New York - Day 4

Three days of non-stop shopping and eating had taken it's toll. It was time to see some of New York's highlights - you know, the real reason why we were there.

Giant Christmas decorations in a fountain near Rockefeller.

We decided to go to the observatory on top of the Rockefeller Centre to see the views of Manhattan and the other boroughs. Lucky for us, it was a very clear, sunny, albeit cold day and the views were flawless - well except for the glare.

Central Park, me looking through the binoculars, the Empire State Building and Smee's turn at the binoculars.

Smee doing his best NYPD impersonation. Shortly after, he was hauled away in the back of a cop car for impersonating a police officer. I spent the rest of the day alone.

We were getting a bit peckish, so lunch was next on our list and headed towards the subway.

Yep, we needed to go Downtown.

A hint for future NYC travellers - learn a bit about the geography of New York and the subway system. Although it is obvious after the fact, it will help if you understand where Downtown, Uptown and relate them to the streets.

The subway leaves a lot to be desired. This is where London trumps New York. The tube is modern when compared to NYC subway. The lack of signage, intuitive maps and staff make it very difficult for non-locals to get around. You need to ignore the colour of the lines on the map and pay attention to the letter or number. I would not have had a clue otherwise! While the trains are reliable and more roomy, it wouldn't hurt the city to make the subway a bit more aesthetically pleasing. I'm not being fussy!! It really would benefit with a general makeover. Finding a subway entrance was almost like a "Where's Wally" game at times and sometimes there are different entrances for Uptown and Downtown. The good thing is that it runs 24 hours. That rocks.

Lunch was at Tomoe Sushi, a little eatery in Greenwich Village. You'd think we'd be sick of Japanese food but au contraire I couldn't get enough. New York just highlighted how difficult it was to get decent sushi in London. As the wise Britney Spears says 'Gimme gimme!'

While recent reviews have been less than favourable, it was definitely better than any other place I've been to in London. Would I return? Yeah, if I lived in the neighbourhood, although reviews seem to indicate that there is better out there.

Our fried oyster, sashimi platter, sea urchin and sushi platter.... mmmmm

Within walking distance, in the next neighbourhood is the famed stoop to Carrie Bradshaw's apartment.

It took me ages to pinpoint the exact location (maybe my Googling skills aren't up to scratch) but for those who want to visit, the address is 66 Perry St, West Village. We ran into another couple who were also searching for the same address. An acknowledging look and rolling of eyes were exchanged between the two male parties. The Magnolia Bakery is nearby but I opted not to go there given that I wasn't going to eat the cupcake.

Next we made our way to the former World Trade Centre site. I had forgotten that I'd actually been up to the observatory back in in 1999. The NYC skyline is definitely less distinctive without these two buildings in place.

The WTC memorial plaque, where the Twin towers once stood and Ground Zero.

Believe it or not, we were a bit peckish afterwards and stopped by the Maccas nearby to our hotel. I didn't know that Third Pounder burgers existed and even more oddly they didn't have that 'healthy' menu that I've come to expect. Anyway the burger looks gross and I don't deny that it was unhealthy but it did taste good!

Third Pounder burger with swiss cheese and mushrooms.


A shot of the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. I had to go there to do some mandatory Ipod buying.