Well Well Well...... OUR LAST BLOG. Excuse us if we have a tear as we reflect over our last week of travelling- we cannot believe we are now at this point!!

So did New york live up to our expectations? It was everything we could ever imagine... and more!!

Coming off the plane and onto the subway we were so excited at the thought of meeting with Ross, Stan and Seward (especially Jem!!) so we couldnt hold in our screams when we met them at Grand Central station, literally jumping on them at first sight hehe!!

After 5 months we obvisously had a LOT of catching up to do, especially brother and sister- Jem and Ross went for a stroll to do so picking up some pizza on the way back for a great night in.... and boy did we have the facilities to do so!! The lads had checked into the Affina Hotel on 34th st/ 3rd Av- it was really really central and completely amazing! We couldnt believe our eyes when we first walked into the lounge with the most spectacular view over the Manhattan skyline overlooking the huge Crysler building. The windows were massive which made it all the more stunning. The suite had two double beds with ensuite and a pull out double sofa bed, along with a fully fitted Kitchen and lounge with satellite TV!!! It was nothing but class and we were very VERY lucky girls to be able to stay there- thank you SO much again boys, you looked after us so well!!

Our first day in the Big City and we were ready to go... Wednesday morning and we all decided to hit the huge Macy's!! Feeling slightly overwhelmed and with not many pennies to spare we all had a little browse with very few purchases. England footy was on this afternoon so the boys made their way to a sports bar to watch this whilst us girlies headed back to the hotel to chill out for a bit and make the most of the luxurious amenities. Soon enough the footy was over and so we went to join the boys for a 'few' bevvies.....several beers and G & T's later we were all pretty merry especially as it was Ladies night so for a whole hour us girlies got to drink for free! Brilliant! Needing something to soak up the booze we enjoyed a couple of platters which consisted of the hottest chicken wings that Ross managed to polish off, not without leaving half of it around his mouth! Nice! We decided to move on to another bar just down the road & with one cocktail we were all ready to make our way back to the room for some more shenanigans. Not satisfied with the chicken wings Ross then made his way through the rank left over pizza from the day before plus a few slices of nutella on toast!! Stan took a liking to Jemmas turbie towel and happily pranced around the lounge occasionally stopping to pose at himself in the mirror! Very attractive! A very funny night that was sure to lead to a few sore heads in the morning...

With the sky looking beautifully clear when we awoke on Thursday we all decided it was a good day to go up the Empire State Building. Katie had already done this when she visited NY before so settled down in Starbucks with a hot chocolate and Heat magazine whist the rest of us made our way there. Ross' fear of heights and the little hangover that had made an appearance made for a comical ride in the lift up. His legs were literally trembling and we werent sure that he was going to be able to make it outside. Bravely he soldiered on haha and we all took in the amazing views of the city!! It was definitely worth doing and we got some great snaps to prove just how good the sights were!

Now the group was reunited we decided to have a wander around this sparkling city and headed to Times Square... wow!! It was absolutely mindblowing- all the huge skyscrapers with video screens projecting all sorts at every turn, we literally felt like we were in a film! We couldnt resist a quick look in the Huge MnM store (can you believe it had 3 floors?!) but we managed to resist buying any of the beautifully displayed multicoloured sweets!! Next stop took us all the way to the top of 5th Avenue, next to Central Park.... The Toy Shop! But not just any toy shop- this one was featured in the film'Big' and has a giant piano that makes sounds when you walk across it- well you can imagine the fun us two had on that, sliding around galore for the audiences! In fact we were quite excited by most of the products in the store and took a million pics of us with Harry potter, Batman and giant stuffed animals, what can I say we are BIG kids. Fifth Avenue is basically where all the designer shops are, obviously our funds couldnt stretch to this degree but it didnt stop us from having a mooch in Tiffanys or Diesel... we wish!

