And nothing much to say about the 5th of January except that it was lame.  Got up at 5:30am (four hours of sleep, huzzah!) and loaded everything into the car.  Bypassed Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (grossed Greg out by eating an egg product in his car) and drove to the airport fighting the stereo and my iTrip for sound quality.  Checked in, sat around for half an hour being mopey about having to leave, then said goodbye to Greg, sniffled, and got on a plane to LA, where I sat in the airport for SEVEN FREAKIN' HOURS.  Eventually lay on the floor and attempted to sleep.  Got on another plane, which was the last thing I wanted to do at that point, and flew home.  Bye bye, New York, bye bye, USA.  I shall return to see your sights in summer.  And go to Washington.  Damnit.   

Today was my last full day in New York, and after much consideration it was decided just to stay in the city for the day and not go to Washington as we'd been thinking about.  Too much effort, and not exactly fun for Greg who woud have had to drive for eight hours with the flu to sit on a bus and most likely sleep.  So while he went to pick up the rental car to take me to the airport the next day, I subwayed it right downtown and went to see the Statue of Liberty (after an ear-piercing disposeable camera buying experience in Port Authority - I love false alarms!)  

Well, technically I didn't get right out to the island, as I am cheap and had limited time I wasn't too keen on paying exhoritant amounts and waiting in a 3-hour line to actually go to Liberty Island.  So instead I hopped on the (free!) Staten Island ferry and just cruised on past her, which was fine by me.  


As close as I got, sadly.  But remember it's a
disposeable camera.


I've got pictures to prove I was there... 

Headed back uptown to wait for Greg, who met me once he'd safely stowed the car at his place, and we headed up a little further for one of the more fantastic experiences of the whole trip:  Top of the Rock!  We'd booked tickets for 4pm, which was perfect and well-planned as the sun sets about 4:30pm, so we got to see the city in daylight, at sunset, and at night.  Rockefeller Centre has three viewing levels (the top one is very exposed and cold, but has a fantastic view) and so we just milled around for the best part of two hours, taking photos and watching the Empire State Building with an ever-changing backdrop of sunset colours.  Fantastic.  We even managed to make out Greg's house waaaay over in New Jersey - well, he did.  I think I might have, kinda, almost.  













Eventually cold and hunger drove us down to ground level again and we began a ridiculous quest for pizza (as Greg put it, "We're in Hells Kitchen - how hard can it be to find cheese pizza?".  Although I believe the language he used may have been a little stronger).  Eventually we tracked some down and sat around eating and playing each others national versions of coin rugby (well, I don't know what sport his is supposed to be, but there are a lot less rules).   Considered and rejected the idea of going to Crumbs for one last cupcake, as my feet were uncooperative and we weren't sure it would even be open.  Remembered that I needed to buy candy products for people back home, so we bussed it back to New Jersey and utilised the rental car to go to Walmart and buy sugary things.  Greg was peckish again so we went to Taco Bell and got Fourthmeal (ugh, Fourthmeal, so lame), and then headed reluctantly back to his place to pack and lament the fact that I had to go home the next day!


Me and my favourite camera monkey.

Greg was still sick and on grandma duty today, so I again ventured out to resume my bus-tourage, after we killed some of the morning on the couch watching sports (when in Rome...).  Today was THE COLDEST DAY in the history of cold days, not entirely perfect for being on a glass-topped bus, but it was my only chance to see uptown, so I took it.  Went all the way around Central Park, into Harlem, and then back down 5th Ave, although I took no photos for some strange reason.  Possibly my fingers were too cold to be able to work the camera... oh, that's right.  My fingers were too fat  to work the camera, as I was wearing Greg's gloves over my gloves so my hands didn't drop off from frostbite.  Joy!

Tour complete, I raced across the road into a Starbucks to try and encourage blood to circulate around my body again.  Had a hot chocolate and a donut and a not entirely successful phone conversation, as it was noisy.  Decided to head back out to Greg's and decide what to do with the rest of the day from there.  In the end Greg and I headed back into the Times Square-ish area and went to Dave and Busters, which is a restauranty-type place with an arcade attached!  Much mockage was made of our waiter, and then gamey fun was had.  Greg managed to kick my ass at air hockey (several times) and skeeball, although I put up more of a fight shooting people in Time Crisis.  I also watched him computer-box (I have photos of this but I don't think I'm allowed to publish them) at which point my camera broke, which I was unhappy about.  Concluded the arcading with a car race (I came 33rd out of 40!  I am awesome!) and then headed over to Toys'R'Us, where we missed on getting a ride on the ferris wheel by about 30 seconds, boo.  

