Claire and I recently returned from a holiday in New York - we were there for a week, Laura (Claire's sister) and her friend Dean were also there for the fist three days.
Instead of the usual multipage spiel, this time I thought I'd just list the highlights, which are as follows:
Happy Hours - most bars and clubs had happy hours that started at 4pm and went to 6 or 7, not very good for your average Manhattanite, but perfect for your average kiwi on holiday... $5 for a cosmo! That's less than a pint in London... bring it on!
Basketball at Madison Square Gardens - we went and saw the Knicks play the Heat at Madison Square Gardens. The Knicks lost (apparently that's nothing new, I overheard another person say they'd won 3 of their last 20 games), but we still had a great time. Madison Square Gardens is an amazing venue, and to be there for a playoff game was a real treat.
Table Service - Everywhere you go you get table service, doesn't matter if it's a diner, restaurant, bar, or club - you don't go to the counter, you take a seat (or wait to be shown one) and a waiter will come and take your order. Obviously this is so they can justify the whopping tips that everyone has to pay (20%), but it seemed very civilised, and quite different from trying to fight your way to the bar in London.
Friendly People - Everyone we came across was incredibly friendly and polite, this could of course be down to the previously mentioned compulsory 20% tipping policy in NY, but again was quite contrasting from stinky old London. I could never get in the last word; I'd like to think of myself as quite a polite person - and I say thankyou for everything - in NY my thankyous were ALWAYS greeted with a "you're welcome"... How nice.
Broadway Shows - everyone's heard of Broadway, and everyone's heard of broadways show. We get a lot of the same shows in London - but in Broadway the bigger shows ALWAYS have some big name off the TV starring to pull in the punters. We went and saw The Producers, by Mel Brooks - it had two guys out of Spin City as the main characters, was a great laugh and a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
The view from the Empire State Building- we went in just before dusk, queued for the tickets and lift for an hour, and by the time we finally got up there - it was dark. Still, the view was amazing (as you'll see from the photos), we ended up spending about an hour checking out that famous skyline from the top of the empire state.
Single Slice Pizza (pie) - you can buy this on pertty much every street corner, they con you by charging twice as much for fancy toppings, but a slice of tomato and cheese on the way home at night does it for me everytime....
Bagels - if single slice pizza was my meal of choice in the evenings, bagels were what I was eating in the mornings, lightly toasted with a schmeer (of cream cheese) - yum
Shopping - the shopping was so good!!!! The US$ is really weak against the pound at the minute, so £1 was getting us $2. I ended up spending not much, and getting heaps!!! We're talking £15 for jeans, £15 for shoes, £20 for a nice bag, £20 for a nice sweater - the list goes on and on,
The Architecture - New York is a city that exploded skywards in the last 100 or so years, visitors can't help but walk around staring upwards when they first arrive, I mean - I've seen skyscrapers before, but never ones that are 100+ storeys, and so many of them right next to each other - it really is a sight to behold. Also, there are some serious Art Deco influences in Manhattan, every second building seemed to have an elaborate art deco foyer, I can only imagine what the decor would be if you went further... truly amazing.
Anyway, that's it - but you don't have to take my word for it - here's some pictures of our trip:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drivebytourism/sets/201299/
And here's some basic videos (been reading the camera manual) for those that can be bothered - they're not so spectacular, so don't panic if you can't see 'em:
http://dmalpas.bulldoghome.com
Righto, that's your lot.
