Welcome to my series of road-trips, this weeks memory is from when the hubster and I went to New York for five days.
FIVE DAYS! Surely a couple of country mice can survive the city for five days?
Not long after the hubster and I (still pre marriage and no kids) moved into our first home together, the hubster got a job working nights for weeks on end. This didn’t quite match my image of “playing house” and although I understood the need for work, I got the hump about it after several months. So feeling guilty he treated me to a surprise trip to New York.
Shock number #1 middle isle seats on the aeroplane, with no view out of the window, I’d always got a window seat when flying, I love looking down on the world. So there’s me getting the shock of my life when shortly after take off there is such a loud noise below me that it had me convinced the plane was falling apart. (Hands up who guessed I was sat over the retracting wheels?)
JFK was busy and we took a taxi to our hotel down a street off of Times Square. Our room was tiny and we had a disagreement over the price on check-in, apparently there was a little running event taking place that weekend and room rates were through the roof (ahem, we hadn’t noticed the signs about the New York Marathon!)
I’m sure loads of you readers have been to New York, but for those who haven’t, click on some of the links that might interest you. Looking back we tended to visit outside places, however we did go to Macy’s, Bloomingdales and FAO Schwarz for a bit of shopping. We took a boat trip around Manhattan, then bought tickets for the tourist hopper bus, just sitting on here doing the route round was a great experience. We went to Staten Island, the Empire State Building, the Twin Towers (yes it was way before 9/11), cycled around Central Park, bought discount tickets in Times Square to see Grease on stage and one afternoon took a pot luck ticket at a cinema and watched a film called “Stargate” which was to become one of our favourite TV sciFi shows a few years later.
With a city which never sleeps, and pounding our feet on concrete pavements, five days was enough. We nearly missed our flight home as roads were clogged with all the post marathon decamp from the city, good job our flight was delayed, home we came to the green, green countryside, peace and quiet – Phew!
Next week a honeymoon in Mauritius
Rosie Amber 
The country mice survived by the skin of their teeth! My friend Fiona Finnegan is running this year’s New York marathon. She is a veteran of several London Marathons. She is part of a team fundraising for Junior Diabetes Research Foundation. They’ve raised thousands already for research into the cruel twist of fate – type 1 diabetes. This has changed the lives of two young people I know. They come from healthy diabetes-free families and have been raised on (mostly) healthy food. If the onset of their illness had not been diagnosed swiftly they most likely would have died aged around ten. Imagine how that would feel as a parent. Dig deep, folks, for JDRF is doing great stuff.
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Thank you Karenne.
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Haha, yes, the wheels got me once or twice too.
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Busy, busy, mind you, it’s impossible not to in New York. I’m very intrigued about Mauritius. I’ve worked with people from Mauritius and even rented a room at a couple’s from Mauritius once. Lovely people and very good cooks too!
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Hi Rosie – oh yes … lots and lots to do in a city teeming with people, amongst other things … still you’re still together … so must have been fun! Cheers Hilary
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NYC was my home for 25 years. I miss cycling and walking in Central Park, watching the skaters at Rockefeller Center, going with friends to see the Christmas Displays at Lord & Taylor and Saks 5th Ave, and my West Side neighborhood so close to the Hudson River. Once you know your way around it’s gets less hectic. And there are still real neighborhoods in the city, with a sense of community I don’t find here in rural America where I live now. And the NYC bagels are great!
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Thank you, great to have home grown recommendations.
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