NYC

It is sporadically warm and sunny. On a day like today I reminis aboout the Taipei dys. When this happens there's a beautiful smell in the air and smells bring back memories more than anything else (bar photos). This is what it was like in Taiwan winter when the temperature would jump 15 degrees from one day to the next.

Since last post we have been to Thailand and Malaysia (to round up our Asia trip), and wait for it....NEW YORK CITY, the ciry where dreams are made of.

I didn't emvision we'd get to go to America so soon. Part of it was a very generous present from my mum and dad for christmas.

We stayed in Chocolat Hostel and were expecting a right dive. The reviews on the internet were quite shocking. But it was cheap and my thinking was we've stayed in Mirador Mansions and that was fine, so could it really be any worse?

But it looked rather nice from the outside. Inside was fine also - grotty, like what you'd expect for a tenner a night grotty, but fine.

Manhattan felt surreal. The constant feeling of knowing a place we had never been was nice. We thought we'd try and live a bit like americans. We couldn't wait to go to diners and this one was just around the corner.

It was exciting going up the Empire State Building and seeing where Blair found her pink peonies in the bin after missing Chuck.

But it was even better for the views.

Walking across the park to the Upper East Side was so peaceful. As was the Upper East Side, strolling down Madison Ave as you do.

The Guggenheim was one of my hightlights, though as Ben put it, if you're not that into cubism then don't bother. I'd disagree. It's worth a visit just for the buiding itself.

I don't know how anyone could feel disgruntled after visiting MoMA however. It was really good to see all the Abstract Expressionism which brought NY to the forefront of international art.

You could never get bored walking around midtown. The buildings never cease to amaze. Here's Hellie freezing between the sky scrapers.

The first few days were 'next levvveeell cold'. Like, seriously.

But we ended the week with a few warmer days and it was quite pleasent walking around Grenwich Village as I remember. Abi enjoyed living the NYU dream. She wants to do a year there and I hope she does.

One night we ventured all the way to Coney Island. It felt proper, because how could Manhattan ever feel real? It was raining and cold and we got off the train and went straight to Maccy Ds, which Ben said had to be one of the worst ones ever, Then we realised the fairground was closed (obviously because it was winter, der) so we went to Dunkin Donuts.

Wandering around NY streets you could usually hear the random shouts and grunts of people talking to themselves, or to anyone who would listen. Grand Theft Auto sprang to Ben's mind. But there really are so many homeless people it just makes you think how.

Blackpool times a million according to Ben. But he did like it really.

New York might be the most magnificent place we've been. This post goes nowhere near to showing what it's really like. Oh how we'd love to live there for a while. It has so much charm, maybe even more than Paris. And maybe one day soon we'll get to. We'll try at least. In another year and a half I'll be a teacher with Ben and the world will be our oyster.