Final New York Night

Sunday 17th May 2009 (continued):

Energy restored after a few beverages in our room (how unusual), we made a mercy dash to Saks Fifth Avenue to see if they had the DKNY shirt I (Brad) wanted....they didn't.....bastards!

Returning disappointed to Times Square we trawled through several of the tacky souvenir shops to purchase gifts for our nearest and dearest.

Back to the hotel and we said our farewells to Abby and commenced packing, a task easier said than done. A quick check of the Virgin America website revealed we could check in up to 9 bags at 70 lbs (32 kg) each so we stopped worrying.

Feeling peckish we grabbed a quick and nasty slice of pizza (and a drink) from Sbarro's before a quick lap around Times Square for the last time (this trip) including climbing the new stairs above the TKTS booth for a great view of the Crossroads of the World.

Manhattan Square Dance

Sunday 17th May 2009:
Gather round y'all! Grab your partner's hand for the Manhattan Sqaure Dance!

Step right on to the subway at 5oth Street Rockefeller Center, wait for the B train (that never comes).
Skip onto the D train, hop off at Columbus Circle.

Do-si-do 30 blocks up Central Park West to 81st Street. Spin through the American Museum of Natural History and say howdy to your dinosaur fossils friends.


Moonwalk across Central Park to the Guggenheim Museum but skip it as that line's too long.



Bunny hop back onto the subway to 33rd and head to Macy's. Nothing to buy here so dive back into the subway and take the W train to Union Square and the L train to Eighth Avenue.

Lunch at Flight 151 (love the airline announcements in the toilets), shop at Rainbows and Triangles.

Dive onto the subway to 50th Street and shimmy over to 47 Street to buy something else from Wear Me Out.

Return to Times Square and bow to your partner, you're home, now rest.

[Blogged @ 36,303 feet and 523 mph]

Coney Island - Really Fun, Really Open (Really Not!)

Saturday 16 May 2009:

Today we headed back to Brooklyn to visit Coney Island and to catch up with Mel's sister Abby, who had come across from London to see her favourite sister.

Coney Island was once a major resort and site of amusement parks that reached its peak in the early 20th century. It declined in popularity after World War II and has endured years of neglect with constantly changing plans for redevelopment.

We had seen many advertisements around New York promoting the Festival by the Sea so we thought we'd go check it out. An hour on the subway later and we were delivered to a foggy, freezing and deserted Coney Island. Lacking the appropriate dress for such conditions, we hurried to the nearest (and only open) souvenir store to purchase a stylist hoodie each.

With Abby arriving soon after, we strolled along the boardwalk that lines the beach past the skeletons of the amusement rides including the famous Wonder Wheel and The Cyclone. As nothing was open (they opened at 12pm, when we left), we decided to try the also famous Nathan's hot dog. Mel had the cheese dog, Ben the Bacon Cheese Dog, Brad the Chilli Cheese Dog while Abby opted for the Cheese Fries. We all agreed that the hot dogs were very good but weren't so sure about the liquid cheese they love over here.

Having had enough of Coney Island for this trip, we returned to Manhattan on the subway (another hour) getting off to explore Greenwich Village, (drink) home to New York University, before continuing on to Chelsea. Chelsea is home to a large gay population (there's even a Gay Street) and we walked along Christopher Street, past the historic Stonewall Inn, coming across a local market that stretched for several blocks.

Purchasing a few trinkets, we stopped for a drink at The Hanger before turning north up Eighth Avenue. Chelsea has many great stores and we couldn't resist making a few more purchases before catching the subway back to Times Square and the hotel.

Taking a short rest, we returned to Chelsea for dinner at Vynl (see previous blog) and a few drinks at Baracuda, a bar that features drag shows, but not on Saturday night. It seemed they played more Australian music (Kylie, Sneaky Sound System, The Veronicas, Kylie) than any other.

[Blogged @ 34,293 feet and 524 mph]

To Brooklyn and Back

Friday 15 May 2009:

An early start (for some) to drop some laundry off at a wash and fold service (we want to look our best for you) then downtown to the Empire State Building to experience the magnificant views during the daylight hours and to beat the crowds. Fail on both counts!

A very hazy day greeted us with visibility at only 5 miles (8 km). There was a bit of a line to purchase tickets, line for obligatory cheesy photo, line to board first elevator, line to board second elevator, wait for people to get out of the way so you can take photos etc. I think we waited in line longer than we were at the top.

