got on the bus again.
As we drove past the 9/11 site, the guide told us that the Church nearby was the only building that did not get a scratch, and that was the 3 time it had survived (the fire and 1776). Some of the other buildings in the area were damaged and it took years to fix them.

On our way to the Statue of Liberty we passed Wall Street. The corner of WS and Broadway is the oldest corner in NY, and we also saw the “good luck” bull they had moved to the harbor since they closed down the area after 9/11. If you touch it, you´re supposed to get lucky with money/stocks.
The line for the Statue ferry was even longer than the ESB lines, so we decided to skip it. We looked around, though, and got some nice pictures and a few minutes in the sun (in the park). We also looked at the 9/11 memorial and the eternal flame – burning so that the victims will never be forgotten.

We jumped on the bus again, and went past the harbor, the oldest police building in the country, and the bridges (the legendary Pepsi sign) and headed towards China town. It would not have been much of a town if the Chinese had not been allowed to bring their wives in the 60s. Then the town flourished.

We passed little Italy, and moved on to see the nice houses of the rich (McEnroe), the UN building, the Raul Wallenberg building and monument onto 5th Ave – with Sacks and then Waldorf Astoria where Obama stays when in NY.

Soon we were at our next stop – Rockefeller Center – were they still skated and the nearby Magnolia Bakery! We actually had to line up to get our cupcakes and the best double chocolate fudge brownie ever, but we got it and ate in the sun in front of R Plaza.

Next we visited the NBC-store and walked down to Macy´s for some shopping, before we headed back to 70 Ave at 38th W to have an hour to get ready for dinner.

At 8:15 pm we were ready for Brooklyn, the bridge and River Café.

Another taxi ride later we were there and ate a wonderful (and expensive) three course dinner in a restaurant with more waiters than people (although it was crowded)!

After dinner one of their cars took us back to the hotel – a smooth ride this time.

Good night!

Another day in (shopping) paradise!

Saturday morning we were all set to go after a quick continental breakfast. We headed towards the Grand Central thinking that was the place to go to catch the bus. The GC was unbelievably beautiful, but just the train station, so we decided to go back to the hotel to ask them if they knew where we would find the buses.

Ten minutes later we were heading for Port Authority, a few blocks down from Times Square. The bus left at 11:30, so we had plenty of time to kill before we were ready to go. Little did we know that the lines were extremely long more than 45 minutes before the buses left, but we got some papers, magazines and Pepsi and then went up to gate 310. Already we were far from the entrance, but I figured they had more than one bus – and luckily they did!

The ride there was absolutely memorable as the driver seemed to not know how to drive. The bumpy roads and the heat were quite interesting, too, but at least I was on my way to shopping heaven! My husband didn´t care much, I think.

Woodbury Common with its 220 shops was way too much to cover in one day! Even running and not eating much I did not cover more than less than hundred stores. Among them were Calvin Klein, Polo, Guess, Juicy Couture, Tommy Hilfiger and Converse. I am definitely going back another time. The thing is, I guess, to catch the 8:30 bus from NY, because in the afternoon, on a Saturday, the place was really full!


If possible, the ride back was even worse! That driver sure did not know how to use more than the breaks and there was no air condition in the bus! With 8 huge bags and tired legs, we decided to try TGIF for dinner – at TS. The restaurant had 5 floors, all crowded with people, but we only had to wait 10 minutes for a delicious American burger and the largest Pepsi they had (my request)!

After a day in shopping heaven we walked back to the hotel, turned on the TV and the computer and wedged out on the bed until we fell asleep.

I had a dream…

I have actually had this dream for many years – to visit New York, its humongous Times Square and of course some of the city´s other classical sights and stores! Today, however, I fulfilled one of them, standing in front of a million neon signs on Times Square on a Friday afternoon and night (I just had to come back after dark!) just sucking in the atmosphere, the sounds, the visions – summed up in one word, the heart of NY!

Let´s go back to 04:15 am on Friday the 19th of March.

