It can't possibly be the end of July!

Ok, so I was getting better, but again fell behind in my posting...I'm so very sorry!

New York was so much fun...the flight being cancelled the day before we were to leave due to the possibility that it was going to rain was a bit of a downer, but I think we were upgraded to a nicer plane even with the annoying passengers surrounding us...frankly, I don't know what porn and a rabbi have to do with one another, but I'm sure I'm better off not knowing!

The flight into NYC was good, clear day - no rain in sight!! Our hotel room was ready for us when we arrived at 11, so that was awesome and perfect for a quick cat nap prior to heading out for the day.

Bremmy and I met up with her friend Spencer for lunch, ate at a local pub around the corner from our pod, then we took off to explore. We made it over to central park, were excited to find a fair at Victorian Gardens, but were quickly let down when we discovered it cost $6.50 to enter and we only really wanted cotton candy...

After the CC let down, we attempted to locate the store Syms where Spencer was having his suit tailored. He swore that it was at Park & 5th, and that the receipt in his pocket did not have an address on it (he was later found to be full of crap and lead us on a wild goose chase for no reason) (but who doesn't enjoy spending an afternoon following around a confused british boy searching for his suit?)

After visiting the somewhat of a let down Nintendo World store, but finding the NBC store to be a bit more interesting, and our strange encounter with the guy collecting money for homeless people or hungry people where Bremmy got a cheese coloured hat out of the deal, we made our way to TAO for dinner...Martini's are fab, but pricey, and we had to wait for a bit to be seated even with our reservation, I feel it was worth it. Nice atmosphere and delish dinner...just don't order the sushi if you're hungry (the pad thai was lovely)...and the waiter was a card! Following dinner, I was somehow talked into walking like 50 blocks out of the way to the most bizarre movie theatre ever to sit in sub-zero temperatures to watch the transformers movie (until I fell asleep - it was at this point 1am)

Friday morning started a fair bit later than Thursday did (which was 4:30 am), Bremmy and I each had a bagel from Ess-a-bagel around the corner from the hotel. Uncle Bill is hilarious! **NOTE** Don't be silly and ask for your coffee to be double-double...they'll just look at you like you're nuts!

The bus tour took us to Soho for kidrobot, then we wandered to chinatown for some handbags and the hardest to find chinese food you can imagine that wasn't so good for Spencer, but was alright for Bremmy and I. Bremmy also bumped into someone she knew from York which was rather bizarre! We then made our way to the WTC site where we missed that the memorials were under ground, so wandered off in a bit of a confused state heading towards a pier...not the one we needed, but a pier just the same. After squishing the statue of liberty in our fingers, we made our way in the correct direction to battery park to try and catch the ferry over to liberty island. Someone must have informed them that the british were coming because they closed up shop before Spencer made his way to the door to test if we could still buy tickets. Feeling a bit tired and sore and wondering what to do, we stopped at a bar for a drink before boarding the Statten Island ferry. **NOTE** if you're getting wet and it's not raining, it's probably the spray from the gross water coming through a grate on the pier - cover your drink and pray for the best! The Statten Island Ferry was a nice trip, we got some nice views of the statue and Manhatten, the giraffes and the ball park (where the Yankees likely don't play right?) After the ferry ride back to Manhatten, we ventured into the subway where we waited for what seemed like forever for the R train to come when we totally could have taken the W or whatever it was...anyway, we made it to Time's Square in time for a 45 minute wait at the Olive Garden which was insane at 10:30 at night, so we made the long walk back to the hotel to try the tapas bar next door which had a 20 minute wait, so we eventually ended up at the French restaurant next to the hotel which was sooo nice that I think it was almost worth the effort!

Saturday was again nice weather, we grabbed a muffin and a coffee in a bag before catching the bus next to the Waldorf to head to our Spencer meeting point and transfer to the uptown loop. Spencer was late, forgot his ticket and the line was around the block, so we took off in search of Victoria's Secret. **NOTE** There is no Victoria's Secret store near Time's Square...you must walk 8 blocks (or 15 if you walked towards central park before turning around) to get to the store. From there, we decided to hop on the bus, make our way to the water and we'd transfer to the Brooklyn loop instead. Pier 17 is nice, good pizza in the food court, but beware of the temptation of the new crystal light flavours! They don't mix like they do in Canada and might lead to a slightly embarassing red explosion all over your hands! After a 1 hour wait on the bus for a tour guide who knows Brooklyn, we were off for a fun ride. Jonathan was hilarious and worth the wait...his suggestion to stop at Junior's at Time's square for some cheesecake was well worth it...best cheesecake ever (but don't plan on eating dinner too!) **NOTE** if you want I (heart) NY t-shirts, buy them when you see them because they go into hiding when you're tired and your feet hurt at night! Our final night in NY was an early one relaxing in the hotel and prepping ourselves for the journey home on Sunday.

The airport shuttle driver was insane! Bremmy was almost cut in two when he went over a bump and the seat belt held her in tight. The pretzel lady at the airport was so slow, I thought I was going to shrivel up and die. The plane we boarded was the smallest one I've seen besides the float planes at the cottage (less than 40 seats), but the ride was smooth and we got into Toronto on time and with just a little grilling from customs about why I had 2 bags for a 3 day trip, we were out and on our way home.

Please feel free to visit the pictures I have on my picasa site for illustrations to go along with my commentary... http://picasaweb.google.com/reganfick/NewYorkJuly2007

MMMM....

Me and the giant Peanut Butter Cup at the Hershey store in Times Square

1 week until NYC

I know I'm recently back from my latest vacation to Ireland, Northern Ireland and London, but I'm very excited about my next trip to New York City. On July 12th, Robyn and I are departing for a 3 day excursion to the big apple. I'm looking forward to some shopping, site seeing and whatever else will come our way.

Not much else is new with me. Had a nice weekend at the cottage with the family on the long weekend. Including a boat trip up the lake in the wind and cloudiness that was Sunday afternoon. Mom and I had it set in our minds that we would go swimming, which on a nice day would be a great idea. Not long after we both ventured into the lake, the boat started to drift causing my mom to yelp a bit. I was instructed by my father and Aaron to swim towards the boat, but I was a bit confused about what was going on. Meanwhile, my mom continued to flail/freak out/express concern about the boat heading further down the lake. Have no fear! With quick thinking and steady nerves, my dad managed to steer the boat towards my mother and with the aid of our docking pole, we hooked my mom and dragged her back to the boat where she managed to climb on board and proceed to claim that she wasn't freaking out and it wasn't a big deal. Dad's video may have a different opinion of the situation. Can't wait for the next swimming attempt (hopefully in warmer weather)!

C.R.