New York

15th Dec 2007

Well, arrived New York just 1/2 hour late, got taxi to hotel and arrived about 2am. After witnessing our first high speed elevator, the room was as we imagined it would be... and more! Absolutely tiny but well specked.... Bose sound system and LCD TV (pity we could only view American Trash). Went out for a short walk to appreciate the City that never sleeps, had a beer and hit the sack. Up next morning for a fantastic New York Breakfast at the hotel, and then onto our Tour (New York Party Tour). It started in theatre district and I´m sure our guide, Luke was a failed or struggling actor making a buck out of being a "professional guide". He was a born and bred New Yorker, fantastically enthusiastic about his home town, and gave us a day to remember. We saw everything in 51/2 hours, including ferry trip to see Statue of Liberty. Just enough stops to break up sitting on a bus all day. Ended pretty much at Ground Zero, we just went into the church, and ignored the building site that was once the Twin Towers. What struck us both throughout the day was that although you may not agree with US Politics, you can´t help but admire their National Pride.... everybody wanted to tell us about "their" city.

Ended the day with a somewhat hurried trip to the "Top of the Rock" (Rockerfeller Centre) for fantastic dusk/sunset views of New York, was particularly spectacular seeing the Empire State Building from another high building.

Off to the airport for a very long wait... had dinner and then were told our flight delayed by 13 hours. Given voucher for a hotel... train one stop, crammed onto shuttle bus (all credit to the driver who refused to leave anybody standing waiting in the freezing cold) and joined the end of a very long and slow queue at the Ramada Plaza. Some people from a different airlines cancelled flight were told that there was no room for them and they needed to go to another hotel.... we were told there was enough room for all American Airlines passengers. 1.5 hours later I was woken up from my slumber in the hotel foyer sofa to hear the manager saying there were no more rooms and all remaining passengers needed to go back in the cold to the terminal. Then Patrick (the gentleman who had queued while I slept) arrived with a room key saying we´d got the last but one room. I felt so bad for all the familes left..... but was very glad of a bed for the night (despite half the electrics in the room being broken).

16th Dec 2007

Woke in the morning to snow and Patrick studying the American Gritters (ANORAK!!). Went into the airport half expecting to have the flight cancelled again due to the snow storms hitting the US. After much confusion, and no American Airlines staff to be seen, our departure gate came on the screen at the other end of the building to what we had been told. Went for a walk to look and found some of the Air Crew looking equally lost. Took the approach that as long as we stayed with them we could not go far wrong. Got on flight to find some passengers hadn´t come back so waited a further 1.5 hours to get their bags off. One very long and cramped flight later, we arrived BA at 3am on the 17th.... only 16 hours late!. Baggage soaked but otherwise in tact.

Will try to post pictures later