Yay for child-like entertainment!
 

So yesterday was New Years Eve and Erica and I took a trip up to Boston. The weather was not ideal and my left foot was causing me substantial amounts of pain (I have definitely done something to it that it doesn't like) so there wasn't much walking done. But we went on the Boston version of the Subway, and we perused the area around Newbury Street. Had lunch in a bookstore, looked at nerdy comic stuff, generally saw what sights there were to see.







We came home kinda early and still had a lot of time to kill before it was midnight, so we decided a movie would be the time-killing way to go, so we headed to the mall and saw "I Am Legend", which prompted lots of comments about zombie dogs. Cheery.

After the movie it was still only about 10pm, so food became a priority. We went out for cocktails and cheesecake, sadly my cheesecake defeated me, but I put up a valiant fight.





After this we went to a bar for a while where we found some obliging lads who bought us drinks and entertained us for a while until we got sick of talking to them. Watched the ball drop in Times Square on TV and was kind of glad I wasn't there, as it looked cooooold and extraordinarily chaotic. Had some free champagne and sent some texts, before deciding to call it a night and head home. Yay, 2008.

Today we did relatively little - slept in and went to the mall. Bought makeup. Oh, and I finally had a biscuit from KFC, and I can confirm that yes, they are pretty much scones.

Back to NYC tomorrow, if Greg ever calls me back to let me know what time he's getting back to the city. ::twiddles thumbs::

Well... the title pretty much said it, really.

Today Erica and I ventured out to Newport to look at the ridiculously large houses out there. As we are incapable of getting anywhere on time, we only had time to see one properly, Marble House, which was built by the Vanderbilts. Interestingly, this was only their summer house, and they only used it for three summers before moving on to greener pastures. Some people have far too much money.

We also had lunch at a little Italian place in Newport, where Erica had the largest calzone in the history of Italian food, and I had a sandwich that wasn't much smaller. Then we drove around the coast a little so I could add the Atlantic to my list of oceans I've seen, and then home. Boston tomorrow, weather and Erica's health permitting. There's supposed to be snow tonight!

Today Erica and I slept in, eventually dragging ourselves out of the house around two.  The main activity for the day was visiting a nice, eclectic art gallery/museum here in Providence.  They had all sorts of historic things, art, Roman sculpture, and jewellery in the shape of shrimp.  Oh, and a giant Buddha.


Erica looking studious amongst the art.


Giant Buddha.


I'll take six.

After we'd thoroughly exhausted our cultural capabilities we went and found food and did grocery shopping at the local organic food market.  Where they had this:


Biblical cereal!

Then it was home to chill in front of the TV - I watched my first American Football game, Patriots vs. Giants.  Patriots won by about 3 points, which the New Englanders were happy about and Greg will no doubt be lamenting from Arizona. 


Dusk over Providence.

And now I am in Providence at Erica's house!  It's coooold here and there is snow.  I think I may have mentioned. 

This morning we got up late and went down the road to a diner that looks like, and possibly used to be, a train car.  I had bacon and eggs and it was yummy.  I also got my photo taken as evidence that there is snow, and the photo shall be forthcoming.  Snow!


The Modern Diner


Snow!

Then Erica had to go to work, so I just chilled at her house for the afternoon as my footsies are extraordinarily sore from all the walking I've been doing around NYC.  Watched a loooot of "What Not to Wear".  Fascinating. 

Later on Erica came home and we drove out to her friend Ruthie's house to retrive a mattress, which we lashed securely to the roof of the car and drove on home.  After unloading we headed out to get dinner, which wound up being an extremely tasty chicken, spinach and cheese crepe, in my case.  Nummy.  Then we wandered in the cold a little, looking in shop windows, then home to the lovely warm fire, where we have been sitting for the remainder of the evening, watching the news from Pakistan, looking at old photos of ourselves online and drinking wine (in my case) and beer (in Erica's).   And now I can feel bedtime coming on, so I shall depart. 

