Second ( we really, first ) Real day in the Big smoke!

Although we ended up going to be really late last night we were so excited we all woke up realatily early. Sleep is overrated anyway!

After Scoffing down some breakfast we all piled out of the apartment into the now bustling city streets. full with beautful people in suits and heels hailing taxis, it was so cool. We filed into Times square to see it in the day time and also see the other girls who where staying in a different hotel.

Like I tried to explain in my last blog Times Square is like nothing you have ever seen. It feels like day time all the time because ther are just that many lights. It looked no different than it had the night before at 12 am. Same tourists taking photos, hore and carriges offering rides, a huge array of equally faboulos artists drawing portraits and the odd Michael Jackson Impersonator was still there. I know its the city that never sleeps, but seriously, I thought you could die from lack of sleep or something?!?!?!?

We met the others and barged our way through everyone to the nearest subway ( no not the sandwich) for my first and last New York Tube ride. It wasn't really that exciting, it was really hot when we walked downstairs but soon as we hopped into the subway the air con kicked in. It did look like a scene from a vast amount of films and TV shows - the last one I remember was from How I Met Your Mother.

After about 15 mins we jumped off again and walked up into the very bottem on Manhattan, The Financial District. It was near ' Gound Zero" which is the area where the twin towers were. It was more shocking to see than I first thought. To many it would look just like a a construction site, with the fences, people walking around in hard hats and fluro vests etc, but every knows what actually happened there and when I looked around it actually freaked me out! The huge office building with thousands of people going about their everyday work and then suddenly, all hell breaks loose.

There was a huge memorial site the cost a large sum and was covered by tourists so franny and I decided to do our own thing and take in NYC in the best way possible. wander.

After a look around the World Trade centre and a peek at the Hudson river we started to wander back up the Manhattan Island. We saw some amazing people and shops. on the way we popped into a cheap beauty shop and franny got her very first Manicure, excicting stuff.

Then we trekked further, through the FD, Tribecca, SoHo, Little Italy, Grenich Village and everywhere in between. We stopped off and many weird shops such as a shop totally dedicated to balloons, the most amazing grocery shop I have ever seen and some great vintage shops. The shopping is truely amazing here, its like Melbourne, but cheaper ( in some places!) and more variety! We didn't buy much though - we were more just soaking up the atmosphere.

SoHo was cool. I have never see so many different designer shops in the same area. Everyone who was walking around looked like superstars, and our guide book actually told us to keep our eyes peeled for the rich and famous because this is where they shopped! We stopped for lunch in a trandly little cafe just out of Soho which was great! Real cafe food! aka first chai Latte since MAY - Beat that Laura.

We kept strolling through NY, not really knowing where we were going but enjoying ourselves anyway.

One of my faves was the shopping on 5th Ave. every shopped was HUGE and glamourous. Toys R Us even had a ferris wheel in it!

After what seemed like a lifetime we found ourselve standing back in times square and realiseing we just walk 7 kms. It was such a great way to see the city though, from a real New Yorkers perspective, not stuck behind a billion chinese toursits holding their cameras up like they are hailing god!

We went back to the apartment and chilled for a bit, watched a film and had dinner in - Best stir fry every thanks to Ainslie and Micaela! and then it was time to go out again. 11 Pm is the best time to be awake right?

We went back to times square for a spot of shopping and some REALLY nice cold stone icecream. It was nice just to walk around for a bit and chill too!

After all of this is was about 1 AM so we went back to the apartment and chilled with everyone til about 230 when we crashed.

It really is the city that never sleeps and I believe I am falling in love with it. . . .