I cannot really say that I got a lot of sleep the night before I was leaving for NY, so I got a bit emotional when the attendants at Torp told us the flight was delayed. With not so distant memories of a flight leaving just before my eyes in Glasgow on the 23rd of December, I was not that far from freaking out. Was someone going to ruin my flight to NY as well?

It all turned out for the best, though, because at Schiphol we were upgraded to first class, and that was SOME experience – all due to my husband´s long legs! Champagne as we entered the flight, a three course lunch with wine, drinks at all times, fabulous chairs that we could make into beds and access to tons of movies, music, games and so on. I was very happy with my novel and getting as much sleep as possible, but I must admit I had a glass or two of the sparking (and the not so sparkling) drinks!

After landing on Newark we had to go through the tiring, but none the less interesting customs where you now must scan ALL your fingers and have your photo, too!

The taxi ride from Newark to our hotel (situated very close to the Empire State Building in the theatre area) took about 45 minutes and took us through Soho and other interesting parts of the city. I was totally excited just to see the skyscrapers ahead, but I must say the 21 degree temperature and the sun shining from a clear blue sky wasn´t bad either.

After a quick shower and change of clothes we were ready – ready for the time of our lives! I am not very fond of not being able to find my way around a city on my own, so we grabbed our map and I led on, confident that this would be just a walk in the park.

15 minutes later we could see the first neon signs in the distance and very soon Times Square revealed itself in all its colors and all its majesty! This was even better than I had thought, and I recalled all the New Years Eves in front of the TV watching the crowd count down before a new year was a reality. I had had a dream, and now, finally, after 37 years, my dream had come true!

After TS we wandered up to Central Park (we passed Carnegie Hall on our way) to get a feel of nature in the city and it was really beautiful! I could only imagine how wonderful it would be later in the spring. Also I noticed all the kids playing, the teenagers playing football, the grown-ups running or cycling – What a fit crowd of citizens! We decided to walk for a little while, but then turned around and headed back for the Trump tower and the silver globe.

On our way back to TS we just had to stop at a MackieD to get a tiny fries! It was a clean and cool shack, but all the pictures of Ronald McDonald caught me by surprise. I guess it is true what Morgan Spurlock documented in “Super size me”, they really do their best to lure the kids in!

One fries later, we passed one of the fire stations in NY, and it was a very special atmosphere there, I could tell. Even nine years after 9/11 people came to sit by the golden signs put up in memory of all the firemen who had lost their lives rescuing others at the Twin Towers that day, and fresh roses were lying on the ground still. Also they had put up a beautiful quote next to it all:Having worked with Americans in Norway on the day that forever changed the world, I immediately got goose bumps and remembered my terrified friends Marjie and Kathy looking devastated as we watched the news on our computers in a staff meeting. Cindy, our secretary, came crying into our meeting saying “They have crashed in the twin towers! Two planes have crashed in the Twin Towers!” Little did I know how that particular moment would affect all of us, not just the Americans, but people all over the world…..

Back at TS we once again enjoyed this amazing spot and its people (It was Friday night and packed!) in the dark, before we wandered towards the Empire State Building. My husband drew attention to the fact that it was literally NO litter or garbage in the streets, and then I recognized it, too. This must be one of the cleanest big cities in the world!

Not far from the ESB, still on Broadway, I spotted Macy´s – my ultimate shopping mall in the states so far! I did resist the temptation of going in, though, because I was going to save that for the big shopping day Saturday.

We suddenly realized that we were starving and had no other option than Pizza Hut in the area. I got another “Super size me” flashback (“McDonalds, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut”) and a better understanding of why Americans tend to eat at these places a lot. I mean, they are everywhere and so easily accessible – no wonder people just walk in for a quick bite, like we did.

It was already 10 pm, and we headed back to the hotel. A few issues with finding our way this time, but we got there, eventually. We called it a night after having tasted the American chocolate which is not even close to our wonderful Norwegian Melkesjokolade, to get some sleep before the S and the S – Saturday and Shopping!