Today I went the the Natural History Museum, yay!  I have wanted to go there for most of my life, as when I was a small child I was all about the dinosaurs, and the dinosaur skeletons in the Auckland Museum are decided substandard.  So Greg had to meet his grandma at the hospital, so I was on my own again, which meant - gasp! - public transport on my own.  Today was coooold so I bundled up and Greg put me on the bus, and I made my way first to the subway, then to the stop I needed, and then to the museum.  Yay for me, I'm so capable.  At the museum there were literally seven billion people in line, but I arrived at the right time and was diverted to a secret entrance and got to waltz straight in.  Nice.

So I made a beeline (as much as I could through the swarming masses and holiday crowds) for the dinosaurs on the top floor and had my nerdy fill of dinosaur skeletons.  After this I saw... pretty much everything else as well, spending a good three or four hours wandering (and eventually, limping) around until the place closed on me.  I love being a nerd. 


The American Museum of Natural History.

By this point it was dark, so I hopped back on the subway (I'm like a local now, look at me) and went down to 42nd Street.  Walked back past Times Square and hung out in Bryant Park watching the skaters and looking in all the little stally shops while waiting for my luggage to arrive (courtesy of Greg, who lugged my huge wheely bag all the way from New Jersey for me on the bus, just so I wouldn't have to lug it myself all day.  Legendary.  Seriously).  When he arrived we went straight down to Grand Central and got me on a train up to Stamford, where I was meeting Erica.  Greg headed home to get ready to fly to Arizona in the morning, and I chugged my way North (getting colder by the kilometre). 

Got to Stamford and sat around in the station for a while trying to avoid the lure of Dunkin' Donuts.  Erica turned up eventually after a parking battle, and we drove a few hours up to her place in Providence, Rhode Island.  The most exciting thing I saw on this trip?  Snow!  Yes, in Conneticut and Rhode Island there is snow.  Yay for snow!  Sure, much of it is clumpy and dirty and old, but this is not the point.  Snow is snow is snow.  Yay snow!

Ah, you might as well forget it.  I'm never gonna have time.  :P

Boxing Day was exciting as after two days on my own I was getting some company back, yay!  I checked out of the hostel and wandered down to Barnes and Noble to wait for Greg to get back from his various obligations.  Once he arrived, we perused the bookstore for a wee while (I managed to lose a glove, for which we had to go back, as gloves in NYC right now are kinda essential).  We headed off in search of food - a search which turned out to be quite short as Greg gleefully spied a Chipotle across the street.  As he'd been informing me for days I needed to eat at Chipotle, this seemed serendipitous, and tacos and Pibb were eaten.  And drunk. 

After food we went back to the hostel so I could put on more clothes and retrieve my bag (which Greg then carried for me for the entire rest of the day - solid effort as it was not exactly light).  We then headed further downtown and spent the next few hours wandering Greenwich Village, Chelsea, and any number of other areas that I was probably unaware I was in.  We hung out at the dog park in... I forget, but it was fun.  Lotsa little doggies running around and just generally being cute and amusing.  Lotsa lights and shops, lotsa time to kill... other highlights of the evening included another cupcake, this time with extremely tasty buttercream icing and flowers; my first subway journey; a trip to Baby Gap; pondering the arrival and subsequent disappearance of a large number of police people while we were eating pizza for dinner; and then a movie (Juno, it was good, go see it). 


Me and Greg in Union Square... although it doesn't look
entirely like him.


Cuppycake!

More public transport experiences on the way home by bus, and then, as usual, BED.  Yay!

I liked today, it was good. 

Christmas!  I'd love to be able to say that Christmas Day dawned bright and, well, early, but having the day to myself I saw no reason not to sleep in until I was good and ready.  Once I did eventually get up I headed up to Central Park as the weather was beautiful and I hadn't spent any time up there yet.  Good call, as half the rest of New York seemed to be up there, too - which is not a bad thing when you're spending Christmas in a foreign city by yourself.  I wandered around, sat on some rocks in the sun, listened to a man with a saxophone alternating constantly between "Frosty the Snowman" and "Silent Night", watched the skaters on the rink at the South end of the park, and generally people-watched for much of the day. 