A long day and a lot of walking we returned to the Hotel room with two hours spare to get ready.... for our suprise from the boys!! That's right- an all expenses paid suprise for the evening and we had absolutely NO IDEA?! We thought about it all day long but all we knew was that we had to dress smart. Well can you bloody believe it when we made our way down fully suited in our best dresses and the boys looking sharp in their shirts and ties they told us that.... we were headed for Gordon Ramsays Restaurant 'The London'!!!!! We were over the moon, couldn't be happier and it was not what we were expecting at all.... couldn't have been better! We couldn't hold our excitement in the whole way there, repeating "oh my lord' again and again in the back of the taxi!! When we arrived we were shown to our round table- it was very classy but still had a homely feel about it. First we each chose a cocktail and then the menu came... wow! We didn't know where to start and we're not gonna lie we didn't understand everything in front of us, it was very posh! Ross and us finally settled on the 5 course meal- that way we got to have a try of lots of the dishes on the menu... perfect. Seward and Stan went for some scallops to start and then a steak, we couldn't wait for the first course to come- our mouths watering at the thought!

First up we sampled a tasty salad made up of fennel, beetroot and some other yummy ingredients. Secondly we were served our lobster dish which we tried not to giggle at as it looked so tiny on the plate, nevertheless it was delicious a real treat on the pallet! haha. Our third and final appetiser was the scallops which surprisingly we all enjoyed and were really glad that we had tried them. Like Seward and Stan our main dish also consisted of beef and was simply amazing, real melt in your mouth flavours!!!!!
With the savoury courses complete we all indulged in a complimentary pre-dessert (apparently ours was taking too long?! Hadnt even noticed!) This was a pistachio sponge cake served with almond ice cream and olive oil!! - very tasty! Then it was time for our real dessert - a luxurious chocolate fondant with sea salt ice cream - sounds strange but really was amazing and we didnt want it to end!!!!!!!
Our bellies now extremely satisfied and the lovely boys paying the bill (thanks so much again was an amazing night!!) we decided to continue the swarve theme of the evening and head to the Marriot Hotel View Bar overlooking times square for more cocktails. Times Square at night was even more impressive and the view from this huge glass window stretching the whole width of the bar was another bonus for the evening!!!!! We felt like princesses being wined and dined A-List style! hehe!! A marvellous night and just another highlight of what was turning out to be a fantastic final week!

Friday. We had plans to go to the Business District and witness the devestation of the Ground Zero sight after the 9/11 tragedy. When we arrived there was a protest going on at Wall Street regarding the Credit Crisis and wanting funding for the unemployed instead of giving it to the banks, it was cool to see it especially in the Wall Street setting. When we walked to where the twin towers once stood we got quite a chill, its just something about the huge empty space and you can almost feel the impact thick in the atmosphere around it. We all felt a little emotional as you can imagine as we walked around but there was not much to see memorial wise as all the letters and photographs that were once there had been taken down for the making of the new developments, it's great that they're looking up and planning this new 'freedom building' with a memorial museum but i'm sure it's going to take years to build. Another monument close by was very moving- it was a huge sphere that once sat in the building- a statue that signified world Peace... ironic, it had been on the top of the building and they salvaged what was left of it and displyed it in a nearby area. It was very chilling but a great way to bring people together. After walking around for a while we came upon the Brooklyn Bridge and were taken aback by how long it stretched. We walked to the half way point and took a few pics, its quite hard to believe that only a few months back a plane had crashed into that very river with everybody surviving.

The boys had decided that us girlies were going to cook for them this night and we obliged after being so well looked after the night before, we weren't sure we'd be able to top Ramsay but we would damn well try! A quick nip to the supermarket and we were set to make a lovely Chicken Curry, apart from the rice turning to sticky rice it was relatively yummy! Time to crack the wine out, turn off the telly and bring on some cards. We played the night away with sevens and sh*thead and got through many beers and three bottles of wine- as you can imagine our card skills were deteriorating and we resorted to chatting until 4am (Seward caved in long before hehe!) most of the time we were in awe of Ross who was giving us the complete run down and working of Mac Donalds- he was on top form making us all get the giggles until our bellies hurt!

