The trip to the Big Apple was better than first thought, we took the train this time instead of flying and the ease of the train beats the hustle and bustle of the airports any day. Our Hostel was very easy to find once we arrived however we were not in the hostel that was described to us online, we are calling 1 bunk set and a glued on wall mirror home for the next week...we are praying the heater works, as the East coast is a lot colder than the West. We grab dinner on the Upper West side and are surprised that we did not just blow a weeks budget on a meal...maybe New York is not as expensive as everyone says it is.

Freezing cold winds greet us at Battery Park to board our ferry ride over to see the Statue of Liberty. After a rigorous scan, blow and metal test we clear security to see...well not much but at least the sun is out and we enjoy the trip back on the Ferry past Ellis Island...the statue of Liberty is definitely admired best from the water rather than the Island. We walk up Wall Street and towards the World Trade Centre development site. We walk through a very touching memorial and although there are no signs of the terror of that day left on the street, in the centre you do get a sense of what New York went through on the day. We spend the afternoon walking the streets of New York and soak in the sights, smells and sounds of this very busy and tall city. Times Square at night proves to be a childrens playground for adults.

Heading down to Brooklyn today our day starts at the Botanic Garden where we play in Japanese and Shakespeare's garden. We exit early from the hot house as 17 school groups move in. Over at the Zoo we play as spiders, turtles, chicks and meerkats, after feeding the farm animals. we then move down to Coney Island where the wind rips us to shreads as we walk along the boardwalk in search of the Aquarium...it is a ghost town down here. After such a cold day we picked up a cheap warm dinner on our way back through NY and turned in early for the night...the heater does work :)

This morning sees the city streets empty as we head to the Empire State building to beat the morning rush. After see New York from the top we head to the NBC studios and booka tour for the afternoon, while we wait we head to Madison Square Garden and are lucky enough to take a behind the scenes tour of all the stadium has to offer, including a photo op with a Knickerbocker cheerleaders...really should of spent more time doing my hair this morning! Hmmm. We rush through the streets of NY to make it to our NBC tour where we are shown how the SNL show is made and pick up a few camera tricks. A day in New York would not be complete without a cupcake from Magnolia's Bakery and we end the day by strolling up town to see how the other half live and spend their money...a walk through Central Park while the sun is setting ends another full day out in New York, off to the local market to grab some dinner and rest our tired feet.

We head dock side today and take in all the action that awaits us down near the NYC piers...we try to sail like pirates BUT they are not sailing today so we are again land dwellers for the day, we are finding America is very 'seasonal' if you don't visit in Summer there may be nothing for you to do??? So we take in the sights, sounds and smells of the Sunday markets that stretch far along the NYC banks and enjoy the local entertainment. Back uptown we enjoy a tour of Radio City and another photo op with the Rockettes. Further uptown we enjoy a rather small and inadequate Central Park Zoo. We are then entertained on our way back to our place by Central Park regulars who are a bit down on their luck.

A very early start to the day see;s us head to Grand Central Station to board a train up to Boston. The colour of green, yellow, orange and red pass the train windows...Fall is absolutely beautiful one the East Coast. The first stop in Boston is of course Harvard University...not what you see in movies but a beautiful city within a city that offers a very yummy and cheap lunch :) The rest of the day is spent walking different parts of Boston's city and trying to get lost...alothough it's very hard to do so in this city as the streets seem somewhat circular. Boston Common provides a very empty looking frog pond but the feeling of autumn is very much alive in this "traditionally americian looking park" and we stay and play a bit. We have a run in with the Boston Fire Department as we walk past a cafe that was having some "flame" issues in their kitchen. Now it's time to head back to the hustle and bustle of NYC, what a peaceful day.

Our last day in NYC was a wet one. We take it slow looking up and down each street and spend a few hours indoors to dry off at the Sea, Air and Space Museum. A very expensive and sad looking salad dampens the mood a bit...but a bit of retail therapy soon fixes that. Soaking up all NYC has to offer we find a restaurant that I hate to sterotype but looks very American movie set and enjoy dinner and a slice of the BEST cheesecake in town, if not the country. Good Bye New York it's been a blast!