Central Park on Christmas Day

Highlights:  having a hotdog from a street vendor for my Christmas lunch, as nothing else was open and they were out in force.  Admiring the vast variety of handbag doggie coats out and about on display.  Looking through the trees after forgetting where I was for a while and seeing, well, city, right there.  Getting a call from the gang in London, even if I was in a reception dead zone while I was talking to Jarrod, and the phone ran out of battery before I got to say hi to Deb. 


Mmm... hotdog for Christmas dinner.

In the afternoon it got cold and darkish and my feet were sore so I headed back to the hostel for a little post-lunch Christmas nap.  Read for a while, and then wandered out again and had some form of meaty sandwich from the diner around the corner and people-watched out the window for a while before going back to do fascinating things like check my email.  Sat on the stairs at the hostel and talked to Greg on the phone for a while, and then... bed!

I am now in New York, and today I wandered around by myself and saw lots of interesting things, about which I will post when I get back to Greg's and the internet is free.  Yay!

So today was Christmas Eve and aaaaall about the walking.  Greg had to drop off the car and then go do familyish stuff, so he dropped me into the city in the morning and  I was on my own with Manhattan at my feet.  Literally.  My poor, poor feet.  So basically, by the end of the day, if it was in Midtown, I'd seen it.  Possibly several times.

After dropping off my bags at the hostel (conveniently located next to the Museum of Sex, which no, I haven't visited yet) I wandered down to Barnes and Noble on 22nd and 6th (Greg had considerately drawn me a little map) to check out their touristy books and work out what I was gonna do with the next two days.  After perusing my options there for a while i headed up 5th Ave and then down 42nd Street.  On my way I passed Grand Central station and wandered in for a look (one of several things I did today just because I'd read about them in the Babysitters Club books).  Yay!


Empire State (and my thumb).


Grand Central Station

The next couple of hours I spent taking a tour of the United Nations (on Logan's recommendation) which was pretty interesting - the Security Council chamber is a lot smaller than I would have expected!  Our tour guide was a little Israeli man who did his best to cope with the tricky political questions thrown at him by the international crowd - poor guy is obviously not allowed to give political answers, so that made life a little difficult for him.  At the end of the tour I wandered in the gardens by the East River for a bit and for the first time was actually cold.  


Flags outside the United Nations.


Me by the East River, looking South.

I then wandered up First Ave to 59th Street (the one with the bridge and the song) and halfway along found Bloomingdales (Babysitters Club sight #2).  I went right to the top (nine floors) just because I could, and wished fervently when I got there that I was rich and could buy a whole lot of the ridiculously adorable designer baby clothes for Brya.  Sadly I am not a millionaire, so I left again.  I headed down to Central Park and sat by a pond for a little while and made some phone calls, taking the opportunity to rest my poor, poor feet.  By this time it was time to check into the hostel, so I headed back down there, checked in and had a niiiice little rest.


The view from the 9th floor of Bloomingdales.

In the evening I headed out in search of food and internet, and failed somewhat on both counts.  In the end the myriad culinary options defeated me and I headed to McDonalds and ate myself a Big Mac... but I enjoyed it and you can all just be quiet!  After dinner I decided it was high time I saw Times Square on foot, as until now I'd only driven through... and been slightly underwhelmed, to be honest!  So up I trudged, and was indeed suitably impressed when I got there.  Being Christmas Eve there were about a million people out and about, including a ginormous crowd outside Toys R Us (I battled through, but didn't go in as that would have been suicide). 




Greetings from Times Square!

After TImes Square I set off in search of Rockefeller Centre, which was the only big Midtown sight I hadn't yet seen.  Another seventy million people were in that vicinity, having a look at the skating rink and the giant tree.  Very Christmassy, what with the vendors roasting chestnuts and the many, many delighted and overexcited children.  By this point I was tired and sore and ready for bed, so back to the hostel I limped.  I was woken about half an hour after I lay down by an extremely loud woman from Florida complaining that I was in her bed and that she needed to be on the bottom bunk because she goes to the toilet a million times a night... whatever.  But I'm accomodating, so I moved, wrapped myself in about six blankets, and slept.  Sweet, sweet sleep. 