That off our list we jumped back on the subway downtown to join a bus tour to Brooklyn, one of the 5 boroughs that make up New York City. Brooklyn is mainly a residential area with 2.5 million residents. If it were a separate city, it would be the 4th largest in the United States.

Crossing the East River via the Manhattan Bridge, the bus made a stop for great views back to the Financial District of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. Continuing on throught Brooklyn Heights we circled through Prospect Park, designed by the same people who created Central Park, past the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum before heading back over the Manhattan Bridge and the end of the tour.

Our growling tummies reminded us that we hadn't eaten (except for that hot dog) so we walked over to Chinatown for lunch (yum!). Leaving Chinatown we explored vibrant Little Italy (too full to eat anything) before catching the subway uptown to our hotel to freshen up.

Back on the subway to Union Square for tonight's show, Fuerza Bruta (not a broadway musical - I hope you were sitting down!). Think Cirque du Soleil on acid and you'll be close. There were people running over the walls, swimming pools suspended from the ceiling, bright lights, pounding music, wind machines...Google it and watch the vidoes on their site. A great piece of theatre that we highly recommend you see if you get the chance.

A couple of nightcaps at a local bar (suprise!!) before heading back to the hotel to rest our weary bones after a big day.

[Blogged @ 34,266 feet and 519 mph]

Arts and Crafts

Thursday 14 May 2009:

Grey skies greeted us this morning but we had a plan, head indoors to the Museum of Modern Art or MoMA.

Grabbing our audio tour headsets we headed straight to the 5th floor and the modern art galleries. MoMA has one of the world's most comprehensive collections with works by Picasso, Van Gogh and Andy Warhol (except for Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' that wasn't on show - sorry Mel!). We spent several hours exploring the galleries including scupture, photography and architecture (I still can't see the plane in that picture!!).

Having our fill of culture, we head across town to the Hudson River and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Home to the World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid....hang on.....CONCORDE!! On loan from British Airways, the museum features one of the luxury supersonic aircraft (G-BOAD). Visitors can take a walk through the somewhat cramped cabin, although you can't sit in the seats.

Concorde could fly at a speed of 2,150 kph (1,350 mph) at a height of 18,181 m (60,000 feet), high enough to see the curviture of the earth. This particular aircraft set the record for the fastest flight between London and New York at 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds, less than half the time of a normal passenger jet.

Back to the Intrepid, commissioned in 1943, this World War II aircraft carrier also participated in the space race (capsule retrieval), the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Featured on several decks are 30 military aircraft from around the world.

Back to Times Square and our hotel to freshen up for our next broadway show, Shrek the Musical. The musical closely follows the animated film and is features clever staging and songs (including a particularly hilarious Wicked reference).

After the show we felt like a nightcap (have we had an alcohol free day yet, I can't remember) so we headed to couple of bars (Bamboo 52 and Vlada) in Hell's Kitchen before calling it a night.

Witches and Fish Women

Wednesday 13 May 2009:

Not one but two Broadway shows on our itinerary today, but first, food. Not wanting to stray too far from the Theatre District, we stumbled upon Ruby Foo's, a yummy pan-asian restaurant that's apparently part of a chain.

Hunger satisfied, it was show time. First up, Wicked, a musical I'm sure that's very familiar to our blog followers (if it isn't, shame on you!). This was the seventh time for Ben and Brad and the third for Mel, who has the distinction of having seen it on three continents (show off!!). Once again, a great experience that entertains everytime.

With time to kill before the next show so we thought we'd stay in Times Sqaure, have a couple of drinks at a local Bar (Charlie O's) then check out M&M World, or as we like to call it "Take Out a Second Mortgage to Buy Overpriced Chocolate World". You have been warned!!

Feeling suitably ripped off it was time for our second broadway musical of the day, The Little Mermaid. Based on the 1989 animated Disney film, this is a cute musical with great sets and costumes but is mainly for the kids. We did enjoy sipping beer and sparkling wine from our Little Mermaid sippy cups though.

Sititing a few rows behind us was actor Anthony Edwards and his family. He is best known for playing 'Goose' in Top Gun and 'Dr Mark Green' (the one who died of brain cancer) in ER. That's celebrity spotting #3!

Downtown Bound

Tuesday 12 May 2009:

It's been more than 24 hours since our last shopping experience, so this morning we headed over Upper East Side for Bloomingdale's flagship store at Lexington and 59th Street. Not being used to the later opening time of 10am, we arrived early (also thanks to the convenience and regularity of the great underground subway system). Wandering the streets we came across a cute little "organic only" cafe and enjoyed coffee, hot chocolate (both served in bowls) and morning tea.

