Hi Everyone! We just realised that we can mark exactly (ie. the street) where we are staying on the map on this site, you just have to zoom in to see it (in case anyone cares!). So New York:

Tracey and Michael were fantastic hosts and have a great apartment in Lower Manhattan with views spanning the city, the Hudson River and New Jersey. From their place we took the subway to wherever we needed to go. The subway is what suprised us most about New York. We thought it would be a bit scary and difficult to navigate, but it was quite easy and just seems to work so well. Also, we felt incredibly safe in all areas of the city at all times of day and night (except for one day when we took the subway too far and ended up in a not so great area of Brooklyn).

Having spent a week in New York, we are finding it a difficult city to describe. In many ways it exceeded our expectations, from the sheer size of the city (in height and breadth) to the ever present buzz and feeling that the city never sleeps. We heard somone say that New York is a city that 'bears down on you'. We could feel that too long in this city without a break and you would start to feel that. But we certainly had a great time!

We spent the week sight seeing, shopping, museums, doing the touristy things (see the photos!) and relaxing in Central Park. We loved Central Park. The weather has been so hot (at least 35 degrees c every day) that the park is like an oasis. After walking around the city in the sun, it was so nice to go and sit in the cool of the park. We went to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway (this was Malcolm's first time to Phantom) and as usual it was so powerful. The views of the city from the Empire State Building were fantastic, but it was very very crowded and touristy. There was even a shop at the top of the viewing platform! We thought that really took away from the significance of such a beautiful building.

Hope all is well back home.

Love, Leanne and Mal.