Rockefeller Centre on Christmas Eve.

The weather today was again not fantastic, but luckily we had a car!  So that would not defeat us.  Greg had stuff to do in the morning that involved loading the car to the roof with boxes, leaving no room for me.  This was fine with me, as having been up until about 4am the night before I was quite content to stay at his place and sleep for the morning. 

In the afternoon we took a drive over to Queens, where Greg grew up, and he took me for my first real New York pizza at his favourite pizza place, which was tasty central.  Photos will be forthcoming when I can get them off my camera.  Next we popped next door and perused the candy, which excited me, and I got some Yoo Hoo and some form of chocolate which came highly recommended (and with good reason, mmm, chocolate...).  After food, Greg took me on a driving tour of the highlights of Li'l Greggie's life growing up, mostly schools, previous residences and the residences of previous girlfriends.  Hehe. 


Pizza in Queens.  Mmm.

Looking for entertainment with ample parking, we popped into Toys R Us (at this point it was about 4:30pm and dark, odd...).  I was especially excited by the selection of Pound Puppies, and we amused ourselves for a while reenacting movie scenes with plastic animals.  Wandered around Macy's for a while (I tried on an attractive hat) before heading back into the city. 

After driving around the block several times looking for a park, we finally made it to Crumbs (I'm getting to know Crumbs quite well) where we ate ridiculously delicious cupcakes (and apple juice that came in one of the cuter bottles I've ever seen).   I had no idea that cupcakes were a New York thing, but apparently they are, I'm seeing a lot of them!  And not complaining.


Cuppycake!  And cute juice.


The view from Crumbs, and Greg and I reflected in it!

After eating as much of my cupcake as I could manage (the whole day seemed to be about food, mmm, food...) I believe we may have driven around some more, I lose track.  But eventually we gave up (driving in the city does not equal easy and Greg had had a minimum of sleep) so we went home and did fascinating things like laundry (never used a laundry room before!).  Watched about a quarter of "Batman Begins" before my brain ceased to function and sleep became a necessity. 

So today was a loooong day.  Woke up in the morning as Heather was leaving to go to work, and then went to Waffle House with Jeremy when he got back from dropping Heather off.  After that there was limited time, so we went back home and I packed up, and we swung by Heather's work a bit later to pick her up so she could come to the airport and see me off.  On the way to the airport we stopped by the pound as Heather and Jeremy are in the market for a puppy.  I don't think I've ever been to the pound before (or the SPCA, as it is at home) and it was fun, but sad.  I wanted to adopt every single dog, especially the old ones that no one's gonna want.  Aw.  There was a little dirty once-white teeny dog in with a whole bunch of big, barky dogs, and I felt sorry for it.


Heather and Jeremy first thing in the morning.


Back in Waffle House for the last time.

Anyway, then it was off to the airport in the rapidly deteriorating weather, where upon arrival we discovered the my flight into Washington was delayed.  This caused me a minor panic for a while until we got to talk to an actual person who assured me that my flight OUT of Washington was also delayed, so that was fine.  Anyway, eventually I got on the plane, and snoozed my way up to DC.

Once in Washington, we began to realise that we were on possibly THE most delayed flight in the history of delayed flights.  I made friends with a couple of guys who were sitting near me, and we entertained ourselves as best we could, placing bets on the next time our flight would be delayed to and comparing words in Kiwi and American English.  I was also starving, as nothing is open in Dulles airport at  midnight.  Sigh. 

Eventually our plane arrived and after we'd cheered the cabin crew aboard we flew the remaining hour or so up to New York.  I didn't get to see anything impressive on the way in as I was on the wrong side of the plane (and it was cloudy and dark).  At this point I'd made about six calls to Greg as he wanted constant updates on every delay, so I was pretty sure he was gonna turn up, which was good!  We hopped into the swanky button-operated rental car and he took me on a little tour of the city, well, midtown, anyway, which was fun.  Saw lots of fun things for the first time - Times Square, the Empire State Building, the side of Central Park because it was too late to drive through.  Then back to Greg's place to bed, sweet, sweet bed, as it was late and we were both very, very tired.  Oh, the bliss of sleeping in a real bed!