Saturday. The boys had tickets for the New York Knicks basket ball game so they excitedly set off for that. This meant only one thing for us two...shopping time. We speant most of the day trawling around the big city picking up any last prezzies we needed and amybe a few treats for ourselves hehe! After the boys returned in the evening after getting beered up at jay Z's bar they found us peacefully napping on the sofa - oops! Saturady night was here though and it was time to get the glad rags on. After a fun night in 'Tonic Bar' previously we decided to make our way there first after a few rounds of cards in the room with yet more vino! Next we decided it was time for a boogy and so found ourselves in a hip hop bar complete with pumping tunes haha. The drinks flowed galore as you may expect and us girls were definitely a little more than merry with our second removal from a bar on our travels! haha. This time wasnt quite so dramatic, we were asked if we needed some fresh air kindly being ushered out the back exit...when we found ourselves on the street we realised that in fact Katie was a little too intoxicated for their liking and so our night was indeed over!! haha. Again many shenanigans took place in the room with us two apparently wrestling??!! Think the boys may have made this one up! And Katie stealing all that she could possibly carry from the maids trolley! Another very late night before everyone settled ready for bed....this hangover was definitely going to be a bad one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We can't remember the exact time we surfaced the next day but we can tell you it wasnt early and we were not feeling great. Bed ridden for an hour or so Stan and Ross headed to the shop to settle our unhealthy cravings for chocolate milkshakes and kettle chips! It helped a bit as we slowly and gradually got ourselves up and dressed and headed to the ferry port. Once we were out in the glorious sunshine, the best day yet weather wise, we all perked up a bit and we all boarded the boat to set sail for Statten Island. When we first saw the Statue of Liberty our first impressions were that it was smaller than we thought it would be but as the boat drew nearer it was more impressive. We're glad we did it just to say we'd seen it but it was not as special as we thought it would be. Back on the subway (we were getting quite wizzy on this now!) and we had a much needed nap- I know I know, but we still were not fully recovered. Once we all woke up feeling fresher (apart from a sickly Stan!) Our tummys rumbled for a nice last meal together. We had already made up our minds that day that we would go to Times Square and eat at Bubba’s restaurant (Forest Gump) can you guess what the menu consisted of? Yup… shrimp shrimp shrimp! We had clams, mussels, mahi mahi fish and lots of shrimps, very delicious- poor old Stan stuck to his steak though as he had a very bad experience with a ‘wonky’ fish when he was younger haha!

To finish the day off we brought tickets to go up the Rockafella centre to the ‘Top of The Rock’ as they call it. It was a different experience from the Empire State Building because it was night time and we had been recommended it a few times, we can see why. The views were out of this world and we were so high up looking over the sparkling lights in the dark night sky and seeing Times Square, the Empire State Building it was magical! There was also a cool disco room that sensored when you walked in following your footsteps around a white room with coloured lights and strange noises (as you can imagine us two were in our element!) It got a bit chilly up there so after a good look around on all three levels we got back into the very cool elevator (you could see through the top like Charlie and the chocolate factory!) and took the long refreshing walk back to our hotel.

Can you believe it was now Monday and sadly the boys were going home! After one last shop on 5th Ave and in Macys we all had lunch at a little café together that we had become very fond of over the week. Some very big thankyou’s to the boys before they left for making our final week one of the best yet!! And truly looking after us so very very generously!!

So for us it was time to check into a dorm room one last time!!!After a quick bite in Times Square we spent our final evening with tea and cake completing our journals and feeling very reflective!!!

And so here we are just 5 hours away from boarding our flight back to Heathrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Words cannot sum up the simply amazing time we had over the past 5 months and the memories that we are coming home with are truly unforgettable! We hope you have enjoyed this blog as much as we have enjoyed narrating our experiences! We have a lump in our throat as we sign off with our last ever paragraph and will cherish this trip forever.

See you all very very soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!