Our NY Explorer Pass entitled us to 15% off if we visited the Visitor Center on arrival (21000 sq ft designed to make you feel at home.... apparently...), which we dutifully did. Disappointingly it was hardly needed as apart from the ridiculously priced merchandise, the selection of menswear was limited as there was ongoing renovation (we seem to encounter that a lot on our travels). We did however both find a new pair of Ray Ban sunglasses each. Diesel store would be next for a second perusal of this great store in this location (seemed to stock a different range to the Fifth Avenue store). More successful purchases were made.

Time for something we didn't do last time - Staten Island Ferry. This is a Ferry Service linking Staten Island with Manhattan Island since 1817. Previously pricing from 5c to 50c per passenger and up to $3 for a vehicle, it is now a FREE service running at least every half hour, more frequently in peak hour, only for walking passengers. We found mostly tourists on our trip as the ferry gives a great view of Statue of Liberty and Downtown New York (Lower Manhattan). One hour for a round trip (ensuring you disembark and re-board at Staten Island).

Following this we explored the South Street Seaport district. Here we hound somewhere for lunch (choice being difficult as there are many great looking cafes and restaurants in this area). We settled on the Heartland Brewery and BBQ - tried some of the locally brewed lagers... not that great... Oh, there's an Abercrombie & Fitch Store here so we both swiped the plastic again.

Pounding the pavement some more we walked down the famous Wall Street and passed the New York Stock Exchange (can I ring the bell please??). Then past the World Trade Center site - further construction noted since our last visit - but not a great deal considering it's been 18 months. They still haven't decided on the final design for whatever it is they are building!

Across the road is Century 21... think of a whole lot of really really expensive s#it crammed into several levels of shopping all reduced by 25-75% making it still really expensive s#it!! There are a few decent clothes among it all, if you take the time to trawl through all the schizophrenic disorganisation! Apparently good for handbags, hey Mel!!

Time to retire to our room for a quick freshen up before heading out for Broadway Musical one for this trip - 9 to 5. Based on the 1980s movie starring Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jan Fonda, the music and lyrics were written by Dolly herself. Brad and I had the fortune of seeing the pre-broadway production in LA last year and this performance was more polished and refined.

From Top of the Rock to Top of New York

Monday 11 May 2009:
This morning we headed over to the Rockefeller Center, a complex of 19 commercial buildings, the largest privately owned complex in the world. Constructed by financier John D. Rockefeller in the 1930’s, the original 14 elegant art deco buildings have been joined by 5 newer not so elegant buildings. This ‘city within a city’ was the first commercial project to integrate gardens, dining and shopping with office space. Our target today is Top of the Rock, an observation deck spread over the 67-70th floors of the GE Building. From here there are great 360-degree views of Manhattan, especially uptown over Central Park and downtown to the Empire State Building.

As we were starting to lose feeling in our extremities from the cold and windy conditions on the 70th floor, we descended to street level to further explore the Rockefeller Center checking out the Sunken Garden, an outdoor restaurant during the summer and an ice-skating rink in winter surrounded by flags representing members of the United Nation and past the home of the NBC Today Show (hello Mum!!).

That done we headed over to the NY City Center to try our luck in scoring some tickets to ‘A Gala Evening with Kristin Chenoweth’. To the uneducated, Kristin Chenoweth is an amazingly talented actress/singer who has appeared on stage, television and screen. She is probably best known (to us at least) for originating the role of Glinda in the musical Wicked.

The only tickets left were $25 partial view seats in the nosebleed section or, Sponsor tickets for a little bit more…..well a lot more…..but less than $300.01 (US dollars). Being sensible, we chose the Sponsor tickets. It was soon revealed that these tickets entitled us to attend the Pre-Show Reception (gotta love free drinks!). Luckily we had packed our good underwear!

Tickets in hand we made our way to Columbus Circle, one of the few circular roads in Manhattan, and jumped on the subway uptown to West 72nd Street. Located here across from Central Park is the Dakota Apartments, famous for being the home of John Lennon and unfortunately the site of his assassination. It was also featured in the Roman Polanski film ‘Rosemary’s Baby’.

Crossing Eight Avenue we entered Central Park exploring Strawberry Fields, dedicated Lennon, and The Lake before continuing south down The Mall. Central Park was incredibly green and lush with many of the flowers in full bloom for spring.