Forgive me, I'm in holiday mode now and the days are starting to morph into one.  Anyway, recently there has been a lot of food!  We've gone out for Chinese (much the same as going out for Chinese at home, as Chinese is Chinese... and always yummy) and Mexican, which defeated me, but I ate all the chicken!  At the Chinese place I had a fortune cookie: 



...which I managed to throw halfway across the room while trying to get it out of the packaging.  This incident was so amusing that I have no recollection of what my fortune actually was. 

Yesterday Heather (very convincingly) called in sick from work with a migraine.  Unfortunately, she was so convincing that by mid-afternoon she'd actually given herself one, but before that we spent a good few satisfying hours at a freakishly big mall.  Well, it may not have been, but my complete and utter sense of disorientation led me to believe it was freakishly big, so I'm happy with that.  Bought some makeup and a bra from Victoria's Secret, as I am, apparently, a girl.   In the mall I was once again beaten by food, finding myself incapable of finishing my cheesecake.  Oh, the shame. 

We also played with these: 


They even make the noise!

 Last night we took a drive round the corner to the house that Heather and Jeremy have just built.  Half the lights don't work, so it was a fright-night kind of experience, wandering around by the light of Heather's tiny torch (sorry - flashlight).  Creeeepy.  Anyway, speaking of things that are freakishly huge, the house most definitely is, it has five bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and a pool.  A POOL.  It's enough to make anyone who is relatively sure they will never have the means to enter the housing market in Auckland sick.  Sick, I tell you!

And here is a photo that I took in the park this evening while talking on the phone to people in New York (have I mentioned I'm going there tomorrow?  Eee!).   Basically just because it's pretty.



Oh, and people who live in Texas are very proud of it: 



Indeed.

Tonight is dinner and Christmas lights, so yay for that!

So yesterday Heather had to work, and as such I was left to my own devices.  Obviously, because of that I decided not to get out of bed until 2pm.  This means that I have not had to do any timezone adjustments at all as 2pm here is 9am at home.  This is fantastic.  

When I did get up, I set out in search of food.  As there are about sixteen McDonalds within a 1km radius of... well, anywhere in Dallas, I decided to set off in search of one, and lo, a McDonalds was found.  Pretty much the same as at home, really.  Maybe a  little greyer in the beef department, but hey, you're not gonna beat NZ on the beef front.  Coke was sweeter, but that wasn't a negative.

After a leisurely lunch in the sun (17C, people - it's like NZ in summer!) I wandered down to the park down the road, which if I recall correctly is charmingly named "Cottonwood Park".  Anyway, it was tres pretty, and I sat in the sun and watched the ducks on the little lake, and the Mexican families with their small children who all look like Dora the Explorer feeding said ducks.  And geese.  And some other, unidentifiible birds.  I also saw some squirrels, which is always exciting, although not  as exciting as when I saw them for the first time in London.  






Yay, pretty park!  And of course, me in it. 

Later on, after Heather and Jeremy got home and we were starving, we headed out to Waffle House for dinner, as Heather has been wanting to take me to Waffle House since time immemorial.  And it was really quite brilliant and yum, if I do say so myself.  My cheese toastie (sorry, "grilled cheese") had that orange american cheese you always hear about, and my waffle was quite delicious.  If we go back, I'll get a blueberry one, as they looked great.  

We also had a most charming and amusing waiter who knows Heather and Jeremy quite well, so the banter was fun.  Oh, and there are original Waffle House songs on the jukebox.  I wish I could remember some of them, as they were amusing.  Yet sadly I cannot.  


Waffle House!

After that we went to visit friends and Heather and Jeremy's dog, Moxie, who is staying with said friends.  She is a husky, and she is retardedly adorable.  Hung out there for a while looking at bass guitars and guns (this IS Texas), then made our way home via late-night trip to Walmart to get me a phone.  Walmart is large... not HUGELY larger that a Warehouse Extra, but larger all the same.  Ooh, I also went to a 7-11 and got Minute Maid apple juice.  So many brands!  Today I may hit up KFC just so I can get a biscuit.  And no fries.  Hrmph.


Walmart!

Other things I saw for the first time yesterday included yellow school busses.  About this I was VERY excited, and I want to go for a ride on one!