Hiya!

Now at LAX waiting for Max to come get us. Tanya the wonderful gal she is has gone to fetch coffee :0)

Well it's 10am LA time so we've arrived 10 hours late after a little adventure ... We left for airport ladt nite via Subway & got to our station to find it closed - had to back track to a station that would take us to Airport train station ... It was all go go go the whole journey taking us 1 3/4 hours - I thought we'd made self check-in cut off arriving 8.03pm only 3 minutes late but turns out check-in closes an hour before not 45 minutes like previous flight.

We then spent another 1.5 hours waiting in queues to be told all the next days (todays) flights were full & we were put on standby for the 6.35am flight and told not to be late!

Onto the next dilemma - where do we sleep?

We were both open to catching some zzz's in JFK but with JFK Inn only $95 a nite including tax & a free shuttle we thought we'd take that option.

So we arrive at the JFK Inn with a sign that has flourishes on either side of the words that look like the silhouettes of handguns. Kinda looks like a place where in movies they rent rooms by the hour ;0)

We speak to the front desk through what looks like bullet proof glass & take the queen room as it's the cheapest option.

We drag ourselves and excess luggage up to the room & swing open the door - cringing with thoughts of what the room will be like &low & behold there before us taking up 1/3 of the room is a 6 person spa!

I think that confirmed to us that for the short time we were going to be there we should have asked for an hourly rate!

In addition to a spa big enough for a party, Tanya whilst flicking through the channels also discovered they provide free porn!

What a classy place!

Anyways we were in need of a stiff drink after all that had happened so headed off to the servo to find no alcohol but more bullet proof glass - at that point we decided to go without & high tail it back to the hotel before we got shot!

Next morning we were 1.5 hours early & had to wait til 15 minutes before the flight left to see if there were any no shows so we could fly standby. We finally had cofirmation we were in & only felt a tiny bit bad when the people whose tickets we took turned up 2 minutes later after missing final boarding call - so long suckers!!!

Now onto New York ... I loved it!!!

So much history, so much culture & such fantastic shopping!!!

We did most of the sites - things like the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, World Trade Centre site, Century 21 & Macy's!

Ok I have to confess that most sites I only saw because they were on the way to shops :-S

For 4 days I turned into a crazed consumer & shopped til I dropped.

I have a fantastic new summer wardrobe but unfortunately after buying it all I won't be able to afford to go out to wear it!!!

We did get to a Broadway show & saw Chicago for $30USD thanks to Tanya lining up for day of show tickets.

We also caught up with some friends we'd made on Contiki & checked out the bars in SoHo & Times Square at night.

Also did Sex in the City tour which I think was only average but saw parts of the city I otherwise would not have seen & by the time I left New York I had the subway down pat & could hail a cab no worries quoting the destination correctly, "To 51st & 3rd thanks!".

Fortunately with some creative packing my suitcase came in on size at 50 pound although hand luggage probably weighed the same!

Hmm if I pack the same that means I still have 20 pounds to go to meet the 70 pound limit ... Quick get me to the closest mall pronto!!!