Returning to our hotel to freshen up, we returned to the NY City Center and after almost being denied entry, we were soon mixing it with New York’s finest. I don’t think we stuck out too much and were in no way the most casually dressed (that’s for you lady in the flip-flops!).

After an hour of sipping Chardonnay with socialites, it was time to take our seats. Just before the show, in walks HUGH JACKMAN, and his lovely wife Deborra-Lee Furness. They were seated 4 seats away from us….well, 2 rows forward and 4 seats across.

Back to the show, two words Kimmy….amazing!! Kristin Chenoweth is an incredible talent, beautiful, funny and boy can she sing! We were so glad we stumbled upon this show and had the opportunity to see it. Totally worth the ticket price.

Leaving the theatre, we accidently on purpose bumped in to HUGH JACKMAN and Deborra-Lee and said a quick hello to our fellow Aussies. A great way to cap off an amazing day in New York.

Kooza and Beyond

Sunday 10 May 2009:

Ah the morning after the night before! It took us a little longer to get going this morning but we soon were on our way uptown to to see the Cirque du Soleil production Kooza. A subway ride to 125th Street in Harlem followed by a short bus ride to Randall Island delivered us to the Grand Chapiteau.

The show combines two circus traditions, acrobatic performance and the art of clowning and was to Cirque du Soleil’s usual high standards. Our highlights being the Hire Wire (and it's near mishap) and the aptly named Wheel of Death.

After the show, we decided to catch a water taxi (a small ferry really) back downtown to 35th Street. The trip gave us great views of Manhattan including the United Nations Complex (below) and the iconic Chrysler Building and Empire State Building.

Heading across town we ventured into the massive Macy's store on 34th Street. Proclaimed the world's largest department store (we believe them), we managed to spend a few hours and quite a few more dollars here. Macy's kindly gives visitors a discount card that saves 11% on most items, it helps to lessen the pain.
Purchases in hand, we headed back to the hotel. Unfortunately not everything was in hand and a return visit to Macy's was necessary but successful (please ask Ben for details!).

As we were out and about, we jumped back on the subway and headed downtown for a yummy alfresco dinner on Union Square.

We Came, We Saw, We Shopped

Saturday 9 May 2009:
After a good night's sleep we headed for Fifth Avenue, home to all the big name stores for some serious credit card damage. First stop, the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store. This huge high end department store is over 8 floors, the shoe store on the 8th floor has it's own postcode! (10022-SHOE). Danielle, you'd cry (or pee your pants.....both probably!) if you saw the shoes here!!

We managed to find a few t-shirts (some even on sale) within our budget before exploring the 3 floors of the Diesel store. A few more purchases here (would have been more if they'd had my shoe size!) and we continued along Fifth Avenue towards Central Park.

Next stop, Tiffany & Co where Ben and I (Brad!) bought matching rings (everyone say Awwww!!).

After somehow managing to spend $50 at the Disney Store (don't ask!), it was time for a refreshment. Trump Tower conveniently appeared before us and inside we found the Trump Bar (of course!). As our motto is "1 at 11 or 11 at 1", we had a beverage, well two, before hitting the next store.

Our quest next took us to FAO Schwarz, an amazing toy store and our perennial favourite Abercrombie & Fitch. Unfortunately the shirtless buff male model at the door was not for sale so we decided jump on the subway and head downtown to Chelsea, one of New York's gayer areas, for drinks and dinner. After dragging Mel around Chelsea, down into the West Village and back into Chelsea trying to remember where all the good places were (sorry Mel!), we stumbled upon a great restaurant/bar named Elmo. A good crowd, pumping dance music and great food were the highlights here. Armed with directions from our helpful waitress, our a next discovery was Vynl, a cafe/bar with great atmosphere, great food (well it looks great) and a live DJ who knows who Kylie Minogue is and isn't afraid to play her songs!

Vynl's bathroom is a shrine to Justin Timberlake featuring a floor to ceiling JT mosaic, a JT worship box and JT music playing through speakers. Unfortunately there is no JT target in the toilet bowl.

After many hours and many more drinks at Vynl, it was time for some new scenery and we made a quick stop at another cafe/bar Ate Ave before catching a (really cheap) cab back to the hotel. Somehow it was 2.30am (!). Feeling peckish, we devoured Oreos and caramel corn before retiring for the night after a great day in New York. Can we stay please!